If you have decided to read this post, then you are already debating the merits of a GMAT classroom course.  While I (and the world’s largest team of GMAT experts) helped build Kaplan’s new GMAT Experience, this post is NOT limited to why you should take “Kaplan”.  This post is about the benefits of a classroom course (any of them) versus non-classroom courses.  Additionally, this isn’t a post about preparing for the GMAT or not preparing for the GMAT – the test is too important to just ‘wing it’ – you’ll be paying for that decision for the rest of your life.

Read More

Murphy’s Law dictates that “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”, which is a fairly negative way to look at life, but seems to hold true in many situations.  The GMAT is one of them, but for a different reason than simply unkind circumstance.  If there is a formula that is difficult for you to apply correctly, or a mistake that you tend to make, chances are you’ll see it on test day.  The reason? The GMAT is written purposely to carry a high degree of difficulty, and to prey on the mistakes that you tend to make when you’re not thinking clearly and purposely.  If you’ve identified a concept or question type as something that concerns you, the authors of the test probably have done so on a larger scale, recognizing that such a concept is fit to elicit mistakes, and using it to do so.

Read More

There’s so much to do as you prep for the GMAT….review math formulas, remind yourself of grammar rules from way back when, take practice tests, learn this whole new world of data sufficiency…there are endless tips on how to improve your score, and most people find the need to spend 2-3 months or so preparing.  In addition to the study-prep tips that are already top of mind, such as working through all of the practice problems in your test-prep books, there are other things that you can do during your preparation period that can indirectly help you improve your GMAT score, outside of your study time.  One of these is to READ as much as possible between now and Test Day.

Read More

The GMAT should be an easy test. After all, it addresses concepts that most people learned during their early high school years (examples: algebra, geometry, grammar). In my experience I’ve found that most test takers have no problems learning the material tested on the GMAT. But they do have lots of problems finishing the test.

Read More

I once had a tutee—let’s call her Jill—who had scored a 430 on her GMAT prior to the start of our 10-hour tutorial. On her first GMAT, Jill had only completed 20-22 Math questions and about 25 Verbal questions, though she did make sure to click in guesses for the remaining questions in each section. Her Math score was 18, her Verbal 28. Clearly, pacing was an issue. Pacing problems are often tied to lack of content knowledge, and, given Jill’s Math score, I figured she was likely to fit that pattern.

Read More

In general, test takers tend to do better in the math section of the GMAT than in the verbal. But what if you’re one of the exceptions to this rule?

Don’t worry, GMAT math is not rocket science, even though it might seem like it at times (especially if you do not have a quantitative background).

Read More

Just starting out? Or maybe you’ve been studying for weeks already? Perhaps you’ve already taken the official test once but want another crack at it? Whatever stage you’re at, you need a plan, so that’s what we’re going to talk about this week: how to develop your own personalized study plan. Get a notebook, open up a file on your computer, or start a blog. Record everything.

Read More

Test day needs to be given the weight it deserves.  While you can retake the test over and over until you do what you think is the best you can do, if you master it the first time you will save yourself a lot of time and at US$250 a pop, a lot of money.

Read More

It is test day.  You are on question number 11 of the quantitative section.  You have been on question number 11 for the past 2 minutes.  You glance down at your scratch work and you see a tangle of equations and calculations, but not one of them is getting you any closer to the right answer.  What do you do?

The first instinct of most students is to check how much time is left.  This is an important consideration in determining your next step, but its usefulness varies based on a couple of factors, as we will see below.

Read More

You’ve been studying religiously for the GMAT, learning all of the content and formulas you need, practicing under timed conditions…and suddenly, your practice test scores went down!  How is that possible, you wonder?  Is all the work that you’re doing pointless?  Are you doomed to stay at this low score level no matter what?

Relax, and know that it is NORMAL for your practice test scores to fluctuate.  There are many reasons for this, including:

Read More

Let’s face it, studying is not fun. It’s usually something you struggle through, is discouraging, tedious and expensive, and requires faith that it will pay off in the end.

Here’s the good news: it will pay off, but only if you do it correctly. These are some good rules to follow:

Read More

It is said that the rate at which people learn is exponentially higher for children than it is for teenagers and adults.  Why?  That question is, in part, its own answer; children constantly ask the question “why” in an effort to broaden their knowledge about whatever surrounds them.  As we grow older, we tend to ask questions that focus on “what” more than those that feature the deeper-understanding of “why”:  What do I need to know for this exam?  What is the correct answer?  What is the minimum score I need in order to get an A for the class?  As we neglect the deeper-understanding question “why” in favor of the more-practical “what”, we miss out on opportunities to build understanding that will last, and may often find that “what” isn’t as practical in the long run as “why” would be.

On the GMAT, you can use the question “why” in a number of ways to maximize your score and more efficiently approach your studies.  Perhaps most importantly, the question “why” can factor in these areas:

Read More

This is a follow to my last piece, CAT FAQ: Beginner.

1. My score doesn’t seem to match my performance: I only got a few questions wrong, but my score isn’t as high as I thought it would be / I got a bunch of questions wrong, yet my score seems higher than it should be.

Most exams are linear assessments, like the SAT or your 10th grade history final. These are scored by counting the number of questions you answer correctly, and sometimes by penalizing for each question you answer incorrectly. The result, a raw score, is then converted to a scaled score, like the 600-2400 range for the SAT.

A computer-adaptive test (CAT) works very differently. It doesn’t really care as much about how many you get right or wrong, but rather which questions you get right and wrong. The CAT algorithm estimates your ability based on a variety of criteria, including the difficulty of a question. After each question, it evaluates your response and updates this estimate. When the test is over, the algorithm converts your quantitative and verbal ability estimates into the quantitative and verbal scaled scores, and then separately combines your quantitative and verbal ability estimates to calculate the overall score.

Read More

About 1 in 5 to 1 in 3 testers have test anxiety, which is simply defined as a level of anxiety that negatively impacts performance. There’s no shame in anxiety; it’s natural to be nervous in the face of a difficult challenge. Besides, some anxiety on test day is beneficial; it helps you perform your best when it counts. But if you experience a level of anxiety that detracts from your ability to concentrate, it’s important to acknowledge it and take steps to help yourself relax.

Read More

For years, scientists have been telling us that a balanced diet can improve our overall health and well-being.  In addition, there are several foods that are consistently touted as “brain food,” in that they can improve cognitive function and brain health.  Just in case you’re not familiar with them, though, let’s go over a few of the most well-researched and helpful ones.

Read More