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22 Mar 2016, 13:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Breaking Down the 2017 U.S. News Ranking of Top Business Schools: Let the Games Begin! |
 Just three and a half months into 2016, U.S. News & World Report has already released its 2017 ranking of Top Business Schools, and there’s quite a bit to talk about. The U.S. News ranking is arguably the most influential among U.S. business schools, and for good reason. Various stakeholders can (and do) haggle over percentages of weight given to this statistic or that, but we at Veritas Prep think it does a good job at quantifying broad characteristics that a typical business school applicant would care about, namely the school’s overall reputation (40% weight), the ability to place you in a good-paying job (35%), and the capabilities of your fellow students (25%). We won’t get into the nitty-gritty here, but you’re more than welcome to read about the rankings methodology on the U.S. News website. Now, let’s get into the juicy stuff! Chicago Booth moves to #2 For the first time in the poll’s history, Chicago Booth has entered the #2 spot, tied with Stanford Graduate School of Business. There’s a lot to talk about here. How can Booth, which admits one in every four applicants (24.4%), possibly rank equally to Stanford, which admits only 6.1%? The key is that Stanford graduates are pickier. Let me explain: Stanford exceeds Booth (and pretty much every other program) in every category except job placement. In fact, on the surface, Stanford’s job placement numbers look absolutely abysmal: It ranks #52 in percentage of graduates employed at graduation (71.7%) and #74 in percentage of grads employed three months after graduation (86.2%). But wait, shouldn’t recruiters be pounding down the door to hire Stanford grads? Indeed, they do. However, Stanford MBAs are known for being exceptionally picky, and they’re willing to wait to get the jobs they want. This year, 92% of Stanford MBAs had received a job offer within 3 months of graduation, but several of them chose not to accept those offers. MBAs from most other schools have a lower tolerance for risk, so once they near the three-month mark after graduation, few offers go unanswered. In addition, far fewer Stanford graduates go into traditional MBA recruiting industries such as management, consulting and finance. These industries will hire whole classes of MBA recruits many months before graduation, so the schools that send more graduates into those industries tend to have stronger recruitment statistics than the programs that send more graduates into non-traditional positions. Remember, most companies will only hire someone when a position becomes available (just-in-time hiring), rather than hiring a whole slew of graduates at once. Many Stanford grads tend to gravitate toward venture capital, private equity, or Bay Area startups, which are far smaller than the enormous banks and management consulting firms that many traditional MBAs are hired to. This depresses their statistics, but is also a key reason to attend Stanford GSB. Based on all other criteria, Stanford would be the clear #1 ranked program. This isn’t to say that Chicago Booth isn’t deserving. The school has invested significantly in its career services resources and recruiting apparatus to ensure its graduates have stellar jobs upon graduation. Fully 95% of Booth graduates had accepted a job offer within three months of graduation, leading every school in the top-10 except the (much smaller) class at Tuck, which edged them out at 95.1%. NYU Stern drops to #20, but ignore it The biggest loser — by far — in this year’s ranking is NYU Stern, dropping from #11 last year to #20 this year. The school is furious, and we can’t blame them. Dean Peter Henry released a press release explaining the drop in ranking, which was due to inadvertently leaving one answer blank on a survey of 300 questions. The question asked for the number of admits that had submitted a GMAT score, which was not dramatically different from the previous year. However, rather than simply reaching out and asking NYU Stern – perennially ranked in the top 10-12 programs – what the number should be, the ranking “estimated” the number, resulting in a drop of nine places. Clearly, their estimate was nowhere near realistic, and we at Veritas Prep believe this action by U.S. News to be in egregiously bad taste and downright punitive. We encourage all of our clients and readers to ignore this year’s ranking of NYU Stern, to not incorporate it into their school-selection decisions, and assume that had the data been reported correctly, the school would have remained in approximately the same rank. Check back again for our next article on this subject, in which we’ll take a deeper look at these rankings and what they might mean for you. Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter. Travis Morgan is the Director of Admissions Consulting for Veritas Prep and earned his MBA with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He served in the Kellogg Student Admissions Office, Alumni Admissions Organization and Diversity & Inclusion Council, among several other posts. Travis joined Veritas Prep as an admissions consultant and GMAT instructor, and he was named Worldwide Instructor of the Year in 2011. The post Breaking Down the 2017 U.S. News Ranking of Top Business Schools: Let the Games Begin! appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
22 Mar 2016, 17:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: New GMAT Undergraduate Pricing Initiative |
