Rank '09 School name Sal tod Weighted sal. ($) Salary inc. (%) Value Int. students
1 University of Pennsylvania: Wharton 170,210 169,784 119 100 44
11 University of Chicago: Booth         154,340 150,272 113 96 42
6 Stanford University GSB 173,935 170,340 105 94 43
3 Harvard Business School 164,783 163,637 115 86 33
4 Columbia Business School 168,073 164,310 132 81 43
9 MIT Sloan School of Management 155,811 156,451 121 79 36

Essential Tools for the MBA Student

So suppose you have posted an excellent score on the GMAT, written some fabulous essays (that are even mostly true), been accepted to an outstanding MBA program, mailed in your deposit, secured some gigantic student loans, and you've loaded up the truck to move. Given the impending impoverishment of your lifestyle is there anything that you can't do without? Absolutely. Every MBA student needs, at a minimum, the same four essential pieces of gear:

1. The laptop computer. Don't even think about a desktop; the lack of portability will hugely cramp your mobility when working in a group.

2. The financial calculator. Yes, you have that laptop. Yes, it has Excel. But it's annoying to have to pull out the laptop every time you need to multiply a string of numbers. Another excellent route is to just procure a software-based financial calculator for your handheld, and suddenly your PDA (or phone) can calculate the yield on a 10-year T-bill. That's slick.

3. The mobile telephone. If you don't have one yet, get one with good coverage both on campus and in the cities in which you plan to spend significant time job-hunting.

4. A subscription to a major business-related journal. This is absolutely indispensable if you are heading into a career in investment banking, but it's almost as important for everyone else.

Choosing a Business School Should you or shouldn't you? Here are some tips on making the choice to go to business school

Your first requirement in picking a school is to know your objective. All told, there are probably four main reasons for enduring two years of study for the MBA:

•" You want to know how business works. The MBA has been described as virtually a prerequisite to being an effective manager of a commercial enterprise.

•" You want to advance your career. Most MBA programs equip their graduates to deal with many of the important questions that their organizations will be required to tackle over time, and that they will face in their careers.

•" You want to make an obscene amount of money. You have looked at what you're making now, and at the starting salaries of those MBA graduates, and you've decided you're in.

•" You want to teach. Teaching business administration is one of the most lucrative academic jobs one can get these days. Not many other university professors can earn in the low six figures as relatively junior faculty.

The next question is, what sort of program to attend. Broadly speaking, there are two options:

•" The full-time option. What full-time MBA programs offer through a total immersion process is unparalleled access to a wide range of faculty, speakers, contacts, recruiters, and alumni on a weekly, and even daily, basis. If you can afford to quit your day job, the experience is worth it.

•" Part-time, evening, and weekend programs. For those who have jobs that they either can't or don't want to surrender, there are other excellent options. Part-time programs generally allow students three to five years to complete the course work that a full-time program expects to cover in just two.

For more information on MBA school ratings see the BusinessWeek Guide to the Best Business Schools, published by McGraw-Hill.

Adapted from McGraw-Hill's GMAT, by James Hasik, Stacey Rudnick, and Ryan Hackney. Book-only and book/CD-ROM versions available wherever books are sold.

A B

1 5 Harvard University (MA)
1 9 Stanford University (CA)
3 1 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
4 15 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
5 2 Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
6 6 Columbia University (NY)
6 3 University of Chicago
8 7 Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
9 4 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
10 16 University of California–Berkeley (Haas)

A=US News Rank
B=Business Week Rank

Following are the essay tips from Chicago Booth’s Admissions Director, Rose Martinelli.

1) How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time? (750-1000 words)

This essay requires you to know the basics of your personal career path inside and out. How have your decisions made you ready to apply to an MBA program? While we understand that not everyone will be crystal clear in their future plans, you should be prepared to discuss your goals and how they relate to obtaining the degree.

Re-applicants have an extra question to answer: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (250 words)

This question is designed to give our re-applicants a place to tell us what, if anything, has changed since the time of your last application. What has happened in your life or career that has made your goals change or remain steady? What actions have you taken or lessons have you learned in this past year?


2) Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?
or
Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised?

This essay is about self awareness. At Booth, you’ll constantly be asked to evaluate and re-evaluate your personal development. Both questions give us a sense of your life experiences; specifically, how you handle feedback and how you bounce back in those not so positive situations. What did you learn from the experience and how will it impact your future actions? In order to be powerful, we often find that situational essay questions command authentic stories.

3) In four slides or less please answer the following question: What have you not already shared in your application that you would like your future classmates to know about you?

There has never been a right or wrong way to answer this question. From the very artistic to the bold black and white, it’s always been about the content.

Be strategic; take an inventory of what you’ve shared with us elsewhere in your application. What else would you like the Admissions Committee and your future classmates to know? We encourage you to think less about what the committee wants to hear, and more about how to illustrate those facets of yourself and your personality that make you unique. This is your chance to make sure when each reader closes your application file, they walk away with a sense of who are, what makes you tick and what it might be like to eventually meet you.

We hope the process of writing your application is a time of discovery and adventure as you look to prepare for your future, whatever that may be. Yes, we understand how time consuming and expensive this process can be, but investing in yourself always brings great returns.

She also posted some excellent admission tips on her blog:

Deciding whether to reapply is a personal choice. For those of you considering, I would encourage you to go back and review your original application. If you were on the waitlist, include the information that you submitted through that process. Consider asking a friend or colleague to give you feedback too. The objective is to understand how well you presented yourself in your original application and identify if there are any areas that you can improve upon this year.

Next, take stock of what you learned through the process of applying last year. Have your goals changed or crystallized? Are there things you can do this year to strengthen any of the main components (academic preparedness, career progression, community involvement, personal/professional focus and/ or self-awareness)? In summary, are there things that you would do differently now just because you know the process AND yourself better?

Once you’ve completed your review, it’s time to approach the application (see instructions for reapplicants). Be strategic about the messages you wish to convey in the application from data forms to essays and your presentation. While we will include your prior application in your file as background material, make sure that your new application presents your candidacy fully. My recommendation is that you take a fresh approach to crafting your application this year and avoid adapting old essays or presentations.

Now that you’ve had a chance to review and reflect on last year’s application experience, it’s time to start thinking about the process of putting together your new application. It’s important to approach this as if you are writing your personal business plan for the future. Know what messages you want to convey and map them into the different components of the application before you begin writing.

Every part of the application should be considered as “precious real estate”, with each question having a specific purpose, so take the time to be clear and concise in your answers. Let’s look at the different components.

Data forms: Take the time and effort to carefully complete the data forms – do not rely on last year’s application to provide us with that information since the forms change a little bit each year. Be thoughtful about your responses and make sure that you balance your desire to give us everything, with our desire to limit the amount you provide. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself – why is this information important for the admissions committee to know about me? If you can answer this, be sure to make your responses concise and relevant.

Resume: Follow the instructions we provide. Your resume should be one that you would use for any job search, highlighting your role and accomplishments. Again, if you are wondering if you should include particular information, use the relevance factor in making your decision.

Recommendations: While we know you may choose to use the same recommenders as in your prior application, ask your recommenders to update the information with your progression. It might also be helpful for you to take the time to meet with them to review your progress during this period and to highlight areas they might use as examples within the recommendation.

Essays: As I mentioned in my earlier blog, avoid regurgitating information you used last year – whether essays or elements of your presentation. Be bold and start from scratch. Our newest Admissions Insider spends time explaining the purpose of each of the essays, so check out that resource. Essay question 1, part B is the only essay specifically for reapplicants which asks what has changed since you last applied. This could be anything from work experience, new goals or a greater self awareness. Here’s your chance to help us understand your growth from last year.

