Archive for March, 2008
You will begin the GMAT with the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). It’s composed of two thirty-minute essays; one asking you to analyze an issue and another to analyze an argument.
The essays are similar in that they both test your ability as a writer. The graders want to see you write clearly and articulately under the given time restrictions. You should aim to create a coherent piece, supporting ideas with relevant evidence while obeying grammar rules. Since you will not have the luxury of using Microsoft Word, you must proofread and spell check your work. However, if you need to shuffle paragraphs around, you can save time by using the cut and paste feature.
The first essay asks for your point of view on an issue. To support your argument, use examples from your life, current events, history, books (or pretty much whatever comes to mind and is relevant). Given your time restraints, you don’t really have time to waffle. Decide on a position and support it.
The second argument essay differs from the first in that you will be asked to critique an argument by assessing its claims. Rather than weighing in with your personal opinion, you should analyze the logical soundness and reasoning of the argument and , highlight the flaws. The GMAC advises you to consider the following as you write:
- What questionable assumptions underlie the thinking behind the argument?
- What alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion?
- What sort of evidence could help strengthen or refute the argument?
Because of your limited time, you should be ready to write quickly, but still have direction. We recommend spending a few minutes generating examples or bullet points for the essay, before you start writing.
What about length of the essay? We advise writing as much as you can, as coherently as you can. As this New York Times article “SAT Essay Test Rewards Length and Ignores Errors” discusses, there’s evidence that the longer an essay is the higher it is scored. Through a scientific experiment, an MIT professor found a strong correlation between the length of an essay and its score for the SATs, something the College Board refutes. No word yet if he plans to research a similar correlation for the GMAT. Writing a long essay does not give you carte blanche to neglect grammar and your coherent argument.
The essays are scored using a number system of 1 thru 6 and are not factored into your overall score. Even though some schools admit to barely glancing at the score, this does not mean you should completely neglect the essay.
And for our “duh” comments:
- Do not write something not related to the topics.
- Once you complete an essay and click the submit button, you cannot return to it.
- Practicing does make it easier and more familiar.
March 31st, 2008
Yesterday, we posted a 700+ level GMAT question. Below is the answer and explanation. How’d you do?
Answer: B
If 100, which breaks down to 2252, is a factor of N, then a and b must be 2 and 5, though we don’t know which is which. What we do know is that there are either two 2’s and three 5’s, or the other way around, in N. The other prime factor (which is not 2 or 5) in N is c, and it only appears ONCE.
18=2×32 which would require the “other” prime 3 to appear twice. This cannot be. If you break down the other answers, you will see that each has some combinations of 2’s and 5’s, all of which could fit in N.
About our questions:
We make every effort to maintain the look, feel, and complexity of the real exam, while respecting all copyright laws and the policies of GMAC.
March 26th, 2008
Every Tuesday we post a 700+ level GMAT question here on our blog, and post the answer and explanation the following day. Do you have what it takes?
N=a3b2c. Where a,b and c are prime numbers. If 100 is a factor of N, which of the following CANNOT be a factor of N?
A) 8
B) 18
C) 56
D) 120
E) 375
About our questions:
We make every effort to maintain the look, feel, and complexity of the real exam, while respecting all copyright laws and the policies of GMAC.
March 25th, 2008
Confidence is a surprisingly important factor in the entire application process. As reported in this New York Times article, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, professor at Harvard Business School and author of Confidence explains that “confidence isn’t optimism or pessimism, and it’s not a character attribute. It’s the expectation of a positive outcome.”
So as you take on the massive undertaking of applying to business school including taking the GMAT, think positively. This is not a substitute for doing your homework. The best thing you can do to improve your success is to prepare. Kanter advises with each failure that you return to when you were successful, evaluate what worked and apply those skills to your current situation.
Do not dismiss small accomplishments either. You may not score perfectly on the test, but perhaps you can get all of the make gains within each section. “Small wins can improve the odds of bigger successes later on.”
