# vivihsu

Ian Stewart posted a reply to If $defines a certain operation, is p$ q less than 20? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Statement 1 tells us that we want to know if 2p^2 - q is less than 20, which we can''t tell with no information about p or q. Statement 2 is clearly not sufficient alone, because we have no idea what this "$" operation does. Using both Statements, we can clearly evaluate p$q = 2p^2 - q and ...”
March 18, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to List S and List T each contain 5 positive integers, and for in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Since we know three values in List S, and we know the mean, and thus the sum, of all five values in List S, then if we''re given a fourth value in list S, we can find the fifth missing value. So from Statement 1 alone, we know exactly what List S contains. Similarly, from Statement 2 alone, we know ...”
March 18, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to Is xy an integer? (1) x is the ratio of the area of a squar in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Strange question - you obviously need to know about both x and y, so neither statement could be sufficient alone. But Statement 1 gives us the value of x, and Statement 2 gives us the value of y, so of course we can answer any question in the universe about x and y using both Statements, and the ...”
March 18, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to A carpenter worked alone for 1 day on a job that would take in the Problem Solving forum
“Once the first day is done, 6/7 of the job is left. We then know that the two workers together do 6/7 of a job in 4 days. So now we know these two things: Carpenter A does 1 job in 7 days Carpenters A+B together do 6/7 jobs in 4 days We can now get the same time for both: A does 4 jobs ...”
March 17, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to What is the smallest positive integer $$x$$ such that in the Problem Solving forum
“Prime factorize the 450: 450 = 50*9 = 2 * 3^2 * 5^2 To get a perfect cube, we need to multiply by a number that will make every exponent in the prime factorization into some multiple of 3. So the smallest thing we can multiply by is 2^2 * 3^1 * 5^1 = 60, since that will give us 2^3 * 3^3 * ...”
March 17, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to What is the remainder when the positive integer $$n$$ is in the Data Sufficiency forum
“If you know remainder arithmetic ("modular arithmetic"), this is a three-second question, because if you''re dividing by k, then "k+1" is the same as "1", so (k+1)^3 is the same as 1^3, and our remainder is 1 using Statement 1. But that won''t make any sense to most ...”
March 17, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to If a light bulb is selected at random from a shipment, what in the Data Sufficiency forum
“When you''re only selecting one thing from a group, a probability is just a ratio. If you''re asked, say, "if you pick a random student from a class, what is the probability you pick a woman?", that is the same question as "what fraction of the students are women?" So the ...”
March 17, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to The next number in a certain sequence is defined by in the Data Sufficiency forum
“If our sequence contains positive values, and if we''re multiplying by some positive constant (different from one) to produce each subsequent term, the sequence is either constantly increasing (if the constant is greater than 1) or constantly decreasing. (if the constant is less than 1). Either ...”
March 17, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to If $$xyz < 0$$, is $$x < 0$$? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“If xyz < 0, then at least one of x, y or z must be negative. Notice that means that the smallest of the three numbers is certainly negative, because negative numbers are always smaller than positive numbers. Statement 1 tells us x < y, but maybe they''re both positive and z is negative. ...”
March 17, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to $$n$$ is an integer greater than or equal to $$0$$. in the Data Sufficiency forum
“t_0 = 3 t_1 = 3 + 1 t_2 = 3 + 1 + 2 t_3 = 3 + 1 +2 + 3 t_4 = 3 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 and so on, so t_n is just equal to 3 plus the sum of the first n positive integers. The sum of the first n positive integers is just (n)(n+1)/2 (it''s the number of terms, n, times the average term, which, since ...”
March 17, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to Two cyclists, A and B, are 145 miles apart on a straight roa in the Problem Solving forum
“In the first half hour, A covers 10 miles. So at 2pm, the cyclists are 135 miles apart. Together they will cover this distance in 3 hours, since they meet at 5pm. Since A covers 60 miles in that time, B must cover the rest, or 75 miles, and so B''s speed must be 25 mph.”
March 15, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to The number $$A$$ can be expressed as $$p*q$$ where $$p$$ and in the Data Sufficiency forum
“p and q almost always represent prime numbers in math, so I don''t like their choice of letters here. Statement 1 tells us p is divisible by 8, but not by 16. So for pq to be divisible by 16, we need q to be even, something we don''t know, so Statement 1 is not sufficient alone. Statement 2 gives a ...”
March 15, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to If N is a positive two-digit integer, is N+1 prime? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“The logic of your answer is perfect, but this is not quite true - when you add 1 to a number, when that number ends in 9, the digit sum drops by 8 (the tens digit goes up by 1, the units digit falls by 8) rather than increases by 1. So here, when N = 29, after adding 1 we don''t get a digit sum of ...”
March 14, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to A rectangle has sides x and y and diagonal z. What is the pe in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Statement 1 is not sufficient, since the sides could be anything. Statement 2 also isn''t sufficient, because you''ll have different perimeters when, say, the quadrilateral is a square and when it isn''t. Using both statements, squaring the equation in statement 1, we learn x^2 + y^2 - 2xy = ...”
March 14, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to Are 40% of the employees attending the annual company picnic in the Data Sufficiency forum
“The wording of the question is strange (is it asking if exactly 40% are men, or at least 40%?) but regardless, with no information about how many men or women work at the company, the question clearly can''t be answered even using both statements. If equal numbers of men and women work for the ...”
March 14, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to A certain game board is in the shape of a non-convex polygon in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Statement 1 is always true, so is useless, while Statement 2 obviously gives you one equation in one unknown, so is sufficient. But test takers don''t need to know anything about ''exterior angles'' for the GMAT, nor what a ''non-convex polygon'' is, not to mention that Statement 2 is problematic ...”
March 9, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to In the figure shown, point O is the center of the circle and in the Data Sufficiency forum
“This is exactly identical to a GMATPrep question: https://gmatclub.com/forum/in-the-figure-shown-point-o-is-the-center-of-the-semicircle-89662.html”
March 7, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to At a particular moment, a restaurant has x biscuits and y pa in the Data Sufficiency forum
“It makes no sense to ask a DS question in this way. If y is a "number of patrons" in a real GMAT DS question, then y stands for a single unknown value; it doesn''t stand for a variable. You can''t ask "how many values of y are possible?" in DS, because it''s not clear what ...”
March 7, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to Each of the items in a box is either a ball or a cube and ea in the Problem Solving forum
“The above solution isn''t right. If we have 100 objects, we have 72 cubes. If 54 of these are blue, the rest, or 18, are red. The question asks "What percent of the cubes are red?", and we have 18 red cubes and 72 cubes in total, so the answer is 18/72 = 1/4 = 25%.”
March 6, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to What is the sum of all of the integers in the chart above? in the Problem Solving forum
“In each column, if we list the numbers in increasing order, we get an equally spaced list with a multiple of 100 in the middle. So, for example, the second column contains the numbers: -204, -202, -200, -198, -196 The sum of an equally spaced list is just equal to the average (which, in an ...”
March 6, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to Eight friends go to watch a movie but only 5 tickets were in the Problem Solving forum
“I don''t like the wording of the question, because it''s not altogether clear if order should matter. But that''s the intention, so we have 8 choices for which person goes in the first seat, 7 for the next seat, and so on, and multiplying our choices gives the answer of (8)(7)(6)(5)(4).”
March 6, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to For similar homes and comparable residents, home insurance f in the Critical Reasoning forum
“When we''re asked to EVALUATE an argument, we need to establish the conclusion of the argument and its supporting premises. We then need to determine what information is MISSING. Premises: - For similar homes and comparable residents, home insurance for theft has always cost more in ...”
March 5, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Quasars are so distant that their light has taken billions o in the Sentence Correction forum
“For more on when to use PAST PERFECT v. SIMPLE PAST tenses, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/og-10-native-american-burial-sites-t45325.html#577377 https://www.beatthegmat.com/by-1945-the-us-had-been-t274960.html#714092”
March 5, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Quasars are so distant that their light has taken billions o in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing VERB TENSES. When you see differences in verb tense in answer choices, ask yourself: "when are these events happening in time?" The intended meaning of the sentence should be: - light left these quasars long in the past - we''re just seeing that light now ...”
March 5, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to For the 5 days shown in the graph, how many kilowatt-hours in the Problem Solving forum
“To find the median, first list the daily kilowatt-hours in order: 19, 24, 27, 29, 31 The median = 27 To find the average, we could add up all the terms and divide by 5. Instead, though, just see how much each term differs from the median: 19 --> 27 - 8 24 --> 27 - 3 27 29 --> 27 ...”
March 5, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Among the members of the Malmo family, there are three times in the Problem Solving forum
“Overlapping Sets are a common question type on the GMAT, and the double-set matrix is often the easiest way to solve. For more on how to use the matrix, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/for-what-percent-of-those-tested-for-a-certain-infection-was-t303715.html#818652 ...”
March 5, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to Among the members of the Malmo family, there are three times in the Problem Solving forum
“It''s a pure ratio/percent problem, so we can freely make up a number, and since we''re asked for a percent in the end, I''d just use 100. Then we have: 50 have blue eyes, of whom: 40 have blue eyes and no glasses 10 have blue eyes and glasses We also know that the ratio of ...”
March 5, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Among the members of the Malmo family, there are three times in the Problem Solving forum
“This is an OVERLAPPING SETS question. The best way to approach it is with a DOUBLE-SET MATRIX: https://i.postimg.cc/GBrL4B72/Screenshot-2019-03-05-13-38-45.png If there are three times as many members who do not wear glasses as members who do, we can express the total who wear glasses as x and ...”
March 5, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to If j and k are positive integers where k > j, what is the in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Statement 1 says, in words, "k is 5 greater than some multiple of of j". If j > 5, then that''s just another way of saying "the remainder is 5 when we divide k by j". But we don''t know if j > 5, using only Statement 1. If j=2, say, then it''s impossible for the remainder ...”
March 5, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Set X consists of the positive multiples of 5, and set Y in the Problem Solving forum
“There is no real shortcut to this problem; we simply have to count the results. Set X: 15 3 * 10 = 30 3 * 15 = 45 3 * 20 = 60 3 * 25 = 75 3 * 30 = 90 Anything greater than 30 would yield a product greater than 100, so those are the only results for 3. Now try 5: 5 * 5 = 25 5 * 10 = 50 ...”
March 5, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to In how many ways can 16 different gits be divided among four in the Problem Solving forum
“If you know that in any counting situation, when the order of k things doesn''t matter, you can first pretend order does matter and then divide by k!, then you can just: imagine putting all 16 gifts in a row, which you can do in 16! ways. Give the first four gifts to the oldest child, the next four ...”
March 4, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to When 900 is divided by positive integer d, the remainder is in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Each Statement is clearly insufficient alone, because using only one statement, we know almost nothing about one of the two unknowns in the inequality in the question. Using Statement 1, we know when 900 is divided by d, the remainder is 1. That means that 900 is exactly 1 larger than some ...”
March 3, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to In five football games thus far this season, Barry has run f in the Problem Solving forum
“The wording here is problematic for a few reasons - it needs to mention that yard totals must be integers (that''s not going to be intuitive or obvious to someone who doesn''t follow football), it should say ''yards per game'', and it should certainly not ask what Barry needs to do to "keep his ...”
March 3, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to The positive two-digit integers x and y have the same digits in the Problem Solving forum
“If AB is a two digit number, where A is the tens digit and B the units digit, then the number is equal to 10A + B. Here we are adding AB and BA, which is the same as adding 10A+B and 10B + A. Adding those we get 11A + 11B, which clearly has 11 as a factor.”
March 3, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to Ian Stewart GMAT quant books in the GMAT Math forum
“Anyone interested in my GMAT math books or problem sets can contact me at the email address below.”
March 2, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to If y is a positive integer, is y prime? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“This is a near-exact replica of an official question. Statement 1 is clearly not sufficient, because there is an infinite number of primes. I think Statement 2 is supposed to read: 11! - 12 < y < 11! - 2 That''s also not sufficient, because each number in that interval has an obvious ...”
March 2, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to Is the standard deviation of Set A greater than or equal to in the Data Sufficiency forum
“If you multiply all of the values in a set by some constant k, you will multiply the mean, median, range and standard deviation of that set by k. So here, if we multiply everything in set A by 1/4, we will make the standard deviation 1/4 of its previous value. Since standard deviation is always zero ...”
March 2, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to Is the area of Circle A greater than the area of Circle B? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Strange question. The ratio of circumference to diameter for every circle in the universe is π, so Statement 1 tells you nothing. Circle A''s radius is half its own diameter, so if it is also half of B''s diameter, they have the same radius, and thus the same area, so Statement 2 is sufficient ...”
March 2, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to In a certain school, there are 160 boys and 240 girls. If 15 in the Problem Solving forum
“This is a weighted average problem, where 15% and 25% are the averages of each group. We can draw a number line with the three averages: ---15------------A------25--- Since the ratio of boys to girls is 2 to 3, the overall average A will divide the total distance above in a 3 to 2 ratio, so ...”
March 2, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to If $$2^{4x}=3,600$$, what is the value of $$(2^{(1-x)})^2$$? in the Problem Solving forum
“Alternatively: 2^(4x) = 3600 2^(2x) = 60 2^x = √60 So (2^(1-x))^2 = (2 / 2^x)^2 = (2/√60)^2 = 4/60 = 1/15”
March 2, 2019
Ian Stewart posted a reply to If $$2^{4x}=3,600$$, what is the value of $$(2^{(1-x)})^2$$? in the Problem Solving forum
“2^(4x) = 3600, so (2^2)^2x = 3600, and 4^(2x) = 3600. Taking square roots, 4^x = 60. We want to find the value of (2^(1-x))^2 = (2^2)^(1-x) = 4^(1-x) = 4^1 * 4^(-x) Since 4^x = 60, 4^(-x) is equal to 1/60, so 4^1 * 4^(-x) = 4 * (1/60) = 4/60 = 1/15”
March 2, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to John has to hammer 100 railroad spikes for a new line his in the Problem Solving forum
“If John completed the entire task by himself, the time would be 100/8 --> 25/2, or 12 and 1/2 hrs. He would be halfway done after 6 and 1/4 hrs, and there would be 50 spikes remaining. If he and Paul work together at the same rate for the remaining 50 spikes, their combined rate would be ...”
February 26, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Passengers must exit airplanes swiftly after accidents, sinc in the Critical Reasoning forum
“We need to select an answer that is consistent with the given information: - Passengers must exit airplanes swiftly after accidents, since gases released following accidents are toxic to humans and often explode soon after being released. - In order to prevent passenger deaths from gas ...”
February 26, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Not Only But Also vs Not Only, But Also in the Sentence Correction forum
“Generally we don''t need commas to separate a simple list of 2 things with conjunctions. It doesn''t matter whether it''s a simple conjunction (e.g. "and") or a complex conjunction structure (e.g. "not only__ but also__") I like pomegranates and figs. I like not only ...”
February 26, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The possible long-term health risks to airline personnel who in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing SUBJECT-VERB agreement. The subject of this sentence is RISKS: The ... risks (to airline personnel (who ...)) has been a concern ... The GMAT often puts long, distracting modifiers between the subject & the verb to confuse your ear. If you notice a split between ...”
February 26, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to According to a recent study, hand sanitizers require a 60 pe in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing IDIOMS. The correct idiom in this case is "require ___ to do ____." (A) require a 60 percent minimum alcohol concentration for the killing of - "for the killing of" is unnecessarily wordy. "To kill" is preferred. (B) require that ...”
February 26, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A middleweight black hole weighs in at roughly 500 solar mas in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing simple parallelism. The correct parallel structure (logically and grammatically) is: 1. hundreds of times more massive than ___ 2. but thousands or even millions of times less massive than ____ (A) thousands or even millions of times less in its mass as - ...”
February 26, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Thomas Mann's novel Doctor Faustus offers an examination not in the Sentence Correction forum
“This two-part parallelism - also known as CLOSED PARALLELISM - is very common on the GMAT. Any time you see the following: BOTH ____ AND ____ EITHER ____ OR ______ NOT ONLY _____BUT ALSO _______ NOT ________ BUT _________ etc, ... you need to make sure that what comes right after the ...”
February 26, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Thomas Mann's novel Doctor Faustus offers an examination not in the Sentence Correction forum
“Be careful - prepositions do not have to be the same in order to be parallel! You''re over-applying parallelism where you don''t need it. For example, I could say: I jumped both OVER the rocks and INTO the lake. As long as both prepositional phrases fit (grammatically, idiomatically, and ...”
February 26, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If x and y are positive integers, what is the remainder when in the Data Sufficiency forum
“If x and y are positive integers, what is the remainder when 5^x is divided by y? In order to answer this question, we need some information about x and y. For some divisors of y, the value of x wouldn''t matter: if y = 5, the remainder is always 0, because any 5^x will be divisible by 5. If y = ...”
February 2, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to On the number line, the distance between point A and point C in the Data Sufficiency forum
“With NUMBER LINE problems in DS, remember that information about distance alone does not give us information about direction. When unpacking the question, try to imagine different scenarios with the given information. Try to come up with one scenario in which C is between A and B, and one in ...”
February 2, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Beth has a collection of 8 boxes of clothing for a charity, in the Problem Solving forum
“When there are variables in the answer choices in a PS problem, it''s often easy to pick our own values for those variables. With averages, it''s often easiest to just treat each member of the group as the same. i.e. let''s say that in this case, we have 8 identical boxes with 12 clothing items ...”
February 2, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is tutoring necessary for Verbal? in the GMAT Strategy forum
“In my opinion, no. Don''t get a tutor... yet. When students say "I don''t have much time, so I''ll get a tutor rather than studying on my own," that''s usually not a recipe for success. Tutoring is most productive when it''s supplementing significant time spent studying on your own. Tutors ...”
February 2, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Guidance on study plan in the GMAT Strategy forum
“Yes, this is more than enough material to get started with. Here''s what you should do: 1. Analyze the practice test you''ve taken in a lot of depth. Which areas were you weakest? Strongest? Fastest? Slowest? Decide which topics and question types need more of your time and attention. Be very ...”
February 2, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In the figure above, segments PQ and QR are each parallel to in the Data Sufficiency forum
“It is generally true in Data Sufficiency that if the question asks you for a PROPORTION, you do not need concrete values to answer it. In this case, we''re asked for a RATIO of horizontal and vertical lengths, but not for actual values. We can think of any slope as a RATIO of vertical to ...”
January 21, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to At a certain fruit stand, the price of each apple is 40 cent in the Problem Solving forum
“We can also think of this as a WEIGHTED AVERAGE question. If we buy some 40 cent apples and 60 cent oranges, the average price for all fruit will be between 40 and 60. If we buy more apples, it''ll be closer to 40. If more oranges, it''ll be closer to 60. --|--------------|----| ...”
January 21, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Journalist: Every election year at this time the state gover in the Critical Reasoning forum
“For more on using this strategy for BOLDFACE questions on CR, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/most-of-western-music-since-the-renaissance-has-been-based-t305309.html#823603 https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-official-guide-2019-in-countries-where-automobile-t303686.html#818265 ...”
