GMAT Data Sufficiency: Get 5 Extra Minutes
What if I told you that you could have five extra minutes on the quantitative section of the GMAT? Would you be interested?
Good, because this is going to get a little technical. I’m also going to assume you’ve had some experience with Data Sufficiency problems on the GMAT Math section. You should also have practiced testing cases to solve these problems: here’s a good introduction to that strategy in case you’re unfamiliar.
GMAT Rate Problems
If this post is 1500 words long, and you can process 120 words per minute, then how long will it take you to read this whole post? If you could read 20% faster, then what effect would that have on how long it takes you to read the whole thing? If I were adding 80 words per minute to the blog post, then how long (at your original speed) would it take for you to reach the end?
Those questions were a taste of the often daunting world of GMAT Rate problems. Before we get any deeper, we should acknowledge that Rate problems do not seem to be tested as frequently on GMAT Quant nowadays as they once were. So while you’ll see plenty of Rate problems in the Official Guides and on Manhattan Prep’s practice GMATs (take a free one), you might not see many or any of these on your real GMAT.
Quick GMAT Math Hacks
Here are a few of the most useful quick GMAT math tricks I’ve learned over the years. They won’t show up on every problem, or even on every Quant section. But, if you happen to use one of these GMAT math hacks on test day, it could save you anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Common Math Errors on the GMAT
Do you ever make mistakes on GMAT math that just don’t make sense when you review? That’s not unusual, and in fact, it’s probably one of the most common reasons to miss easy GMAT math problems. Here’s why:
- When you’re under pressure, your memory becomes less reliable.
- Each person will find some things easier to remember than others.
What the Executive Assessment Really Tests
The Executive Assessment (EA) is not a math test. Nor is it a grammar test. Sure, you have to know something (well, a lot of things!) about these topics in order to get a good score. But the Executive Assessment is really testing your executive reasoning skills.
Is Earning a JD/MBA Degree Right for Me?
Now that you have begun taking steps toward earning your MBA, you may be wondering whether a joint JD/MBA degree could be a good option for you. Or perhaps you have been considering a JD/MBA all along. After two decades of consulting MBA, JD, and joint JD/MBA aspirants, we have learned a few things about this joint degree option, so let us offer some insight into both its utility and some additional factors you may want to consider.
Is the MBA worth it? Go Beyond ROI
This is likely not the first article you’ve read regarding the return on investment, or “ROI,” of an MBA degree, so I won’t spend too much time rehashing what you likely already know: your goal is to ensure that the money you get out of the degree in the form of a salary increase exceeds the money you put into the degree in the form of tuition and lost wages. You can get as detailed as you like with the accounting here – interest, textbook fees, etc. – but ultimately, the concept of positive ROI can be expressed using a simple inequality: money in < money out. However, there is one scenario in which your ROI is positive, and yet you should still not choose to go back to business school. That’s the scenario I want to tell you about here.
What is the GMAT?
The Graduate Management Admission Test, better known as the GMAT®, is a standardized test used in the admissions process for graduate management education (GME) programs, including MBAs and other specialized Master’s and PhD programs. The exam measures certain skills that GME programs care about, most notably Executive Reasoning skills—including how well you make decisions and manage scarce resources. It does not test any specific business knowledge.
GMAT Success Story – 590 to 690
Few things make us instructors happier than getting that glowing email from a student who has just achieved his or her goal score. While these students tend to have certain traits in common (a reasonable timeline, diligent studying, etc.), we’ve also noticed that successful students take many different paths to reach their goals.
Recently, the MPrep Instructor Manager team set out to investigate what habits and practices lead to successful outcomes for our students, with the hope of inspiring others just setting out on their test prep journeys. We asked our instructor pool to nominate students, and then reached out to these students to conduct brief interviews.
Today, we’ll be sharing one story from a recent student, with the hope that we’ll be able to continue sharing more of these profiles in the future.
About the Executive Assessment
GMAC (the organization that makes the GMAT) launched the Executive Assessment in 2016 as a readiness assessment for certain kinds of specialized business masters programs, primarily targeting Executive MBA programs (though it’s used much more extensively now—more on that later). For those who have the choice, the EA is the best option in almost all cases—we’ll talk about why in a little bit. Read more