She encourages readers to compartmentalize their life. If you have a crummy day at work, do not let that affect your studies. Similarly, if you did poorly on a practice test, you should still take the time to enjoy your friend’s birthday celebration. “Sometimes you can develop sufficient confidence from your successes in one sphere so that it spill to over to the other.”
Kanter warns that just as confidence is contagious, so is negativity. Avoid people that try to bring you down. She found that people who feel like failures share their misery and take out frustrations on others. Life is too short and you do not need anything to detract form you successfully gaining acceptance to your dream school.
I don’t remember who said it, but I remember reading, if you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right either way.
March 20th, 2008
Yesterday, we posted a 700+ level GMAT question. Below is the answer and explanation. How’d you do?
Answer: C
Whenever you need to find the sum of consecutive numbers, you must follow three steps:
1. Find the middle
2. Find the number of numbers
3. Multiply
For 1 - 40, the middle is found by averaging the end points: 41/2 = 20.5.
Since the first number is 1, it should be obvious that the number of numbers is 40.
So the sum of this series is 20.5 x 40 = 820.
Now the greatest prime factor is easy. Just break down 820: 2 x 2 x 5 x 41
About our questions:
We make every effort to maintain the look, feel, and complexity of the real exam, while respecting all copyright laws and the policies of GMAC.
March 19th, 2008
Every Tuesday we post a 700+ level GMAT question here on our blog, and post the answer and explanation the following day. Do you have what it takes?
What is the greatest prime factor of the sum of the integers from 1 to 40, inclusive?
A) 11
B) 23
C) 41
D) 61
E) 101
About our questions:
We make every effort to maintain the look, feel, and complexity of the real exam, while respecting all copyright laws and the policies of GMAC.
Click here for the answer and explanation
March 18th, 2008
We continue with our series called “Wait It Out,” where we address many of the issues facing people thinking about business school in the current climate. Check back often as you contemplate your own business school choice!
Everything we hear and read in the news these days tells us we are on the brink of a recession. As we noted in a previous post, an economic downturn typically leads to an increase in business school applications. So you might be thinking, what happens if after you graduate the job market is still not so strong, and in addition, you are facing competition from other newly graduating MBAs? Well, like any challenge we face, having a strategy and thinking things through ahead of time always helps. If this is on your mind, here are some tips to consider when entering (or re-entering) the work force:
1) Be reasonable. You may not land your dream job, but you will find another position that offers a path to your ideal job.
2) Consider all of your options. Sometimes smaller companies may offer you more options and less red tape than the larger firms.
3) Be open to relocating. If you are just starting off in your career and do not have a family and a mortgage, it can be relatively easy to relocate to another city which may hold more opportunities for you.
4) Negotiate. Companies will always try to underpay you. The only way to get a higher salary is to ask. So even if the market is not stellar, you should try to negotiate a higher base pay. Some companies may offer you a lower base pay and a higher bonus. While the math may appear to offer you the same net salary, it’s not that simple. For starters, bonuses are rarely guaranteed. Your base pay will be the starting point when you negotiate a raise or starting salary at a new job. If the company won’t budge on your salary, try to get a better title. It’s a freebie for the company and will help you as you move forward in your career.
5) Don’t be afraid to leave. If you find another better job once you’ve committed to a company, do not be afraid to leave. Studies have found that people who move companies for better opportunities earn higher salaries over the long run. Of course too much movement may raise red flags further down your career path. Before you jump ship, seek the advice of mentors in your field. (See #7)
6) Save money. Just because you are so excited to be earning real money and not living as a student, doesn’t mean you should go on a shopping spree. Be reasonable and responsible. You never know when you will have a rainy day or stormy month.
