What to Memorize for the GMAT: Business/Logic Vocabulary

by Knewton, Jun 6, 2011

Youve probably heard that the GMAT doesnt require math or verbal skills beyond the high-school level and that it tests your analytical ability as opposed to your knowledge of a particular subject. All this, while true, may lead you to think you don't have to memorize anything for the test. But this isn't true, particularly with the verbal section.

There are certain areas on the GMAT where you cant necessarily rely on your reasoning skills or intuition. Yes, memorization can be a pain, but the good news is once you know this stuff, you know it, and you can check it off your list of things to master before the big day.

First, up: business and logic vocabulary.

Unlike the GRE or SAT, the GMAT does not contain a sentence completion or analogies section. As a result, memorizing large amounts of vocabulary is not an efficient way to study. You certainly shouldn't be poring over your old SAT flashcards in preparation for the test.

That being said, it will be difficult to manage the Reading Comprehension or Critical Reasoning section without a decent vocabulary and a facility with logic and business words in particular.

So, if you dont know the meaning (and by "meaning" I dont mean a general, vague understanding of the word - I mean, a cold hard definition) of any of the following words, be sure to look them up.

overhead

income

stock

option

contractual

diversification

incentive

municipal

hierarchy

insurance

demand

labor

investment

indicator

commercial

merger

transactions

customers

sales

profit

net

gross

resources

human resources

manager/management

model

technique

disruption

supply

Brushing up on your vocab skills can also help you on the AWA. One thing I've noticed in the process of evaluating hundreds of AWA essays is that many students do not express themselves precisely because certain words are not actively a part of their vocabulary. To make things easier on yourself and improve your AWA score, get to know the following words and practice incorporating them into your essays:

conclusion

evidence

assumption

claim

basis

judgment

opinion

support

deny

weaken

undermine

strengthen

advocate

dispute

reject

agree

disagree

likelihood

probable/probability

adequate

prediction

position

authority

The introduction of just a few of these new words will strengthen your AWA essays, eliminating vagueness and allowing you to convey complex arguments more clearly and succinctly. For more AWA tips, check out this post.

This post was written by Christina Yu.