 In an effort to attract more undergraduate test takers, GMAC is rolling out a tiered pricing structure for students who register for the GMAT before June 1, 2016 and complete the test by December 31, 2016. While targeted undergrad outreach efforts and undergrad discounts on the GMAT aren’t new to GMAC, the scale and diversity in pricing is. (GMAC piloted discounting test registration fees a few years ago on select U.S. undergrad campuses as part of a partnership program with select test prep companies and universities.) But like any good sale, is the deal too good to be true? Let’s take a closer look at the offers (and fine print): Both options feature discounted registration fees, but limited score report options and more expensive additional score reports (ASRs). ASRs are currently $28 per report. Option 1: $150 registration fee, No initial score reports (ASR: $50 each) Option 2: $200 registration fee, 2 initial score reports (ASR: $50 each) Option 3: $250 registration fee, 5 initial score reports (ASR: $28 each)** **Current GMAT pricing Keep in mind that the average GMAT test taker submits 2.7 score reports with their business school applications so GMAC is hoping to recover some of those initial cost savings down the road, but yes, that $50 ASR fee can create a little sticker shock. So is there an upside to any of these options? For students who aren’t thinking about grad school anytime soon and, more importantly, have time to prepare for the GMAT (think second-semester Seniors or students with a lighter course load), Option 1 does have a few merits. Because these students don’t have grad school or specific programs on their radar, the lack of score reports isn’t an issue. And since scores are good for five years, it gives students a chance to bank a good score early while not shelling out the full $250. This is the population that GMAC is targeting with this promotion because the reality is most students will end up sending score reports to multiple programs. However, if the cost of an ASR increases down the road, at least this locks in a lower test fee and possibly a competitive ASR fee. Students who are applying to a graduate program now (think Juniors or Seniors looking at a pre-work-experience programs) should definitely consider Option 2. Since these students already know which program they’re aiming for, the two free score reports at the test center are a bargain (and ultimately save the student $50). What isn’t mentioned on the website but should be considered is the current GMAT registration fee of $250. This fee hasn’t changed in over a decade, and while GMAC hasn’t made any announcements about a price hike, it’s unreasonable to think that it’ll remain $250 forever. The odds of the fees increasing in the next 5- 10 years? Hard to say, but there’s likely some merit in locking in a lower priced test. When you examine Option 3, or the current GMAT standard, you should also look at the GMAT’s primary competitor, the GRE, which is a more widely recognized brand at the undergrad level. ETS just increased GRE fees in the U.S. from $160 to $205 in January of 2016 (ETS does offer a reduced fee certificate to undergrads who meet certain criteria which reduces the cost by 50%). So by offering a variety of pricing options, GMAC is making the GMAT more financially competitive with the GRE. Regardless of whether you take the GMAT or GRE, Veritas Prep is committed to helping you prepare to do your best on test day. You can find additional information about the GMAC tiered pricing here and information on Veritas Prep’s GMAT prep offerings here. We also encourage students to sign up for one of our free online GMAT seminars, and to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and Twitter! By Joanna Graham The post New GMAT Undergraduate Pricing Initiative appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
23 Mar 2016, 10:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Breaking Down the 2017 U.S. News Ranking of Top Business Schools: Part 2 |
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Make sure you check out Part 1 of this article before you begin reading more of our thoughts on the recently released U.S. News and World Report‘s 2017 ranking of Best Business Schools. Now let’s take a deeper look at some of the surprises this year’s rankings presented: Ranking surprises We were quite surprised to see Columbia (#10) come behind Tuck and Yale this year (ranked #8 and #9 respectively). Columbia has a very high yield of admitted applicants who choose to attend the school, and it has been working hard to foster a more collaborative culture. However, Tuck’s employment statistics and remarkably high percentage of graduates receiving a signing bonus (87%!) play well to theU.S. News methodology. We shouldn’t sell Tuck short, though, as other intangibles at Tuck not included in this ranking — such as student satisfaction, alumni network, and tight-knit culture — also rate among the highest of any MBA program. Yale snagged Dean Ted Snyder from Chicago Booth back in 2011 after he presided over its precipitous rise in the rankings. His magic potion seems to be working at Yale as well, and we’ve dubbed him the “Rankings Whisperer.” He thoroughly understands the drivers of rankings and pushes all levers to the max to improve the standings of his schools. Yale has begun to move away from its ties to the social and nonprofit sectors, driving up average starting salaries and recruitment percentages, but perhaps distancing the program from its roots. University of Virginia’s Darden School always seems to be the sleeper success story, and this year is no exception. With its best placement in more than a decade, Darden came in at #11. Darden’s reputation amongst peer schools and recruiters is not as strong as most other programs ranked in the top 15, but it has a very strong starting salary/bonus and other statistics. Be wary of average salary numbers The U.S. News ranking incorporates average salary plus signing bonus in its rankings, which in theory, is not a bad thing. After all, many applicants desire to gain an MBA, at least in part, to improve their salary potential. However, we recommend that you look at salaries just like the rankings themselves—by using the numbers in a broader context. After all, the difference in average salary and bonus between Harvard (ranked #1 overall) and Cornell (ranked #14 overall), is less than $5,000 per year. If you analyze the data industry-by-industry (as we have), you’ll find that there’s little difference in salaries coming out of the top 10 to 15 programs. The biggest difference is the percentage of graduates who are able to land positions in highly selective industries, such as private equity. But here’s the rub: most of these highly selective industries are looking for extremely qualified candidates who have pre-MBA experience that fits their needs. So even if you manage to