January 21, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is the average (arithmetic mean) of x, y, and z? in the GMAT Math forum
“You should always start by REPHRASING any DS question to determine: what''s the minimum information that would be sufficient to answer this question? Our question is "what is the average of x, y, and z?" First, rephrase algebraically: (x + y + z)/3 = ? What would we need in order ...”
January 21, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Journalist: Every election year at this time the state gover in the Critical Reasoning forum
“The goal in any BOLDFACE question is to deconstruct the argument, and determine the role of each statement: - author''s conclusion / position - reasoning that supports the author''s position - the counterpoint / what others believe - support for the counterpoint - neutral / background ...”
January 21, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to As even most smokers will admit, smoking is both unhealthy a in the Sentence Correction forum
“This two-part parallelism - also known as CLOSED PARALLELISM - is very common on the GMAT. Any time you see the following: BOTH ____ AND ____ EITHER ____ OR ______ NOT ONLY _____BUT ALSO _______ NOT ________ BUT _________ etc, ... you need to make sure that what comes right after the ...”
January 21, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to As even most smokers will admit, smoking is both unhealthy a in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing PARALLELISM and SUBJECT/VERB agreement. When there is a closed parallel marker such as BOTH X AND Y, the part of the sentence that follows "both" must be parallel to the part that follows "and." In each of the answer choices, I''ve highlighted what ...”
January 21, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The senate candidate expressed outrage that few judges have in the Critical Reasoning forum
“This is NOT a Manhattan Prep question. It is not even a GMAT-style question; it is an LSAT-style question. Students should disregard this question. The poster should also take care to only cite sources if he/she got the problem directly from the source. This problem seems to have been taken from ...”
January 21, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPaper : As measured by the Commerce in the Sentence Correction forum
“Hm, I''m inclined to think that the sentence would NOT work as you suggested: ... corporate profits peaked in the fourth quarter of 1988 but they have slipped since then The word "peaked" already implies that it was a high point, naturally followed by lower values. The contrast word ...”
January 15, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to At the end of the first quarter, the share price of a in the Problem Solving forum
“Calculating the correct answer isn''t difficult, as Brent demonstrated. However, savvy GMAT test takers will always try to use logic to eliminate answer choices before they even start calculating! The student who isn''t reading carefully might think "up 20%... then up 50%... that''s a ...”
January 15, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In a certain bathtub, both the hot and cold water fixtures in the Problem Solving forum
“We can easily use logic to get the correct answer, without doing any calculations. In WORK rate problems, when two machines / faucets / people, etc, work together, a) they work at the SUM of their respective rates, and b) the time that it takes them to complete the task together is LESS than ...”
January 15, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Every day in the morning Ross cycles for 2 hours. He always in the Problem Solving forum
“You could also avoid calculation and easily estimate your way to the correct answer to save time on this problem. As Mitch demonstrated, 1 mile per 12 min --> 5 miles per hr for the first part of the trip. If Ross rides at half the speed for the return trip, then the overall average speed ...”
January 15, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In a 200 member association consisting of men and women, exa in the Problem Solving forum
“OP, are you sure this is an OG question? Which edition of the OG did you get this problem from? It''s not in any edition I own. A google search yields only 1 post from gmatclub, and 3 posts on this forum - all posted by you in the last month. The wording of this problem does not sound like an OG ...”
January 15, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Admissions cosultants in the The Application Process forum
“It looks like BTG has added that feature since you posted: https://reviews.beatthegmat.com/ You should also check out Poets & Quants: https://poetsandquants.com/2018/04/27/best-mba-admission-consultants/ https://poetsandquants.com/consultants/”
January 12, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 60Day GMAT PREP Question in the GMAT Strategy forum
“Studying without reviewing is almost entirely useless - it''s like trying to collect water with a sieve. Or trying to collect tennis balls like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5C8rnpAbIs It is absolutely essential that you make reviewing a large part of your process. In fact, you should ...”
January 12, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Post-First Exam: What are my next steps? in the GMAT Strategy forum
“You mention that you''ve read most of the guides and done practice problems. There are a few things you haven''t mentioned, though: - how were you doing those practice problems? Were you doing them timed, and carefully tracking your errors? - do you have a solid understanding of test strategy as ...”
January 12, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Over the last five years, demand for hotel rooms in Cenopoli in the Critical Reasoning forum
“If we want to EVALUATE an argument, we need to establish the conclusion of the argument and its supporting premises. We then need to determine what information is MISSING. Premises: - demand for hotel rooms in Cenopolis has increased significantly - so has the average price Cenopolis hotels ...”
January 12, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Bluegrass musician Bill Monroe, whose repertory, views on in the Sentence Correction forum
“The reason "that of" redundant is that in the non-underlined portion we have "his own," which is already possessive. (This is similar to saying "my music of mine.") Since we can''t change that non-underlined part, none of the fixes you suggested would work for this ...”
January 12, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to People with high blood pressure are generally more nervous a in the Critical Reasoning forum
“For more on how the GMAT tests correlation v. causation, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/male-bowerbirds-construct-elaborately-decorated-nests-or-t303937.html#818930 https://www.beatthegmat.com/veritas-cat-question-doubt-t300364.html#808487 ...”
January 12, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to People with high blood pressure are generally more nervous a in the Critical Reasoning forum
“This argument demonstrates a very common logical flaw: CORRELATION v. CAUSATION. We''re given that "people with high blood pressure are generally more nervous and anxious than people who do not have high blood pressure." In other words, these two phenomena tend to occur together. ...”
January 12, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Researchers have found entombed in Burmese amber a 102-milli in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is primarily testing MODIFIERS and LOGICAL PARALLELISM. Researchers have found entombed in Burmese amber a 102-million-year-old tick grasping the feather of a Velociraptor, providing the first direct evidence that the tiny pests drank dinosaur blood. (A) entombed in Burmese ...”
January 12, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A new commercial radio station in Greenfield plans to play s in the Critical Reasoning forum
“The chain of logic in this argument is as follows: play songs that were popular hits fifteen to twenty-five years ago --> attract an audience made up mainly of people between thirty-five and forty-five years old --> strong market appeal to advertisers. This argument is relying on the ...”
January 12, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to I took the GMAT today in the GMAT Strategy forum
“I''m so sorry to hear that. But you''re not alone - this test is hard, and many people don''t get the score they''re hoping for on the first try. Here are some possible explanations for why your score went down: 1. You were emphasizing content over strategy (esp timing strategy) You said ...”
January 12, 2019
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Experience - Looking for advice in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum
“Your scores have been pretty inconsistent, with both quant & verbal fluctuating a lot. Given that, a 660 result is not surprising. Inconsistency on quant almost always indicates CARELESS ERRORS or sloppy technique - sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don''t. A lot of students brush off ...”
December 12, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 660 GMAT - What are my odds? in the The Application Process forum
“It really depends on where you''re applying, and how much you stand out against other applicants in the pool. For example, applicants from France might be underrepresented in certain pools, as opposed to applicants from other countries. I''d recommend doing free consultations with any admissions ...”
December 12, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Test day in the GMAT Strategy forum
“For anyone else with questions about test day & scores, here''s an article I wrote: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/scheduling-your-gmat-everything-you-need-to-know-about-booking-cancelling-reporting-etc/”
December 12, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If all of the telephone extensions in a certain company must in the Problem Solving forum
“Here is yet another solution: Most of the time when we''re arranging n things (people in a line, letter combinations, etc) with a diminishing pool (i.e. we can''t use the same item twice), the number of arrangements is simply n!. If we could arrange these 4 numbers into extensions without any ...”
December 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Arthmetic subsequent value Problem Solving question in the Problem Solving forum
“If each row had 2 more spaces than the previous, we could imagine this as CONSECUTIVE SUM formula: sum = (average)(# of terms) The average of a consecutive set = the average of the endpoints --> (biggest + smallest)/2 The # of terms = the difference between the biggest and the smallest, divided ...”
December 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Goronian lawmaker: Goronia's Cheese Importation Board, the a in the Critical Reasoning forum
“For more on this YES / NO test for EVALUATE questions, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/guitar-strings-often-go-dead-become-less-respon-t304393.html#820897 https://www.beatthegmat.com/because-of-a-rare-type-of-fungus-that-killed-off-many-cacao-t304283.html#820187”
December 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Goronian lawmaker: Goronia's Cheese Importation Board, the a in the Critical Reasoning forum
“When we''re asked to EVALUATE an argument, we need to establish the conclusion of the argument and its supporting premises. We then need to determine what information is MISSING. Premises: - Goronia''s Cheese Importation Board rejects about one percent of the cheese that it inspects. - the ...”
December 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 700-800 Level Questions in the GMAT Math forum
“If you''re looking for ultra-difficult problems to practice with, I recommend checking out the Manhattan Prep Advanced Quant guide. (Forgive the plug. As yet, there''s no easy way to access OG problems by difficulty level). This book contains strategies that specifically pertain to high-level ...”
December 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Economist: On average, the emergency treatment for an elderl in the Critical Reasoning forum
“This argument style is very common on the GMAT: it compares 2 things (cost of emergency care v. cost of therapeutic program) but fails to take into account any other factors. Here are some other CR questions with similar logical flaws: ...”
December 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Economist: On average, the emergency treatment for an elderl in the Critical Reasoning forum
“To WEAKEN an argument, we must first find the logical flaws / unstated assumptions in the argument. Premises: - On average, the emergency treatment for an elderly person for injuries resulting from a fall costs $11,000. - A new therapeutic program can significantly reduce an elderly person''s ...” December 7, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG 2018 Difficulty level for questions? in the GMAT Math forum “GMAC has not published difficulty levels for any of the OGs up to OG 2018. Prep companies can only take our best guesses at the difficulty levels, based on the performances of our students. Manhattan Prep has a tool called Navigator that allows students to record their answers to every OG ...” December 7, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Most of Western music since the Renaissance has been based in the Critical Reasoning forum “For more on using this strategy for BOLDFACE questions on CR, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-official-guide-2019-in-countries-where-automobile-t303686.html#818265 https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-official-guide-2019-boreal-owls-range-over-a-much-t303663.html#818059 ...” December 2, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Most of Western music since the Renaissance has been based in the Critical Reasoning forum “The goal in any BOLDFACE question is to deconstruct the argument, and determine the role of each statement: - author''s conclusion / position - support for the author - the counterpoint / what others believe - support for the counterpoint - neutral / background information / establishing ...” December 2, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 3 Month Study Plan? in the GMAT Strategy forum “You have more than enough material to study! Here''s what you need to do: Here''s what you should do: 1. Take an adaptive Practice Exam (CAT). If you bought the Mprep books, you''ll have access to our entire suite of practice exams. Don''t prep first - just dive in and take the test, ...” December 2, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Help me Beat the GMAT in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum “You can''t find what went wrong? You just told us what went wrong - you over-studied! Being well-rested is absolutely critical for brain functioning (see the studies that say that being sleep-deprived made people perform worse on driving tests than being drunk). There''s nothing that you could ...” December 2, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A certain bookstore, each notepad costs x dollars and each in the Data Sufficiency forum “Translate the given information:$10 is enough to buy 5 notepads and 3 markers --> $$5x+3y\le10$$ Translate the question: is $10 enough to buy 4 notepads and 4 markers instead? --> $$4x+4y\le10\ ?$$ Simplify: $$2x+2y\le5\ ?$$ 1) Each notepad cost less than$1. If x < 1, ...”
December 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Several friends in a dinner group decide to contribute in the Data Sufficiency forum
“For similar variations on this type of word problem, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/impossible-question-ps-203-t281881.html#739205 https://www.beatthegmat.com/dollars-t273184.html#707179 ...”
December 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Several friends in a dinner group decide to contribute in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Here, we have a version of a rate problem: ($contribution per person)(# of people) = total$ amount contributed From the question stem, we''re given that the total amount contributed is $36. Let: c =$ contribution per person n = number of people (c)(n) = 36 Since the question is asking ...”
December 1, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to the minimum number of straight lines required to in the GMAT Math forum
“This is not a GMAT-style question. The GMAT does not ask for this style of time-consuming puzzle problem. Please still to questions only from GMAC or reputable test prep companies.”
December 1, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is the area of the quadrilateral with vertices A, B, C, in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Fabio beat me to the post while I was still drawing diagrams <i class="em em-wink"></i> But mine will take you through both statements individually, in case anyone couldn''t rule them out as insufficient.”
November 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is the area of the quadrilateral with vertices A, B, C, in the Data Sufficiency forum
“On a DS geometry question with no diagram given, try to draw different versions of a diagram based on the information given. Question: What is the area of the quadrilateral with vertices A, B, C, and D? We have no information about the quadrilateral to begin with. We will at least need some ...”
November 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Of patients over 65 years old who survived coronary bypass in the Critical Reasoning forum
“Whenever we''re asked to WEAKEN an argument, we must find the LOGICAL FLAW that exists between the premises and the conclusion. Premise: Of patients over 65 years old who survived coronary bypass surgery... only 75 percent benefited from the surgery Conclusion: Thus it appears that for one ...”
November 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Which of the following most logically completes the passage? in the Critical Reasoning forum
“This question is a variant of one from the Official Guide that asked about boldface portions: https://www.beatthegmat.com/scientists-go-their-work-mostly-before-the-age-of-40-t149219.html#538772”
November 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Which of the following most logically completes the passage? in the Critical Reasoning forum
“We want to support the explanation that being in a field for too long diminishes creativity, NOT that being too old in general diminishes creativity. We need a piece of information that connects to length of time in the field. (A) the average age of recipients of scientific research grants is ...”
November 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to For each country listed in the left column of the table, the in the Problem Solving forum
“Let''s say that A = 1 unit of country A''s currency, X = 1 unit of country X''s currency, and so on. Using the table given, we can create equations: A = 2.2X B = 0.5X C = 0.1X D = 4.0X E = 1.7X Now, plug these into the answer choices: A. 4 units of Country A currency --> 4(2.2X) = ...”
November 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Invisible Constraint. OG # 8 vs OG#123 in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Your question is a very understandable one. If you want to be absolutely sure whether there is only one pair of values that work or multiple pairs of values, you should create a table / chart. Start by charting the maximum amount of the variable with the higher coefficient, and see if there''s a ...”
