When you first learn GMAT Data Sufficiency, it seems fairly straightforward. Your task is to determine whether each statement gives you enough information to answer the question. So you look at the question, look at the statement, and think Yes, I can answer the question—sufficient or No, I can’t answer the question—insufficient. Read more

No, this isn’t a post about test ethics, though you certainly should not cheat on the GMAT! Rather, this is about honesty with yourself as you get in the GMAT mindset while studying and especially in the middle of the test itself. Read more

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“Can we do another problem like that?” It’s one of the most common requests I get in both class and tutoring sessions. It’s a perfectly good request and a necessary part of studying, but I always chuckle a little as I ask in return, “What exactly is like that?” After all, it could be that it involves exponents like the previous problem or that it has a C trap like the previous problem or that it requires testing cases—or all of the above! Read more

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You can win every question on the GMAT. That seems a little surprising at first, I know. If you’ve been studying the GMAT for any length of time, you’ve probably already heard several times about the importance of guessing and the perils of perfectionism.

But notice that I didn’t say you could get every question right. I said you could win every question. And that difference is key. Read more

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.

The GMAT is a computer-adaptive test, so it makes sense that to beat it, you might need to think like a computer, right? It really is true, but maybe not in the way that you would expect. You might think that a computer is really smart and could solve lots of problems on the GMAT. Actually, the problems on the GMAT require a fair amount of creativity and critical thinking that would be hard for a computer. For solving problems, you need your own human brain. Read more

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If a basketball player makes a free throw, do you expect him or her to make every free throw after that?

Of course not! Certainly the player knows “how” to make free throws, but none of us expect that “knowing how” is good enough in sports. You have to practice over and over again, and even then, we still think hitting 80%+ of free throws in a game is pretty good. Read more

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.

So you’ve been studying for the GMAT for a couple months now and feel like you’re learning a ton and getting a lot better, but your score just won’t budge. Sound familiar? Or maybe your score is moving, but not getting where you want it to be. When you look at individual questions, they all more or less make sense, but when you try to put it all together on a practice test, the score still comes out the same as it always is. What gives? Read more

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.

You’re working through a GMAT Verbal question, following your process, eliminating wrong answers, doing everything right. You get down to two, they both sound good, so you choose one and move on. Check the answer, and it was actually the other one! Sound familiar? Read more

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.

A bold claim to be sure! But as I’ve used this phrase with a number of tutoring students over the past several years, I’ve seen it pay huge dividends. And I’m a big fan of simple rules and phrases that you can easily remember and apply across many different questions and even different question types. So here it is: Read more

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.

You’ve been engaged in GMAT study for a while, maybe taken a course, maybe just done a lot of studying on your own, done lots of OG questions, taken several practice tests, and your score just seems stuck. You feel like you know a lot more than you used to, and when you look at the answer explanations they make sense, but your score just won’t go up. You look at your assessment reports from your practice exams and practice more questions in the areas of weakness, but your score still stays stuck. Sound familiar? Read more