How to detect topics on GMAT

[mobenny]

Hi,

What clue words should key me off to topics on the GMAT?

For example, I know that when I see the word integer or must be an integer I should be thinking about divisibility and prime techniques. What about other topics covered on Quant?

Also, what about verbal (i.e SC, CR and RC). Anything that I should definently know?

Thanks,

Moses

[StaceyKoprince]

That is the "holy grail" question. Any time you look at a problem, you should (ideally!) be recognizing clue words that tell you what you should think about or how you should approach the problem. There isn't a comprehensive list because the list would be way too long (and that's also why I can't type one here... it would take me three days!). But I can advise you about how to create your own list.

You already know some things from study or even just intuitively. You don't care about those because you already know them. What you do care about is the ones you don't yet know / recognize. So start keeping a log. (I usually split this by question type, although I lump DS and PS into one.)

In that log, you note specific words or groups of words and what that trigger should cause you to think. eg, if I see has/has/have/have/have on SC, I immediately think subj-verb agreement. If I see big phrases and clauses jumping around in the answers, I immediately think modifiers. If I see words describing a timeframe (such as "last year") jump around, I again think modifiers, and in particular, I ask myself what happened last year and make sure that the correct answer labels the right thing "last year."

The particular triggers you need to concentrate on will obviously depend upon your own strengths and weaknesses. But developing the list is 80% of the battle - forcing yourself to analyze the problems in this way will train you to constantly scan for these things every time you do a problem. Do it enough and you'll both spot the triggers and know what they point to - key is repetition and recognition. :)

[mobenny]

Hi Stephanie,

Thank you for helping me get started on this task! Can you please take a peek at the list I have created and give me any pointers.

Quant:
absolute value "-" & "+" -- also positive and negative questions
integer -- divis & prime
inclusive -- cons integers (any other triggers for cons int?)
increase or decrease by cons interval -- cons int
large computation -- look for sequence

Sentance Correction:

was/were/to be -- SV
has/have -- SV
along with, as well -- SV

and, between, as ... as, is not/but -- parallelism
both A and B -- parallelism
subordinate clause (which ... which) --- parallelism

it, its, they, them, their -- pronouns
this, that, these, those + noun -- pronoun
there + antecedent -- pro
itself, themselves, one another, each other -- pro
such/one another -- pro
who/whom/whose + antecedent -- pro
placeholder it -- pro

which vs .ing -- modifier
of -- modifier
where -- modifier
whose -- modifier

Still working on Reading Comp and Critical Reasoning Lists.

TY!!

Moses

[StaceyKoprince]

Nice lists - love it! Keep it up; you're doing exactly the right thing.

You can push certain things even further. For instance, I remember doing a data sufficiency problem that had this expression: n^3-n. Factor that out and see what you get. I'll wait.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Okay, so you get n(n2-1) = n(n+1)(n-1) = (n-1)n(n+1)
Hey, that's three consecutive integers! So now I know, whenever I see n^3-n, to think "consec int" immediately. That kind of stuff. :)