November 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If a certain company purchased computers at $2000 each and in the Data Sufficiency forum “We have 2 unknowns in this question. Let: C = number of computers P = number of printers We''re given information about the cost of each device, but no information about the total cost, or the total number of devices. To solve for C, we''ll need either 2 equations for the 2 variables, or ...” November 13, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT OG 2019 One proposal for preserving rain in the Reading Comprehension forum “With EXCEPT questions, we must find proof in the passage to eliminate 4 of the 5 answer choices. A. adopt new agricultural technologies line 2: "promote the adoption of new agricultural technologies" B. grow improved plant varieties line 3: "such as improved plant ...” November 7, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT OG 2019 One proposal for preserving rain in the Reading Comprehension forum “Here is what we''re told about land tenure: In other words, it''s a fact that kinship ties are more important indicator of land-tenure security than are legal property ties. Indicators aren''t necessarily always causal, but the researchers are clearly assuming that they are. And if this is ...” November 7, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 12 year out of college, GMAT study plans? in the GMAT Strategy forum “I''m sorry to hear that it didn''t go as well as you''d hoped. I want to address a few things you said: 1. Inconsistency. Your scores on both quant & verbal have bounced around a lot. Inconsistency in score usually indicates inconsistency in your process: you don''t really have a clear ...” November 7, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Although they are crucially important, a person's total in the Sentence Correction forum “This question is testing PRONOUNS, If a sentence begins with an opening modifier or dependent clause containing a pronoun (e.g. "Although they are..."), that pronoun must be referring to the SUBJECT of the main clause that comes after. So in the case of "Although they are..." ...” November 7, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In California today, Hispanics under the age of eighteen in the Sentence Correction forum “This question is primarily testing LOGICAL MEANING. Whenever language about percentages or proportions appears on SC or CR, we want to ask ourselves: "what is this the percent *of*? Is it logical and unambiguous?" (A) In California today, Hispanics under the age of eighteen account for ...” November 7, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Retake?? in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum “Here is a post that sums up my advice about whether to retake the exam: https://www.beatthegmat.com/my-advice-to-a-student-w-a-740-wondering-whether-to-retake-t301310.html#810959 You''re only 1 point away from perfect on the quant. To get a 720+, you would have to improve your verbal score. If ...” November 2, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The difference in average annual income in (OG18) help in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “This type of logical flaw is very common on GMAT CR. I like to call it "Mixed Metrics" - conflating one mathematical concept (difference in incomes increased) with another (actual incomes increased). Any time you see one statistic / metric / mathematical concept swapped in for another, ask ...” November 2, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The difference in average annual income in (OG18) help in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “If we want to WEAKEN an argument, we must first find the logical flaws - the missing information - between the premises and the conclusion. Premises: The difference in average annual income in favor of employees who have college degrees, compared with those who do not have such degrees, doubled ...” November 2, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is the area of the trapezoid shown? in the Data Sufficiency forum “Poster, can you clarify where you found this? I don''t recognize this problem, and I can''t find it in any of our materials. I think it''s unlikely that this is actually a Manhattan Prep question.” November 1, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A market research company surveyed users of the toothpaste in the Data Sufficiency forum “We''re given that everyone in the survey used at least one of Brand X and Brand Y. We can think of this as: (Brand X users) + (Brand Y users) - (people who used both) = Total or, since we''re asked for a percentage: X + Y - B = 100 If we want to know the percentage who used Brand Y, we''ll ...” November 1, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium transmitted to humans in the Critical Reasoning forum “Whenever you''re asked to STRENGTHEN or WEAKEN an argument, it''s implied that there is a logical flaw - a missing piece - in the argument. Break down the argument carefully and identify what''s missing before diving into the answer choices. Premises: - deer ticks pick up Lyme bacterium while ...” November 1, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In countries where automobile insurance includes in the Critical Reasoning forum “By the way, it''s interesting to note that the GMAT will sometimes use the same argument but ask different questions about it. Here is the same argument from the OG, but with different portions bolded: ...” October 31, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In countries where automobile insurance includes in the Critical Reasoning forum “The goal in any BOLDFACE question is to deconstruct the argument, and determine the role of each statement: - author''s conclusion / position - support for the author - the counterpoint / what others believe - support for the counterpoint - neutral / background information This ...” October 31, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to At a constant speed of 72 kilometers per hour, a vehicle in the Problem Solving forum “"Units Control" has a great space-age ring to it, like something you''d shout from the bridge on Star Trek! I like it.” October 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A factory has three types of machines, each of which works in the Problem Solving forum “Fabio, I definitely agree with your sentiment generally! But Mitch & I have worked side by side for years, with much mutual respect (I''m assuming!). I''ve never known him to knowingly step on anyone''s toes. I''m sure we''ve all had the experience of someone else posting while we were in the ...” October 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written in the Critical Reasoning forum “For more on CR Boldface questions, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-official-guide-2019-boreal-owls-range-over-a-much-t303663.html#818059 https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-official-guide-2019-in-countries-where-automobile-t303686.html#818265 ...” October 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written in the Critical Reasoning forum “With BOLDFACE questions in CR, break down the argument according to the following roles: - author''s conclusion - supporting premises - counterpoint / someone else''s conclusion - support for the counterpoint - general phenomena / neutral facts We can break down this argument as follows: ...” October 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to While political discourse and the media in the United States in the Critical Reasoning forum “If we want to EVALUATE an argument, we must first figure out where the argument is flawed: we must find a missing link between premises & conclusion. Conclusion: The drop in enrollment of foreign-born graduate students since 2001 will hurt America’s competitiveness in basic research and ...” October 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If x and y are positive integers, what is the remainder when in the Data Sufficiency forum “It''s important to note here that certain digits will always maintain the same units digit, regardless of the exponent: 0, 1, 5, and 6. All other digits [2, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9] will change units digits, depending on the exponent. More on establishing those patterns here: ...” October 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If Machine B and Machine C work together at their constant in the Data Sufficiency forum “Machines working together will work at the SUM of their individual rates. Since the question is asking us for the proportion of the work that Machine B completed, we would need to know the proportion that A & C together completed. (1) Machine A and Machine B, working together at their ...” October 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to At a constant speed of 72 kilometers per hour, a vehicle in the Problem Solving forum “For more on doing unit conversions correctly, see: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2016/01/20/heres-how-to-do-gmat-unit-conversions-like-a-pro/ https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2013/01/14/remember-your-units/” October 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to At a constant speed of 72 kilometers per hour, a vehicle in the Problem Solving forum “Here''s an easy way to set up UNIT CONVERSIONS - set it up as fractions, so that numerators and denominators of the same unit cancel: https://i.postimg.cc/JD8nxJtz/Screenshot-2018-10-23-12-18-55.png https://i.postimg.cc/cKR1vHTy/Screenshot-2018-10-23-12-20-01.png Now there''s no confusion ...” October 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A factory has three types of machines, each of which works in the Problem Solving forum “At first, it might seem as if we don''t have enough information to solve. We have 3 unknowns (the rates of Machines A, B, and C), but only 2 equations. Since this is Problem Solving and not Data Sufficiency, though, (and there is no "cannot be determined" answer) there must be some way to ...” October 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The heignt of an equilateral triangle is the side of a in the Problem Solving forum “Very well said! And thank you ;)” October 16, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The heignt of an equilateral triangle is the side of a in the Problem Solving forum “Well thanks, you made my day, too! We''re all here to learn from each other & share what we know, right? I''ve always found it weird and transparent when people try to "talk over" each other in forums like this. Much better to act like collaborators!” October 16, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The heignt of an equilateral triangle is the side of a in the Problem Solving forum “Yes, good point! I didn''t include it in my diagram, but we can''t just assume it''s 90 - we have to justify it with the reasoning Fabio outlined.” October 16, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If x, y, and z are all nonzero numbers, and x = y + z, which in the Problem Solving forum “We can also rearrange the equation algebraically. If x = y + z, then: y = x - z z = x - y Compare these to our answer choices: (A) (y - z)/x We know that y + z = x, so (y + z)/x = 1. If all terms are non-zero, then there''s no way that y + z = y - z, so (y - z)/x must not equal 1. (B) ...” October 16, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The heignt of an equilateral triangle is the side of a in the Problem Solving forum “Here''s an easier way to look at it: we''ve created another 30-60-90 triangle between A, B, and the midpoint of the base of the larger triangle. If the base = 1, then half the base = 1/2. This is the hypotenuse of the right triangle. Thus, AB must be half that length: 1/4. ...” October 16, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is the remainder if 7^10 is divided by 100? in the Problem Solving forum “A general note: the GMAT will often use "remainder when divided by 10" as code for "units digit," or "remainder when divided by 100" as "the last 2 digits." Here are more examples along those lines: ...” October 16, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Among the Tsonga, a Bantu-speaking group of tribes in in the Sentence Correction forum “This question is primarily testing IDIOMS and meaning. Among the Tsonga, a Bantu-speaking group of tribes in southeastern Africa, dance teams represent their own chief at the court of each other, providing entertainment in return for food, drink, and lodging. (A) the court of each other, ...” October 16, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The pioneering research of Lewis Latimer and Thomas Edison, in the Sentence Correction forum “A. of Lewis Latimer and Thomas Edison, who became known for his invention of the light bulb, - when "who" follows "Lewis Latimer and Thomas Edison", it should modify both of them. Since it continues "his invention," we must rearrange the sentence so that we''re only ...” October 16, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A popular beach has long had a dolphin feeding program in in the Critical Reasoning forum “Here is the general process you should use for EXPLAIN DISCREPANCY problems: 1. Evaluate the given circumstance / phenomenon. 2. Think about what you would have expected / what the normal outcome would likely have been (this is usually unstated). 3. Think about why that''s at odds with the ...” October 16, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Beat the GMAT! 760 in just over 4 weeks in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum “I would strongly urge everyone on this forum NOT to follow this poster''s sleep regimen. This poster may think that reducing sleep contributed to his success, but it likely did more harm than good. The GMAT is not a test you can cram for. Very broadly speaking, cramming stores a lot of ...” October 16, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Strategy to score 700+ in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “I''m not really sure what you''re asking here. You say that you don''t have time or energy to prep, but then you''re asking for advice about how get a 700? If there were a magical shortcut to a 700, everyone would take it, and there would be no need for prep programs. The way to get a 700 is to ...” October 11, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT preparation Group at 42 in the Let's Meet Up forum “The most important thing is to determine *why* you want an MBA at this age. Why not an EMBA? If you''re seeking to level up your skills, there may be ways to do that outside of a full-time program. It''s generally the case that elite MBA programs want to accept students who are relatively early ...” October 11, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to DS: Difficulty level: 700, Source: GMATPrep in the GMAT Math forum “The square root of a square is a coded way of saying absolute value. Whether the base is positive or negative, squaring will make it positive, and when given a root sign, we only take the positive root: https://i.postimg.cc/PN1FGTXN/Screenshot-2018-10-11-15-57-39.png So, we can rephrase the ...” October 11, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Full time student in the GMAT Strategy forum “If you''re finding that the Mprep Foundations guides are easy, then move on to the strategy guides. I''d recommend doing a handful of the drill sets at the end of each chapter in the Foundations guides to test your knowledge / build your basic muscles back up, but you can probably skip reading the ...” October 11, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Advocates of a large-scale space-defense research project in the Critical Reasoning forum “We''re asked for 4 answer choices that WEAKEN the conclusion. (Note: this does NOT mean to look for one answer that strengthens! It''s often the case that we''ll find 4 answers that weaken and one that''s irrelevant.) First, let''s determine where the argument is flawed: Premises: since ...” October 5, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Guitar strings often go "dead"--become less respon in the Critical Reasoning forum “When we''re asked what information would help us to EVALUATE an argument, we''re looking for a question for which a "yes" answer would weaken the argument and a "no" answer would strengthen the argument (or vice versa). Premise: Guitar strings often go "dead"--become ...” October 5, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A political candidate collected$1,749 from a fund raising in the Problem Solving forum
“If we want to MAXIMIZE the number of contributors, we must MINIMIZE the contributions of each person. We want as many people as possible to contribute exactly $50, so think of the greatest multiple of$50 that''s less than $1749. 34 people contributing exactly$50 would get us to $1700. Since we ...” October 4, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If z is a multiple of 9 and w is a multiple of 4, is zw a in the Data Sufficiency forum “Btw, this question is nearly identical to this OG question: https://www.beatthegmat.com/is-xy-a-multiple-of-105-t274522.html#712134” September 27, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If z is a multiple of 9 and w is a multiple of 4, is zw a in the Data Sufficiency forum “First, REPHRASE the given information: - if z is a multiple of 9, it contains two factors of 3. - if w is a multiple of 4, it contains two factors of 2. - the product zw must contain two factors of 2 and two factors of 3. Now rephrase the question: Is zw a multiple of 126 --> does zw ...” September 27, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Time for me to Stop Studying on my Own? - GMAT Quant Help in the GMAT Math forum “You said that you got a 38-V, 38-Q on your 1st CAT. That would track to a 630, not a 500: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/gmat-score-calculator/ I assume that you mean percentiles. IGNORE YOUR PERCENTILES! They are misleading: ...” September 26, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Best Way to Study with GMAT Books Already Purchased? in the GMAT Strategy forum “No, I''m afraid this is not a good plan. There are several problems: - there is absolutely no way that you can get a 750 by focusing on quant alone. You have to maximize both quant and verbal. See the score calculator here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/gmat-score-calculator/ - you''re ...” September 21, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Taking the GMAT in four days. Need advice calming my nerves in the GMAT Strategy forum “CONGRATULATIONS!!! That''s a fantastic score! I always tell my students to take the exam twice. With all the time and money you''re planning to invest in graduate school, why not invest another day of your time +$250 to maximize your score? There''s always a margin of error of +/- 20 pts or so, ...”
September 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If m > 0, y > 0, and x is m percent of 2y, then, in te in the Problem Solving forum
“Here''s another similar problem to try, both algebraically and with plugging numbers: https://www.beatthegmat.com/if-m-0-and-x-is-t68852.html#800983”
September 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If m > 0, y > 0, and x is m percent of 2y, then, in te in the Problem Solving forum
“Here''s another way to set it up algebraically: x is m percent of 2y ---> \E.”
September 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Because of a rare type of fungus that killed off many cacao in the Critical Reasoning forum
“When we''re asked to EVALUATE an argument, we must first determine how the argument is logically flawed. Premises: - Because of a rare type of fungus that killed off many cacao trees in Brazil, there was an unusually meager harvest of cacao beans this year. - The wholesale price of cocoa ...”
September 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to With its plan to develop seven and a half acres of shore in the Sentence Correction forum
“Because the dependent clause beginning with "that" is modifying "a large number of communities," the verb should be PLURAL. Remember that in English, certain expressions with prepositions are considered plural: - some of the people are... - all of the ducks have... - many of ...”
September 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to When there is less rainfall than normal, the water level of in the Critical Reasoning forum
“When you have a CR problem that asks you to EXPLAIN A DISCREPANCY, it''s usually in this format: - It''s generally true that ______. - Normally, you''d think this would mean ______. - In this case, though, _______. We need to find an answer that 1) keeps the original conditions true, ...”
September 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The proportion of women among students enrolled in higher in the Critical Reasoning forum
“In order to EVALUATE an argument, we must first find the logical flaw in the argument. This argument is conflating two different metrics: 1. the proportion of women among total students: (women students)/(women students + non-women students) 2. the proportion of all women of a certain age who ...”
September 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Scoring Verbal 45+ in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum
“There''s no special strategy for scoring a 45+ verbal that''s any different from what everyone should do to maximize their scores: - Read strategy guides to make sure you''re using good process, and not just relying on instincts. More here: ...”
September 14, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Taking the GMAT in four days. Need advice calming my nerves in the GMAT Strategy forum
“Here are some other resources to help combat / reframe anxiety: http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend?language=en https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2013/05/09/stressed-out-meditate-to-lower-your-anxiety-and-boost-your-gmat-score/ ...”
September 14, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Taking the GMAT in four days. Need advice calming my nerves in the GMAT Strategy forum
“I definitely agree with what Rich said. Here are a few other pieces of advice: - Tell yourself that no matter what, you''ll take it a 2nd time. There''s always a margin of error of +/- 20pts, so even if you have a great test day and get a 720, why not roll the dice again and see if you can get a ...”
September 14, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Any decimal that has only a finite number of nonzero digits in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Here is further explanation on the logic of terminating decimals: https://www.beatthegmat.com/ds-decimals-and-ratio-combined-t182983.html#583298”
September 10, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A certain ice cream factory makes two flavors of ice cream: in the Data Sufficiency forum
“This question is faulty as written. We''re told: Then statement 1 says: If the only 2 varieties are over or under 20%, then it should be the case that if 80% is over 10% milk, the other 20% is under 10% milk, and this is the entire category of under-20%-milk. Instead, this implies that ...”
September 10, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Four men and three women make up a seven-member committee. in the Data Sufficiency forum
“For more examples of "when you see ''at least'', think of the opposite," see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/can-someone-please-give-me-the-reasoning-to-this-ds-problem-t32360.html https://www.beatthegmat.com/jury-selection-probability-t270645.html#698357 ...”
September 10, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Four men and three women make up a seven-member committee. in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Here''s a good general rule: whenever you see "AT LEAST" in a DS question, it helps to think: "when would that NOT be the case?" This question asks "does at least one man sit next to another man?" There are lots of ways to picture this happening, so how would it NOT ...”
September 10, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to K is a rectangular solid. Find the volume of K in the Data Sufficiency forum
“You can easily test values to prove insufficiency. (1) a diagonal line across the front face of K has a length of 40 This give us limited information about 2 of our dimensions, but nothing about the 3rd. It''s easy to imagine 40 as the hypotenuse of a 3 : 4 : 5 triangle, so we can imagine ...”
September 10, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Bluegrass musician Bill Monroe, whose repertory, views on in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing SUBJECT/VERB agreement, IDIOMS, and CONCISION. (A) were influential on generations of bluegrass artists, was also an inspiration to many musicians, that included Elvis Presley and Jerry Garcia, whose music differed significantly from - "that included" is not ...”
September 10, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to I cud beat the GMAT: from 680(50,32) to 740(50,40)[97%] in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum
“First of all - CONGRATULATIONS!! That''s a fantastic score, and I hope you''re gotten into fantastic schools. Secondly, this is such a helpful and thorough breakdown - I''m sure others have found it very helpful. Thirdly, I''m so glad that you found the Manhattan Prep GMAT materials helpful!”
September 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to An assumption question - salt cause high blood pressure, in the Critical Reasoning forum
“I see what you mean here. One way to read it is "1. THESE facts don''t establish salt as the culprit, but some OTHER facts might establish salt as the culprit" rather than "2. these facts do not suggest SALT as the culprit, because there is some other culprit." I think both of ...”
September 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep: The number of applications for teaching in the Critical Reasoning forum
“For more on using this process for DISCREPANCY problems, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/erythrovirus412-t289423.html#767088 https://www.beatthegmat.com/critical-reasoning-t278017.html#725224 https://www.beatthegmat.com/resolve-the-paradox-t275859.html#717366 ...”
September 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep: The number of applications for teaching in the Critical Reasoning forum
“I''m happy to help! Here is the general process you should use for EXPLAIN DISCREPANCY problems: 1. Evaluate the given circumstance / phenomenon. 2. Think about what you would have expected / what the normal outcome would likely have been (this is usually unstated). 3. Think about why that''s ...”
September 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Confusing parallelism (never seen before) in the Sentence Correction forum
“I agree that this is unusual. "Flash" and "cover" here are not declarative verbs; they are imperatives (commands), and thus do not need a subject. Normally, we wouldn''t see imperatives on the GMAT, as they imply that one person is speaking to another: "Go to bed! Brush ...”
August 27, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If a, b, and c are positive integers, what is the remainder in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Another option is to test values. As Jay said, we need information about both b and a, so neither statement will be sufficient on its own. When we combine the statements, we can test values: Case 1: c = 1 a = 1^3 = 1 b = 2^3 = 8 b - a = 8 - 1 = 7 the remainder when 7 is divided by 3 is 1. ...”
August 27, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If Mary always takes the same route to work, how long did it in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Given that the distance to work is always the same, we want to know the TIME that it took to get to work on Friday. (1) It took Mary 20 minutes to get to work on Thursday. We are given no relationship between Thursday and Friday - this might be faster, slower, or the same. Insufficient. (2) ...”
August 27, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to ABCD is a square picture frame (see figure). EFGH is a in the Problem Solving forum
“If the length AB = 6, then the area of the entire figure (frame + picture) = 36. Since the frame and picture both have an equal area, the area of each must be 18. If square EFGH has an area of 18, then each side length must be: $$\sqrt{18}$$ $$=3\sqrt{2}$$ The answer is D.”
August 27, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Male bowerbirds construct elaborately decorated nests, or in the Critical Reasoning forum
“This question is testing CORRELATION v. CAUSATION logic. Given: The building styles of bowerbirds of the same species are different in different locations. Conclusion: Building styles are culturally acquired, not genetic. Logical Gap: - are these birds in different locations genetically ...”
August 27, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A car dealership has 40 cars on the lot, 30% of which are in the Problem Solving forum
“Original: 30% of 40 cars are silver --> 12 cars are silver. New shipment: 40% are NOT silver --> 60% are silver 60% of 80 cars --> 48 silver cars Total: silver: 12 + 48 = 60 all: 40 + 80 = 120 60/120 = 50% of all cars are silver The answer is E.”
August 27, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Solution X, which is 50% alcohol, is combined with solution in the Problem Solving forum
“This is a WEIGHTED AVERAGE question. With any mixture, the resulting solution will be closer in composition to whichever component we added more of. In other words, if we add more of a 50% solution, the resulting mixture will be closer to 50%, and if we add more of the 30% solution, the ...”
August 27, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Shawana made a schedule for reading books during 4 weeks in the Problem Solving forum
“The easiest (though perhaps not the most elegant) way to approach this problem is to chart it out. For each book, divide the number of pages by 50, then round up if there is a remainder. For example, 253/50 = 5 remainder 3 --> round up to 6 days total. Book #:----Days to read:---Total ...”
August 27, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Official Guide 2019 A prominent investor who holds in the Critical Reasoning forum
“I''d like to add a bit of advice to Brent''s for boldface questions: Once you''ve determined the role of each statement in generic terms, don''t read through each entire answer choice. Instead, read just the 1st part first and eliminate. Then look at the 2nd part only for the answer choices that ...”
August 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to For what percent of those tested for a certain infection was in the Data Sufficiency forum
“For more on how to use Double Set Matrices for similar problems, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/in-a-product-test-of-a-common-cold-remedy-x-percent-of-the-t303696.html#818274 https://www.beatthegmat.com/retailers-question-t42509.html#809549 ...”
August 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to For what percent of those tested for a certain infection was in the Data Sufficiency forum
“The best way to approach this question is with a DOUBLE SET MATRIX. There are 2 relevant questions here: 1. Does a person have the infection or not? 2. Have they tested positive or not? https://s22.postimg.cc/rx9c6dqj1/Screenshot_2018-08-21_15.12.10.png Accurate results will be those who ...”
August 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to By applying optimization techniques commonly used to plan in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is primarily testing OPENING MODIFIERS. The sentence begins with the opening modifier By applying optimization techniques commonly used to plan operations,... This must be followed by the SUBJECT being modified, i.e. the person(s) or thing(s) applying these techniques. (A) it is ...”
August 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to When working with overseas clients, an understanding of cult in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing MODIFIERS and PARALLELISM/COMPARISONS. (A) When working with overseas clients, an understanding of cultural norms is at least as important as grasping the pivotal business issues for the global manager. - "when working..." is an opening modifier. It must ...”