The Evaluation Process: Each application will be evaluated in this year’s applicant pool. One caveat for you to consider: Don’t expect to be invited to interview this year just because you were last year. Your success in the admissions process this year will be solely dependent upon how you approach your application this year. So take the time and make the effort to put your best foot forward in the process. The ball is in your court now!

We at TotalGadha would like to thank Rose for providing such insightful tips for the prospective candidates.

1: Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at Kellogg (1-2 pages).

Primeiramente, falei sobre a minha trajetória profissional de forma resumida, desde o momento que entrei no programa de trainees da Gerdau até o momento em que entrei na Gradus. Depois, expliquei quais eram meus planos de curto e longo prazo e, na parte final, falei sobre como o MBA de Kellogg poderia me ajudar. Aqui falei sobre algumas matérias que poderiam me ajudar na minha carreira de consultoria, alguns clubes que desejava participar, alguns programas específicos e citei também como o depoimento de um aluno de Kellogg me ajudou a decidir Kellogg como minha primeira opção de MBA.

2: Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students (1-2 pages).

Aqui nessa segunda essay, você traz suas experiências pessoais, como um momento que você venceu uma dificuldade ou deficiência, momentos de virada da sua vida (turning points), experiências de viagens internacionais, intercâmbios, trabalhos comunitários e voluntários, etc. Na segunda parte eu expliquei como todas as minhas vivências poderiam ajudar os outros alunos de Kellogg na experiência de classes, projetos, clubes, etc. A idéia é que você realmente abra o seu coração e conte as estórias que fazem de você um candidato com características únicas e especiais. Tenho a impressão que essa essay em particular tem um grande peso para o comitê de admissão. Kellogg gosta de exemplos de vida e diversidade em seus alunos. Muito importante também demonstrar, com exemplos concretos, como você vai trazer uma perspectiva diferente e única nas discussões em classe.

3: Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experience (1-2 pages).

Nessa essay, minha estratégia foi falar de dois exemplos de liderança no campo profissional e uma no campo pessoal. Comecei falando de uma experiência em que tive que mostrar liderança na Gerdau e outra da Gradus. No campo pessoal, falei da minha experiência como professor de escola dominical em um bairro pobre de Campinas e do impacto que esse trabalho teve na vida das pessoas com que tive contato. Na parte final da essay, falei sobre como o MBA irá me ajudar a desenvolver outros aspectos de liderança. O que acho importante em todo o application é trazer exemplos concretos. Muitos candidatos tem a tendência de ser muito "fluff" ao descrever suas experiências, sendo bem superficiais. Outros tendem a listar tudo o que eles fizeram, mas sem entrar em detalhes e sem ser profundo nas experiências. Nas essays, é de extrema importância explicar bem o que você sentiu, quais foram os obstáculos a serem vencidos, como você se portou em alguma ocasião em específico, como você lidou com uma determinada situação. O comitê tem que perceber, nas suas experiências, quem você é como pessoa e, para isso, você deve pensar de forma bem profunda sobre suas experiências passadas. Por isso acho muito melhor você escolher três a quatro experiências que te ajudarão a vender bem o seu peixe ao comitê.

4. Complete 2 of the 3 essays.

4A - Describe a time when you had to motivate a reluctant individual or group.

Eu contei sobre um evento que ocorreu na Gerdau. Novamente é muito importante trazer detalhe e profundidade na sua estória. Tem que estar claro quais foram as suas características pessoais que o ajudou a lidar com o indivíduo ou grupo relutante. Novamente é a oportunidade de vender o seu peixe. Nessa essay o limite foi de uma página.

4B - I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…..

Contei dois exemplos sobre a minha determinação em atingir meus objetivos. Essa essay te possibilita muita flexibilidade em termos de estórias que ajudarão a vender a sua candidatura a uma vaga em Kellogg. Se você tem uma estória que é realmente interessante mas não se encaixa em nenhuma das questões, essa é a chance de contá-las ao comitê.

4C - What do others admire about you?

Como tem que escolher duas essays de três, acabei não fazendo essa. Hoje entendo o porquê dessa questão: todo aluno de Kellogg tem que completar uma avaliação 360 graus antes de começar o curso. Como vocês devem saber, nesse tipo de avaliação você é avaliado por chefes, pares e subordinados, permitindo, com isso, que você consiga comparar como você é visto pelos outros com como você se vê. Essa essay é uma oportunidade de você vender o seu peixe, mas, para ser bem sucedido nela, você deverá pedir a pessoas que te conhecem muito bem fazer uma lista das características que elas mais admiram em você. Depois você pode ver quais são as duas ou três características em comum e ilustrar com exemplos concretos que os seus amigos contarão.
4D - For re-applicants only: Since your previous application, what are the steps you’ve taken to strengthen your candidacy?

"The Benefits of Running"

Title "The Benefits of Running"

Introduction

1. Running is becoming an extremely popular sport for all ages.
2. Running is a great form of exercise because it helps people control their weight, develop muscles, and improves mental and physical performance.

Body

1. Weight control
   1. Aids self-control
   2. Burns calories
   3. Encourages a healthy diet
   4. Suppresses appetite
2. Muscular Development
   1. Improves tone
   2. Enhances contours
   3. Increases strength
   4. Improves endurance
3. Psychological well-being
   1. Aids sleep
   2. Inhibits depression
   3. Intensifies vitality

Conclusion

1. Benefits of running make it an excellent exercise.
2. People who want to improve their health should consider running.

GMAT MATH REFERENCE

GMAT MATH REFERENCE

1. How to use the PERCENT/DECREASE formulas


X 100%
% Increase = Amount of increase
Original whole


% Decrease = X 100%
Amount of decrease
Original whole


2. How to recognize MULTIPLES OF 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 12

• 2: Last digit is even.
• 3: Sum of digits is multiple of 3.
• 4: Last two digits are multiple of 4
• 5: Las digit 5 or 0
• 6: Sum of digits is a multiple of 3 and last digit is even
• 9: Sum of digits is multiple of 9
• 10: Last digit 0
• 12: Sum of digits is multiple of 3 and last two multiple of 4

3. How to find an AVERAGE and how to use it to find the SUM

Sum of terms
Number of terms
Average = Sum = (Average) x (Number of terms)


4. CONSECUTIVE NUMBERS

Average: Is simply the average of the smallest number and the largest number.

Count: The number of integers from A to B inclusive is B-A+1.

Sum:
Sum = (Average) x (Number of terms)


5. MEDIAN, MODE & RANGE

Median: Put the numbers in numerical order and take the middle number.

Mode: The Mode is the number that appears most often.

Range: Is the difference between the highest and the lowest values.


6. RATIO

How to use actual numbers to find a Ratio


How to use ratio to find actual numbers: Example:
Ratio = of
to
The ratio of boys to girls is 3 to 4.
If there are 135 boys, how many girls are there?
3 = 135
4 x

7. How to use actual numbers to determine a RATE

Identify the quantities and the units to be compared. Keep the units straight.

Example: Anders typed 9450 words in 3,5 hours. What was his rate in words per minute?

First convert 3,5 hours to 210 minutes. Then set up a rate with words on top and minutes on
bottom.

HINT: Unit before per goes on top, and unit after per goes on the bottom

8. How to count the NUMBER OF POSSIBILITIES
In most cases, you won’t need to apply the combination the permutation
formulas on the GMAT. The number of possibilities is generally so small that
the best approach s just to write them out systematically and count them.

