GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022)

Page 1 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 1 preview image

Page 2 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 2 preview image

DownloadedfromStudyXY.com[eeeWw+StudyXYoias.Za\Rr'BE\StudyAnythingThisContentHasbeenPostedOnStudyXY.comassupplementarylearningmaterial.StudyXYdoesnotendroseanyuniversity,collegeorpublisher.Allmaterialspostedareundertheliabilityofthecontributors.|8)www.studyxy.com

Page 3 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 3 preview image

Page 4 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 4 preview image

Thisbookcomeswithaccesstomorecontentonline.Quizyourself,studywithflashcards,andscorehighontestday!Registeryourbookorebookatwww.dummies.com/go/getaccess.Selectyourproduct,andthenfollowthepromptstovalidateyourpurchase.You'llreceiveanemailwithyourPINandinstructions.

Page 5 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 5 preview image

Page 6 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 6 preview image

forLd©dummiesAWileyBrand

Page 7 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 7 preview image

Page 8 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 8 preview image

SwithOnlinePracticebyLisaZimmerHatch,MA,andScottA.Hatch,JDdummies

Page 9 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 9 preview image

GMAT®Prep2023ForDummies®withOnlinePracticePublishedby:JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030-5774,ww.wiley.comCopyright©2022byJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,Hoboken,NewJerseyPublishedsimultaneouslyinCanadaNopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystemortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,scanningorotherwise,exceptaspermittedunderSections107or108ofthe1976UnitedStatesCopyrightAct,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthePublisher.RequeststothePublisherforpermissionshouldbeaddressedtothePermissionsDepartment,JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030,(201)748-6011,fax(201)748-6008,oronlineathttp://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.Trademarks:Wiley,ForDummies,theDummiesManlogo,Dummies.com,MakingEverythingEasier,andrelatedtradedressaretrademarksorregisteredtrademarksofJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,andmaynotbeusedwithoutwrittenpermission.GMATisaregisteredtrademarkoftheGraduateAdmissionManagementCouncil™.TheGraduateAdmissionManagementCouncil™doesnotendorseandisnotaffiliatedwiththeownerorcontentofGMATForDummies.Allothertrademarksarethepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.JohnWiley&Sons,Inc,isnotassociatedwithanyproductorvendormentionedinthisbook.LIMITOFLIABILITY/DISCLAIMEROFWARRANTY:WHILETHEPUBLISHERANDAUTHORSHAVEUSEDTHEIRBESTEFFORTSINPREPARINGTHISWORK,THEYMAKENOREPRESENTATIONSORWARRANTIESWITHRESPECTTOTHEACCURACYORCOMPLETENESSOFTHECONTENTSOFTHISWORKANDSPECIFICALLYDISCLAIMALLWARRANTIES,INCLUDINGWITHOUTLIMITATIONANYIMPLIEDWARRANTIESOFMERCHANTABILITYORFITNESSFORAPARTICULARPURPOSE.NOWARRANTYMAYBECREATEDOREXTENDEDBYSALESREPRESENTATIVES,WRITTENSALESMATERIALSORPROMOTIONALSTATEMENTSFORTHISWORK.THEFACTTHATANORGANIZATION,WEBSITE,ORPRODUCTISREFERREDTOINTHISWORKASACITATIONAAND/ORPOTENTIALSOURCEOFFURTHERINFORMATIONDOESNOTMEANTHATTHEPUBLISHERANDAUTHORSENDORSE.THEINFORMATIONORSERVICESTHEORGANIZATION,WEBSITE,ORPRODUCTMAYPROVIDEORRECOMMENDATIONSITMAYMAKE.THISWORKISSOLDWITHTHEUNDERSTANDINGTHATTHEPUBLISHERISNOTENGAGEDINRENDERINGPROFESSIONALSERVICES.THEADVICEANDSTRATEGIESCONTAINEDHEREINMAYNOTBESUITABLEFORYOURSITUATION.YOUSHOULDCONSULTWITHASPECIALISTWHEREAPPROPRIATE.FURTHER,READERSSHOULDBEAWARETHATWEBSITESLISTEDINTHISWORKMAYHAVECHANGEDORDISAPPEAREDBETWEENWHENTHISWORKWASWRITTENANDWHENIT1SREAD.NEITHERTHEPUBLISHERNORAUTHORSSHALLBELIABLEFORANYLOSSOFPROFITORANYOTHERCOMMERCIALDAMAGES,INCLUDINGBUTNOTLIMITEDTOSPECIAL,INCIDENTAL,CONSEQUENTIAL,OROTHERDAMAGES.Forgeneralinformationonourotherproductsandservices,pleasecontactourCustomerCareDepartmentwithintheU.S.at877-762-2974,outsidetheU.S.at317-572-3993,orfax317-572-4002.Fortechnicalsupport,pleasevisithttps://hub.wileycom/community/support/dummies.Wileypublishesinavarietyofprintandelectronicformatsandbyprint-on-demand.Somematerialincludedwithstandardprintversionsofthisbookmaynotbeincludedine-booksorinprint-on-demand.IfthisbookreferstomediasuchasaCDorDVDthatisnotincludedintheversionyoupurchased,youmaydownloadthismaterialathttp://booksupport.wiley.com.For‘moreinformationaboutWileyproducts,visitww.wiley.com.LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2022936110ISBN978-1-119-88663-1(pbk);ISBN978-1-119-88664-8(ebk);ISBN978-1-119-88665-5(ebk)1StudyX

Page 10 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 10 preview image

Introduction...Part1:GettingStartedwiththeGMAT......................................5cHapTer1:TheLowdownontheGMATLo...7cHapTER2MaximizingYourScoreontheGMAT.............o.oo...17cHapTEr3MasteringBusinessSchoolAdmissions...27Part2:CreatingaGMATStudyPlan........................................33cHapTEr4:PlanningYourApproach..............oll35cHAPTER5:GMATPracticeASSeSSMent..............uiieieiiiiiiiiiiinieaeeeieeenn.....39cHapTEr6:ScoringandInterpretingthePracticeAssessment................................53Part3:VanquishingtheVerbalSection.....................................69cHapTer7:ApplyingWhatYouLearned(WeHope)inGrammarClass:SentenceCorrection......71carter8:NotasEnticingasaBestseller:ReadingComprehension..........................93cuapTer9:ThinkingThisthroughLogically:CriticalReasoning..............................115cHAPTER10:BringingItTogether:AMiniPracticeVerbalSection.............................14Part4:AcingtheAnalyticalWritingSection...............................157cHAPTER11:AnalyzeThis:WhattoExpectfromtheAnalyticalWritingAssessment..............159cHAPTER12:PresentPerfectParagraphs:HowtoWriteaGMATEssay.........................163cHAPTER13:DeconstructingSampleGMATEssays...............coooveviieinieeieeen.....171cHAPTER14:SamplingaSeriesofWritingPrompts........................o.oo.79Part5:ConqueringtheQuantitativeSection.............................187cHaPTER15:GettingBacktoBasics:NumbersandOperations...............................189chapter16:ConsideringAlltheVariables:Algebra.........................................21cHaPTER17:GettingtheAngleonGeometry:PlanesandSolids...............................235cHAPTER18:KeepinginStep:CoordinateGeometry...........................co0oioe.......255cHAPTER19:ManipulatingNumbers:StatisticsandSets.....................................269cHAPTER20:It'sAllinthePresentation:GMATQuantitativeQuestionTypes....................285chapter21:AllTogetherNow:AMiniPracticeQuantitativeSection...........................303Part6:ExcellingontheIntegratedReasoningSection.................321cHAPTER22:BestofBothWorlds:TheIntegratedReasoningSection..........................323cHaPTER23:DecipheringDatainChartsandGraphs........................................339Part7:PracticeMakesPerfect..............................................35CHAPTER24:GMATPracticeTest.........ooviiiiiiiiieatiiiiiiiiiieieee...353cHAPTER25:PracticeTestAnswersandExplanations........................................379Part8:ThePartofTens.....................................................407cHAPTER26:TenQuestionTypesYou'veGotaGoodShotAt.................................409cHapTER27:TenWritingErrorstoAvoid...413cHAPTER28:TenWaystoIncreaseYourChancesofGettingintoBusinessSchool...............417Index...................An~+Studyxy