August 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Over the past few years, retailers in the town of in the Critical Reasoning forum
“When you''re looking to WEAKEN (cast doubt) on an argument, you must first find where the chain of logic is broken. Look for an unstated assumption that would be needed to connect the premises to the conclusion. Premises: - retailers in the town of Statesville have suffered from decreasing ...”
August 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A recent United States Census Bureau report shows that there in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing COMPARISONS and IDIOMS. The correct idiom is AS MANY ____ AS ____. We can eliminate any answers that use "than": D and E. We can also eliminate the incorrect "as compared to" in A. The larger comparison structure is "there are 3x as many ...”
August 20, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If n is an integer between 10 and 100, is the tens digit of in the Data Sufficiency forum
“For digit questions in DS, the best strategy is often to test values. (1) The remainder when n is divided by 4 is equal to the remainder when n is divided by 5. This tells us that either n must be a multiple of 20 (multiple of both 4 and 5), or some multiple of 20 + 1, +2, or +3 (if we add 4 ...”
August 20, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If a is an integer, what is the units digit of a^18? (1) a^ in the Data Sufficiency forum
“For more on patterns in units digits, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/what-is-the-units-digit-of-a-36-a-a-2-has-9-as-the-u-t151317.html#544267 https://www.beatthegmat.com/if-r-s-and-t-are-all-positive-integers-t17201.html#548713 ...”
August 20, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If a is an integer, what is the units digit of a^18? (1) a^ in the Data Sufficiency forum
“If we want to know the units digit of a^18, we must know something about the units digit of a. (1) a^2 has a units digit of 9 Test digits to see if there is more than one units digit that will yield a 9 when squared: a = 1 --> a² = 1 --> no. a = 2 --> a² = 4 --> no. a = ...”
August 20, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to For the list of numbers above there is exactly one mode. Is in the Data Sufficiency forum
“You neglected to list / screenshot the "numbers above."”
August 20, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If the vertices of a triangle have coordinates (x, 1), in the Data Sufficiency forum
“This seems to be a different question than the one Jay has quoted. Did you accidentally change it when editing?”
August 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In a product test of a common cold remedy, x percent of the in the Data Sufficiency forum
“One easy way to organize overlapping sets questions is with a Double Set Matrix: https://s22.postimg.cc/wf2tf7c0t/Screenshot_2018-08-13_16.11.03.png We''re looking for those who experienced both as a percent of the total: https://s22.postimg.cc/tkzo227d9/Screenshot_2018-08-13_16.12.45.png ...”
August 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Political Candidate: Government subsidized prescription drug in the Critical Reasoning forum
August 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If the average of 993, 994, 996, 997, 998, 1001, 1001, 1002, in the Problem Solving forum
“We can also treat this as a weighted average. Find how much each term differs from the average of 999: 993 --> -6 994 --> -5 996 --> -3 997 --> -2 998 --> -1 1001 --> +2 1001 --> +2 1002 --> +3 1004 --> +5 Quickly eliminate the ones that cancel each ...”
August 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to CEO: Over the past several years, we have more than doubled in the Critical Reasoning forum
“Deloitte, I think you have a typo. You marked the correct answer "incorrect."”
August 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The airline company, following through on recent warnings in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing PARALLELISM in a list. If we simplify the sentence, it would read: The airline company... announced that it was 1. eliminating jet service to nine cities 2. closing some unneeded operations, and 3. it grounded twenty-two planes. This is clearly not a parallel ...”
August 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The work of Byron and Shelley, like other poets of their era in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing COMPARISONS and MODIFIERS. A. The work of Byron and Shelley, like other poets of their era, explored themes of love and beauty, which gave rise to the school of poetry known as Romanticism. - "work" can''t be like "other poets." We''d have to say ...”
August 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Official Guide 2019 In countries where automobile in the Critical Reasoning forum
“The goal in any BOLDFACE question is to deconstruct the argument, and determine the role of each statement: - author''s conclusion / position - support for the author - the counterpoint / what others believe - support for the counterpoint - neutral / background information This whiplash ...”
August 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In the circle above with center O, what is the length of in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Since we know that minor arc BC is a 60* arc (corresponding to a 30* interior angle), then we know that it makes up 1/6 of the circumference of the circle. If we can find the circumference, we''ll know the value of arc BC. (1) diameter AC = 24 Given the diameter, we''ll be able to find the value ...”
August 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is the tens digit of a two digit integer k divisible by 3? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Rephrased question: is the tens digit of k a 3, 6, or 9? Test values with the statement to try to prove insufficiency: (1) k - 5 is a multiple of 3 This tells us that k is 5 more than some multiple of 3. Test some 2-digit multiples of 3: Case 1: 3x = 27 --> k = 32. Is the tens digit ...”
August 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How I got a 740 (Q50 V40) !!! in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum
“Congratulations on the fantastic score! I''m so glad that you found the Manhattan Prep materials helpful. Best of luck on the applications!”
August 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT OG 2019 Linda Kerber argued in the mid-1980s in the Reading Comprehension forum
“Poster: please double-check your question numbers and your OAs. You list questions 448-452, but give answers for 449-453. At least one of the OAs you listed is incorrect.”
August 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Official Guide 2019 Boreal owls range over a much in the Critical Reasoning forum
“With BOLDFACE questions in CR, you need to determine the following: - what is the author''s position? (or someone else''s position presented by the author)? - what is given in support of that position? - are there opposing viewpoints presented? - is each statement and OPINION or a FACT? ...”
August 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG VR 19: Since 1992, in an attempt to build in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing PRONOUNS and MEANING. (A) them - there is pronoun ambiguity. Because "them" could refer to "state officials" or "rivers" (or possibly even "salmon"), we should use a noun rather than a pronoun. (B) the river - since ...”
August 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG VR 18 : Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing MODIFIERS and MEANING. Whenever a sentence begins with a participial modifier such as "Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations...", that must be followed by the SUBJECT being modified. The thing long overshadowed by other civilizations is the ...”
August 7, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is |x| + |y| = 0 ? in the Problem Solving forum
“You''re completely right! Total goof from going too quickly. I''ve edited accordingly. The underlying idea hasn''t changed, though: if 2 unknowns are each twice the absolute value of the other, they must both be 0.”
August 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is |x| + |y| = 0 ? in the Problem Solving forum
“ABSOLUTE VALUE is the distance from 0, so it must always be greater than or equal to 0. For the sum of two absolute values |x| + |y| to equal zero, it must be the case that both are equal to zero. Target question: are both x and y equal to 0? (1) x + 2|y| = 0 Test values to try to get ...”
August 1, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Official guide-CR question in the The 60-Day GMAT Study Guide forum
“This questions is #583 in OG2018 (edits in red above). If we''re asked for an ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION, we''re looking for something that gives a causal connection. Given: - people who bought tickets to individual plays had a no-show rate of less than 1 percent - those who paid in advance ...”
August 1, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What percentage of the practice problems should I get right? in the The 60-Day GMAT Study Guide forum
“Because the GMAT is adaptive, it''s not a question of how many questions you get right; it''s a question of which ones you get right. If you''re getting all of the easy and medium questions right, you''ll be getting higher-level questions and end up with a high-level score. If you''re missing ...”
August 1, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to All intelligent people are nearsighted. I am very in the Critical Reasoning forum
“This is not a GMAT-like question. What is the source of this question?”
August 1, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If (x+y)/z = -2, is x positive? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“First, REPHRASE the question to determine what kind of information we need for sufficiency. If a fraction is equal to a negative number, then either then numerator is negative and the denominator positive, or vice versa. In order for x to be positive, the entire numerator (x + y) could be ...”
August 1, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to American "heirloom" tomatoes, once common varietie in the Critical Reasoning forum
“Since you didn''t put any statements in boldface, it''s impossible to answer this question.”
August 1, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A bakery sells white bread for certain price and rye bread in the Data Sufficiency forum
“(Let''s ignore the non-idiomatic pluralization "breads" rather than "loaves of bread.")... Let: w = the price of one loaf of white bread r = the price of one loaf of rye bread Question: 2w + 3r = ? Keep in mind that we do not necessarily need to find the values of w and ...”
July 30, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If S is a data set of three numbers x, y and z, is the range in the Data Sufficiency forum
“You can solve this problem by testing numbers. (1) x – y < 1 This tell us that the distance between x and y is less than 1, but it gives us no information about z, so we can''t know anything about the range of the set. Insufficient. (2) y – z < 2 This tells us that the distance ...”
July 30, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep Practice Exam #1 - What Does my Percentile Mean? in the GMAT Math forum
“IGNORE PERCENTILES!! They do not accurately reflect anything about your ability, as they shift over time. You should be focused only on your subscore from 6-51. More information on that here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2016/02/11/heres-why-you-may-be-misinterpreting-your-gmat-score/ ...”
July 30, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The ratio of spinsters to cats is 2 to 7. If there are 25 in the Problem Solving forum
“What is the source of this question?! The real GMAT would never use a term as misogynistic as "spinster."”
July 23, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Weighted avarage problems with negative numbers and outliers in the GMAT Math forum
“You''re making a few common mistakes here: 1. You were calculating a percent OF January''s revenue, rather than a percent INCREASE. If you want to say that X is 2% more than Y, it is 102% of Y: multiply Y by 1.02, not 0.02. If something is a 2% decrease, then we''re left with 98% of the original ...”
July 23, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The sequence S1, S2, S3..., Sn ... is such that in the GMAT Math forum
“Whenever a question asks about the SUM of a SEQUENCE, we have to find patterns. First, we need to find the pattern of the terms. List out the first few terms: $$S_1=\frac{1}{1}-\frac{1}{1+1}=\frac{1}{2}$$ $$S_2=\frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{2+1}=\frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{3}=\frac{1}{6}$$ ...”
July 23, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If p and q are distinct integers, is 4 a factor of in the GMAT Math forum
“Try TESTING VALUES to prove each statement insufficient. (1) 4 is a factor of p. Say that p = 12. Since no information is given about q, q could be anything: - If q = 7, then p - q = 5, so the answer is no, 4 is not a factor of p - q. - If q = 8, then p - q = 4, so the answer is yes, 4 is ...”
July 23, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In the rectangular coordinate system above, if OP < PQ, in the Data Sufficiency forum
“To get the area of this triangle, let''s define the base and the height: https://s22.postimg.cc/3k3mhga3h/Screenshot_2018-07-19_10.18.44.png The base of the triangle goes from the origin to point Q on the x axis. Thus, the length of that base will be the x-coordinate of point Q. The height of ...”
July 19, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If a rectangle with length sqrt{a} units and width sqrt{b} in the Problem Solving forum
“"Inscribed" means that all vertices of the rectangle will touch the edge of the circle. For any given rectangle, there is only one circle that will perfectly inscribe it: https://s22.postimg.cc/hqeryu0ot/Screenshot_2018-07-19_09.33.54.png ...”
July 19, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to (x - 1)^2 = 400 -> ?? Positive square root quesiton in the Problem Solving forum
“To answer your actual question here: When the GMAT given you a root *symbol*, as in √16, this represents just a positive number. This is understood to only have one value so that a question such as the following can have a single answer: https://www.beatthegmat.com/sqrt-80-t290557.html If ...”
July 19, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Although the people who live in India's villages and on the in the Sentence Correction forum
“For more on PARALLELISM with X, Y, and Z lists, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/from-the-earliest-days-of-the-tribe-kinship-determined-t301953.html#813250 https://www.beatthegmat.com/new-york-city-bike-t275456.html#715501 ...”
July 14, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Although the people who live in India's villages and on the in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing PARALLELISM of lists. When you see a list structure (X, Y, and Z), you must make sure all elements are logically and structurally comparable. Here is the list in the original sentence: ...the years since independence in 1947 have brought: 1. increased literacy, 2. new ...”
July 14, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Unlike the team of lawyers working for the petitioner, whose in the Sentence Correction forum
“For more on comparisons with LIKE / UNLIKE: https://www.beatthegmat.com/similar-to-other-early-mississippi-delta-t290569.html#771270 https://www.beatthegmat.com/the-use-of-unlike-t149928.html#539972 https://www.beatthegmat.com/gprep-sc-9-t277381.html#722472 ...”
July 14, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Unlike the team of lawyers working for the petitioner, whose in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing COMPARISONS and MODIFIERS. Whenever a sentence begins with a comparison signal like "unlike" or "like," we must make sure that we''re comparing logically comparable ideas. In the original sentence, we have "Unlike the team of lawyers..., the ...”
July 14, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to With corn, soybean, and wheat reserves being low enough so in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is #28 in OG 2016. (Interestingly, this question is often cited as having the typo "weather" rather than "whether." It certainly hcan be read that way, but we should trust that GMAC has more diligent proofreaders than that. Instead, we should understand it as the ...”
July 14, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How can I increase my GMAT score? in the GMAT Strategy forum
“Scott is definitely right about learning the material topic-by-topic before taking more practice exams. Another likely factor when I see scores this low / this inconsistent: TIMING. - did you run out of time on either section? - did you fall behind and have to rush to catch up? - or did you ...”
July 14, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Although just inside the orbit of Jupiter, amateur in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question has been kicking around the forums for years. As far as I can tell, it''s from the "1000 SC" set of practice questions. Many of these questions are poor reflections of the real GMAT. On the GMAT, any opening modifier must refer to the subject of the independent clause that ...”
July 14, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Exposure to certain chemicals commonly used in elementary in the Critical Reasoning forum
“Whenever you''re asked to find the ASSUMPTION in CR, you must look for a logical disconnect between the premises and the conclusion. Premises: - Exposure to certain chemicals commonly used in elementary schools as cleaners or pesticides causes allergic reactions in some children. - Elementary ...”
July 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Official Guide 2019 The table shows partial results in the Problem Solving forum
“I will admit that on the first quick read, I thought "22% + 18% = 40%. Are they really just asking us to turn 40% into a fraction? That''s shockingly easy!" So then, as I always do, I re-read with my skepticism radar on high alert. I then saw "partial results" and "Of those ...”
July 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Difference Between Prism and Pyramid | Short Video in the GMAT Math forum
“This is not a topic that anyone needs to know for the GMAT.”
July 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Official Guide 2019 From 2000 to 2003, the number in the Problem Solving forum
“Another strategy is to solve algebraically. Let x = the # of employees in 2000. An increase of 1/4 would mean that we would have 1 + 1/4 --> 5/4. A decrease of 1/3: 1 - 1/3 = 2/3. (original #)(1/4 increase)(1/3 decrease) = number in 2006 x(5/4)(2/3) = 100 x(5/6) = 100 x = 100(6/5) x ...”
July 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Official Guide 2019 The figure above represents a in the Problem Solving forum
“For another exact approach, you could use SIMILAR TRIANGLES: We can create 2 similar right triangles inside the semicircle using h as a side length for each: https://s22.postimg.cc/d97j5vtkd/Screenshot_2018-07-02_14.54.49.png Since side lengths in similar triangles are proportional, we can ...”
July 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Official Guide 2019 The figure above represents a in the Problem Solving forum
“Brent provided a nice solution, but there''s also an easy way to GUESS on this problem: Since h is not the radius but is perpendicular to the diameter, we can infer that it''s shorter than the radius: https://s22.postimg.cc/y0veneael/Screenshot_2018-07-02_14.37.51.png Therefore, we can ...”
July 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG answer might be wrong - in the GMAT Math forum
“Make sure that you''re not assuming that the categories given are COMPREHENSIVE. For example, I could take my earnings and save some of it, pay some of it in taxes, spend some of it on food, give some away to charity... so savings + taxes might not add up to the total earnings. If we were told ...”
July 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How to Practice for Questions you Get Wrong? in the GMAT Math forum
“You should definitely revisit these problems! It''s a good idea to go back to them 2 or 3 weeks later so you don''t remember the right answer exactly. More here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2017/03/09/why-you-should-be-redoing-gmat-problems/ You should also be carefully tracking the ...”
July 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Tips for correcting careless mistakes in GMAT quant section in the GMAT Math forum
“The #1 thing you can do to avoid careless mistakes: TRACK them! Review each question you''ve done deeply, and think about how you could do it better. Don''t just move on to doing more and more problems. Track all mistakes in an ERROR LOG: ...”
July 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Need Advice... scored 580 on 1st GMAT, goal is 700 Help! in the GMAT Strategy forum
“Whenever I see students score much lower on the real test than on practice exams (and if, per Rich''s questions, they were taking all exams in test-like conditions), it''s likely test-taking anxiety might be the big issue. Your mental state can have a HUGE impact on your performance! Try to tell ...”
July 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to At 660-680, how much of an increase is realistic in the GMAT Strategy forum
“You should never be taking practice exams 2 days in a row. This doesn''t give you any time to review and improve from one test to the next! The GMAT is not the sort of test you can cram for. As Rich said, a 660 is a strong starting score, so if you''re studying thoughtfully - with as much focus ...”
July 2, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep EP2 :Scientists generally credit violent collisions in the Reading Comprehension forum
“The passage says: "However, plate tectonics cannot fully explain certain massive surface features, such as the “superswell” of southern Africa, a vast plateau over 1,000 miles across and nearly a mile high. Geologic evidence shows that southern African has been slowly rising for the past ...”
June 8, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep EP2 :Scientists generally credit violent collisions in the Reading Comprehension forum
“We''re told that convection "was known to enable the horizontal movement of tectonic plates," but "until recently geophysicists were skeptical of its ability to lift or lower the planet’s surface vertically." A) There is no mention of the depth at which convection occurs. ...”
June 8, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep EP2 :Scientists generally credit violent collisions in the Reading Comprehension forum
“If "until recently geophysicists were skeptical of its ability to lift or lower the planet’s surface vertically," but recent advances "have allowed geophysicists to make three-dimensional “snapshots” of the mantle ," it can be inferred that they were unable to make these ...”
June 8, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep EP2 :Scientists generally credit violent collisions in the Reading Comprehension forum
“This passage follows a very common structure for GMAT RC science passages: - there''s a prevailing theory / something most scientists believe - however, new evidence shows that they were wrong / partially wrong / there''s some aspect we haven''t considered - details about how evidence was ...”
June 8, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to At the beginning of February, the ratio of goats to pigs on in the Data Sufficiency forum
“You''ve answered your own question here! This is a common assumption to make... and the GMAT knows this and will exploit it. We can never assume that any situation will hold steady over time unless we''re explicitly told so. Even if you held this assumption that "no info about pigs = pigs ...”
June 8, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Sentence Correction in the Sentence Correction forum
“For more on IF + THEN structures that test verb tenses, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/verb-tense-question-on-verbal-review-t280381.html#733298 https://www.beatthegmat.com/a-simple-truth-about-children-is-that-if-they-feel-loved-and-t228280.html#637051 ...”
June 8, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Sentence Correction in the Sentence Correction forum
“The structure "if ____, then ____" implies CAUSE + EFFECT. Logically, the cause must happen before the effect. Therefore, the verb tenses must follow suit. "If expenditures... are reduced..." --> present tense. It''s hypothetical, so this reduction hasn''t happened yet, but ...”