9. How to calculate a simple PROBABILITY




Example: What is the probability of throwing a 5 on a fair six-sided die?
There is one favourable outcome (throwing 5). There are six possible outcomes (one for each
side of the die) PROBABILITY= 1/6
Probability = Number of favorable outcomes
Total number of possible outcomes

10. How to FACTOR certain POLYNOMIALS

(a+b)² = a² + 2ab + b² (a-b)² = a² - 2ab + b²

a²- b² = (a-b)(a+b)


11. Geometry – HYPOTENUSE – Pythagorean Theorem

h² = a² + b²

12. SPECIAL RIGHT TRIANGLES

5-12-13 30º-60º-90º
3-4-5 45º-45º-90º


13
5

3 12
5
4 √3 2

1
60º 45º
√2
1
1
45º
13. CIRCUMFERENCE of a CIRCLE

Circumference = 2πr

14. AREA of a CIRCLE

Area = πr²

15. SLOPE of a LINE

Slope= change in y
change in x


16. COMBINED PERCENT INCREASE/DECREASE

Always start with 100 as original value and see what happens


17. SIMPLE INTEREST problem

Interest = (principal) x (interest rate) x (time)
decimals years



18. COMPOUND INTEREST

Final balance = (principal) x (1 + interest rate)
(time)(c)
C
Where C = the number of times compounded annually


19. How to use the ORIGINAL AVERAGE and NEW AVERAGE
to figure out WHAT WAS ADDED or DELETED

Number added = (new sum) – (original sum)
Number deleted = (original sum) – (new sum)

Example: the average of five numbers is 2. after one number is deleted, the new average is -3.
what number was deleted?
Find the original sum from the original average = 5x2=10
Find the new sum from the new average = 4x(-3) = (-12)
The difference between the original sum and the new sum is
Number deleted = 10 – (-12)= 22

20. How to find an AVERAGE RATE

Average A per B = Total A Average Speed = Total distance
Total B Total time
21. How to solve a WORK problem
In a work problem, you are given a rate at which people or machines perform
work individually, and asked to compute the rate at which they work together (or
vice-versa). The work formula states:

1/r + 1/t = 1/t


22. How to determine a COMBINED RATIO
Multiply one or both ratios by whatever you need to in order to get the terms
they have in common to match.

Example: The ratio of a to b is 7:3. The ratio of b to c is 2:5. What is the ratio of a to c?
Multiply each member of a:b by 2 and multiply each member of b:c by 3 and you get
a:b= 14:16 and b:c = 6:15. Now that the b´s match, you can just take a and c and say a:c = 14:15

23. How to solve a DILUTION or MIXTURE problem
You have to determine the characteristics of the resulting mixture when
substances with different characteristics are combined. Or, alternatively, you
have to determine how to combine substances with different characteristics to
produce a desired mixture. There are two approaches to such problems:

Straight forward
Example: If 5 pounds of raisins that cost $1 per pound are mixed with 2 pounds of almonds that
cost $2,40 per pound, what is the cost per pound of the resulting mixture?
Solution: 5(1) + 2(2,4) = 9,8 ….. The cost per pound is 9,8/7= $1,40

Balancing method
Example: How many liters of a solution that is 10% alcohol by volume must be added to 2 liters
of a solution that is 50% alcohol by volume to create a solution that is 15% alcohol by volume?
Solution: Make the weaker and stronger (or cheaper and more expensive, etc.) substances
balance. That is: (%/price difference between the weaker solution and the desired solution) x
(amount of weaker solution) = (%/price difference between the stronger solution and the desired
solution) x (amount of stronger solution)
n(15-10) = 2(50-15)
n = 70/5 = 14. So 14 liters of the 10% solution must be added.

24. How to solve a GROUP problem involving BOTH/NEITHER
Some GMAT word problems involve two groups with overlapping members,
and possibly elements that belong to neither group. It’s easy to identify this type
of question because the words “both” and/or “neither” appear in the question.
Group1 + Group 2 + Neither – Both = Total

Example: Of the 120 students at a certain language school, 65 are studying French, 51 are
studying Spanish, and 53 are studying neither language. How many are studying both French and
Spanish?
Solution: 120 = 65 + 51 + 53 – B --- B = 169 – 120 = 49


25. How to solve a PERMUTATION problem
If you are asked to find the number of ways to arrange a smaller group that’s
being drawn from a larger group, you can use the permutation formula


P = n! Where n = # in the larger group
(n-k)! k = # you are arranging
26. How to solve a COMBINATION PROBLEM
If the order or arrangement of the smaller group that’s being drawn from the
larger group does NOT matter, you are looking for the numbers of
combinations, and a different formula is called for:

C = n! Where n = # in the larger group
k!(n-k)! k = # you are arranging




27. How to solve a MULTIPLE-EVENT PROBABILITY problem
Many hard probability questions involve finding the probability of a certain
outcome after multiple events (a coin being tossed several times, etc.). These
questions come into two forms: those in which each individual event must occur
a certain way, and those in which individual events can have different outcomes.

To determine multiple event probability where each individual event must
occur a certain way:
• Figure out the probability for each individual event.
• Multiply the individual probabilities together.

Example: if 2 students are chosen at random from a class with 5 girls and 5 boys, what’s the
probability that both students chosen will be girls?
Solution: The probability that the first student chosen will be girl is 5/10 = 1/2, and since there
would be 4 girls left the probability that the second student chosen will be a girl is 4/9. Thus, the
probability the both students chosen will be girls is: 1/2 x 4/9 = 2/9

To determine multiple event probability where individual events can have
different outcomes:
• Find the total number of possible outcomes by determining the number
of possible outcomes for each individual event and multiplying these
numbers together.
• Find the number of desired outcomes by listing out the possibilities.

Example: If a fair coin is tossed 4 times, what’s the probability that at least 3 of the 4 tosses will
come up heads?
Solution: There are 2 possible outcomes for each toss, so after 4 tosses there are a total of
2x2x2x2 = 16 possible outcomes. List out all the possibilities where “at least 3 of the 4 tosses”
come up heads:

HHHT
HHTH
HTHH
THHH
HHHH




So there’s a total of 5 possible desired outcomes. Thus, the probability that at least 3 of the 4
tosses will come up heads is:

Number of desired outcomes = 5
Number of possible outcomes 16




28. QUADRATIC EQUATIONS





29. How to solve a SEQUENCE problem
In a sequence problem, the nth term in the sequence is generated by performing
an operation, which will be defined for you, on either n or on the previous term
in the sequence. Familiarize yourself with sequence notation and you should
have no problem.
Example: What is the difference between the fifth and fourth terms in the sequence 0, 4, 18, …
whose nth term is n²(n-1).
Solution: Use the operation given to come up with the values for your terms:

n5 = 5² (5-1) = 25(4) = 100
n4 = 4² (4-1) = 16(3) = 48
So, the difference between the fifth and the fourth terms in the sequence is = 100 – 48 = 52



30. How to find the MAXIMUM and MINIMUM lengths for a
SIDE of a TRIANGLE
If you now two sides of a triangle, then you now that the third side is somewhere
between the difference and the sum.
Example: The length of one side of a triangle is 7. The length of another side is 3. What is the
range of possible lengths for the third side?
Solution: The third side is greater than the difference (7-3=4) and less than the sum (7+3=10)

31. How to find one angle or the sum of all the ANGLES of a
REGULAR POLYGON

Sum= (n-2) x 180

Degree of one angle = (n-2) x 180
n
x1, x2 = -b +/- √ b² - 4ac
2a

32. How to find the LENGTH of an ARC

Length of arc = n x 2πr
360



nº
r
Length






33. How to find the AREA of a SECTOR

Area of arc = n x πr²
360
nº




Area




34. VOLUME of a CYLINDER





35. VOLUME of a SPHERE
Volume = πr² h

h=height
Volume = ¾ πr³

GMAT Verbal - Critical Reasoning

The GMAT Verbal Section consists of 41 questions taken over 75 minutes. There are three main question types:

4a. Reading Comprehension (12-14 of 41 questions)

4b . Sentence Correction (12-14 of 41 questions)

4c . Critical Reasoning (12-14 of 41 questions)

A. Critical Reasoning Introduction

Critical Reasoning section of GMAT tests your reasoning ability but it is of a much higher level than the ordinary Logical Reasoning. A type of reasoning that a management graduate is required to follow in an amazing variety of work situations.