Page 11 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 11 preview image

Page 12 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 12 preview image

INTRODUCTION...............AboutThisBOOKo.oo1FoolishAssumptions....................il2IconsUsedinThisBOOK+.....vivuetiie2BeyondtheBook:TheOnlinePractice.........................................3WheretoGofromHere..........o.oo3PART1:GETTINGSTARTEDWITHTHEGMAT............................5curren:TheLowdownontheGMAT.........................................7KnowingWhytheGMATIsImportant....................ocooiiiienenao..7TimingItPerfectly:WhentoTaketheGMAT(andWhattoBring)..................8WhentoregisterforandtaketheGMAT....................................8ThingstotaketotheGMAT(andthingstoleaveathome)....................10FormingFirstImpressions:TheFormatoftheGMAT...........................10GettingfamiliarwithwhattheGMATtests.................................10Understandingthecomputerizedformat..................................11HoningyourcomputerskillsfortheGMAT.................................12KnowingWhereYouStand:ScoringConsiderations............................13HowtheGMATtestersfigureyourscore...................................13HowtheGMATtestersreportyourscore.......................ooevn.....13WhenshouldyoucancelyourGMATscore?...............................14RepeatingtheProcess:RetakingtheGMAT....................................15cuarrer2zMaximizingYourScoreontheGMAT.............................17DiscoveringStrategiesforSuccessfulGuessing................................17Forcingyourselftoguesssoyoucanmoveon..............................18Understandingtheimportanceofcompletingeachsection...................18WinningtheRaceagainsttheClock..........................................19Givingeachquestionequaltreatment.....................................19Makingtimeforthelasttenquestions.....................................19Keepingtrackofyourpace........................oiiiell20GettingRidofWrongAnswers...20Keepingtrackofeliminatedanswerchoicesforthecomputertestformat......20RecognizingWronganswers................ooieieiiiiiiiiaiieeeaa..21PlayingItSmart:AFewThingsYouShouldn'tDoWhenTakingtheTest...........25Don'tloseyourfocus................ooiiiiiiieen.25Don'treadquestionsatlightningspeed...................................25Don'twasteallyourtimeonthehardestquestions..........................25Don'tcheat........viiiiieee025TacklingaCaseofNerveswithRelaxationTechniques..........................26carers:MasteringBusinessSchoolAdmissions..........................27ChoosingaBusinessSchool........................oi27LiningUpYourDucks—ApplyingtoBusinessSchools..........................29Whentoapply...........co.30Whattosubmit.............oee.30CraftingEffectiveBusinessSchoolEssays.....................................31BR-tucyx

Page 13 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 13 preview image

PART2:CREATINGAGMATSTUDYPLAN................................33euarers:PlanningYourApproach...................035UsingthePreassessment:TheHow-To............................coeee.....35EvaluatingSection1:Quantitative.........................................35EvaluatingSection2:Verbal..............................................36EvaluationSection3:Integratedreasoning.................................36DevisingaPlanofAttack........................iil...36cumerers:GMATPracticeAssessment.........................................39Section1:QUaNItAtiVe«oo.teeta...40Section2:Verbal.......o.oo4Section3:IntegratedReasoning......................ooiiiiiiiiaia...48carters:ScoringandInterpretingthePracticeAssessment.............53Section1:QuantitativeReasoning...............................o.oi.......53Section2:Verbal...........oa6Section3:IntegratedReasoning......................coiiiiiiiiiii.......64AnswersataGlance............oiiiiiiiiiiea.BTPART3:VANQUISHINGTHEVERBALSECTION..........................69carer:ApplyingWhatYouLearned(WeHope)inGrammarClass:SentenceCorrection...............................................7BuildingaSolidFoundation:GrammarBasics..........................0.....72Gettingwordy:Thepartsofspeech.......................................72Pullingtogether:Thepartsofasentence..................................75PointingOutMistakes:CommonSentenceCorrectionErrors....................76Errorsingrammarandsentenceconstruction..............................77Errorsinexpression..................iiii...83ImplementinganApproachtoSentenceCorrectionQuestions...................85Spottingtheerror..................iii...86Eliminatinganswersthatdon'tcorrecterrors...............................86Eliminatingchoicesthatcreatenewerrors.................................87Rereadingthesentence...................................oo...87Reviewingtheprocessandguessingonsentencecorrections.................87SentenceCorrectionPracticeProblemswithAnswerExplanations...............87Practiceproblems..........................i.........88Answerexplanations.................oie...90waeers:NOtasEnticingasaBestseller:ReadingComprehension......93JudgingbyAppearances:WhatReadingComprehensionQuestionsLookLike......93ApproachingReadingPassages....................ooiiiiiiiiiiee..94Masteringthemessage:Themainpoint...................................94Absorbingtheambiance:Author'stone....................................95Findingtheframework:Thepassage’soutline..............................95StickingtotheSubject:TypesofPassages.....................................96Experimentingwithnaturalsciencepassages..............................96Gatheringinsocialcircles:Socialsciencepassages..........................96Gettingdowntobusinesspassages......................ooiel97ApproachingReadingComprehensionQuestions..............................97Identifyingthequestiontype.......................oll97Eliminatinganswerchoices....................................LL.100XGMATPrep2023ForDummieswithOnlinePractice

Page 14 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 14 preview image

Dealingwithexceptionquestions............................oo...102ReadingComprehensionPracticeQuestionswithAnswerExplanations...........104Readingcomprehensionpracticequestions...............................104Answerexplanations.................oii...109euaerers:ThinkingThisthroughLogically:CriticalReasoning...........115Focusingon“Critical”Concepts:AnOverview.................................115Understandingthestructureofthequestions.............................116Figuringouthowtoanswerthequestions................................116MakingaCase:EssentialsofInformalLogic..................................117Fightingfair:Theelementsofanargument...............................117GettingfromPointAtoPointB:Typesofreasoning........................117ThinkingInsidetheBox:QuestionTypes.......................ocoeeee......119StalkingYourPrey:HowtoApproachEachQuestionType......................120Strengtheningorweakeningarguments..................................120Delvingintodrawingconclusions...124Spottingthosesneakyassumptions...........................ooee.....125Usingyournoggintomakeinferences....................................127Ponderingtheparadox.......................oooie...128Makingyourwaythroughmethod-of-reasoningquestions..................129CriticalReasoningPracticeQuestionsandAnswerExplanations.................131Criticalreasoningpracticequestions.........................ooeen.....131Answerexplanations.................iia...136cuarter10:BringingItTogether:AMiniPracticeVerbalSection..........141WorkingThroughVerbalReasoningPracticeQuestions........................142UnderstandingWhat'sRightwithAnswerExplanations........................150PART4:ACINGTHEANALYTICALWRITINGSECTION.................157cuarrer11:AnalyzeThis:WhattoExpectfromtheAnalyticalWritingAssessment159FittingintheAWAwiththeRestoftheGMAT.................................159Calling411:YourAWAWritingTools..........................ooeeena.....160AnalyzinganArgument.................oii...160RackingUpthePoints:HowtheGMATScoresYourEssay......................161Gettingtoknowyourreaders....................oie...160Interpretingthescores...................ooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiee......162Requestingyouressayberescored..................o.oo.162cuarter12PresentPerfectParagraphs:HowtoWriteaGMATEssay....163AvoidingGrammar,Punctuation,andMechanicsErrors.......................163PUNCEUAtION@ITOrSLootein.164Sentence-structureproblems.....................ool...165Faultyformingofpossessives...........................................165Spellingissues..................iii...165Moredosanddon'ts...166Practicemakesperfect!........................ol...166BuildingaBetterEssay:TenStepstoaHigherScore...........................167cuarter13:DeconstructingSampleGMATEssays.............................171DefiningGMATAWASCOTeS..ovineieeeieee171TakingaLookatSampleEssays.................coooiiiiiiiiiiiniiee..2172BR-tucyx