June 8, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 530 on first GMATPrep CAT exam... need advice! in the GMAT Strategy forum
“Rich is right - finishing 30 min early on each section definitely means you were rushing! There were probably lots of instances of missing key pieces of information, making too-easy assumptions, falling for trap answers, etc. To get a 700, you''ll need your Quant score to be above a 45 and your ...”
June 8, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 5 Time Test Taker...The Climb to 750 in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum
“Congratulations on achieving an incredibly impressive score! Putting in the work was a necessary prerequisite, but shifting your mindset to focus on good process seems like it was the decisive factor. Your path worked well for you, but for anyone else reading this, I want to issue a caution - ...”
June 8, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG VERBAL REVIEW 2018 - Early administrative decisions in in the Sentence Correction forum
“You''re right - a fall, a reduction, the collapse, and the failing - could have been a parallel list of 4 things. The main issue is that "as well as" is not a conjunction, and thus cannot take the place of "and." We can''t say W, X, Y, as well as Z. It must be W, X, Y, and Z. ...”
May 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 720 GMAT, worth retaking? in the GMAT Strategy forum
“It depends on the rest of your application. A 720 is certainly high enough to show that you have the cognitive capabilities of handling any top-10 school. If the rest of your application is unique and impressive, then you''re fine - a retake won''t confer much additional benefit. But if your GPA or ...”
May 21, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If n = (33)^43 + (43)^33 what is the units digit of n? in the Problem Solving forum
“As Mitch described, finding the pattern in units digits is the key to solving this problem. For more practice on this concept, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/what-is-the-units-digit-of-a18-a2-has-a-units-d-t159505.html#554073 ...”
May 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to For any real number x, the operator & is defined as in the Problem Solving forum
“Quite often on this type of problem, testing the answer choices is a good option. The other posters have all given you the (identical) algebraic solution, so here''s what answer testing would look like: A. p = −1 p + 1 = -1 + 1 = 0 &(p + 1) = (p + 1)(1 - (p + 1)) --> (-1 + 1)(1 - (-1 + ...”
May 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to President Obama got to know about the killings in Siberia in the Sentence Correction forum
“This is a pretty terrible example of an SC practice question. For one, no one says "chiefs of staff meeting." That is not the correct phrase in American English (which, for better or worse, is what the GMAT tests). We would saying "during a meeting with his chief of staff" ...”
May 3, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 12 years out of college, GMAT study plan? in the GMAT Strategy forum
“If you have the Manhattan Prep books and an OG, you have everything you need to get a top GMAT score. Here''s what you should do: 1. Analyze the practice test you''ve taken in a lot of depth. Which areas were you weakest? Strongest? Fastest? Slowest? Decide which topics and question types ...”
May 3, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to From the earliest days of the tribe, kinship determined in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is #7 from the OG Verbal Review 2015. Please cite your sources. This question is testing PARALLELISM and PRONOUNS. The parallel list is: ... the way in which the Ojibwa society 1. organized its labor, 2. provided access to its resources, and 3. defined rights and obligations... ...”
May 3, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Need to prepare for GMAT but I don't have a lot of money... in the GMAT Strategy forum
“It''s certainly possible to study on your own without spending a lot of money on prep programs. Here are the things that you absolutely must budget for: - a copy of the Official Guide (OG). You can buy used ones online, and it doesn''t matter which edition you get. Ignore Amazon reviews. Buy ...”
May 1, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 2018 edition OG suggested question list in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum
“We no longer print the question lists in our books because GMAC prints a new edition of the OG every year, and we cannot reprint our books every year. Instead, you should use our GMAT Navigator dashboard: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/store/online-resources/gmat-navigator/ You can search for ...”
May 1, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A recent study indicates that the powerful effects of random in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT, MODIFIERS, PARALLELISM and MEANING. First, break down the meaning of the sentence: - there was a recent study. It indicated that the effect of random reinforcement were no longer limited to 3 things: casinos, test subjects, and stock market - the ...”
May 1, 2018
“If you''re starting with a 700 with minimal prep, you can probably self-study and easily get a mid-700s or higher score. You probably don''t need to invest in a full study package. If you already have the Manhattan Prep guides, you''ll have access to the 6+ practice exams and online resources. That ...”
April 19, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How to improve Verbal score from 26-28 to 36-38 ? in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum
“Thank you for clarifying. Since the percentile issue is a very common misconception, I wanted to be sure that no students had the wrong idea.”
April 19, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How to improve Verbal score from 26-28 to 36-38 ? in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum
“This is not correct, and it does not reflect what I said. Your percentile is irrelevant to your score. If one student with a Q50 ends up with a higher overall score than another student with a Q50, it is because that student had a higher raw score. The overall score is based on RAW scores, and has ...”
April 13, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Which resources to use? in the GMAT Strategy forum
“Since you''re looking for a video course to study at your own pace, I recommend (with full acknowledgement of bias) Manhattan Prep''s Interact self-study course. This isn''t simply a collection of videos that you watch passively. It''s an interactive learning platform - you answer questions in real ...”
April 12, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Study intensive plan - 12 weeks? in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum
“There are several things you should change / modify about your study plan. Here is the plan I recommend to anyone with the Mprep books: https://www.beatthegmat.com/materials-and-roadmap-for-a-newbie-t293996.html#787892 A few specific notes: You should definitely mix it up. Interleaving ...”
April 12, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Work in progress: 450 to 640. 190 points up: 90 more to go. in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum
“I couldn''t agree more! Chris is one of my absolute favorite colleagues, and he''s a brilliant teacher. Anyone would be lucky to take a class with him!”
April 12, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Lionel left his house and walked towards Walt's house in the Problem Solving forum
“Here are some other rate problems for which drawing a picture or charting it out would have helped: https://www.beatthegmat.com/two-trains-are-heading-toward-each-other-on-a-750-kilometer-t300201.html#807838 https://www.beatthegmat.com/rate-problem-from-official-guide-t272272.html#796288 ...”
April 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Lionel left his house and walked towards Walt's house in the Problem Solving forum
“Many students find it easiest to draw pictures on DISTANCE problems. Chart out what happens hour by hour. First, their starting points: https://s7.postimg.org/d3yxqllh3/Screenshot_2018-04-05_19.26.02.png Then draw how far Lionel went in the first 2 hrs: ...”
April 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2015 DS In triangle PQR, if in the Data Sufficiency forum
“We know that the 3 side lengths are x, x + 2, and y. We also know that in any triangle, the greatest angle will be across from the longest side. Therefore, we can rephrase our question this way: Which is longest: x, x + 2, or y? Since x + 2 is obviously longer than x, we can ignore that side. ...”
April 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2015 PS If n is a in the Problem Solving forum
“Building on what Brent said, it helps to recognize that (n)(n + 1)(n + 2) and similar structures are signals of consecutive integers. Here are some other variations on the same pattern: https://www.beatthegmat.com/is-x-x-2-x-4-divisible-by-12-t276379.html ...”
April 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2015 DS If n + k = m in the Data Sufficiency forum
“For more on C-traps, see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/og-13-156-t289252.html#766502 https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2014/04/16/avoiding-the-c-trap-in-data-sufficiency/ https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2012/07/31/4-common-types-of-data-sufficiency-traps/”
April 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2015 DS If n + k = m in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Whenever you''re given information about 2 or more variables and asked the value of one of them, rephrase in terms of the others. Question: k = ? Given: n + k = m First, solve for k: k = m - n Thus, if we want to know the value of k, our rephrased question is: what is the value of m - ...”
April 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2015 DS If x and y in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Slight variation on Brent''s explanation... We rephrase the target question from the beginning as: is x/y > 1 --> is x > y ? (Because we know that both x and y are positive, we can multiply both sides by y). We are looking for a RELATIVE relationship between x and y. (1) xy > ...”
April 5, 2018
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What was the amount of money awarded to the recipient in the Data Sufficiency forum
“This question is asking us for a total VALUE of money awarded. (1) Of the amount awarded, 50 percent was given to the recipient immediately. This just gives a proportion, but no actual value. Insufficient. (2) Of the amount awarded, $75,000 was to be given to the recipient upon completion of ...” March 26, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to og18: A pioneer journalist, Nellie Bly’s exploits in the Sentence Correction forum “Yes, we can use a noun to modify another noun; we call this an appositive. My dog, a border collie, is very hyper. Yes, the subject in B is "exploits," but not every noun modifier has to modify the subject. It''s perfectly fine to modify an object (of a verb or of a preposition, as we ...” March 26, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 10 children have ordered a total of 17 hamburgers, and in the Data Sufficiency forum “First, assess the given information: 17 hamburgers for 10 children who each eat at least 1 --> 7 additional hamburgers. It''s only these 7 that we need to worry about. It helps to think through a few of the ways these could be distributed: - 7 kids get 1 additional burger each (2 each), 3 ...” March 26, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Probability Normal distribution in the GMAT Math forum “This is not a GMAT-style question. The GMAT will not require you to solve these types of standard deviation questions.” March 26, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Under high pressure and intense heat, graphite in the Sentence Correction forum “The "and" before the underline signals that this question is testing PARALLELISM. If we strip away all modifiers, we''re left with: ...graphite... changes into... a diamond and remaining this way... The correct version must be "changes and remains." Eliminate A, B, and C. ...” March 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG: By a vote of 9 to 0, the Supreme Court in the Sentence Correction forum “This is a great example of the principle "don''t just listen to your ear." As I was reading the sentence, I was thinking "the GMAT usually prefers constructions like ''powers that enable...''" But - just because that''s the structure that most often shows up in right answers, it ...” March 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If x and y are positive integers, and 1 is the greatest in the Problem Solving forum “Here''s a general rule: if you see "cannot be determined" in PS answer choices, ask yourself - can I think of different cases that would both fit the given information? Can I try to DISPROVE? Brent showed exactly how to do so on this problem. Here''s another example: ...” March 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Best Resource to move from 700 to 750 in the GMAT Strategy forum “No doubt you''ve already taken the exam and done well by now! For any students in a similar position, though - starting with a high score, wanting to get in the high 700s without taking a beginner course - I wanted to share with you an exciting new Manhattan Prep offering in addition to our Advanced ...” March 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Strategy! 660 Diagnostic (cold) - 44Q/36V - Goal 760 in the GMAT Strategy forum “No doubt you''ve already taken the exam and done well by now! For any students in a similar position, though - starting with a high score, wanting to get in the high 700s without taking a beginner course - I wanted to share with you an exciting new Manhattan Prep offering: an ADVANCED COURSE only ...” March 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to PREP: Written in ink or engraved by stylus, more than 2,000 in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “You have a slight typo in where the underlined portion should be. Here is the actual text from GMATPrep: If we strip away modifiers and get to the core sentence, we have: ... letters and documents... are yielding a historical account... that are so vivid... as they are from Pompeii. ...” March 23, 2018 March 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a new topic called New Manhattan Prep Advanced GMAT Course in the GMAT Strategy forum “Manhattan Prep is excited to announce a new course offering: and ADVANCED COURSE only for students who already have a 650+ and are looking to score well above a 700. Who is this course for? Students who: - already know the basics (taken a course or studied on their own) and have scored a Q44+ ...” March 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What's a good way to prep for B-school rigor? in the MBA Student Life forum “For most people, an MBA is a terminal degree, so there is less competition for grades than in undergrad (or in other masters programs). Many people find that b-school is less academically difficult than their undergraduate programs. Business schools know that you''re there to learn, but you''re also ...” March 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What should a good resume contain? in the MBA Student Life forum “Here''s the resource I give my students for advice on resume writing: https://shop.mbamission.com/products/mbamission-resume-guide” March 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to From 480 to 700... Hope? Need advice please! in the GMAT Strategy forum “Hi Sandra, I''m just seeing this many months after you posted it. I hope that by now you''ve taken the GMAT again and gotten your goal score! But in case you haven''t... I just wanted to make sure that you knew about the 2 free tutoring sessions you get as an Mprep student: 1. Post Course ...” March 17, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Journey from 610 to 720; three attempts over 8 years in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum “So glad that you found them helpful! And congratulations!” March 17, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a new topic called My advice to a student w/ a 740 wondering whether to retake in the GMAT Strategy forum “I''ve received many emails like the following, so I thought I''d share with this community in case anyone else is in a similar boat. This is from a very intelligent, high-achieving student of mine who wonders if he should retake the test to turn his great score into an EXCELLENT score. It''s a ...” March 17, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT EXAM QUERIES in the The GMAT Avengers Study Group forum “1. You don''t include any information about how you''re studying, besides taking practice exams. You need a solid plan! There is plenty of advice on this forum about how to do so: https://www.beatthegmat.com/materials-and-roadmap-for-a-newbie-t293996.html#787892 If SC is lagging specifically: - ...” March 17, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is a 700+ Score Possible for Me? in the GMAT Strategy forum “Here''s a *very* broad rule of thumb that I use to help students gauge the amount of study time they''ll need: budget a minimum of 10-15 hrs of study time for every 10pts you want to gain. If you study 10 hrs/wk and want to gain 130 pts, that''s a minimum of 13-19 weeks. If you can study 15 hrs/wk, ...” March 17, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 560 to 660 in One Month Help in the GMAT Strategy forum “Your biggest issue isn''t content. It''s STUBBORNNESS! Timing issues on quant aren''t simply going to go away by improving on the medium-level questions. As you improve, the questions will get harder, so you''ll be even more inclined to spend more time on them, and you''ll still run out of ...” March 17, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to units of measurements in the GMAT Math forum “The GMAT will assume that you know units that are globally standard: TIME: seconds --> minutes --> hours --> days --> months. (e.g. a problem that states "in each month last year" will expect you to know that there are 12 months). MONEY: 100 cents --> dollar. Ok, US ...” March 2, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How to improve Verbal score from 26-28 to 36-38 ? in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “Here''s the simple answer: your 44 on quant isn''t really a "44." It''s rounded from a raw score: think about the range from 43.5 to 44.49999.... So there is a such thing as a "high 44" and a "low 44," although you''d never know which one you had. Your 200-800 score ...” March 2, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How to improve Verbal score from 26-28 to 36-38 ? in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “Whenever students tell me "I''ve been studying for months but I haven''t seen any improvement!" usually the missing factor turns out to be that they haven''t been REVIEWING deeply. To do well on verbal, you need to do the following: - read strategy guides from some major prep ...” March 1, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A march 2000 Census Bureau survey showed--Verbal Review 2018 in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “A present participle (VERBing) after a comma is assumed to modify the entire clause before it. Sometimes it gives information about how/why: I ran 15 kilometers, gasping for breath the entire time. Here, "gasping" is modifying how "I ran." It can also show cause and ...” March 1, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Practice Tests Question in the Ask the Test Maker forum “You should take the Mprep CATs first. The GMATPrep CATs do not allow you to track metrics (% right and wrong, accuracy by topic and question type). Our practice tests do, so it will be much more helpful in the beginning to assess your strengths and weaknesses. GMATPrep CATs also do not tell you your ...” February 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 240 GMAT Score 🙃 in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum “Whenever I see a student who gets a much lower score on the real test than on practice tests, usually one of the following is a factor: 1. They''re not practicing under test-like conditions. - If you''re giving yourself extra time or pausing within a section, if you''re giving yourself long ...” February 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Retailers question in the Data Sufficiency forum “One way to easily see your error is to use a Double Set Matrix. Here, retailers either owned their own store or they didn''t; they either purchased a computer for business purposes or they didn''t: https://s9.postimg.org/5ncxbw663/Screenshot_2018-02-23_15.42.00.png I''ve circled the box ...” February 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Integers in the Data Sufficiency forum “Before looking at the statements, REPHRASE the question stem. First, put the known values in order: 3, 4, 5, 6. The range of the values that we know is 6 - 3 = 3. We would know that we had a range greater than 9 if one of our variables was less than -3 (6 - -3 = 9) or greater than 12 (12 - 3 = ...” February 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG 13, DS Diagnostic Exam, Question 36 in the Data Sufficiency forum “You''re making a HUGE (and very common) assumption here: you''re only considering integers. Nowhere in the problem does it say that X and Y must have integer coordinates. In fact, on geometry problems (especially coordinate plane problems) we should always consider non-integer possibilities (esp. ...” February 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Advise for older candidates in the Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant forum “Here''s an analogy that my friend Jeremy Shinewald (Krista''s colleague/boss, president of mbaMission) likes to use: Business schools want to be the bridge that gets you from where you are to where you want to go. A candidate with the wrong credentials (low GPA or GMAT, uninteresting work history) ...” February 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Help! Struggling with GMAT preparation in the GMAT Strategy forum “Students often make the mistake of overloading themselves with too many study materials, and they become overwhelmed. If you have the Manhattan Prep books and the OGs, that''s more than enough to work with! You just need to be organized. Here''s what you should do: 1. Take an adaptive ...” February 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG Weaken in the Critical Reasoning forum “This is question #67 in OG 11. (Please cite your sources). It''s important to note that "each of the following weakens EXCEPT" does NOT mean "which one of the following strengthens." With WEAKEN EXCEPT questions, it''s more likely that you''ll have 4 weaken + 1 irrelevant than ...” February 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Taking The GMAT w/o Studying? in the GMAT Strategy forum “The only way to know whether that''s reasonable is to take a practice exam, accurately timed. You can download the GMATPrep software from GMAC at mba.com, or you can take a free exam with any leading test prep company. You can take ours here: ...” February 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG If q, s and t are all different numbers in the Data Sufficiency forum “Here''s an unsatisfying answer: I don''t think there is a way for most people to solve this in less than 2 min. Questions that require you to test cases are often very time-consuming. One of the hardest things about the GMAT is that no one - not even the experts! - will have time to carefully solve ...” February 5, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Veritas CAT Question Doubt in the The 60-Day GMAT Study Guide forum “CORRELATION v. CAUSATION is a very common theme in CR arguments. If you notice this type of argument on Find Assumption, Strengthen, Weaken, or Evaluate questions, the right answer will almost certainly address the causation, so you want to recognize these right away. For more examples, see: ...” February 5, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Veritas CAT Question Doubt in the The 60-Day GMAT Study Guide forum “Whenever we''re asked to WEAKEN an argument, we must first find the logical flaw: what''s the missing piece between the premises and the conclusion? Premises: On average, schools that provide an extra recess period each day during which children are allowed unstructured play score higher on state ...” February 5, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Problem solving in the GMAT Math forum “Your logic is totally correct here! You correctly calculated that CD = 6/(sqrt(3)), so the base CB = 12/(sqrt(3)). The area of the triangle = (1/2)bh ---> base = CB = 12/(sqrt(3)) height = AD = 6 (1/2)bh = (1/2)(12/(sqrt(3)))(6) = 36/(sqrt(3)) So far, you were totally correct. You ...” February 5, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep : Years before the advent of plate in the Reading Comprehension forum “Find the citation in context: Why were these mentioned? To demonstrate that if Wegener''s document also contained these presumptions, then it must have been impressive and prescient. (A) indicate features of Wegener''s theory that caused it to be doubted in its day No, we''re not told ...” January 31, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep : Years before the advent of plate in the Reading Comprehension forum “When we''re asked to infer, we need to choose an answer that was not explicitly stated, but MUST be true based on what was stated. In the text, we''re told: From this, we can infer that the examples given were all elements of Wegener''s theory that are also part of plate tectonics theory. If ...” January 31, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep : Years before the advent of plate in the Reading Comprehension forum “Find evidence in the text: The author believes that W''s theory was initially