The tests are similar to Reading Comprehension to the extent that a passage is to be read and questions answered with respect to the information in the passage. The difference is that these passages rarely exceed 100 words and contain information that is to be understood clearly. Reading comprehension passages are long and punctuated with peripheral facts. By contrast, Critical Reasoning passages are quite short, and every single word should be considered very carefully; there are subtle shades of meanings, which often require a reading between the lines.

The key to solving these types of questions is to recognize the premise and the conclusion. Essentially, two or more premises lead to a conclusion and assumptions are the unstated premise in this chain.

However, life at GMAT is not absolutely black and white. This rule is to be applied in a variety of ways, some of the questions require you to understand the question and apply the rule in a highly subtle and skilled manner.

The good news is that the questions are based on elementary rules of logic and good old common sense. ETS says that – ‘no knowledge of terminology and of the conventions of formal logic is presupposed.’

The instructions at the beginning of the test are:

DIRECTIONS: After reading the question, pick the best answer among the choice that follow.

B. Basic Terminology

Before we actually tackle Critical-reasoning questions it would be a good idea to familiarize ourselves with the basic terminology.

Example 1:
David was talking during class, so he didn’t understand the teacher’s instructions.

Here, the conclusion is that David did not understand the teacher’s instructions.

The Premise that led to the conclusion is that David was talking.

Thus,

A Premise is a statement that serves as the basis of an argument. There may be more than one premise in a Critical Reasoning passage. All these premises put together lead to the conclusion.

A Conclusion is the point that the author is trying to convince the readers about with the help of the premises in the passage.

Arguments contain a number of premises and possibly more than one conclusion. Hence, it becomes necessary to classify and connect things and events in order to analyze the argument.

An Assumption is also a premise but an unstated one. It is a line of thought based on which the author makes a conclusion. The author’s conclusion is always dependent on an assumption.

An Inference is something that is implied in the passage yet not directly stated. It is different from an assumption because unlike the assumption the inference does not directly affect the conclusion. In other words the conclusion does not depend upon the inference. There can be more than one inference in a critical reasoning passage.

C. Types of Critical Reasoning Questions

1. Conclusion based questions:
2. Assumption type of questions:
3. Strengthen/ Weaken the argument type of questions:
4. Inferential type of questions:
5. Similar reasoning type of questions:

Most critical reasoning passages are in the form of arguments in which the writer tries to convince the reader of something.

There are three main parts to an argument.

The conclusion: this what the author is trying to convince us of.
The premise: these are the pieces of evidence that the author gives to support the conclusion.

An assumption: is also an evidence (but it is unstated) without which the entire conclusion becomes invalid.

In evaluating an argument, the first step is to identify the components – the premise and the conclusion.

The parts of an argument can be identified by certain cue words.
A premise may be recognized by words such as ‘if’, ‘given that’, ‘since’, ‘because’, ‘for’, ‘suppose’, and ‘in view of’. They signal the presentation of evidence and reasons in support of a fact or a claim.

Conclusions, on the other hand, may be preceded by words like ‘thus’, ‘hence’, ‘so’, ‘indicates that’ and ‘therefore’. Without cue words, identifying and analyzing an argument becomes difficult. Look for a statement that cannot stand alone, i.e. a statement that needs to be supported by premises.

If you cannot find the conclusion look for the premise instead. These are the parts of the arguments that support the conclusion. Lets us see an example where the premises have been stated and a conclusion is to be provided.

An assumption is also a premise but it is an unstated one. It is a line of thought based on which the author makes a conclusion. The author’s conclusion is always dependent on an assumption.

The Critical reasoning question consists of a short passage followed by questions like –

“Which of the following best serves as an assumption that would make the argument above logically correct?” Read the question before you read the passage, so that you know that without the assumption plugged in, the conclusion will not hold.

If you decide to read the passage first, it may appear to be perfectly reasonable. It is only when you read the question that you realize that you have missed something or that there is a flaw in the reasoning. You will therefore have to go back to the passage. To avoid such a waste of time it is advisable that you read the question first.

Example
In order to save money in this fiscal year, the management voted to cut the overtime hours and hence freeze overtime wages. The shortsighted example is yet another example of the management being penny wise and pound-foolish. The production that will result from this action will cause many quality defects, resulting in market complaint. This will ultimately result in loss of market share and revenues.

Which of the assumptions does the author make in order for this argument to be logically correct?

(A) The workers are already overpaid and so the overtime pay freeze is warranted.
(B) The management cares less about the quality of the product than it does about saving money.
(C) If they do not work overtime and receive overtime pay, the workers will become lax in producing quality products.
(D) The management does not feel that less wages will necessarily result in quality taking a beating.
(E) The loss in revenue will not be as much as the money saved by cutting overtime wages.

The passage attempts to justify that the company will eventually have to lose much more than it is trying to save. Alerted to the fact that the logic is faulty (by having first read the question) you probably picked up the subtle shift from ‘freeze overtime pay’ to ‘cause many quality defects’. If you did, you might have asked yourself, ‘the fact that the salary of the workers are being cut does not necessarily mean that they will produce poor quality goods’. Thus there is a gap in the logic. To justify the conclusion presented, we need to assume that cutting wages will result in poor quality. This said in option (C).

Strengthen and Weaken the Argument

The questions that follow the passage are of the type:

• Which of the following, if true, would most support the views/conclusion/statement?

• Which of the following statements, if true, most weaken/strengthen the author’s claim that...

• Which of the following, if true, would negate/strengthen the author’s point of view?

If a question asks you to strengthen an argument, it is asking you to find a hole in the argument and to fix it with additional information. The argument may not be complete by itself and the answer looks more like a premise or an assumption.

The correct answer will strengthen/weaken the argument with new information. If you see an answer choice that is straight from the passage, its wrong. The answer choice will support the conclusion of the passage if it is a strengthen the argument type of question. Find the conclusion in the passage, then try out each answer choice to see whether it makes the conclusion stronger.

Like assumption questions and strengthen-the-argument questions, weaken-the-argument questions frequently point out the gaps inherent in inductive reasoning. You don’t need to fix the hole in the argument but expose it.

There are two main types of reasoning: Deductive and inductive. In deductive logic the conclusion must follow from the premises. In inductive logic the conclusion may be true, but it does not have to be. Three popular kinds of inductive logic are:

1. Statistical arguments where the statistics are representative.
2. Arguments by analogy where the two situations are analogous; and
3. Causal argument – where there might be an alternative cause.

These three kinds of inductive logic are very important in assumption questions, weaken-the- argument questions and strengthen-the-argument questions.