Page 15 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 15 preview image

Sampleessay#1...........ieee172Discussionofsampleessay#1....................ciiiiiLl174Sampleessay#2..........oieee.174Discussionofsampleessay#2..........................coiiieaLl175Sampleessay#3...........ieee.176Discussionofsampleessay#3.....................ooiiieL177Sampleessay#4.........eeeTTDiscussionofsampleessay#4.............................oo...178cuarrer14:SaMplingaSeriesofWritingPrompts............................179SamplePrompt#1...ee179Sampleresponsetoessay#1.................co...180Dissectionofessay#1...180SamplePrompt#2.........e180Sampleresponsetoessay#2..........o.oo...181Dissectionofessay#2..................c.iii...182SamplePrompt#3...ee.182Sampleresponsetoessay#3.................oii...183Dissectionofessay#3.................co.iii...183SamplePrompt#4...ii...184Sampleresponsetoessay#4..............iii...184Dissectionofessay#4................iii...184PART5:CONQUERINGTHEQUANTITATIVESECTION.................187cuarter15:GettingBacktoBasics:NumbersandOperations.............189JustYourType:KindsofNumbers..........................................189It'sNotBrainSurgery:BasicOperations.....................................191Adding,subtracting,multiplying,anddividing.............................191Checkingouttherealestate:Propertiesofrealnumbers....................193UsingLittleNumbersforBigValues:BasesandExponents.....................196Addingandsubtractingwithexponents..................................19Multiplyinganddividingwithexponents..................................196FiguringoutthepowersofOand1.......................................197Dealingwithfractionalexponents.......................................197Workingwithnegativeexponents........................................198CheckingOuttheAncestry:Roots.................ocooiiiiiiiienaen.......198OrderofOperations:PleaseExcuseMyDearAuntSally........................200SplittingUp:Fractions,Decimals,andPercentages............................200Definingnumerators,denominators,andotherstuffyouneedtoknowaboutfractions...00201Addingandsubtractingfractions........................................203Multiplyinganddividingfractions........................................203Calculatingpercentchange............................................205Takingitfurther:Repeatedpercentchange...............................206MakingComparisons:RatiosandProportions................................207PlayingtheNumbers:ScientificNotation....................................208cuarrer16:COnsideringAlltheVariables:Algebra............................211DefiningtheElements:AlgebraicTerms.....................................21"1Bravingtheunknowns:Variablesandconstants...........................212Comingtogether:Termsandexpressions.................................212Knowingthenomials:Kindsofexpressions...............................213xiiGMATPrep2023ForDummieswithOnlinePractice\

Page 16 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 16 preview image

MaintaininganOrderlyFashion:AlgebraicOperations.........................213Addingtoandtakingaway.....................oll213Multiplyinganddividingexpressions.....................................215ExtractingInformation:FactoringPolynomials................................218Somethingincommon:Findingcommonfactors...........................218Twobytwo:Factoringquadraticpolynomials..............................218MindingYourPsandQs:Functions......................o.oo...220Standingin:Understandingfunctionterminology..........................220Takingittothelimit:Domainandrangeoffunctions.......................222PuttingOnYourThinkingCap:ProblemSolving...............................224Isolatingthevariable:Linearequations...................................224Bringinginthesubstitution:Simultaneousequations.......................226Notplayingfair:Inequalities............................................227Solvingquadraticequations...................ooo...229Readingbetweenthelines:Wordproblems...............................231Burningthemidnightoil:Workproblems.................................232Goingthedistance:Distanceproblems...................................233cuarter17:GettingtheAngleonGeometry:PlanesandSolids.............235FishingfortheAnswers:LinesandAngles....................................235TrustingTriangles................iii...238Tripletreat:Typesoftriangles...........................................238Theareaofatriangle..........................................0239ThePythagoreantheoremandothercoolstuffaboutrighttriangles..........240Astrikingresemblance:Similartriangles..................................243PlayingFourSquare:Quadrilaterals.........................................244Drawingparallels:Parallelograms........................................244Raisingtheroof:Trapezoids............................................245ShowingTheirGoodSides:OtherPolygons..................................247EatingUpPiecesofPi:Circles................................oio.......247Ringmeasurements:Radius,diameter,andcircumference..................248BlueprintsforNoah:Arcs................................l.......248Line‘emup:Chords,inscribedandcircumscribedfigures,andtangents......249GettingaLittleDepthPerception:Three-DimensionalGeometry................251Chippingofftheoldblock:Rectangularsolids.............................251Sippingfromsodacansandothercylinders...............................252cuarter13:KeepinginStep:CoordinateGeometry...........................255TakingFlight:TheCoordinatePlane.........................................255Linedancing:Understandingcoordinategeometry.........................255What'sthepoint?Findingthecoordinates.................................256Onallfours:Identifyingquadrants.......................................257Slip-SlidingAway:SlopeandLinearEquations................................257Takingapeak:Definingtheslopeofaline................................257Usingtheslope-interceptformtographlines.............................259Meetinginthemiddle..................................................261Goingthedistance...................iii...262Consideringothershapesonthecoordinateplane.........................263FullyFunctioning:GraphingFunctions.......................................264Passingtheverticallinetest.............................................264Feelingathomewithdomainandrange..................................266TableofContents

Page 17 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 17 preview image

cuarter19:ManipulatingNumbers:StatisticsandSets.....................269JoiningaClique:Groups...........oiiieee...269SettingUpSets...o.ooeee270Setterminology.......o.oo2T0Gettingavisual:Venndiagrams.....................ool270MakingArrangements:PermutationsandCombinations.......................273Positioningwithpermutations.....................................000273Comingtogether:Combinations.........................................275MeetingintheMiddle:Mean,Median,andMode.............................277StrayingfromHome:RangeandStandardDeviation..........................279Scoutingouttherange......................279Watchingoutforwanderers:Standarddeviation...........................279PredictingtheFuture:Probability...........................................281Findingtheprobabilityofoneevent......................................282Findingtheprobabilityofmanyevents...................................282cuaerer20:It'sAllinthePresentation:GMATQuantitativeQuestionTypes............oooiiiiiiiiiiiiieee...285Enough’sEnough:DataSufficiencyQuestions................................285Youdon'tneedthesolutiontofindtheanswer............................286Stepstoapproachingdatasufficiencyproblems...........................286TakingaLookatDataSufficiencyPracticeProblems...........................289Practicequestions....................iii...289Answerexplanations...291Houston,WeHaveaProblem:ProblemSolvingQuestions.....................295TryingOutSomeProblem-SolvingPracticeProblems..........................297Practicequestions..................iii.297Answerexplanations.................oii.299cuarrer21:AllTogetherNow:AMiniPracticeQuantitativeSection.....303TacklingGMATMathPracticeQuestions.....................................303CheckingOuttheAnswerExplanations......................................311PART6:EXCELLINGONTHEINTEGRATEDREASONINGSECTION...321cuarter22BestofBothWorlds:TheIntegratedReasoningSection.....323UnderstandingWhattheIRSectionIsAllAbout...............................323Skillstested..o.ooeee00324QUESEIONfOrMAtuiteee...324FiguringOutHowtheIRSectionIsScored...................................326MakingtheMostofYourTime................................0ooo......326ApproachingEachQuestionType.....................oiiiiiiininao......327Tableanalysis.............co...327Two-partanalysis.............oiieee...330Graphicsinterpretation...........................0iciiel......333Multi-sourcereasoning................coiii...334cuarter22:DecipheringDatainChartsandGraphs..........................339ApproachingIntegratedReasoningDatainFiveEasySteps.....................339TranslatingInformationinTables...........................................340MakingComparisonswithBarGraphs.......................................341XIVGMATPrep2023ForDummieswithOnlinePractice

