GMAT Blog

MBA Essay Tip: Find Your Niche

by Patti Conner While it's one thing to be well-prepared for the analytical writingsection of the GMAT, it's another to feel completely confident about how you approach telling your own story in your MBA application. There are plenty of...

Using “Word Equations” to Help Write Algebraic Equations

Algebraic techniques can often help us solve word problems. The process typically involves assigning one or more variables, writing an equation (or two or three), and then solving that equation. It sounds easy enough, but creating an...

Listing Possible Values in a Remainder Question

To set up this article, please try solving the following question: x and y are positive integers. When x is divided by 11, the remainder is 5, and when x is divided by 34, the remainder is 27. When y is divided by 17, the remainder is 11,...

Rephrasing the Target Question

In this article, we’ll examine how to make Data Sufficiency questions easier by simplifying the target question before examining the two statements. To set the stage, try solving the following question: Is 4^(3x + y) = 8^(2x –...

Common Misconceptions Involving Percents – Part II

In my last article, we looked at a mistake that many people make when dealing with successive increases and decreases. In this article, we’ll examine another common error. To set the stage, please answer the following question: If toaster...

Common Misconceptions Involving Percents – Part I

In this article, we’ll examine a common misconception that the GMAT often tests. To start things off, try the following question: Hank bought a bike from a wholesaler and then assigned it a retail price that is 40% greater than the...

Mentally calculating x percent of y

Can you quickly calculate 15% of 42 in your head? In this lesson, we’ll examine a fast way to perform this calculation and others. The technique I’ll demonstrate is based on the fact that it's incredibly easy to find 10% of any value,...

Guessing on the GMAT

The following is a metaphor for how students often respond to a particularly tough GMAT question: It’s a dark, moonless night, and you find yourself alone in a haunted house. Blood drips from the ceiling, and the words “Get out!” echo...

GMAT Math vs. School Math – Part II - Counting

In my last article, we examined the importance of considering mathematical strategies other than those we learned in school. So, rather than approach a question as though our former teachers will be checking (and grading!!) every detail of...

GMAT Math vs. School Math – Part I

The good news: the GMAT Quantitative section tests concepts that you already learned in school. The bad news: if you insist on always solving GMAT math questions using the same techniques you learned in school, you’ll likely score lower...

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