Example
Production houses like Columbia Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox etc. provide stock options to their employees. These companies are employing the highest number of people in the industry. There is little reason why most production houses cannot provide the same benefits to their employees.

Which of the following if true would weaken the arguments?

(A) Stock options is not offered to all the employees of a company.
(B) Columbia Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox have fewer members on their board.
(C) Most other production houses do not have the tax benefits that Columbia & Twentieth Century Fox have because they are the biggest employers in the industry.
(D) Other production houses have much more business.
(E) The trend to offer stock options in the industry has not caught on yet.

The answer is (C). If (C) is true; it explains why the other companies have not provided the benefits. (A) Does not weaken the arguments. It is secondary that the benefits are not extended to everybody. If (D) is true then it only strengthens the argument. (E) Is an observation but not as valid as (C).

Exercises

1. The Starship Enterprise is in danger of imploding from laser beams if the warp generators are not toroid resistant. Captain Spock says that no malleable circuits are toroid resistant and all warp generators are made of malleable circuits.

What is the conclusion that can be drawn from Captain Spock’s reasoning?

(A) Laser beams do not affect the malleable circuits.
(B) The Starship Enterprise is not in danger.
(C) The Starship Enterprise will implode from laser beams.
(D) Warp generators are toroid resistant.
(E) None of the above.

The correct answer is (C).
The trick is in the way the passage is worded. Warp generators are made of malleable circuits and malleable circuits are not toroid resistant. If they are not toroid resistant they are in danger of imploding from laser beams. This a typical critical reasoning question that can also be solved with the help of a Venn diagram. The passage requires clear understanding of the language, the logic is very simple.

2. You are visiting your cousin Tony. Tony begins by telling you what a great job he has. ‘I am a future millionaire,’ he says. ‘All the top executives in the company are millionaires and I am a future top executive.’ Tony is already planning on what kind of a mansion he wants to build.

What is the assumption that Tony is making?

(A) All millionaires have mansions.
(B) Top executives become millionaires.
(C) He works for a company where all the top executives become millionaires.
(D) Tony thinks he has a great job.
(E) None of the above.

The assumption is clearly (C). (B) Talks about top executives and not all the top executives and hence is not the answer.

3. South American girls have won the Miss World contest at least for the last 4 years in a row. Therefore the winner this year will also be a South American.

Which of the following definitely strengthens the conclusion?

(A) The Miss World contest was started 15 years ago and different countries have won it in the past.
(B) There are more participants from South America this year than before.
(C) More than 50% of the judges are from South America.
(D) A different country has won the contest every year in the last decade.
(E) It has been noticed that the winners of the contest rotate through different continents in a 5-year cycle. The winner five years ago was an Asian country.

The correct answer is (E).
(B) And (E) qualify as the options that strengthen the conclusion. However, (E) definitely strengthens the conclusion that the winner this year will also be a South American because the option says that a continent has a winner for 5 years in a row. (A) and (D) weaken the argument.

GMAT Verbal - Sentence Correction

The GMAT Verbal Section consists of 41 questions taken over 75 minutes. There are three main question types:

4a. Reading Comprehension (12-14 of 41 questions)

4b . Sentence Correction (12-14 of 41 questions)

4c . Critical Reasoning (12-14 of 41 questions)

Sentence Correction type of questions are essentially a test of grammar and hence of communication skills, which is a necessary strength of an MBA. The test-taker is required to know not only a wrong sentence construction from a correct one, but also the change needed to correct any error. Moreover, brevity in sentence construction is to be practiced. Error can range from Noun-verb mismatches, to wrong idiomatic constructions, from excessive wordiness to simple illogicality.

Points to remember/Definitions

Conjunction

A conjunction is a part of speech that connects words or groups of words. Conjunctions are of three types: coordinating, subordinating and correlative.

Preposition

A preposition is a word or group of words used to show a connection between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence.

Interjection

An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses emotion and has no grammatical relationship with the rest of the sentence. E.g., Alas! The war is lost.

Participle

A verb form that functions (1) as part of a verb phrase or (2) as an adjective. The three forms are present participle, past participle, and perfect participle.

The student sketching the model is Anuradha.
I have finished my essay.
Having finished my essay, I turned it in.

Gerund

A verbal noun ending in -ing, that is, a noun formed from a verb. A gerund has the same form as the present or perfect participle.

Your speaking is appreciated.
Your having spoken to us is greatly appreciated.

Infinitive

A verb form that is the first of the three principal parts of a verb. The infinitive has the function of a verb (as part of the predicate), but it is also commonly used as a verbal or in a verbal phrase. When used as a verbal, it functions like a noun, adjective, or adverb and is usually preceded by the sign of the infinitive, the word to. to run, to jump, to dream, to think, to explain

Simple Tenses

In this tense the action is mentioned simply in the past, present or future tense.

Perfect Tenses

The perfect tense indicates that an action has been or will be completed in the past, present or future. The perfect tense contains the part of the verb ‘to have’ i.e., have, had, has and the past participle of the verb. The past participle of the verb ends with words like -ed, -en. (There may be exceptions like gave etc.,)

Continuous Tenses

The continuous tense indicates the continuation of a tense in the past, present or future. In this tense you have the form of the verb 'to be' - is, are, am, was, were, shall be, had been, have been and the present participle of the verb i.e. verbs ending with 'ing'.

Perfect Continuous Tense

The perfect continuous tense indicates that the action continued and then was completed in the past, present or the future. This tense uses a form of the verb 'to have' with the past participle of the verb 'to be' and the present participle of the main verb.

On the GMAT, tense problems are often just a matter of parallel construction. The general rule is that if a sentence starts out in a particular tense it should continue in the same.

Example

When I come to Chrysler, I bring along my notebooks from Ford, where I track the careers of several hundred Ford executives. After I fire I prepare a detailed list of everything I want removed from my office. During this same period, we to have to close a number of plants. A lot of people throw out of work. It's a very emotional thing for people who work in the same plant for twenty or thirty years. In some cases their parents work there too.

Answers:

came
brought
had tracked
was fired
had prepared
wanted
to remove
had
were thrown
have been working
had worked

Example

Mention the function of the word light in each line.

You’ve no need to light a night-light

On a light night like tonight,
For a night-light’s light’s a slight light,
And tonight’s a night that’s light.
When a night’s light, like tonight’s light,
It is really not quite right
To light night-lights with their slight lights
On a light night like tonight

Answers:

1st - You’ve no need to light (v) a night-light (n)

2nd - On a light night like tonight (adj)

3rd - For a night-light’s (adj) light’s (n) a slight light (n)

4th - And tonight’s a night that’s light (adj)

5th - When a night’s light * (n/adj), like tonight’s light (n)

7th - To light (v) night-lights (n) with their slight lights (n)

8th - On a light (adj) night like tonight

* Night’s light in the 5th sentence can be an adjective or a noun. When a night is light - here light is an adjective. Nights light i.e. a light of the night is a noun.

Errors of Nouns and Pronouns

A pronoun is used in place of a noun and must reflect its number and gender when possible.

Example

This the dog. This dog bit me yesterday.
This the dog that bit me yesterday.
I liked the people whom I spoke to yesterday
The men who attacked the shop were arrested.

You will notice that in each sentence the underlined word is a pronoun because it replaces and relates back to a noun.

Errors of Subject-Verb Agreement

For this, you need to recognize the subject and its corresponding verb in the sentence.

I am a dog-trainer who always consult with my clients before meeting his dogs. (Wrong)

Here, the subject “trainer” and its verb must agree in number i.e.,: “consults”. Again, “dogs”’ belong to “clients”, therefore “his” should take the plural form “their” (their dogs). Finally a dog trainer consults “his” clients not “my” clients.