Page 18 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 18 preview image

Simplebargraphs................34Graphswithmanybars...................................l...0342Segmentedbargraphs...................lL.342EvaluatingLineGraphs.....................iii...344Basiclinegraphs......................iiii.l.......344Scatterplots...ee...344Complexscatterplots.................cocoa...346ClarifyingCircleGraphs(AlsoKnownasPieCharts)............................347ExtractingDatafromVennDiagrams........................................347PART7:PRACTICEMAKESPERFECT......................................351cunerer2:GMATPracticeTest...................................................35AnswerSheet...............iiiiiiiiiiiiiiieee.355Section1:AnalyticalWritingAssessment.....................................358Section2:IntegratedReasoning.........................oiiiiiiai......359Section3:QUaNtItatiVe.oo.ttteieieeaee2360Section4:Verbal..............ie.367cuarter25:PracticeTestAnswersandExplanations.........................379Section1:AnalyticalWritingAssessment.....................................379Section2:IntegratedReasoning...381Section3:QuantitativeReasoning..................................0381Section4:Verbal..............ie...396AnswersataGlance..............iiiiiiiiiiiieee.405PART8:THEPARTOFTENS..............................................407cuarter26:T@NQuestionTypesYou'veGotaGoodShotAt................409Main-ldeaReadingQuestions...409SpecificInformationReadingQuestions.....................................409SentenceCorrections........vvvviiiieeiiieeiineiieeiieiiaaeeeaen......410ExceptionQuestionsforReadingPassages...................................410StrengtheningorWeakeningCriticalArguments..............................410DataSufficiencyMathQuestions...........................................410MathProblemSolvingwithFigures.........................................410MathProblemsInvolvingBasicOperations...................................410SubstitutionMathProblems.............o.ooATGraphandTableAnalysisQuestions..........................oo.41cuarrer27:TenWritingErrorstoAvoid...413ComposingComplicatedSentences....................oovvveinenon.......413PresentingYourTextinPassiveVoice.......................................413WastingTimewithUnfamiliarWords........................................414UsingUnclear(OrZero)Transitions.....................ooiiiiino.......414GoingOverboardwithGenericTerms.......................................414WritinginInformalEnglish........................Ll..414GivingaLaundryListofExamples..............................L044SuccumbingtoSentenceFragments.....................ciiiiiaia.......414AnnouncingaPositionwithoutExplanation..................................415PuttingAsideProofreading......................LLL405TableofContents

Page 19 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 19 preview image

cuarter28:TENWaystoIncreaseYourChancesofGettingintoBusinessSchool...............................................47AccumulateaLittleWorkExperience.....................ooooiiLL417AcetheInterview.............ooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.418ApplyEarly......oe.48ApplyWhileYou'reUpwardlyMobile........................................418CapitalizeonWhatMakesYouUnique............................oo.........418DemonstrateInterest.............oviiiiiiiieiiiiiiieiiiiaiiaeaaee.418FOCUSONFit...oteeA119GettheRightRecommendations...............................oo......419StudyfortheGMAT.........L419WriteaMemorableAdmissionsEssay.....................ocooiiaa.L419INDEX42XV1lGMATPrep2023ForDummieswithOnlinePractice

Page 20 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 20 preview image

Introductionou’remerrilyskimmingthroughtheadmissionsrequirementsforyourfavoriteMBAprogramswhenallofasudden,you'redealtashockingblow.Yourabsolutetopchoiceprogram—you'lldieifyoudon’tgetin—requiresthatyoutaketheGraduateManagementAdmissionTest(GMAT).Andyouthoughtyourdaysofspeed-readingpassagesandsolvingforXxwereover.ManyMBAprogramsincludetheGMATasanadmissionsrequirement,soyou’llbeingoodcom-pany.Buthowdoyouprepareforsuchacomprehensivetest?Whatareyougoingtodo?Getoutyourspiralnotebooksfromundergraduatecoursesandsiftthroughyears’worthofdoodles?Manyyearsmayhavegonebysinceyouencounteredageometryproblem,andwebetyourgram-marskillshavegottenalittlerustysinceEnglish101.Clearly,youneedareadable,conciselystructuredresource.Well,you’vecometotherightplace.GMATPrep2023ForDummies,withOnlinePractice,putsatyourfingertipseverythingyouneedtoknowtoconquertheGMAT.WegiveyoucompletemathandgrammarreviewsandprovideinsightsintohowtoavoidthepitfallsthattheGMATcreatorswantyoutofallinto.Wealsotrytomakethisbookasenjoyableasabookthatdevotesitselftosettingupequationsandcritiquingargumentscanbe.Wesuspectthatyouaren’teagerlyanticipatingsittingthroughtheGMAT,andyou’reprobablynotlookingforwardtostudyingforit,either.Therefore,we’veattemptedtomakethestudypro-cessaspainlessaspossiblebygivingyouclearlywrittenadviceinacasualtone.Werealizeyouhaveabunchofthingsyou’dratherbedoing,sowe’vebrokendowntheinformationintoeasilydigestedbites.IfyouhaveanextrahourbeforeworkorPilatesclass,youcandevourachapterorevenaparticularsectionwithinachapter.(Iftheseeatingmetaphorsaremakingyouhungry,feelfreetotakeasnackbreak.)Inthisbook,youcanfind3PlentyofsamplequestionssoyoucanseejusthowtheGMATtestsaparticularconcept.Oursamplequestionsreadliketheactualtestquestions,soyoucangetcomfortablewiththewaytheGMATphrasesquestionsandexpressesanswerchoices.3Ahandypre-assessmenttohelpyoudefineyourareasofstrengthandweakness.3DetailedexplanationsofthestrategiesformasteringallfoursectionsoftheGMAT.Enjoyagrammarreviewfortheverbalreasoningsection,anextensivemathlessontohelpyouwiththequantitativereasoningsection,asummaryofgoodwritingpracticesfortheanalyticalwritingassessment,andahow-toonreadingallkindsofchartsandgraphsfortheintegratedreasoningsection.3Sevenpracticetests.OneappearsinthisbookinChapter24,andyou'llfindthatone,plussixothersonline.Ultimately,thebestwaytoprepareforanystandardizedtestistopracticeonlotsoftestquestions,andthisbook,alongwiththeaccompanyingonlinetestbank,hasaround500ofthem.Introductiolvv-—StudyX