rejected because of the type of evidence used to support it. Now consider the answer choices: (A) was in conflict with certain aspects of plate tectonics theory There''s no evidence in the text for this. ...” January 31, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep : Years before the advent of plate in the Reading Comprehension forum “Find the citation in the text, then anticipate an answer: Why was this considerable overlap mentioned? To emphasize the irony that Wegener''s theory was rejected, even though many years later, a very similar theory became the dominant view. Let''s consider the answer choices: (A) suggest ...” January 31, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep : Years before the advent of plate in the Reading Comprehension forum “When tackling a difficult science RC passage, don''t try to understand every detail. Instead, look for the simple overarching story. This will often consist of: - a theory, and evidence that supports or disproves - new discoveries / evidence that lead to new understanding - a disagreement / ...” January 30, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If the salt concentration in Northern Lake in the Data Sufficiency forum “Picking numbers would work well here. Don''t worry about picking realistic salinity concentrations - just pick easy number to work with! If the salt concentration in Northern Lake increased by 20% from 1900 to 2000 while that in Southern Lake decreased by 10%, is in 2000, the salt concentration ...” January 30, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Regarding Extra skills in the Suggestions and Feedback forum “This is an impossible question to answer without additional context. Generally speaking, business schools want well-rounded students who will contribute to the overall intellectual life and diversity of interests on campus. If you can''t demonstrate that you have any significant interests ...” January 26, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If the salt concentration in Northern Lake in the Data Sufficiency forum “To expand on DrMaths... If we take: N = northern lake salt concentration in 1900 S = southern lake salt concentration in 1900, then 1.2N = northern lake salt concentration in 2000 and 0.9S = southern lake salt concentration in 1900. The question is asking - the salt concentration in ...” January 26, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How to improve from V37 to v40+ in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “I absolutely agree with David. I''ll add: whenever students aren''t seeing a score increase on the verbal, they probably haven''t been REVIEWING deeply enough. For SC, you want to ask yourself: - was I thinking about the MEANING of the sentence? - did I identify the overall structure of ...” January 25, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to PASSING THE 500 MARK to REACH 570 in the GMAT Strategy forum “If you''ve been studying for 6 months and haven''t seen much score increase, it''s likely that you''re focusing far too much on CONTENT and not enough of TECHNIQUE. You need to master your timing strategy, have a game plan for every problem type, review your work deeply so you know what careless ...” January 24, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Coach hunting in the GMAT Strategy forum “David is right - you need to start by taking a practice exam to see where you stand. You''re applying 3rd round to a lot of schools; this is generally not ideal. Most schools have accepted 80-90% of their class by the 3rd round, and they use the 3rd round to take in exceptional candidates - ...” January 24, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Advice - GMAT 60 Day study plan in the The 60-Day GMAT Study Guide forum “It''s generally a good idea to do a little bit of everything every week. Even if you need to focus much more attention on one section than the other, don''t ignore your stronger section! Schools mostly care about your overall score, not your breakdown between quant and verbal. So let''s say that ...” January 24, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Two trains are heading toward each other on a 750-kilometer in the Problem Solving forum “Whenever 2 objects are traveling in OPPOSITE directions (toward each other or away from each other), we can always ADD their rates. Toward: x-----> <-----x The SUM of their individual rates is the rate that the distance between them is CLOSING. Away: <----x x-----> The SUM ...” January 24, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is the range of a six-number set greater than 3? in the Data Sufficiency forum “I see your point. To my mind, though, "the 5 largest" does not have to imply that 5 are larger, 1 is smaller. Consider: if I have the set [3, 3, 3, 3, 3], the median is 3. But which one of those 3''s is the median? Irrelevant! Likewise with 6 identical terms, we can still have 5 largest - ...” January 23, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to There are 7 players in a bowling team with an average... in the Problem Solving forum “EconomistGMAT - You got the right answer, but your math was faulty here. It is only because the two additional numbers average to 85 that this works out. Imagine instead that the two new weights were 105 and 110. We could not simply take (85 + 105 + 110)/3 and get 100. There were 7 players ...” January 22, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Dinged Analysis in the Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant forum “The application is more than just your resume. Don''t discount the importance of the essays. Schools want to see applicants who are passionate and have vision, and who will be an asset to their class. If your essay sounded perfunctory, or gave off the impression of "I want to keep doing exactly ...” January 22, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is the range of a six-number set greater than 3? in the Data Sufficiency forum “You''re making a very common assumption here: you''re assuming that the terms must be DISTINCT, but the question never said that. As Mitch pointed out, the easiest way to prove insufficiency on each statement is to ask "what if all the terms are the same?" In fact, this is always the ...” January 22, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Should I buy Manhattan Prep 5th or 6th edition? in the The 60-Day GMAT Study Guide forum “Hi Robingupta, My earlier advice all still stands:” January 19, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is my quant score high enough for top tier schools? in the Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant forum “A few things: 1. IGNORE PERCENTILES!! They are meaningless. More on that here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2016/02/11/heres-why-you-may-be-misinterpreting-your-gmat-score/ 2. Your quant score is a bit low in real terms. Schools generally consider 45+ strong, and 48+ very strong. A ...” January 8, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Finally reaching a decision on in the Sentence Correction forum “Here is a breakdown of each answer choice: A. politicians decided to postpone by at least five years an ambitious plan to protect wild salmon and other endangered fish, instead of which they proposed a series of smaller steps, by which they intend - "instead of which" seems to refer ...” January 8, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Fuqua waitlist advice. GMAT retake. in the The Application Process forum “It certainly can''t hurt to take the GMAT again once you''re already on the waitlist - it shows perseverance and grit. If you got a 730 or above, that could certainly help your chances. Have you been able to get 730+ on previous practice exams? Or was the 710 at the high end of your score range? ...” January 8, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to DS answer choice mistakes in the Data Sufficiency forum “Without seeing your work, it''s impossible to say for sure what your mistake is, but it''s likely that you don''t yet have a solid DS process. Here is a very comprehensive list of resources for DS strategy and common DS mistakes: ...” January 7, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In parallelogram PQRS shown, if PQ=4 and QR=6... in the Problem Solving forum “You never need trigonometry to solve GMAT problems! You''re right: the area of a parallelogram = b*h. The base is easy: QR and PS are both bases, equal to 6. The height will be the perpendicular line from point Q to the base PS. Since we''re given that angle QPS = 30*, we know that we have ...” January 7, 2018 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Chicago GMAT In Person Prep Course in the GMAT Strategy forum “I''ll let other weigh in with personal experiences. I just wanted to note that Manhattan Prep offers in-person courses in Chicago. You''re welcome to attend the 1st session of any of our classes for free to see if it''s a good fit: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/classes/#location/chicago” December 31, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Parallelism- The employees were upset.... in the Sentence Correction forum “Almost any grammatical element can be a parallel element. Here are several correct ways to write this sentence: Parallel nouns, all modified by the possessive "company''s": The Employees were upset by the company''s... 1. low pay, 2. poor working conditions, and 3. insufficient ...” December 31, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If a+b=200 and a<b, is a+b>c+d? in the Data Sufficiency forum “Also, here''s a good rule of thumb: if one statement is very obviously sufficient, as (1) was here, the answer is often D. If the answer had just been A here, that would have meant that the test writer gave us information that we didn''t use (a < b). And we will never be given information in a ...” December 30, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If a+b=200 and a<b, is a+b>c+d? in the Data Sufficiency forum “Rephrase using the given information in the question stem: a + b = 200 --> is 200 > c + d? (1) gives us exactly this, so it''s clearly sufficient. (2) First, let''s unpack what we know about a & b: if a + b = 200, and one is larger than the other, than one must be greater than ...” December 30, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Discrepancy in GMAT Prep Scoring in the GMAT Strategy forum “The GMAT scoring algorithm can be very confusing! Here''s the simple answer: your 49 on quant isn''t really a "49." It''s rounded from a raw score: think about the range from 48.5 to 49.49999.... So there is a such thing as a "high 49" and a "low 49," although ...” December 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Up To Date Quant Percentiles? in the GMAT Strategy forum “IGNORE PERCENTILES!!! They are always misleading! Your scaled score - e.g. Q43 here - is what is factored into your 200-800 score, not the percentile that that tracks to in a given year. Percentiles fluctuate over time, so business schools know not to look at them. Much more on that subject here: ...” December 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If p and q are distinct integers, in the Data Sufficiency forum “Try TESTING VALUES here: Question: is 4 a factor of p - q? (1) 4 is a factor of p. Case #1: p = 12 q = 5 p - q = 7 --> No, 4 is not a factor of p - q. Case #2: p = 12 q = 8 p - q = 4 --> Yes, 4 is a factor of p - q. We got one "no" and one "yes," so ...” December 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Which of the following is a perfect square? in the Problem Solving forum “Brent''s solution is a good one, but I doubt that you''d encounter anything like this on the real test. The GMAT is not trying to test your skills at calculation; it''s trying to test your LOGIC. It''s very rare that a real GMAT question would require you to multiply even two 2-digit numbers ...” December 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How many hours did Suresh travel yesterday? in the Data Sufficiency forum “Are you sure you''ve transcribed the question correctly? And please remember to include the SOURCE of the question! As written, this is not very GMAT-like. It''s too open to interpretation, and is not very real-world realistic. Question: how many hours did Suresh travel yesterday? (1) ...” December 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT PrepT 1 Verbal in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “I''m glad to hear it! It takes hard work and determination, but you now have all the tools you need to get a top score. Good luck!” December 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Pre admission course in the MBA Student Life forum “Since you are already admitted, it''s a good idea to ask the Sloan admissions department what specific courses they recommend. I doubt you have to take a course with that specific title; you just need to find one in that topic, at an introductory level. Here are a few good online options: ...” December 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 540 on the GMAT test.When should I retake it? Need 600 in the GMAT Strategy forum “You''ve noted that you spent ~10hrs/week studying - that''s great! But you haven''t told us *how* you were studying. Many students study inefficiently, thinking that they need to "cover" as much material as possible. The best thing you can do for both quant and verbal is to focus more ...” December 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT PrepT 1 Verbal in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “On the GMAT, you can''t simply count the NUMBER of questions right and wrong and expect to know what your score will be. Because the test is adaptive (when you get one right, the next one is harder; when you get one wrong, the next is easier), your score is not determined by how many questions you ...” December 26, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Another One of Those... Veritas or Manhattan in the GMAT Strategy forum “My opinion is obviously biased, but I want to address a few of the things you said here: - yes, Mprep uses a lot of OG problems in our course and in homework, because the best way to get to know the real test is to practice with real materials! We also have thousands of our own practice problems ...” December 21, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to the dreaded ERROR LOG in the GMAT Strategy forum “Your biggest issue: you''re relying first on the explanations to tell you what you did wrong. When you see that you got 3 problems wrong, first REDO them yourself - before looking at the right answer! If you can figure out what the right answer was and how you should have gotten there, that ...” December 21, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Any pointer/tips for CR speed in the GMAT Strategy forum “The key to getting faster at CR isn''t just doing a lot more CR problems. It''s deeply analyzing the questions you''ve done to look for patterns. As Rich said, there are predictable patterns. The way to recognize them is to keep track of common themes. Read this article on common logical gaps: ...” December 21, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT - Last Moment Study Tips in the GMAT Strategy forum “Whenever students tell me "I''ve been studying for months but I haven''t seen any improvement!" usually the missing factor turns out to be that they haven''t been REVIEWING deeply. Reviewing well isn''t about just tabulating your accuracy. It''s about deeply analyzing each problem, right ...” December 21, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 750 In GMAT (44 Verb 48 Quant) 4.5 in AWA 0 in IR (Skipped) in the GMAT Strategy forum “With an overall score as high as 750, you might not be rejected from top programs with an IR of 0. If there are enough other favorable things in your application in addition to the 750, they might overlook it. It could be interpreted as a sign of laziness or arrogance, though - it could seem like ...” December 21, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 700 GMAT, should I retake? in the GMAT Strategy forum “I want to point out a major misconception that you''re repeating here: the old 80/80 myth. This hasn''t held true for decades. YOU SHOULD IGNORE YOUR PERCENTILES COMPLETELY! Percentiles fluctuate yearly, based on who''s taking the test. They do *not* reflect anything about ability. In the past 10 ...” December 21, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What to do today and tomorrow before my retake? in the GMAT Strategy forum “Echoing what Rich & David said, less is more - never try to cram! The best things to do in the last few days are: 1. light general review, confirming what you already know 2. looking over your review log / error log to find common patterns in your mistakes 3. create 2 lists: ...” December 21, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is the units digit of 248^20? in the Problem Solving forum “You should never try to calculate the actual value when asked for a units digit! It''s all about finding the PATTERNS in the units digits. Try to find the patterns in these examples: http://www.beatthegmat.com/if-r-s-and-t-are-all-positive-integers-t17201.html#548713 ...” December 21, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG Quant Review - PS - Q 103 in the Problem Solving forum “It helps to recognize that x^3 - x is GMAT code for the product of 3 consecutive integers. As Jeff pointed out, we can factor it as (x - 1)(x)(x + 1). This structure (or variations on it) have shown up in a number of official questions testing the properties of consecutive products. For example, ...” December 19, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2017 Using study groups managed by the principal popular o in the Sentence Correction forum “For similar problems testing opening modifiers, see: http://www.beatthegmat.com/spanish-armada-t291006.html#775935 http://www.beatthegmat.com/comparison-t290580.html#774779 http://www.beatthegmat.com/found-only-in-the-western-hemisphere-og2016-t290602.html#771683 ...” December 19, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2017 Using study groups managed by the principal popular o in the Sentence Correction forum “This questions is testing the use of opening MODIFIERS. When a sentence begins with a present participle such as "using," that participial phrase must modify the SUBJECT of the independent clause following the comma. This is a very common SC structure on the GMAT: an opening modifier ...” December 19, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Data sufficiency question: divisibility and primes (medium) in the Data Sufficiency forum “When rephrasing divisibility questions, it''s always helpful to break integers down into PRIME factors. Is N/14 an integer => is N divisible by 14? 14 has prime factors of 2 and 7. Thus, any integer that is divisible by both 2 and 7 MUST be divisible by 14. Target question: does N have ...” December 19, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to bill is presented on a tray that bears a credit-card logo in the Critical Reasoning forum “I have posted a response here: http://www.beatthegmat.com/restaurant-t283367.html#745138” December 17, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT scoring in the GMAT Strategy forum “Here is a score calculator to help you: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/gmat-score-calculator/ Based on this, you''d probably need between a 37-40 on verbal to get a 650 if you''re getting 41-43 on quant. There is always some slight variability, though, as these scaled scores are rounded up or ...” December 12, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT PREP 1--Currently 26 billion barrels a year in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “Looking at each answer choice: Currently 26 billion barrels a year, world consumption of oil is rising at a rate of 2 percent annually. A. world consumption of oil is rising at a rate of "consumption" is another way of saying "rate." This fits the modifier. B. the ...” December 12, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT PREP 1--Currently 26 billion barrels a year in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “You''re right that "26 billion barrels per year" is a rate - the current rate. We need something that effectively "Currently 26 bb/y, the rate of oil consumption..." We can''t use that opening modifier to modify "the rise," as a rise by definition is not something ...” December 12, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Verbal Score / Pacing / Strategy in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “I can only imagine how hard it must be to take a test like this in any language other than my native language, so I feel for you. Unfortunately, there''s no way to fix your timing by just forcing yourself to read faster! That''s not realistic. Nor can you just go through at a comfortable pace, ...” December 12, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG13:Unlike the short flights of the shuttle and earlier in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “Here are other problems that require us to compare "apples to apples" when a sentence begins with UNLIKE: https://www.beatthegmat.com/the-use-of-unlike-t149928.html#539972 https://www.beatthegmat.com/gprep-sc-9-t277381.html#722472 ...” December 12, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG13:Unlike the short flights of the shuttle and earlier in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “Yoav is correct: the correct answer is D, not A. This question also comes from GMATPrep, not OG13. This question is testing COMPARISONS. Whenever you see the signal UNLIKE, make sure you''re comparing "apples to apples": unlike X, Y.... The X and Y in this case should be in the ...” December 12, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Marla in the Data Sufficiency forum “Here is a much easier way to look at it: We already have a proportional difference in our rates: from x to 1.25x. If the distances were the same, we would already know the proportional difference (the percent change) in the times. Or if we knew the proportional difference in the distances, we''d ...” December 12, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Verbal help in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “Before we can figure out what went wrong on verbal on test day, we''ll need some more information: - Was that 1st practice test the only one you took before taking the real exam? If so, that''s not enough preparation. Students should take at least 3 full practice exams before taking the real ...” December 12, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Why I Didn’t Need Coaching for GMAT! in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum “Congratulations! That''s a fantastic score. I''m so glad that you found the Manhattan Prep materials helpful. Best of luck with the application process!” December 12, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Keeping an error log in the GMAT Strategy forum “To some degree, it''s a matter of personal preference. When I was studying, I would write myself post-it reminders and stick them around my desk: "don''t drop negative signs!" "write legibly!" etc. The act of writing it down and seeing it every time I sat down to study was ...” December 12, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to When to STOP studying for the GMAT in the Helpful Resources forum “I absolutely LOVE how nerdy this analogy is! Matt is absolutely right - the higher your score, the harder it becomes to make incremental progress to the next highest score. So if it took you 2 months to get from a 600 to 650, it might take 4 more months to cross the 700 threshold. You might not ...” December 8, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Arithmetic Percents in the Data Sufficiency forum “Here are 3 much more thorough explanations: http://www.beatthegmat.com/og2016-q69-t290506.html#770961 http://www.beatthegmat.com/og2016-q69-t290506.html#770964 http://www.beatthegmat.com/og2016-q69-t290506.html#770965” November 30, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 730 —96% (44Q 47V) Retake for higher Quant? in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum “It is true that top schools might consider a 44Q somewhat low, but they care much more about your overall score than about Q & V individual scores. Here''s what I told a student recently who got a 730 with 44-Q, 46-V, 5-IR:” November 30, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 730 —96% (44Q 47V) Retake for higher Quant? in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum “This is an old post, but I think it''s still important to debunk the following misinformation: It is absolutely NOT TRUE that you should aim for 80th percentile in quant anymore! That may have been true decades ago, but changes to student scores internationally in recent years now mean that ...” November 30, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Usage of which in the Sentence Correction forum “Jim neglected to point out the the 2nd sentence is not grammatically correct. In this 1st example, the which is allowed to "hop" over a prepositional phrase to modify the noun before it - in this case, "letters." We can think of the "which" clause as modifying ...” November 30, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Consecutive Reciprocals in the Problem Solving forum “Here are two similar problems that rely on thinking about EXTREMES, not on actually solving: http://www.beatthegmat.com/m-is-the-sum-of-the-reciprocals-of-the-consecutive-integers-t295314.html#793900 http://www.beatthegmat.com/1-33-1-34-1-63-1-64-t297606.html#801231” November 30, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Fraction raised to a negative exponent in the GMAT Math forum “Yes, "flipping the fraction" is the same as taking the reciprocal. The reciprocal of 1/5 is 5, so (1/5)^(-2) = 5^2.” November 30, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Are last 50 probs OG 11 math 700-800 level? in the GMAT Math forum “It is generally true that the Official Guides get roughly more difficult as the question numbers get higher (within each section). For example, the last 50 questions in DS will be more difficult on average than the first 50 questions, but there may be a handful of easier ones in the harder batch and ...” November 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep QP1 :Letter to the editor: Our city in the Critical Reasoning forum “This question asks us to add a piece of information that would solve a problem, so this is most nearly like questions that ask us to resolve a discrepancy. We need to keep true all of the given information, while solving the problem that these roads will "cost far more than the city could ...” November 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is x > y? in the Data Sufficiency forum “For more examples of problems where we have to test cases rather than multiply/divide a variable across an inequality, see: http://www.beatthegmat.com/inequalities-2-t150031.html#540464 http://www.beatthegmat.com/is-1-a-b-b-a-t294617.html#790858 ...” November 26, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is x > y? in the Data Sufficiency forum “Remember also that we cannot simply divide both sides by x. If x were negative, the inequality sign would flip. If x were 0 and y were negative, we wouldn''t be allowed to divide by x at all. You can either test cases as Mitch did, or you can give yourself a positive, a negative, and a 0 case.” November 26, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is the remainder when 5-digit positive integer... in the Data Sufficiency forum “There is a rule that says that any positive integer will be divisible by 3 if its digits add up to a multiple of 3. E.g. is 567 a multiple of 3? 