Therefore: I am a dog trainer who always consults with his clients before meeting their dogs.

But: I am one of those trainers who consult with their clients before meeting their dogs (correct)

Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence.

Misplaced Modifiers

Related to dangling modifiers, Misplaced Modifiers occur when the word modified is not clear or could be more than one word. These problems can usually be solved by rearranging the elements already present in the sentence.

Unnecessary Modifiers

In general, the more simply an idea is stated, the better it is. An adverb or adjective can often eliminate extraneous words.

Example

Correct the sentences, if necessary and mention the type of error. (Dangling modifier or misplaced modifier)

1. Jane nearly ate the whole cake
2. Taking his time, the test was easy.
3. The article is on the table, which I wrote.

Answers:
1. Jane ate nearly the whole cake. (Misplaced modifier)
2. He took his time, as the test was easy. (Dangling modifier)
3. The article, which I wrote, is on the table. (Misplaced modifier)

Words and Phrases, Clauses

Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level. The usual way to join parallel structures is to use coordinating conjunctions such as "and" or "or".

Words and Phrases

With the -ing form of words:
Parallel: Timothy likes reading, swimming, and bicycling.
With infinitive phrases:
Parallel: Timothy likes to read, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.

Clauses

A parallel structure that begins with clauses must keep on with clauses. Changing to another pattern or changing the voice of the verb (from active to passive or vice versa) will break the parallelism

Example 1

Not Parallel: The captain told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and to do some warm-up exercises before the game.

Idiom

The English language is full of idioms (over 15,000). We use idioms all the time, often without realizing that we are doing so.

An idiom is a phrase or a sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit.

For example,

1. The hill dropped off near the river.
2. While doing his homework, he dropped off.
3. Would you drop this off at the post office?

Here, the idiom ‘drop off’ has been used in three different ways.
In sentence 1, it means decline gradually.
In sentence 2, it means fall asleep and
In sentence 3 it means to stop and give something to someone.

Examples

DIRECTIONS: In each of the following sentences a part or whole of the sentence is underlined. Beneath each sentence, five different ways of phrasing the underlined part are indicated; choose the best alternative from among the five.

1. My father was delighted to learn about me getting a degree at college.

(A) me getting a degree
(B) my getting a degree
(C) my degree getting
(D) my getting degree
(E) myself getting a degree

2. This one of the most entertaining movies that has appeared this year.

(A) movies that has
(B) movies thats have
(C) movies that have
(D) movies that
(E) movie that have

3. I have seen Mario’s paintings, who was a student of Narayanan.

(A) Mario’s paintings, who was a
(B) paintings of Mario, who was a
(C) paintings by Mario,
(D) paintings of Mario, a
(E) paintings, Mario who was a

4. When the poor woman asked for help, we two could only look at one another helplessly.

(A) only look at one another
(B) only look at another
(C) look only at one another
(D) only look at each other
(E) look at each other only

5. Anyone of these two books will be used as a script for our next drama.

(A) Anyone of these two
(B) Anyone two of these
(C) Either of these two
(D) Either two of these
(E) Two of any of these

Solutions

1. Correct usage is (B). A pronoun preceding a gerund (an 'ing' verb used as a noun) must be in the possessive case.

2. The correct usage is (C). We need to change has to 'have'. A verb must agree with its subject in person and number, since 'movies' is plural the verb has to be plural as well.

3. The correct usage is (C). The relative pronoun 'who' should be placed as close to its antecedent 'Mario' as possible. (B) sounds correct but it means paintings of Mario, literally.

4. The correct usage is (D). 'Each other' should be used in speaking of two persons or things. 'One another' in speaking of more than two. E.g., when we two parted, we wished luck to each other. But - all of us should love one another.

5. Correct usage is (C). 'Either' should be used in reference to two. When the reference is to more than two, we should use any one. E.g., He is smarter than any one of my students.

GMAT Verbal - Reading Comprehension

The GMAT Verbal Section consists of 41 questions taken over 75 minutes. There are three main question types:

4a. Reading Comprehension (12-14 of 41 questions)

4b . Sentence Correction (12-14 of 41 questions)

4c . Critical Reasoning (12-14 of 41 questions)

4a. Reading Comprehension

This will test you ability to read a passage and answer questions associated with it. It is a test of memory, eye for detail, good reading speak and ability to comprehend. The length is usually 750 to 800 words. The GMAT norm is around 4 questions per passage.

The types of questions

Main idea: Here you will be asked to recognize the main idea or theme of the passage, a possible title or the author’s primary objective.

Supporting Ideas: In this type of question, you are asked about the idea expressed in one part of the passage, rather than about the passage as a whole.

Drawing Inferences: Questions of this sort ask about ideas that are not explicitly stated in a passage. It is assumed by the reader from something said by the writer. An inference is the likely or probable conclusion rather than the direct, logical one. It usually involves an opinion or viewpoint that the writer wants the reader to follow or assume.

Specific Details: In this type of question, you may be asked about specific details or facts the author has stated explicitly in the passage.

Applying information from the passage to other situations: These questions ask you to make an analogy between a situation described in the passage and a similar situation or event listed in the question.

The logical structure of the passage: These types of questions test your understanding of the overall meaning, logic or organization of a passage. Frequently, you are asked how several ideas in a passage are interrelated.

Determining the meaning of words from the context: Here the words may not be commonly known to you but you are required to guess their meaning from the context of the passage. This may also require you to read between the lines. You may not know the exact meaning but you can arrive at the answer if you read the options.

The conclusion: This can be of the type:

1. What is the logical conclusion that can be drawn...
2. What is the purpose of paragraph 2...

Examples

Passage 1
The search for ways to lengthen human life goes on. Mankind, at least the Americans, will not give up until they have arrived at something concrete and marketable to ensure a lifespan of perhaps a hundred or even more years for the average man. Research on drugs to boost longevity has been in progress for decades, but US scientists are also exploring other, and easier, avenues. The latest formula has emerged from the University of Kentucky, where it has been discovered that happiness, not fried chicken, is the key to a long life. After studying Alzheimer’s disease and aging for 15 years, a neurologist has concluded that "a positive emotional state at an early age may help ward off disease and even prolong life". Negative emotions can reduce one's longevity while "it feels good to be happy and hopeful". An interesting theory though not shatteringly original. It is a common human experience that when one is happy, one feels good and vice versa. If you are feeling good, it is highly unlikely that you are feeling terribly unhappy. Scientists sometimes present us with dilemmas not unlike the ones faced by Alice during her travels. No less interesting is the fact that the research is based on a study of 678 nuns of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, which culminated in a book — Nun Study, Aging With Grace: What the Nun Study Teaches Us About Leading Longer, Healthier and More Meaningful Lives. Like its contents, the elaborate nature of the title should also help readers intending to go into the depths of the subject. However, those interested would do well to remember that happiness is neither easy to achieve nor easy to maintain, and often loses its color once achieved. The rebel Russian poet, Yeygeny Yevtushenko, had said, "The hell with it. Who never knew/ the price of happiness will not be happy”. Alexander Pope called it "our being's end" while another author made fun of it by describing happiness as "a warm puppy". It is also questionable whether nuns are ideal as case studies for this kind of research, for they have God on their side, unlike most of us, and have an easier access to happiness. The Kentucky scientist's prescription contains its own antidote because a conscious and determined search for happiness is likely to be counter-productive. It is wiser not to stick to any formula and to take life as it comes. That will bring both happiness and, God willing, also a long life.