7) Find a mentor. This is a blog. We welcome your questions and comments, but we do not know you. We do not know your career path, goals and the intricacies of your niche in your industry. Find someone you can trust who does have that knowledge. It will serve you well throughout your career. I know someone who was - surprise, surprise - not happy with her bonus this year. Because of the market she did not know if she should say anything (as others in her company received even more meager bonuses) or if she should fight for what she felt she deserved. She called a mentor who told her a) she should be grateful for what she received and b) how to position her situation to her boss when asking for more money. She took her mentor’s advice and received an additional 10-15% bonus. A mentor with a few more years of experience will not compete against you and can offer valuable insight into the industry.
March 13th, 2008
Yesterday, we posted a 700+ level GMAT question. Below is the answer and explanation. How’d you do?
Answer: B
If a number has remainder c when it is divided by 7 it will have either remainder c or remainder c+7 when divided by 14. To understand that, try a few:
22/7: Remainder is 1
22/14: Remainder is 8
30/7: Remainder is 2
30/14: Remainder is 2
Because 14 is two times 7, in half the cases, the remainder will be the same and in half the cases the remainder for 14 will be seven more than the remainder for 7.
Thus (1st statement) – we could have a remainder that is less than 5 (eg. If X = 15), and we could have a remainder greater than 5 (eg. If X = 22). The statement is not sufficient.
On the other hand (2nd statement) – the remainder when dividing by 14 will always be greater or equal to the remainder when dividing by 7. Therefore statement 2 is sufficient.
About our questions:
We make every effort to maintain the look, feel, and complexity of the real exam, while respecting all copyright laws and the policies of GMAC.
March 12th, 2008
Every Tuesday we post a 700+ level GMAT question here on our blog, and post the answer and explanation the following day. Do you have what it takes?
The remainder when X is divided by 7 is c. Is the remainder when X is divided by 14 greater than n ?
1) n = 5
2) n = c-1
A. Statement 1 alone is sufficient but statement 2 alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked.
B. Statement 2 alone is sufficient but statement 1 alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked.
C. Both statements 1 and 2 together are sufficient to answer the question but neither statement is sufficient alone.
D. Each statement alone is sufficient to answer the question.
E. Statements 1 and 2 are not sufficient to answer the question asked and additional data is needed to answer the statements.
About our questions:
We make every effort to maintain the look, feel, and complexity of the real exam, while respecting all copyright laws and the policies of GMAC.
March 11th, 2008
Can’t decide between business school and law school? Why not do both? That is the argument made by universities offering a joint JD/MBA degree. The accelerated programs allow students to earn the two degrees in less time than it would take to earn the degrees individually (Generally four years compared to the five it would take to earn the degrees individually).
Most programs* require students to apply individually to each program and take both entrance exams, the LSAT and the GMAT. Some full time working applicants are so turned off by the tediousness of just one application that they opt to apply to one program (often law school) and then send in application to the second program (business school) during their first year of studies. However, law school’s first year is notoriously busy, so this may not be the best solution.
You may be asking yourself if a joint degree makes sense for you. And once again the answer is not black and white. There are basically two schools of thought. Naturally schools and their graduates support the dual degrees. Georgetown University says, “The worlds of policy and management have become inextricably intertwined since the advent of increased government regulation of business, as well as the burgeoning international trade market. In a global economy, the role of the attorney in the day-to-day management of businesses has become paramount, as the modern business manager needs immediate access to legal advice.”
Pepperdine University adds that the program “provides the unique opportunity for students to gain the knowledge required to address the increasingly complex legal problems that will arise as American business expands further into the world market.”
The second school of thought says that the dual program is an inefficient use of your time and money as there are few niches where both degrees would be utilized. Most graduates end up tapping into only one of the degrees (often the MBA) in their careers. A person with both degrees may end up competing for a job against a graduate with an MBA. According to some, employers may be suspicious of people with both degrees, questioning a candidate’s ability to make and keep a commitment.
So naturally, this boils down to you and your ultimate goals.
*University of Chicago’s Kellogg school is an exception, with a true joint program lasting only three years and requiring only one application.
March 10th, 2008
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