5 + 6 + 7 = 18, so yes. What is the remainder when 5-digit positive integer pqpqp is divided by 3? 1) p=2 Here, we can test numbers: 21212 ...” November 22, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is the number of seconds required to travel d1 feet in the Data Sufficiency forum “Another way to approach #350 would be to TEST VALUES: Once again, used the rephrased target question: Is (d1)(r2) > (d2)(r1) ? (1) d1 is 30 greater than d2. Because we have no information about the relative values of r1 and r2, this doesn''t help. One rate could be extremely slow and ...” November 22, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is the number of seconds required to travel d1 feet in the Data Sufficiency forum “Compare this question with #43 in OG13/2015, which tests a similar concept. Here, we can rephrase the question similarly as: Is (p1)/(r1) > (p2)/(r2) ? Cross-multiply: Is (p1)(r2) > (p2)(r1) ? Basically the same question as the above. The statements, once again, are ...” November 22, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is the number of seconds required to travel d1 feet in the Data Sufficiency forum “This is DS #350 in OG 2017. lheiannie07, you have consistently neglected to post your sources. Please start doing so - it''s illegal not to. Since distance = rate x time, the number of seconds required to travel d1 feet at r1 feet per second can be expressed as (d1)/(r1), and the number of ...” November 22, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a new topic called When to STOP studying for the GMAT in the Helpful Resources forum “This is a question I frequently get from students: how do I know when enough is enough? Should I cut my losses and proceed with the score I have? I created this step-by-step guide to decide: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2017/10/24/stop-studying-gmat/” November 20, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Two weeks left to go and practice test dropped significantly in the GMAT Strategy forum “You only mention 2 practice exams. That''s not enough to develop a sense of the test and to perfect your timing strategies & decision-making. It''s not at all uncommon for students to see a drop on CAT 2 & 3 - they''ve learned more concepts, but haven''t practiced when to apply them, and ...” November 20, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to I don't know where to go from here in the GMAT Strategy forum “You CAT scores are all over the map, especially on quant. This kind of inconsistency usually indicates issues with your technique, not your content knowledge. (If you didn''t know the content, you''d be consistently low). Keeping an error log is a good first step - now you need to start ...” November 20, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What are the best GMAT Prep books to use? in the GMAT Strategy forum “I have never even heard of the "GMAT Advanced Review Strategy Team," the 2nd link you mention. It''s certainly not a well-reputed company that offers classes and tutoring. You want to buy books that were written by real educators - people who have worked with thousands of students and ...” November 20, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT time strategies in the Helpful Resources forum “This is my preferred timing strategy: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2014/09/23/how-to-set-up-your-gmat-scratch-paper/ If you segment your yellow pad into quadrants and label them with your timing benchmarks, you''ll know exactly when to look at the clock, and exactly what you should see ...” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to I need some good examples of CR strengthening in the Reading Comprehension forum “Here is some helpful advice in general: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2011/10/28/the-process-for-tackling-any-critical-reasoning-problem/ https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2012/06/08/tackling-a-gmat-prep-critical-reasoning-strengthen-problem/ ...” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Advice for 1 Month GMAT 2nd Try in the GMAT Strategy forum “If you''re in the 670-710 range, you''re not too far off. You clearly know the material, but it''s likely that your technique isn''t as solid as it should be. If it''s feasible, I''d recommend doing a few sessions with a tutor who can pinpoint that places where your approach is faulty. Also... ...” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to No Preparation for IR Yet -- 5 days to exam in the GMAT Integrated Reasoning forum “Hopefully you''ve already taken the test and done well! For anyone else worried about IR, keep in mind: it''s less important that your Quant + Verbal 200-800 score. (And the AWA is wayyyy less important!) The IR section does not test content that you haven''t seen elsewhere on the Quant or ...” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to United States census in the Reading Comprehension forum “I have posted a complete explanation here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/g-prerc-passage-during-the-nineteenth-century-occupation-t100274.html#803072” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to G-PreRC passage: During the nineteenth century, occupation in the Reading Comprehension forum “For more on how to approach RC inference problems well, see: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2015/02/11/infer-gmat/ https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2017/03/28/how-to-hack-gmat-reading-comprehension-think-like-a-lawyer/ ...” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to G-PreRC passage: During the nineteenth century, occupation in the Reading Comprehension forum “You''re misinterpreting a few things here. When a question asks "it can be inferred that _____ provides a count of which of the following," we do not interpret that to mean "a count of ONLY which of the following." The right answer may be only one detail among many that was ...” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is the integer n a multiple of 15? in the Data Sufficiency forum “Vicen, following up on the above.” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to (1/33)+(1/34)+ . . . +(1/63)+(1/64) in the Problem Solving forum “M7MBA, following up. What was the source of this question?” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Although the production sector in the Sentence Correction forum “lheiannie07, please answer the question: what was the course of this question?” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Few parents find it difficult to cope with the fact that the in the Sentence Correction forum “What is the source of this question? Every single answer choice here is terrible. The intended meaning of the sentence is also illogical. If parents see their adult children as adolescents, it should say "many parents," not "few parents." My recommendation: stop studying from ...” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The ground swell of public opinion of public in the Sentence Correction forum “I''m assuming that there were a few typos, and that the correct version is below: Here, we have a cause / effect relationship: groundswell of opinion --> senate approval. We need to pick an answer that keeps this relationship clear in time. A. it inevitable that the senate would ...” November 18, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Seeking Advice with 1 Month to go in the GMAT Strategy forum “I agree with Brent - don''t obsess over the specifics of difficulty level. The major issue is that your score hasn''t gone up! I''ll disagree with Brent ever-so-slightly, though: with 3 weeks left, I wouldn''t tell you to focus primarily on quant or primarily on verbal. You need to gain points ...” November 10, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to scored 510 in gmat exam in the Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant forum “First, let''s not assume that everyone on here is a dude ;) hitesh1411, your quant score is relatively strong, though if you can raise it a few points, all the better. You''ll need to bring your verbal score up into the high 30s at least to crack a 700. See here: ...” November 10, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to In a class of 200 students, forty percent are girls. in the Problem Solving forum “Someday soon, the GMAT is going to stop writing problems that assume that gender is binary. The GRE correctly made this change in the newest edition of its OG; we can assume the GMAT will follow suit. But... assuming that this particular question assumes that "boys" and ...” November 10, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How can I solve the equation? in the Problem Solving forum “Option #2: Split the fraction If we have a single term in our denominator & we''re adding or subtracting in the numerator, we''re allowed to split it into 2 fractions: $$\frac{x-y}{x}=\frac{x}{x}-\frac{y}{x}$$ $$1-\frac{y}{x}$$ If $$\frac{x}{y}=3$$ then $$\frac{y}{x}=\frac{1}{3}$$ ...” November 10, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How can I solve the equation? in the Problem Solving forum “You have a few options here: #1: Substitution If x/y = 3, then x = 3y So, given $$\ \frac{\left(x-y\right)}{x}=\ ?$$ Rewrite as $$\frac{3y-y}{3y}$$ $$\frac{2y}{3y}$$ $$\frac{2}{3}$$ The answer is D.” November 10, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is 11% of x? in the Data Sufficiency forum “Try this technique on a similar problem. This one is #240 in OG 2017: OA: D” November 10, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is 11% of x? in the Data Sufficiency forum “With DS, it''s important to ask: "what is the MINIMUM piece of information that would be sufficient to answer the question?" If the question is "what is 11% of x," we would need to know the value of x to solve. Thus, knowing the value of x would be sufficient. Rephrased ...” November 10, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG 18, question-225 in the GMAT Math forum “Haha so true! "Don''t check your phone" is the "wear sunscreen" equivalent on the GMAT. It doesn''t sound that important, but TRUST us, it is! I''ve heard of at least a dozen people who got kicked out & had their score canceled because of this (thankfully almost no students ...” November 10, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is z an odd integer? in the Data Sufficiency forum “Try TESTING CASES here: Is z an odd integer? (1) z is divisible by 3. If z = 9, then yes: z is odd. If z = 6, then no: z is not odd. We tested 2 values that both fit the statement, and we got one yes and one no. Insufficient. (2) The square root of z is an integer divisible by 3. If ...” November 8, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Although the production sector in the Sentence Correction forum “What is the source of this question? I agree with you - there is nothing wrong with answer choice B. Here''s a breakdown of the answers: (A) the production sector has currently added many new manufacturing units around the world and its profit figures have increased unexpectedly, its ...” November 8, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If n=2^4*3*5, how many factors of n are... in the Problem Solving forum “There may be more formulaic strategies that you could use, but in this case (since it''s a small-ish range), I''d just list out all the factors, then count: n=2^4*3*5 Factors: 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 12 15 16 20 24 30 There are 8 distinct factors in this range. The answer is A. ...” November 8, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to (1/33)+(1/34)+ . . . +(1/63)+(1/64) in the Problem Solving forum “By the way, this question is very similar in structure to this OG question: http://www.beatthegmat.com/m-is-the-sum-of-the-reciprocals-of-the-consecutive-integers-t295314.html#793900 See if you can try it without calculating! Please POST THE SOURCE of your question - it''s a copyright violation ...” October 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to (1/33)+(1/34)+ . . . +(1/63)+(1/64) in the Problem Solving forum “The key is that this question is asking you for the RANGE that the answer falls in - it''s not actually asking you to calculate. You definitely should not try to actually calculate! That would take far too much time. Instead, find a good way to approximate. If we go from 33 to 64, that''s 32 ...” October 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is the smallest integer k for which 7^k > 14*7^15 ? in the Problem Solving forum “Like most EXPONENT questions on the GMAT, this question is not asking you to calculate anything. It''s testing whether you understand exponent rules. First, simplify (14)(7^15) ---> (2)(7)(7^15) ---> (2)(7^16) When we multiply two terms with the same base, we add the exponents: ...” October 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Verbal how to increase from v34 to v40+ ? in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “Here are some articles that might help you to change / improve your verbal processes: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2016/03/03/a-good-ear-isnt-good-enough-on-gmat-sentence-correction/ ...” October 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Verbal how to increase from v34 to v40+ ? in the GMAT Verbal & Essays forum “Whenever students tell me "I''ve been studying for months but I haven''t seen any improvement!" usually the missing factor turns out to be that they haven''t been REVIEWING deeply. You mention practice exams, but you don''t tell us anything else about your study process. To do well on ...” October 29, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Third attempt beat again..how to go from 610 to 650+? in the GMAT Strategy forum “I just wanted to add that our CATs (I can''t speak to other companies) work differently from GMAC''s. On GMATPrep, CAT 1 has its own pool of questions; you won''t see any of the same questions on CAT 2. But if you take CAT 1 a 2nd time, you''re likely to see some of the same problems. For Mprep, ...” October 26, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Third attempt beat again..how to go from 610 to 650+? in the GMAT Strategy forum “Whenever I see a student who gets a much lower score on the real test than on practice tests, usually one of the following is a factor: 1. They''re not practicing under test-like conditions. - If you''re giving yourself extra time or pausing within a section, if you''re giving yourself long ...” October 26, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If m > 0 and x is ............ in the Problem Solving forum “Here''s a good general rule: if the question asks "what is p in terms of q?" that means that we want to ISOLATE p, and have it equal to some expression involving q: p = ....q (p equals something something q) In this question, it''s a bit more complicated, because the thing we want to ...” October 26, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If m > 0 and x is ............ in the Problem Solving forum “Jay, the correct answer to this question is E, not C. This question is PS #194 in OG 2016, PS #181 in OG 13/2105.” October 26, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to M is a list of 12 consecutive integers and N... in the Problem Solving forum “The question implies that it doesn''t actually matter what these integers are - we''d get the same answer whether set M started with -5 or 456,724. When that''s the case, the easiest thing to do is pick numbers. Since N is the larger set, I chose to start it with 1, so the set is from 1-31. The ...” October 26, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is the unit digit of the sum... in the Problem Solving forum “For more on finding patterns in units digits, see here: http://www.beatthegmat.com/remainder-t289535.html#767961 http://www.beatthegmat.com/if-r-s-and-t-are-all-positive-integers-t17201.html#548713 ...” October 25, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to What is the unit digit of the sum... in the Problem Solving forum “The units digits of a given number raised various exponents will always form a pattern: 2^1 = 2 2^2= 4 2^3 = 8 2^4 = 16 2^5 = 32 2^6 = 64 2^7 = 128 2^8 = 256 2^9 = 512 As we can see, the pattern repeats after every 4th one. Every exponent that''s a multiple of 4 will have a units digit ...” October 25, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to The wages earned by Robin is 30% more than... in the Problem Solving forum “What is the source of this question? The wording is TERRIBLE! - "The wages... is..." --> not grammatically correct - "30% more" is not the GMAT-preferred idiom. "30% greater" is. - "How much percent... more" is borderline nonsensical. Furthermore, ...” October 25, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Steve traveled the first 2 hours of his journey at 40 mph... in the Problem Solving forum “David''s explanation is perfect. It helps to remember on any of these questions that average rate is a WEIGHTED AVERAGE. If there are two legs of the journey at different rates, the overall rate will be weighted toward the one you spent more TIME doing. In this problem, the simple average of ...” October 25, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Sentence Correction Advice in the Sentence Correction forum “You should also carefully track your mistakes in SC. Here''s some advice on how to make an SC Error Log: http://www.beatthegmat.com/best-practices-for-sc-error-logs-t288531.html#763957” October 25, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Sentence Correction Advice in the Sentence Correction forum “It''s unlikely that you''ve actually gotten worse in SC, unless you somehow studied grammar rules that were completely wrong! My hypothesis is that one of two things is happening: 1. You''re getting harder SC questions. Remember that the test is adaptive, so improvement in any area makes all of ...” October 25, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG Next month, state wildlife officials in the Sentence Correction forum “Let''s break this sentence down. MAIN SUBJECTS in blue & caps, dependent subjects in blue. MAIN VERBS in red + caps, dependent verbs in red. All modifiers in parentheses: (Next month), (state wildlife) OFFICIALS ARE scheduled (to take over the job (of increasing the wolf population (in the ...” October 25, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG Next month, state wildlife officials in the Sentence Correction forum “Your reasoning doesn''t make sense here. We can certainly use "the number of phrase itself is singular, but the thing that there is "the number of" must be plural. You can''t have a "a number" of just one thing! - "the number of books on my bookshelf..." --> ...” October 25, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to When there is less rainfall in the Critical Reasoning forum “Definitely valid! This answer choice gives further support to the idea that slow-moving water --> algae (if we use outside knowledge to infer that damming rivers makes them flow more slowly). But it does nothing to explain the contrast between extreme drought and low rainfall.” October 25, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to When there is less rainfall in the Critical Reasoning forum “No, this wouldn''t be enough to make this a right answer. For one thing, "lots of algae = toxic conditions for algae" doesn''t necessarily mean we''d get back down to LOW algae levels. It would just mean that very high levels of algae are not sustainable. For another, "some species ...” October 25, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep : Although she had been known as an effective legis in the Sentence Correction forum “That''s so kind of you to say! We''re happy to help.” October 21, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep : Although she had been known as an effective legis in the Sentence Correction forum “For more on when to correctly use pronouns BEFORE the nouns that they replace, see: http://www.beatthegmat.com/gprep-sc-9-t277381.html#778215 http://www.beatthegmat.com/general-doubt-t296328.html#797664 http://www.beatthegmat.com/general-sc-concept-question-t160271.html#554736” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to probability in the GMAT Math forum “Problems like this are labor-intensive, because we have to count a number of different possibilities. To get a product that is a multiple of 6, we must have a factor of 2 and a factor of 3 between the two numbers. We could have a multiple of 6 from the 1st deck with a prime from the second, a ...” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Area of triangle ABC in the GMAT Math forum “Trusting your eyes & making assumptions are two of the biggest mistakes you can make on DS geometry problems! Here''s an article about why geometry is especially tricky in DS: ...” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Area of triangle ABC in the GMAT Math forum “From the given information, we know that ABD and ACD are both right triangles. However, since we don''t know the angle of B or C, we don''t know if they are SYMMETRICAL triangles. Don''t just trust your eyes and assume that they are the same! One triangle might be slightly larger or smaller than the ...” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG 18, question-225 in the GMAT Math forum “You will find numerous explanations to this question throughout this forum, including here: http://www.beatthegmat.com/og-13-ps-218-is-this-prob-really-doable-within-2-mins-t281643.html#738124 But my advice: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SOLVE QUESTIONS THIS DIFFICULT ON TEST DAY!! Unless you''re already ...” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG Next month, state wildlife officials in the Sentence Correction forum “This question is testing SENTENCE STRUCTURE, punctuation, and logical meaning. Next month, state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, the number of which will however ultimately be dictated by the number ...” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep: Unless tiger hunting decreases, tigers in the Critical Reasoning forum “Here are some other examples of CR arguments that failed to account for other possibilities: http://www.beatthegmat.com/ledland-unemployment-t275728.html#716308 http://www.beatthegmat.com/weaken-olex-t167646.html#564585 http://www.beatthegmat.com/princeton-review-cr-t275923.html#717367 ...” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep: Unless tiger hunting decreases, tigers in the Critical Reasoning forum “One common logical flaw that GMAT CR often presents is failing to account for other possibilities. Take this analogous argument: Unless thieves keep stealing the inventory from my store, I will soon be broke and out of business. I have therefore decided to install a state-of-the-art security ...” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep : When drafting the Declaration of Sentiments in the Sentence Correction forum “Here''s something that I''ve found to be generally true: when the entire sentence is underlined in SC, it''s usually testing MODIFIERS and MEANING, because entire chunks of the sentence will move around, changing what is being modified. That is typically what I look for first. (A) When drafting ...” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPrep : Although she had been known as an effective legis in the Sentence Correction forum “Whenever a pronoun such as "she" is used in a dependent clause or modifying phrase before its antecedent (the noun that it replaces), that antecedent should be the SUBJECT of the main clause. Thus, when the sentence begins with "Although she had been known as an effective ...” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How to Get to 700+ in 5 Weeks (75-80%+ Perc. in Quant.)? in the GMAT Strategy forum “SUCH an important thing to realize! Most students over-emphasize the content knowledge, but under-emphasize the importance of good review. Here are two more resources to help you with that: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2013/01/18/the-worst-mistake-you-can-make-in-gmat-studying/ ...” October 16, 2017 ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2016- PS 208 in the Problem Solving forum “One common source of confusion on this question: the question doesn''t explicitly state that current total cost is$120. Many students wonder how we''re allowed to set the equation equal to that amount. But we are allowed to infer based on inverse proportionality (and common sense!). The ...”