1. What is the general theme or the topic of discussion in the passage?

2. What is the tone of the author? Which lines give away the answer?

3. What is the style of the passage?

GMAT Essay Tutorials

10 free sample timed essays

GMAT essays are a test of good writing mechanics and how well you can express ideas. This not necessarily a test of grammar. This would further translate into understanding the candidate’s aptitude for participating in case studies in a typical business school. Remember, the GMAT's fundamental function is to predict the likelihood of you failing out of an MBA program. If you can't write cohesively, then you will likely not make it.

Each of the essays are graded qualitatively and scored in a range from 0 to 6.

The essays come first on test day before the Quantitative and Verbal sections.
1. Analysis of an Argument
2. Analysis of an Issue
The first and the most important step in writing an essay is understanding the topic and answering the question. This may sound obvious, but many students write essays that don't fundamentally address the topic. Some students write the well-thought out essays only to find at the end of it that they forgot to directly answer the question.

The key to the essay section is to be disciplined in your writing.

1. Analysis of an Argument

The second section of Analytical Writing Assessment also consists of analytical writing task and has to be completed in the next 30 minutes. In this task, the candidate has to analyse how logically persuasive the argument presented in the question is?

Examples

“The owners of the Cumquat Cafe evidently made a good business decision in moving to a new location, as can be seen from the fact that the Cafe will soon celebrate its second anniversary there. Moreover, it appears that businesses are not likely to succeed at the old location: since the Cafe’s move, three different businesses - a tanning salon, an antique emporium, and a pet-grooming shop - have occupied its former spot.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Example 2

“Over the past decade, the price per pound of citrus fruit has increased substantially each year. Eleven years ago, it was common for a store to charge 15 cents a pound for lemons, but today stores commonly charge over a dollar a pound. In only one of these last eleven years was the weather unfavorable for growing citrus crops. So citrus growers must have been unnecessarily raising the prices of citrus fruit. Therefore, strict pricing regulations are needed in order to prevent the citrus growers from continuing to inflate the prices.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

2. Analysis of an Issue

In this section, the candidate is expected to analyze an issue, take a position and support it using relevant reasons and examples from his or her own experience, observation, or reading.

The second section of Analytical Writing Assessment also consists of analytical writing task and has to be completed in the next 30 minutes. In this task, the candidate has to analyse how logically persuasive the argument presented in the question is?

Examples

“Education is a prime factor which provides many opportunities to individuals in our society. Just as wealth once was the key to success, education has now become the element that most ensures success in life.”

In your opinion, how accurate is the view expressed above? Explain using reasons and examples based on your own experience, observations, or reading.

“Scientists keep changing standards/specifications for what is beneficial or injurious to the environment. Since these specifications keep changing, companies should resist restructuring their products and processes in response to each new recommendation until those recommendations become government regulations.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.



Organize your ideas – the planning stage

Getting organized is a vital part of the writing process, which requires critical thinking and lots of practice. Next, you need to think about the information that you already know about the subject and decide what is relevant to the topic. Then, you must decide which information you will use and where it will be most effective. Once you know and understand the scope of the assignment, you need to plan well and quickly. The better the planning, the better the essay.

Strategies

It is good to create an outline or diagram. The purpose of an outline or diagram is to put your ideas about the topic on paper, in a moderately organized format. The structure you create here may change before the essay is complete, so don’t spend too much time over this.

How to structure your essay

There are two arguments in favor of structuring your essay.

• First, it is easier, if you know what you are going to write, how you are going to write it and where are you going to write it.
  
  
• Secondly, structuring the essay will make it easy to read.
  

A good essay should have at least four indented paragraphs and its structure may look like this:

1st paragraph - Introduction - State the issue and your stand.

2nd paragraph - Support your argument.

3rd paragraph - Further support by giving examples from your experience.

4th paragraph - Further support with examples if possible.

5th paragraph – Conclusion.


Points to Remember

• All passages should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
  
  
• The length of the passage decides the length of all three parts. It however goes without saying that the introduction and conclusions are concise, and the body is longer.
  
  
• The best way to start writing a piece is to put down all the points you can possibly think about the topic. Then rearrange the points in a sequence, so that you can drive home your point of view.
  
  
• Start elaborating on the points as you write the piece. Always make sure to explain only one point in one paragraph. It shows clarity of thought. It also tells the reader that a new paragraph will deal with a new idea and will explore a new angle.
  
  
• Be clear and concise. Avoiding unnecessary words means that there is less work for the writer and the reader. This underlies the common objection to REDUNDANT words and structures, which should be omitted without any change in meaning. But do not reduce words where economy conflicts with clarity. Saving words should not lead to an unsuspected loss of meaning.
  
  
• The conclusion should smoothly draw the various threads together and tie up all the loose ends. The essay should not end abruptly.
  
  
• The more the points the better. Refrain from elaborating on one point for too long. It makes things tedious, a way of losing the attention of the per user.
  
  
• Make the piece as interesting as possible. Add anecdotes if the topic permits it. Add relevant data, quotes, sayings, humorous tales, if it is permitted by the subject, so that the reader’s attention does not falter. You can also use these to drive home your conclusion.

Editing, Proofing, Revising and Formating

It is important that every writer learns to evaluate and edit his/her own work. Everyone wants to put their ‘best foot forward’ and have his/her efforts understood and appreciated. It is amazing how even little things can detract the reader’s appreciation of the work. So this area is most important. Editing is much more than simply correcting spelling, grammar, and punctuation. It is very important to have an infallible logic so that the examiner is drawn to the point that is made. It is imperative that the examiner is not bored by the use of dull and repetitive sentence structures, generalities, and imprecise word choices. Make sure that you have enough time to edit your essay. This step is important as you can transform an ordinary essay into a level 6 essay.

Grammar and spelling

When you are satisfied with the structure and content of your essay, it is time to check for grammar, spellings and typos. There will be obvious things you can fix right away: a misspelled or misused word, a seemingly endless sentence, or improper punctuation. Keep rewriting until your words say what you want them to say.

Formatting on the computer

If you are writing your essay on the computer, be sure that you format the essay before you confirm it. These are a few more points that you need to remember:

• Have you spaced your paragraph correctly?

• In there proper spacing between words?

GMAT Test Prep

1. Build from the bottom up, not from the top down.

We see it all the time: droves of students go running off to find super-hard problems. “If I can crack these,” they think, “I can do any GMAT problem.”

Don’t follow the herd.

How you do on the GMAT is determined more by your FLOOR than by your ceiling – you should look to get problems near the bottom of your range absolutely, positively right every time, without hesitation or anxiety.

You should spend more time truly mastering easier problems first. By “mastering,” I mean ensuring that you can do the problem, not only correctly, but also quickly, easily and confidently under tough exam conditions – that is, when it’s your animal brain working under stress.

By “mastering,” I mean knowing everything there is to know about the problem – the underlying principles, the setup, the solution path, and the embedded tricks and traps. You should be able to teach the problem to a friend or write a similar problem from scratch.

Only advance upwards after you’ve built the foundational knowledge and skills. It’s like building a brick wall – don’t worry about the next layer until the current layer is firmly in place. Of course, for top scores, you’ll need to be able to solve some really tough problems. But to get there, you have to make sure all the lower levels are solid first.


2. Start with your weaknesses.

Let’s say you’re a genius on Sentence Correction, but you’re terrible at Reading Comprehension. Which should you work on? The Reading Comprehension. Why? Because the test adapts. Like some devilish video game, it gets harder as you get questions right – and it gets easier as you get questions wrong. If RC is weighing your performance down, you’ll never get the really hard SC problems to prove how good you are at them anyway.