Page 21 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 21 preview image

3Time-testedtechniquesforimprovingyourscore.Weshowyouhowtoquicklyeliminateincorrectanswerchoicesandmakeeducatedguesses.3Tipsonhowtomanageyourtimewisely.3Suggestionsforcreatingarelaxationroutinetoemployifyoustarttopanicduringthetest.We'veincludedallkindsofinformationtohelpyoudoyourbestontheGMAT.Youshouldfindthisbookeasilyaccessible,butafewthingsmayrequireexplanation.Afewofthechaptersmaycontainsidebars(aparagraphortwoinashadedbox)withquirkybitsofinforma-tionthatwethinkmayinterestyoubutaren’tessentialtoyourperformanceontheGMAT.Ifyou’retryingtosavetime,youcanskipthesidebars.Althoughweguessit’spossiblethatyoupickedupthisbookjustbecauseyouhaveaninsatiableloveformath,grammar,andargumentanalysis,we’rebettingit’smorelikelythatyou'rereadingthisbookparticularlybecauseyou'vebeentoldyouneedtotaketheGMAT.(Wehavebeenpraisedforourstartlingabilitytorecognizetheobvious!)Andbecausewe'reprettyastute,we’vefiguredthatthismeansthatyouintendtoapplytoMBAprogramsandprobablyareconsideringworkingtowardaMasterofBusinessAdministration.Generally,MBAprogramsareprettyselective,sowe’rethinkingthatyou'reprettymotivatedtogetintotheprogramofyourchoice.Someofyouarefreshoutofcollegeandmayhavemorerecentexperiencewithmathandgrammar.Othersofyouprobablyhaven’tsteppedintoaclass-roominoveradecadebutpossessworkskillsandlifeexperiencethatwillhelpyoumaximizeyourGMATscoredespitethetimethat’spassedsincecollege.Ifmathandgrammararefreshinyourmindandyoujustneedtoknowwhattoexpectwhenyouarriveatthetestsite,thisbookhasthatinformationforyou.Ifyou'vebeenoutofschoolforawhile,thisbookprovidesyouwithallthebasicsaswellasadvancedconceptstogiveyouevery-thingyouneedtoknowtoexcelontheGMAT.Oneexcitingfeatureofthisbookistheiconsthathighlightespeciallysignificantportionsofthetext.Theselittlepicturesinthemarginsalertyoutoareaswhereyoushouldpayparticularlycloseattention.Thisiconhighlightsreallyimportantinformationthatyoushouldrememberevenafteryouclosethebook.REMEMBERThroughoutthebook,wegiveyouinsightsintohowyoucanenhanceyourperformanceontheGMAT.Thetipsgiveyoujuicytimesaversandpointoutespeciallyrelevantconceptstokeepinmindforthetest.ie2GMATPrep2023ForDummieswithOnlinePracticewv1StudyXY

Page 22 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 22 preview image

Yourworldwon'tfallapartifyouignoreourwarnings,butyourscoremaysuffer.Heedthesecautionarypointerstoavoidmakingcarelessmistakesthatcancostyoupoints.WARNINGWheneveryouseethisiconinthetext,youknowyou’regoingtogettopracticetheparticularareaofinstructioncoveredinthatsectionwithaquestionlikeoneyoumayseeonthetest.OurexamplesincludedetailedexplanationsofhowtomostefficientlyanswerGMATquestionsandexampleavoidcommonpitfalls....BeyondtheBook:TheOnlinePracticeInadditiontowhatyou’rereadingrightnow,thisbookcomeswithafreeaccess-anywhereCheatSheetthatincludestipstohelpyoupreparefortheGMAT.TogetthisCheatSheet,simplygotowww.dummies.comandtypeGMATForDummiesCheatSheetintheSearchbox.Youalsogetaccesstosevenfull-lengthonlinepracticetestsandapproximately500flashcards.Togainaccesstotheonlinepractice,allyouhavetodoisregister.Justfollowthesesimplesteps:1.RegisteryourbookorebookatDummies.comtogetyourPIN.Gotowww.dummies.com/go/getaccess.2.selectyourproductfromthedrop-downlistonthatpage.3.Followthepromptstovalidateyourproductandthencheckyouremailforaconfirma-tionmessagethatincludesyourPINandinstructionsforloggingin.Ifyoudon’treceivethisemailwithintwohours,pleasecheckyourspamfolderbeforecontactingusthroughourTechnicalSupportwebsiteathttp://support.wiley.comorbyphoneat877-762-2974.Nowyou'rereadytogo!Youcancomebacktothepracticematerialasoftenasyouwant—simplylogonwiththeusernameandpasswordyoucreatedduringyourinitiallogin.Noneedtoentertheaccesscodeasecondtime.®YourregistrationisgoodforoneyearfromthedayyouactivateyourPIN.REMEMBERWeknowthateveryonewhousesthisbookhasdifferentstrengthsandweaknesses,sothisbookisdesignedforyoutoreadinthewaythatbestsuitsyou.Ifyou'reamathwhizandneedtobrushuponlyonyourverbalskills,youcanskimPart5andfocusonParts1,3,and4.Ifyou’vebeenwritingproposalseverydayforthelasttenyears,youcanprobablyscanParts3and4andfocusyourattentiononthemathreviewinPart5.Becausetheintegratedreasoningsectiondifferssosignificantlyfromotherstandardizedtestquestions,you'llbenefitfromreadingPart6regardlessofyourmathprowessorverbalgenius.Thepre-assessmentinPart2canhelpyoufigureoutwheretofocusifyouaren’tsure.Wesuggestthatyoutakeamorethoroughapproach,however.Familiarizeyourselfwiththegen-eraltest-takingprocessinthefirsttwochapters,takethepre-assessment,andthengothroughthecompleteGMATreview,startingwiththeverbalsectionandworkingyourwaythroughtheanalyticalwriting,math,andintegratedreasoningsections.YoucanskimthroughinformationIntroduction]vAFStudyXY

Page 23 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 23 preview image

thatyouknowmoreaboutbyjustreadingtheTipsandWarningsandworkingthroughtheexam-plesinthosesections.Whenyou’vefinishedreadingthroughtheentirebook(Parts1-6),youcantakepracticetestsfromPart7andtheonlinecontent.Asyoucompleteyourpracticetests,com-pareyourscores.Thisway,youcanseejusthowmuchyouimprovewithpractice.Thisbookprovidesyouwithabunchofpracticetestsandlotsofonlinepractice,butyoucannevergetenough.So,ifaftertakingallthepracticetestsprovidedatdummies.com,youstillcravemore,visittheofficialGMATwebsiteatwww.mba.comanddownloadthefreeGMATPrepsoftwareTPfromthere.Thissoftwaremimicsthecomputerizedformatofthetestandgivesyoupracticeonthetypesofmouse-clickingandeye-strainingskillsyouneedtosucceedontheexam.Thatway,youcanexperienceusingthesamesoftwareyou'llseeontheexam.Plus,youcanpurchasethecurrenteditionsofGMATOfficialGuide,GMATOfficialGuideQuantitativeReview,GMATOfficialGuideVerbalReview,andGMATGuideAdvancedQuestions,allpublishedbyJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,forthousandsofadditionalofficialpracticequestions.‘We'reconfidentthatifyoudevoteafewhoursaweekforatleastsixweekstopracticingtheskillsandtipsweprovideforyouinthisbook,you'lldothebestyoucanwhenyousitinfrontofthatcomputeronGMATtestday.WewishyouourbestforyourultimateGMATscore!4GMATPrep2023ForDummieswithOnlinePractice