October 9, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2016 DS What was the revenue in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Compare to a similar OG question posted here: http://www.beatthegmat.com/og2016-ds-what-was-the-total-t296245.html#797220 It''s worth noting that the GMAT often writes variations on the same prompt!”
October 9, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to For the positive integers a, b (OG16) in the Problem Solving forum
“Any positive integer can be expressed as the product of prime factors - we call this PRIME FACTORIZATION. For example, the prime factorization of 140 is (2^2)(5^1)(7^1), and 108 = (2^2)(3^3). This prime factorization is really helpful when you''re solving questions with variable exponents. For ...”
October 9, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is a/b < c/d? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“This problem can be solved without choosing numbers, if you rephrase the question: a/b < c/d --> Because all of these variables are positive, we''re allowed to cross-multiply here: ad < bc Target question: is ad < bc? Often it''s easier to deal with products than with ratios ...”
October 9, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Algebra in the Problem Solving forum
“A common mistake that students make on a problem like this is to subtract the exponents. But of course we cannot subtract the exponents when we''re subtracting terms with the same base. More on this here: http://www.beatthegmat.com/fdp-problem-og-ps-174-t288679.html#763953”
October 9, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Like ancient Egyptian architectural materials in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing IDIOMS and COMPARISONS. If a sentence begins Like X..., it should create a comparison to a NOUN - specifically, the subject of the independent clause: Like X, Y is a letter. We cannot say Like X, so Y is... For this reason, we can eliminate A, B, and E (the ...”
October 9, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Ambigious _ Question_Veritas Prep in the GMAT Math forum
“I agree that the wording of this question is bad. The GMAT will never ask you to assume the gender of any person mentioned! a) that would be unfair to anyone unfamiliar with those names, and b) lots of people have gender-non-conforming names. There is also some strange ambiguity with other phrasing, ...”
October 9, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Study Progress- 1 month away! in the GMAT Strategy forum
“I would not recommend that you keep taking free tests from different companies. It''s worth it to purchase a pack of test from a single company so that you will have access to assessment reports that aggregate your data (much harder to do on your own, compiling various tests manually). This is not a ...”
October 9, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Strategy needed V25 ~ V35 in 1 month! 590 ~ 760+ in 3 months in the GMAT Strategy forum
“First of all, no one "needs" a 760. Business schools use the GMAT for 2 things: 1. to get a sense of intellectual horsepower, and a proxy for whether you''re likely to do well in their program 2. to boost their rankings on US News & World Reports. The average/median at all top 10 ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Urgent: Doubt related to verbal ques difficulty leve in the GMAT Strategy forum
“"Difficulty" on verbal is a much trickier topic than it is on the quant. Someone could write a very, very, very difficult quant problem that had one (and only one) unambiguously correct answer. The same isn''t really true on verbal. It''s not really possible to write an SC that''s so ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How to Get to 700+ in 5 Weeks (75-80%+ Perc. in Quant.)? in the GMAT Strategy forum
“It sounds like test-taking anxiety might be a big part of the issue (assuming that, to Rich''s questions, you didn''t do anything differently on the practice exams). You mental state can have a HUGE impact on your performance! Try to tell yourself the following: 1. There''s no need to stress on ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Consistently Testing in Single Digit Percentiles in the GMAT Strategy forum
“Usually scores that low indicate that you have some content-mastery to achieve, but also that you need to perfect your test-taking technique. 1. How was your timing? If you run out of time and miss several questions at the end, your score will tank. - make sure you''re timing yourself on ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A set consists of 20 different.... in the Problem Solving forum
“Here are other examples for which we can think of standard deviation as "spread-out-ness": http://www.beatthegmat.com/standard-deviation-t277855.html#724642 http://www.beatthegmat.com/std-t63554.html#739837 ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to A set consists of 20 different.... in the Problem Solving forum
“I think jbryant''s explanation was great! We definitely do not need to calculate SD ever on the GMAT. In fact, I train my students to read "standard deviation" as "spread-out-ness." E.g. "which set has the greater standard deviation?" = "which set is more spread ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Need advice: GMAT in 2 days in the GMAT Strategy forum
“You''re trying to do too much in just 2 days! This is NOT a test that you can cram for, so the best things to do in the last few days are: 1. light general review, confirming what you already know 2. looking over your review log / error log to find common patterns in your mistakes 3. relax & ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to If m and k are non-zero integers and in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Your logic is almost perfect... but y could also equal -1, if (m + k) and (m) were either both odd or both even. Or in other words... if k was even. Thus, statement (2) is not sufficient, because y = 1 and y = -1 could both work. Together, though, we know that of (m + k) and (m), one of the ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to By approximately what percent is x greater in the Problem Solving forum
“Since you won''t have a calculator on the Quant section of the GMAT, it''s not advisable to hand-calculate division such as 1.25/0.8. That would eat up a lot of valuable time. First, estimate. Then, do calculations only if there are answer choices that are too close together; this was not the case ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to By approximately what percent is x greater in the Problem Solving forum
“If (4/5)x = 1, then x = 5/4 Target question: by what percent is 5/4 greater than 4/5? Since these fractions easily convert to decimals, that is the easiest way to calculate the difference: By what percent is 1.25 greater than 0.8? Percent change = (difference)/(original) Difference = 1.25 ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is the integer n a multiple of 15? in the Data Sufficiency forum
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is x>y? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Here are some other examples of problems that deal with multiplying or dividing a variable across an inequality: http://www.beatthegmat.com/inequalities-2-t150031.html#540464 http://www.beatthegmat.com/if-x-0-is-y-0-t293212.html#784623 ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is x>y? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“Is x > y? 1) x + a > x - a Subtract x from both sides: a > -a Add a to both sides: 2a > 0 Divide both sides by 2: a > 0 This tells us nothing about x or y. Insufficient. 2) ax > ay Here, we cannot divide both sides by a, since we don''t know the sign. If a ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Is the integer n a multiple of 15? in the Data Sufficiency forum
“In order for an integer to be a multiple of 15, it must have factors of 3 and 5. Target question: is n a multiple of both 3 and 5? (1) n is a multiple of 20 This tells us that n has at least two factors of 2 and one factor of 5. Since it doesn''t tell us whether it has a factor of 3, it is ...”
October 2, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Especially in the early years, new entrepreneurs may need to in the Sentence Correction forum
“The only explanation: the GMAT appears to have changed its mind on the "like" v. "such as" rule! Language and grammar shift over time, and the GMAT (eventually) adapts to reflect this. The GMAT used to test the "like" v. "such as" issue with some ...”
September 25, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to While airline travel can be detrimental to your health, ma in the Sentence Correction forum
“While the GMAT was consistent on this issue in the past, students should take note that evidence from OG 2017 suggests that the GMAT appears to have changed its mind on the "like" v. "such as" rule! See #685 in OG 2017: Here, "like" is used to introduce a ...”
September 25, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG SC - Growing competitive pressure in the Sentence Correction forum
“UPDATE: the GMAT appears to have changed its mind on the "like" v. "such as" rule! See #685 in OG 2017: Here, "like" is used to introduce a list in the non-underlined portion of the sentence; thus, it is implied that this usage is correct. Language and ...”
September 25, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Sentence correction explanation in the Sentence Correction forum
“Please note: the GMAT appears to have changed its mind on the "like" v. "such as" rule! See #685 in OG 2017: Here, "like" is used to introduce a list in the non-underlined portion of the sentence; thus, it is implied that this usage is correct. Language ...”
September 25, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to "like" Vs "such as" in the Sentence Correction forum
“Please note:the GMAT appears to have changed its mind on the "like" v. "such as" rule! See #685 in OG 2017: Here, "like" is used to introduce a list in the non-underlined portion of the sentence; thus, it is implied that this usage is correct. Language and ...”
September 25, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG 2013 CR Even though most universities in the Critical Reasoning forum
“When you are asked to identify an ADDITIONAL PREMISE that would make the argument more logically valid, you must first identify the logical gap in the argument. First, identify the conclusion of the argument and the premises given that support it. Then think: what information is missing that ...”
September 25, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG 2013 SC Warning that computers in in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing PARALLELISM. Let''s break the original sentence down: Modifier: (Warning that computers in the United States are not secure,) SUBJECT: the National Academy of Sciences VERB: has urged the nation to 1. revamp (computer security procedures), 2. institute new ...”
September 25, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to It is the mark of a superior conductor that he or she has th in the Critical Reasoning forum
“For more on using this NEGATION TEST to determine if the answer choice is NECESSARY to the argument, see: http://www.beatthegmat.com/a-newly-discovered-painting-seems-to-be-the-work-of-one-of-t291321.html#776775 ...”
September 25, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to It is the mark of a superior conductor that he or she has th in the Critical Reasoning forum
“First - please name the SOURCE of your question. It''s a copyright violation to post questions without sources. When you are asked to identify an ASSUMPTION (aka presupposition), you are looking for the unstated premise that MUST be true for the conclusion to hold. When you''re reading the ...”
September 25, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to From 45/45/46 in Quant to 41/41 in the GMAT Math forum
“Exactly! Some schools have indicated that they''d rather see someone take it twice and get a 710 both times - indicating that they are committed to trying their hardest - than someone who takes it just once and gets a 720. Schools value effort as well as results! ...”
September 22, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to From 45/45/46 in Quant to 41/41 in the GMAT Math forum
“Thank you! That''s sweet of you to remember. And CONGRATULATIONS!! A 710 is a great score. All else being equal, it''s good to strive to be at or above your target school''s average/median. For top 10 schools, that''s 720-730. However, 10-20pts away means that you''re within the margin of ...”
September 20, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to 730 with Q49 V40, next up - applications in the I just Beat The GMAT! forum
“You''re within 2 points of perfect on the quant! That''s a crazy thing to berate yourself for. ;) Remember everyone - ignore your percentiles! The numerical score is all that matters. https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2016/02/11/heres-why-you-may-be-misinterpreting-your-gmat-score/”
September 18, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to HELP 460 to 550 in a month ? in the GMAT Strategy forum
“There''s a lot of information that you haven''t given us: - how many practice tests have you taken? Have you taken them all with accurate timing, and do you have a good timing balance? - how have you been tracking and reviewing your work? Are you keeping track of error that you make? More ...”
September 18, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2018 SC 743- To attract the most talented workers, some in the Sentence Correction forum
“This question is testing PRONOUNS and PARALLELISM. (A) benefits, letting employees pick those most important to them No error. (B) benefits, letting employees pick the most important of them to themselves Pronoun confusion. We should use "them" to refer to "benefits" ...”
September 18, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to From 45/45/46 in Quant to 41/41 in the GMAT Math forum
“The number of questions that you get wrong is not the primary determinant of your score - it''s which ones you get wrong. Getting easy ones wrong hurts your score more than getting hard ones wrong, and getting strings of wrong answers in a row hurts more than alternating wrong-right-wrong. Don''t ...”
September 14, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Data Sufficiency Strategy in the Helpful Resources forum
“And here are some BTG threads that reveal some common DS mistakes / good DS strategy: https://www.beatthegmat.com/how-do-i-make-d-s-questions-click-t281564.html#737862 Mistaking the Question as a Given: https://www.beatthegmat.com/are-we-really-sure-xy-0-issue-t161026.html#555696 ...”
September 5, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a new topic called Data Sufficiency Strategy in the Helpful Resources forum
“A lot of student struggle more with Data Sufficiency than with Problem Solving. This is often because they don''t have a solid DS strategy - they''re still trying to solve them in the same way they solve PS. Here are some helpful articles to help you reframe your thinking and your approach to DS ...”
September 5, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Q42,V22. 530. A desperate plea for help and guidance. in the GMAT Strategy forum
“I just saw this post from a month back. You outline which books you purchased, but not HOW you were practicing. Did you take the test in August? How did it go? If it didn''t go well, you should comb through this forum for advice on how to be intentional about your studying, and not just read ...”
September 5, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMAT Prep RC in the Reading Comprehension forum
“It helps to include the specific problem that you struggled with here. To your question, imagine this hypothetical: Household A: Head of Household: John Farmer # of other household members: 7 occupation: farming Would you say that we have counted the women in this case? How many of those 7 ...”
September 5, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to general doubt in the Sentence Correction forum
“More on the pronoun-before-antecedent issue here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/general-sc-concept-question-t160271.html#554736 https://www.beatthegmat.com/although-she-had-been-known-as-an-effective-legislator-first-t276385.html#718723”
September 5, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to general doubt in the Sentence Correction forum
“I assume that you''re referring to this question, #717 in OG2017. (In the future, please attach the full text of the question and cite your source): It''s possible (and would generally be considered acceptable) to say "the plans outlined a strategy..." Technically, the active voice ...”
September 5, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG Question #49 in the Sentence Correction forum
“This is a great example of why relying on your ear is not enough on SC problems. To my ear, "on Wednesday" sounds better. But Mitch is right - with days of the week, we can use the preposition "on" or omit it. When you think you''ve detected an IDIOM or word choice issue, ...”
September 4, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Help with Sentence Correction in the Sentence Correction forum
“The things you have outlined are absolutely essential, but be careful about simply analyzing each question on a case-by-case basis. You want to look for overall patterns as well. When you''re going through the OG, don''t simply do a set of problems, then see which ones you got right or wrong. You ...”
September 4, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to From 45/45/46 in Quant to 41/41 in the GMAT Math forum
“First of all, Sept 18 is my birthday, so I think it''s a very lucky day to take the GMAT! ;) I couldn''t agree with Matt & Rich more - the GMAT is a logic test, not a math test. I''m so glad you''re starting to frame your thinking that way! Glancing at your assessment report, I notice 2 ...”
September 4, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How many factors of 36^2? in the Problem Solving forum
“There is also a shortcut to this particular problem: When we''re looking for DISTINCT FACTORS of an integer, all positive integers have an EVEN number of distinct factors... except for perfect squares! This is because we can count distinct factors in pairs: 5: 1 x 5 primes will always ...”
September 4, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to How many factors of 36^2? in the Problem Solving forum
“You will not have a calculator on the GMAT Quant section. As such, it would be pointless to multiple out 36*36 to get 1296, and then factor it again. This would be a serious waste of time. As a general rule when you don''t have a calculator, you should never make numbers bigger. Always make them ...”
September 4, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Practice Exam 1 - GMAT Prep - Algebra in the Problem Solving forum
“It''s written in the question: "which of the following MUST be true?" With such a question, we can eliminate any answer that does not HAVE to be true.”
September 4, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Gender Neutrality in the Sentence Correction forum
“Interestingly, the GRE recently removed all questions that have a gender binary (e.g. switching "in a certain classroom, there are 18 girls and 14 boys" to "there are 18 seniors and 13 juniors," etc.). I suspect that the GMAT will follow suit soon. That said, I do no recall ...”
September 4, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Help with Sentence Correction in the Sentence Correction forum
“Elias is right: just taking more exams won''t help. You haven''t mentioned anything about how you REVIEW your practice tests. For SC, you need to deeply analyze every single answer choice, and pinpoint all of the ways in which the wrong answer was wrong. Then, for any rule you missed (e.g. if you ...”
September 4, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Averages in the Problem Solving forum
“Ha! Too true.”
September 1, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Written in ink or engraved by stylus in the Sentence Correction forum
“Generally speaking, we want a noun modifier to be placed as close to the noun as possible. In this case, though, there are 2 ESSENTIAL modifiers of "historical account": - of the military garrison (in the first and second centuries) - that is as vivid... We wouldn''t want to stack two ...”
August 31, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to EMPOWERgmat vs. Manhattan Gmat in the GMAT Strategy forum
August 31, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to EMPOWERgmat vs. Manhattan Gmat in the GMAT Strategy forum
“You''re welcome to sit in on a free trial class with Manhattan Prep (formerly known as Manhattan GMAT)! That way you can decide for yourself whether you like the class structure and the instructors. We have a variety of online classes starting soon, and depending on where you live, we have ...”
August 31, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Section Order Question in the GMAT Strategy forum
“There''s a major flaw in your logic here that I need to point out: Strengths and weaknesses should not be assessed by percentile! In fact, you should ignore your percentiles completely. Percentiles change over time. In recent years, as the test has become more international, quant scores ...”
August 31, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to Section Order Question in the GMAT Strategy forum
“Here''s what I tell my students: for most people, it will be better to start with your stronger section. That way you can maximize your score on the section that already doing the most to boost your overall score. It will also boost your confidence going into the next section, and possibly increase ...”
August 31, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to GMATPREP3 SC- In an effort to reduce the number of fires in the Sentence Correction forum
“In an effort to reduce the number of fires started by cigarettes, a major tobacco company is test-marketing a cigarette in which thin layers of extra paper are used to decrease the amount of oxygen entering the cigarette, thereby slowing the rate at which it burns and lowering the heat it generates. ...”
August 29, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2016 DS What was the total in the Data Sufficiency forum
“This question is very similar in structure to another OG question: http://www.beatthegmat.com/og2016-ds-what-was-the-revenue-t296244.html#797219 (You''ll note similarities in the solution). Total revenue can be defined as: Revenue = (# of full-price tickets)x(full-ticket price) + (# of ...”
August 29, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2016 DS What was the revenue in the Data Sufficiency forum
“If we want to know the total revenue that the theater received, we need to know: (# of full-price tickets)x(full-ticket price) + (# of reduced-price tickets)x(reduced-ticket price) I''ll assign the following variables for clarity: number of full-price tickets = F price of each full-ticket = f ...”
August 29, 2017
ceilidh.erickson posted a reply to OG2016 DS A box contains only in the Data Sufficiency forum
“If the box contains only red, white, and blue chips: (probability of selecting red) + (probability of selecting white) + (probability of selecting blue) = 1 The questions asks us for the probability of white or blue chips, so we can treat the group (white or blue) as simply (non-red). ...”
August 29, 2017