So stare down your weaknesses first. You hate probability questions? Then focus on those problems from the get-go. Consider them the enemy blueprints that have fallen into your hands – and study them until they become your favorite questions (or at least until your hatred for them disappears).

Then, when you walk into the GMAT, you’ll be comfortable throughout. You’ll be in better position to show the test your strengths.

3. Change it up.

Probably every student recognizes that it’s a good idea to take practice tests.

Practice tests are indeed indispensable, but many students both overDO them and underANALYZE them. If you take a practice test once per day or once every other day, you’ll burn yourself out pretty quickly (and eventually run out of tests to boot). Also, you won’t be spending enough time examining your tracks. After each test, you need serious time to study the ‘game tape’ – to learn what the test has to teach you. You should start by reviewing every single problem that you missed until you understand exactly what went wrong. Also, you need to make sure that you got problems correct for the right reasons or in the right way, and that you weren’t guessing or using ‘brute force’ throughout. Throughout this review, you have to put pen to paper – actually redoing the problems to clean them up and streamline them. You should also carefully evaluate your time management on different problems and question types.

All of this in-depth review will generally take a couple days of solid work. Now that you know what the practice exam has really taught you, you have to go practice differently. You have to go learn the missing material, streamline your processes and make all the other changes that the practice test indicated you should make. I generally recommend that you take a practice exam no more frequently than once every two weeks during the bulk of your preparation. And during the run-up to the exam, no more frequently than once a week.

So, what to do when you’re not taking or reviewing practice tests? You should construct drills of problems from the Official Guides that cover different topics.

GMAC (Graduate Management Admissions Council) has set the table for you – they’ve mixed up the problems by topic and arranged them in order of difficulty. Do 5 - 10 math problems in a row, with 2 minutes per question. Don’t skip any, and keep the timer running. When you’re done, spend twice as much time afterwards deconstructing each problem and your approach to it, until you know each problem cold.

You can do this sort of drill every day – and your GMAT recognition and performance skills will grow stronger each time if you do it right.

Periodically, also do a “speed recognition” drill on the math front. That is, scan a large number of problems (say, 30-50), giving yourself just 30 seconds per problem to identify the topic, to select a promising path forward and to take a step or two down that path. This sort of speed work will help you to overcome that all-too-prevalent obstacle: how to get started on a problem.


4. Don’t try to be a total Know-It-All.

It’s two weeks before the exam. You’ve done a ton of studying, and you’re having trouble keeping it all straight in your head.

Stop trying to pack more stuff in. At this point, right before test day, it’s much less important to cram new material into your brain than it is to organize and strengthen what’s already in there so you can use it under fire.

Don’t worry about trying to cover every last esoteric topic and question type. Go for depth over breadth. Force yourself to revisit problems that you’ve already seen and that you “think” you know. You’ll be surprised to discover that there will be still more to unpack and add to your toolkit from each problem.

It’s extremely useful to master just a few representative problems from each GMAT topic. You should know EVERYTHING about these problems. For each one, have a crystal-clear approach – and also a Plan B, C, and even D – that you can execute accurately, quickly, easily and confidently within 120 or 90 seconds (depending upon the problem type).

Now work those problems again and again until you know them and your approaches backwards and forwards. You want to walk into the exam with the ability to tackle typical problem types without a second thought.

Note – you should definitely take a couple of practice exams in the last couple of weeks too, but be sure not to overdo it! And don’t take a practice exam the day before the real GMAT. Would you run a practice marathon the day before running a real marathon?


5. Nothing will replace good old-fashioned hard work.

Statistics from GMAC show that the average student’s score goes up with the amount of time spent studying, both in terms of hours and weeks (100+ hours and 8+ weeks for the best results, if you’re curious). So don't go looking for a magic bullet - you have to make sure that you cover all the bases and put in the necessary elbow grease.

With these principles in mind, you’ll be well-equipped to study for the GMAT in order to achieve your best result on test day.

Test Day Strategies

1. Focus on the here and now
You’ve just finished a tough math problem involving two triangles and lots of labeled angles. You spent three minutes struggling to decide between D and E. Now, moments after clicking “Confirm,” you think you made the wrong choice.

Forget all that. Your mind should be on the problem in front of you, on the computer screen.

As you dive into this new problem, a whisper in your head tells you that the question is far too easy, so you probably did get the last problem wrong. Plus, the whisper adds, you’re tanking generally.

Turn that whisper off.

Do not spend any time wondering about the last question or about “how you’re doing.” It is impossible to know exactly how you’re doing – and if you did know, it wouldn’t help you anyway because you can't go back.

Forget about the “last play,” and ignore the imaginary scoreboard. Keep your eye on the ball, because that’s the only way to improve your score.


2. Know when to guess and move on.

You've sunk three minutes into a question, and your answer isn't even one of the five choices. Now you’re rushing to recheck all your math, and you can’t find any errors. In frustration, you just want to pick the answer choice that’s closest to the answer you calculated.

Take a moment to relax.

Remember that even very high scorers on the GMAT get a large number of questions wrong. Be ready to cut your losses and move on, even if it seems that you’ve wasted a lot of time.

Try to eliminate some answers. Maybe you aren’t sure of the right answer, but you can increase your odds substantially.

Note that as many as 25% of the questions are experimental and do not count toward your score. Don't obsess over any particular problem. Instead, spend your time tackling questions that you do have a chance of solving.


3. Use scratch paper.

Your brain's short-term working memory can only store a few items at a time – under ideal conditions. On test day, anxiety will reduce the capacity of your memory even further.

Try to write out steps. Put the different scenarios on paper. Make it as easy on your brain as possible.

Be organized. Fifty seconds from now, you'll be looking back over all these scribbles, trying to figure out what you just wrote down.


4. Be aware of the time, but don’t obsess over it.

You find yourself nervously glancing at the clock, even though you just checked it a minute ago. Time seems to be slipping away like sand in an hourglass.

By checking the clock so much, you’re distracting yourself from solving the problem itself.

The best way to manage your time is to keep to the problem-solving rhythm that you practiced. You should have internalized these benchmarks: 2 minutes for each math question and approximately 1:50 for each verbal question (don’t compute the verbal time precisely – simply figure 2 minutes per question, then take off about 10%).

Then, after every few problems, check the timer and figure out if you’re ahead, behind or right on schedule.

If you’re behind, adjust your pace accordingly. Just save a few seconds here and there. Don’t try to save two minutes all at once by giving away a question.


5. Stay positive.

There are 12 minutes left, and you have 9 math questions to go. You start to panic and make random guesses, even if you can solve the problem. Meanwhile, you think you've ruined your chances for a good score.

Here is a trick to cure your panic. Force the corners of your mouth upwards as you inhale deeply. Then relax and actually let yourself smile.

Your emotional state affects your thinking... for good or bad. When you panic, your brain can’t solve complex GMAT problems as easily as when you’re calm.


A quick way to improve your mindset is to put a brief smile on your face.
Remember, you’re not expected to get every question right on this test. People often underestimate how well they are actually doing.

Take your smile back to the GMAT questions. Ignore stray negative thoughts, and stay upbeat throughout the exam.


In summary, the GMAT is like a grueling tennis match. How you perform isn’t just about your skills – it’s also about your mental approach. If you focus your attention in the right way and keep these tips in mind, you’ll be giving yourself the best chance of performing up to your abilities.