Page 24 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 24 preview image

GettingStartedwiththeGMAT

Page 25 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 25 preview image

Familiarizeyourselfwiththeformatofthetest.Findouthowtomaximizeyourscorebyorganizingyourtimeandstreamliningyourapproach.Discoverwhatyoucanandshoulddotogainadmissiontothebusinessschoolofyourchoice.+studyxy

Page 26 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 26 preview image

INTHISCHAPTER»FindingouthowMBAprogramsuseyourGMATscore»DecidingwhentotaketheGMATandknowingwhattobring»FiguringouttheformatoftheGMAT»UnderstandinghowtheGMATisscored»ConsideringwhetheryoushouldretaketheGMATongratulationsondecidingtotakeasignificantstepinyourbusinesscareer!Morethan100countriesoffertheGraduateManagementAdmissionTest(GMAT),andaccordingtotheGraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil,morethan6,000programsat2,300universitiesandorganizationsin114countriesusetheGMATtomakeadmissionsdecisions.Thatsaid,you'reprobablynottakingtheGMATbecauseyouwantto.Infact,youmaynotbelookingforwardtotheexperienceatall!ButtheGMATneednotbeadauntingordeal.Alittleknowledgecanhelpcalmyournerves,sothischaptershowsyouhowadmissionsprogramsuseyourtestscoreandaddressestheconcernsyoumayhaveabouttheGMAT’sformatandtestingandscoringprocedures.Ifyou'rereadingthisbook,you'reprobablythinkingaboutapplyingtoanMBAprogram.Andifyou’reapplyingtoanMBAprogram,youprobablyneedtotaketheGMAT.ManyMBAprogramsrequirethatyousubmitaGMATscorefortheadmissionsprocess.(Somemayrequireothertestsornotestatall,somakesureyoucheckeachprogram’sadmissionschecklist.)YourGMATscoregivestheadmissionscommitteeanothertooltousetoassessyourskillsandcompareyouwithotherapplicants.Butifyou'reseekingacareerinbusiness,you'reprobablyresignedtobeingcontinuallyassessedandcompared.TheGMATdoesn’tattempttoevaluateanyparticularsubjectareathatyoumayhavestudied,butinsteaditgivesadmissionsofficersareliableideaofhowyou'lllikelyperformintheclassesthatmakeupagraduatebusinesscurriculum.AlthoughtheGMATdoesn’trateyourexperienceormotivation,itdoesprovideanestimateofyouracademicpreparationforgraduatebusinessstudies.CHAPTER1TheLowdownontheGMA’+Studyxy

Page 27 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 27 preview image

NoteveryMBAapplicanthasthesameundergraduateexperience,butmostapplicantstakeastandardizedtest.Otheradmissionsfactors,likecollegegrades,workexperience,theadmissionsessayoressays,andapersonalinterview,areimportant,buttheGMATisatoolthatadmissionsrememser COMMtteescanusetodirectlycompareyouwithotherapplicants.ThemostselectiveschoolsprimarilyadmitcandidateswithsolidGMATscores,andgoodscoreswillcertainlystrengthenyourapplicationtoanyprogram,butyoushouldn’tfeeldiscouragedifyourpracticetestsdon’tputyouinthegothpercentile.VeryfewstudentsachieveanythingnearaperfectscoreontheGMAT.Evenifyoudon’tscoreashighasyouwantto,youundoubtedlyhaveotherstrengthsinyouradmissionsprofile,suchasworkexperience,leadershipability,goodcollegegrades,motivation,andpeopleskills.Youmaywanttocontacttheadmissionsofficesoftheschoolsyou'reinterestedintoseehowmuchtheyemphasizetheGMAT.Thatsaid,theGMATisaveryimportantfactorinadmissions,andbecauseyou'rerequiredtotakethetestanyway,youshoulddoeverythingyoucantoperformyourbest!TimingItPerfectly:WhentoTaketheGMAT(andWhattoBring)WhichMBAprogramstoapplytoisn’ttheonlydecisionyouhavetomake.Afteryou'vefiguredoutwhereyouwanttogo,youhavetomakeplansfortheGMAT.Youneedtodeterminethebesttimetotakethetestandwhattobringwithyouwhenyoudo.Thefollowingsectionscanhelpyouout.WhentoregisterforandtaketheGMATWhenisthebesttimetotaketheGMAT?Withthecomputerizedandonlinetestingprocedures,thisquestionhasbecomemoreinterestingthanitwasinthedaysofpaper-basedtests.Whentheexamwasapaper-and-pencilformatwithatestbookletandananswersheetfullofbubbles,youhadalimitedchoiceofpossibletestdates—aboutoneeverytwomonths.Nowyou'vegotmuchmoreflexibilitywhenchoosingthedateandtimefortakingthetest.Youcanpickjustaboutanytimetositdownandclickanswerchoiceswithyourmouse.Registeringwhenyou'rereadyThefirststepintheGMATregistrationprocessisschedulinganappointment,butdon’tputoffmakingthisappointmentthewayyou’dputoffcallingthedentist(eventhoughyou’dprobablyliketoavoidboth!).Dependingonthetimeofyear,appointmenttimescangoquickly.Usually,youhavetowaitatleastamonthforanopentime.Todeterminewhat’savailable,youcangototheofficialGMATwebsiteatwww.mba.com.Fromthere,youcanchooseatestinglocationandfindoutwhatdatesandtimesareavailableatthatlocation.Whenyoufindadateandtimeyoulike,youcanregisteronline,overthephone.YoumayalsochoosetotaketheGMATOnlineExaminthecomfortofyourhome.Thisformatisavailableevenmoreoftenthantheofflineoptionprovidedattestingcenters.Ahumanproctoroverseestheonlineexamthroughoutthetestingexperience,andyouareresponsibleformeetingthestringentspecificationforsettingupthetestingenvironment.Formany,theadvantageoftestinginafamiliarenvironmentoutweighsthechallengesofcreatingasecuretestingenviron-ment.Otherspreferthestabilityoftakingthecomputerizedexamatatestingcenter.ThebesttimetotaketheGMATisafteryou'vehadaboutfourtosixweeksofqualitystudytimeandduringaperiodwhenyoudon’thavealotofotherthingsgoingontodistractyou.Ofcourse,ifyourMBAprogramapplicationisdueinfourweeks,putthisbookdownandscheduleanappoint-mentrightaway!Besuretocomerightback,though.Youneedtostartstudying—andnow!Ifyou8PART1GettingStartedwiththeGMAT

Page 28 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 28 preview image

havemoreflexibility,youshouldstillplantotaketheGMATassoonasyouthinkyou'vestudiedsufficiently.AllthefollowingcircumstanceswarranttakingtheGMATassoonasyoucan:3YouwanttostartyourMBAprogramrightaway.Ifyou'reconfidentthatyou'dliketobeginbusinessschoolwithinthenextfewsemesters,youshouldconsidertakingtheGMATinthenearfuture.Afteryouknowyourscore,you'llbebetterabletonarrowdownthebusinessschoolsyouwanttoapplyto.Thenyoucanfocusontheotherpartsofyourapplication,andyouwon'thavetoworryabouthavinganapplicationdueinfourweeksandnoGMATscore.3You'reconsideringattendingbusinessschool.Maybeyoudon'tknowwhetheryouwanttopursueanMBA.Evenso,now'sagoodtimetotaketheGMAT.YourGMATscoremayhelpyoudecidethatyouhavetheskillstosucceedacademicallyingraduatebusinessschool.Youmaythinkthatyoudon'thavewhatittakes,butyourperformanceontheGMATmaysurpriseyou!IfyoudodecidetoapplytoanMBAprogram,you'llalreadyhaveonekeycomponentoftheapplicationunderwraps.3You'reabouttoearn(orhavejustearned)yourbachelor’sdegree.Ifyou'renearinggraduationorhavejustgraduatedfromcollegeandyouthinkyoumaywanttogetanMBA,it'sbettertotaketheGMATnowthanwaituntillater.You'reusedtostudying.You'reusedtotests.Andmathandgrammarconceptsareprobablyasfreshonyourmindasthey'lleverbe.Youdon'thavetostartanMBAprogramrightaway.YourGMATscoresarevalidforuptofiveyears,soyoucantakethetestnowandtakeadvantageofyourcurrentskillsasastudenttogetyouintoagreatgraduateprogramlater.GivingyourselfaboutfourtosixweekstostudyprovidesyouwithenoughtimetomastertheGMATconceptsbutnotsomuchtimethatyouforgetwhatyou’vestudiedbythetimeyousitforthetest.REMEMBERSchedulingforsuccessWheneveryouregister,youwanttoconsideryourownschedulewhenpickingatestdateandtime.Takeadvantageoftheflexibilityallowedbythecomputerformat.TheGMATisnolongerjustan8a.m.Saturdaymorningoption.YoucantakethetestanydayoftheweekexceptSunday,and,dependingonthetestcenter,youmaybeabletostartatavarietyoftimes.Manycentersoffer8a.m.testingtimes,butsomehaveotheroptions,even6:30atnight—greatforthosenightowlswhoconsider8a.m.agoodbedtimeratherthanagoodexamtime.Youhavealittlebitofcontrolovermakingthetestfitintoyourlifeinsteadofhavingtomakeyourlifefitthetest!Ifyou'renotamorningperson,don’tscheduleanearlytestifyoucanhelpit.Ifyou'rebetterabletohandleanonstop,two-and-a-half-hourbarrageofquestions—nottomentiontheanalyticalessay—afterthesunhitsitshighestpointinthesky,scheduleyourtestfortheafternoonorevening.Bychoosingthetimethatworksforyou,you'llbeabletocomfortablyapproachthetestinsteadofworryingwhetheryousetyouralarm.We'reguessingthatyouhaveenoughtoworryaboutinlifeasitiswithouttheaddedstressofaninconvenienttesttime.ChecktheGMATwebsitefortheavailabletestingtimesatthetestcentersnearyou.Thenstudyforthetestatthedifferentavailabletimesofthedaytoseewhenyou'reatyourbest.Scheduleyourtestsessionforthattime.Evenifyouhavetotakeafewhoursawayfromworkorclasses,TIPbeingabletotakethetestatatimethat’sbestforyouisworthit.Andyoumayenduppickingatestcenterbasedonitsavailabletimesratherthanitsproximitytoyou.Whileyou'rethinkingaboutthetimethat’sbestforthetest,youshouldthinkaboutdaysoftheweek,aswell.Forsomepeople,Saturdaymaybeagooddayforatest.Forothers,theweekendisthewrongtimeforthattypeofconcentratedacademicactivity.Ifyou'reusedtotakingtheweekendsoff,schedulingthetestduringtheweekmaymakemoresenseforyou.CHAPTER1TheLowdownontheGMAT]\

Page 29 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 29 preview image

ChoosingthetimeanddaytotaketheGMATisprimarilyuptoyou.Behonestwithyourselfaboutyourhabits,preferences,andschedule,andpickatimeanddaywhenyou'llexcel.REMEMBERThingstotaketotheGMAT(andthingstoleaveathome)ThemostimportantthingyoucanbringtotheGMATisapositiveattitudeandawillingnesstosucceed.However,ifyouforgetyouradmissionvoucheroryourphotoID,youwon'tgetthechancetoapplythosequalities!InadditiontothevoucherandID,youmaybringalistoffiveschoolswhereyou'dliketohaveyourscoressent.Youcansendyourscorestouptofiveschoolsforfreeifyouselectthoseschoolswhenenteringyourpretestinformationatthetestsite.(Youcanskipthisstepatthetestingcenterifyouprovideyourschoolinformationwhenyoureg-isteronline.)Youcan,ofcourse,listfewerthanfiveschools,butifyoudecidetosendyourscorestoadditionalschoolslater,you'llhavetopay.Ifyoucancomeupwithfiveschoolsyou'dliketoapplytoandyoufeelconfidentaboutyourabilities,youmayaswellsendyourscoresforfree.Becauseyoucantaketwooptionaleight-minutebreaks,werecommendyoubringalongaquicksnack,likeaproteinbar,andabottleofwater.Youcan’ttakefoodordrinkwithyoutothetestingarea,butyou'regivenalittlelockerthatyoucanaccessduringabreak.ieThat’sreallyallyouneedtobring.Youcan’tuseacalculator,andthetestcenterprovidesabookletoffivenoteboardsandaspecialblackpen(butnoeraser),whichyou'rerequiredtouseinsteadofpencilandpaper.Youcanaskforanotherbookletifyoufillyoursup.FormingFirstImpressions:.TheGMATisastandardizedtest,andbynowinyouracademiccareer,you'reprobablyfamiliarwithwhatthatmeans:lotsofquestionstoanswerinashortperiodoftime,nowaytocramforthemormemorizeanswers,andverylittlechanceofscoring100percent.TheskillstestedontheGMATarethosethatleadingbusinessschoolshavedecidedareimportantforMBAstudents:analyticalwriting,integratedreasoning,quantitativereasoning,andverbalreasoning.TheGMATallowsyoutochoosetheorderinwhichyoutakethefoursections:3Theoriginalorderofanalyticalwritingassessment,integratedreasoning,quantitative,andverbal3Quantitative,verbal,integratedreasoning,andanalyticalwritingassessment3Verbal,quantitative,integratedreasoning,andanalyticalwritingassessmentPicktheorderthat’smostcomfortableforyou.Ifyou'reunsure,wesuggestleavingthelessimpor-tantwritingandintegratedreasoningsectionsfortheendwhenyou’remorefatigued.Whetheryoutakethequantitativeorverbalfirstdependsonwhichsectioniseasierforyou.Youmaywanttoleadwithyourstrengthorgetthesectionyoulikeleastoutofthewayinthebeginning.GettingfamiliarwithwhattheGMATtestsStandardizedtestsaresupposedtotestyouracademicpotential,notyourknowledgeofspecificsubjects.TheGMATfocusesontheareasthatadmissionscommitteeshavefoundtoberelevanttoMBAprograms.ThesectionsthatfollowareanintroductiontothefourGMATsections.Wedevotethemajorityoftherestofthisbooktotellingyouexactlyhowtoapproacheachone.10PART1GettingStartedwiththeGMATr#+StudyXy

Page 30 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 30 preview image

DemonstratingyourwritingabilityYoutypeanoriginalanalyticalwritingsampleduringtheGMAT.Thetestgivesyou30minutestocomposeandtypeanessaythatanalyzesanargument.You'reexpectedtowritethisessayinstandardwrittenEnglish.Althoughyouwon’tknowexactlythenatureoftheargumentyou'llgetontestday,examiningpreviousessaypromptsgivesyouadequatepreparationforthetypeoftaskyou'reboundtosee.ThereadersofyourGMATessayscoreyouressaybasedontheoverallqualityofyourideasandyourabilitytoorganize,develop,express,andsupportthoseideas.REMEMBERIntegratingyourreasoningskillsThenextGMATsectionisa30-minuteintegratedreasoningtestthatexaminesyourabilitytoreadandevaluatecharts,graphs,andotherformsofpresenteddata.You'llexamineavarietyofdatarepresentationandanswer12questionsbasedontheinformation.TheGMATcategorizesthefourbasicquestiontypesinthissectionasgraphicsinterpretation,two-partanalysis,tableanalysis,andmulti-sourcereasoning.Graphicsinterpretationandtableanalysisquestionsareself-explanatory:Youinterpretgraphsandanalyzetables—simpleenough,right?Thetwo-partanalysisquestionspresentaproblemandrelateddata,providedintwocolumns.Youchooseapieceofinformationfromeachcolumntosolvetheproblem.Multi-sourcereasoningquestionsprovideyouwithabunchofinformationfromwhichyouhavetodecidewhatpieceorpiecesofdataactuallygiveyouwhatyouneedtoknowtosolvetheproblem.QuizzingyourquantitativeskillsThequantitativesectionisprettysimilartomoststandardizedmathsectionsexceptthatitpresentsyouwithadifferentquestionformatandtestsyourknowledgeofstatisticsandprobability.Inthe31-questionsection,theGMATtestsyourknowledgeofarithmetic,algebra,geometry,anddatainterpretationwithstandardproblemsolvingquestions.You'llhavetosolveproblemsandchoosethecorrectanswerfromfivepossiblechoices.Additionally,GMATdatasufficiencyquestionspresentyouwithtwostatementsandaskyoutodecidewhethertheproblemcanbesolvedbyusingtheinformationprovidedbythefirststatementonly,thesecondstatementonly,bothstatements,orneitherstatement.WeshowyouexactlyhowtotackletheseunusualmathquestionsinChapter16.ValidatingyourverbalskillsTheGMATverbalsectionconsistsof36questionsofthreegeneraltypes:theubiquitousreadingcomprehensionproblems,sentencecorrectionquestions,andcriticalreasoningquestions.Readingcomprehensionrequiresyoutoanswerquestionsaboutwrittenpassagesonanumberofdifferentsubjects.Sentencecorrectionquestionstestyourabilitytospotandcorrectwritingerrors.Criticalreasoningquestionsrequireyoutoanalyzelogicalargumentsandunderstandhowtostrengthenorweakenthosearguments.UnderstandingthecomputerizedformatThequantitativereasoningandverbalreasoningsectionsonthecomputerizedGMATcanbetakenonlyincomputer-adaptivetest(CAT)format.TheCATadaptstoyourabilitylevelbypresentingyouwithquestionsofvariousdifficulty,dependingonhowyouansweredpreviousquestions.Ifyou'reansweringmanyquestionscorrectly,thecomputergivesyouharderquestionsasitseekstofindthelimitsofyourimpressiveintellect.Ifyou'rehavingatoughdayandmanyCHAPTER1TheLowdownontheGMATwv-—StudyXY

Page 31 of 31

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 31 preview image

ofyouranswersarewrong,thecomputerpresentsyouwitheasierquestionsasitseekstofindthecorrectlevelofdifficultyforyou.WiththeCATformat,yourscoreisn’tbasedsolelyonhowmanyquestionsyougetrightandwrong,butratherontheaveragedifficultyofthequestionsyouanswercorrectly.Theoretically,youcouldmissseveralquestionsandstillgetaveryhighscore,solongasthequestionsyoumissedwereamongthemostdifficultavailableinthebankofquestions.Attheendofeachsection,thecomputerscoresyoubasedonyourlevelofability.AnsweringinanorderlyfashionWiththeCATformat,thequestionorderintheverbalandquantitativesectionsisdifferentfromtheorderonpaperexamsthathaveatestbookletandanswersheet.OntheCAT,thefirstquestionofthetestispreselectedforyou,andtheorderofsubsequentquestionsdependsonhowwellyou'veansweredthisquestion.Soifyoudowellonthefirstquestion,Question2willreflectyoursuccessbybeingmorechallenging.Ifyoudopoorlyontheinitialquestions,you'llgetaneasierQuestion2.Theprogramcontinuestotakeallpreviousquestionsintoaccountasitfeedsyouquestionafterquestion.PerhapsthemostimportantdifferenceoftheCATformatisthatbecauseeachquestionisbasedonyouranswerstopreviousquestions,youcan’tgobacktoanyquestion.Youmustanswereachquestionasitcomes.Afteryouconfirmyouranswer,it’sfinal.Ifyourealizethreequestionslaterwarningthatyoumadeamistake,trynottoworryaboutit.Afterall,yourscoreisbasedonnotonlyyournumberofrightandwronganswersbutalsothedifficultyofthequestions.We'reguessingyou’vefiguredoutthattheanalyticalwritingassessmentisn’tinCATformatbecauseit’snotamultiple-choicetest.Butyoumaynotknowthattheintegratedreasoningsectionalsoisn’taCATsection.Youreceivequestionsinapreordainedorder,andthatorderdoesn’tchangebasedonyouranswerselections.LiketheCATsections,though,afteryou'vesubmittedananswertoaquestion,youcan’tchangeyouranswer.ObservingtimelimitsTheverbalsectionhasa65-minutetimelimit,andthequantitativesectionhasa62-minutetimelimit.Becausethequantitativesectionhas31questions,youhaveabout2minutestomastereachquestion.Theverbalsectionhas36questions,soyouhavealittlelesstimetoponderthose,aboutaminuteandthree-quartersperquestion.Theintegratedreasoningsectionisshorter;youhave30minutestoanswer12questions,orabout2andahalfminutesperquestion.Youdon’thaveunlimitedtimeintheanalyticalwritingsection,either;youhavetowritetheessaywithin30minutes.Thesetimelimitshaveimportantimplicationsforyourteststrategyonthequantitativeandverbalsections.Aswediscusslaterinthischapter,yourGMATscoreforthesetwosectionsdependsonthenumberofquestionsyou'reabletoanswer.IfyourunoutoftimeandleaveTIPquestionsunansweredattheendofasection,you'llessentiallyreduceyourscorebythenumberofquestionsyoudon’tanswer.InChapter2,wepresentyouwithanefficient,workablestrategyformanagingyourtimeandmaximizingyourscore.HoningyourcomputerskillsfortheGMATTechnicallychallenged,takeheart!YouneedtohaveonlyminimalcomputerskillstotakethecomputerizedGMAT.Infact,theskillsyouneedforthetestarefarfewerinnumberthanthoseyou'llneedwhilepursuinganMBA!Becauseyouhavetotypeyouressays,youneedbasicword-processingskills.Forthemultiple-choicesections,youneedtoknowhowtoselectanswersbyusingeitherthemouseorthekeyboard.12PART1GettingStartedwiththeGMAT

Preview Mode

This document has 467 pages. Sign in to access the full document!

Report

Learning Tools

Writing Tools

Browse Resources

GMAT Prep 2023 For Dummies With Online Practice (2022) - Page 1

Study Now!

Document Details

Related Documents

GMAT Official Guide Data Insights Review 2023-2024, Focus Edition (2023)

GMAT Foundations of Verbal: Practice Problems in Book (2020)

GMAT Prep Plus 2021: 6 Practice Tests + Proven Strategies (2020)

GMAT Prep 2024/2025 For Dummies with Online Practice (2023)

All the GMAT, 7th Edition (2019)

GMAT Foundations of Math (2020)

GMAT For Dummies 2020: Book + 7 Practice Tests (2020)

GMAT For Dummies 2021 (2021)

Princeton Review GMAT Premium Prep, 2023: 6 Computer-Adaptive Practice Tests + Review and Techniques (2022)

Princeton Review GMAT Focus Premium Prep : 3 Full-Length CAT Practice Exams + 2 Diagnostic Tests + Complete Content Review (2024)

Company

Explore

Study Tools