squeeze into Harvard or Stanford, if you don’t have the pre-MBA experience that these firms are looking for, then you’re going to have a tough time getting an interview, much less landing a job, in the highest paying private equity or venture capital positions. Also, some roles, such as in investment banking, do not have as high of base salaries or signing bonuses, but a high percentage of your income will come from performance-based quarterly and annual bonuses. Other roles simply pay less, such as marketing and product management, but remain very attractive to a significant number of MBA graduates. Schools with a higher percentage of graduates taking these roles, such as Kellogg, can have lower overall salary averages, when their graduates make as much or more than peers within their chosen industry. None of this information can be captured in the U.S. News ranking. Bottom line: Are you likely to make more money coming out of a program ranked #5 than ranked #20? Yes. But should you let this number dictate your decision between #7 and #12? Not necessarily. There are many other factors to consider, such as whether your target companies, industries, and so forth. A holistic approach We’ve provided a bit of context and analysis around this year’s ranking, and we encourage you to use these lists as merely a starting point in your research process. We encourage you to take advantage of our Veritas Prep Essential Guide to Top Business Schools to assist in your process, as it’s now available for free on our website! In addition, if you’re interested in finding out your chances of admission to the top schools, you can sign up for a free profile evaluation to explore your individual strengths and weaknesses. Veritas Prep has worked with thousands of successful applicants to the top business schools, and we look forward to assisting you on your own journey! Travis Morgan is the Director of Admissions Consulting for Veritas Prep and earned his MBA with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He served in the Kellogg Student Admissions Office, Alumni Admissions Organization and Diversity & Inclusion Council, among several other posts. Travis joined Veritas Prep as an admissions consultant and GMAT instructor, and he was named Worldwide Instructor of the Year in 2011. The post Breaking Down the 2017 U.S. News Ranking of Top Business Schools: Part 2 appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
23 Mar 2016, 12:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: SAT Tip of the Week: The Importance of Knowing What Will Be On the SAT |
 Now that the SAT has changed, students all over the country are spending their time making sure they keep up with the new content and questions that might now be on the test. Learning about new content is valuable – clearly, you have to know the subjects being tested in order to do well. But in the scramble to brush up on trigonometry and America’s founding documents, students seem to be forgetting another big change on the test: its format. The new SAT is structured differently than the old SAT in terms of section length, order, scoring, and instructions. To do your best on this exam, it is imperative that you come into test day knowing exactly what it is going to look like. If you walk in thinking it will be like the SAT last year, you will be in for a shock. The main reason it’s so important to know the structure and form of the test is that people get better scores when they can focus all their attention on the actual questions, rather than the instructions. For me at least, being nervous that I’m doing something wrong or not knowing what will come next on the test would only hurt my score. So, it is well worth every student’s time to use a day of studying to familiarize themselves with the instructions, structure, and types of questions that will be on the SAT. Pop onto the College Board’s website or get your hands on an official practice test and read over all the directions on the test, down to the last word. True, much of this will be tedious and unnecessary, but you don’t want any surprises on test day. Reading through the new SAT will yield some important information about what the new test looks like. A sampling of important changes is below:
Study up and make sure nothing about the structure about the new SAT catches you off guard, and you will be set on your way to a good score. If you are comfortable with the way the test operates and how it will look on test day, the peace of mind that you’ll have is one little advantage that you’ll have over all the other students who didn’t put the time in to prepare. Still need to take the SAT? We run a free online SAT prep seminarevery few weeks. And be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter! By Aidan Calvelli. The post SAT Tip of the Week: The Importance of Knowing What Will Be On the SAT appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
24 Mar 2016, 12:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Are Business Schools Becoming Too Corporate? |
 Recently Yale University’s School of Management unveiled their new business school building, Edward P. Evans Hall, on their New Haven campus to mixed reviews from alumni. The massive glass building cost over $250 million and has revolutionized the way business is taught at Yale. It consists of four million pounds of steel, 16.2 million pounds of concrete, three million pounds of glass for the exterior façade, 123 miles of copper wire, and 500 doors! Like buildings you’ll find at most of their peer schools, this building also features all of the expected accoutrements of a modern business school – things like technology-heavy classrooms that allow teachers and students to use the latest and greatest tech to improve the learning process, and comfortable seating areas sprinkled throughout the building that give students a chance to mingle with professors and fellow classmates. Other key features include the 350-seat Zhang Auditorium, the Ross Library, a dining commons and coffee shop, 16 state-of-the-art classrooms, a student gym, and the Beinecke Terrace Room, a lecture hall/entertainment space with an outdoor terrace providing views of landscaped gardens in the rear of the campus. And of course it meets all of the latest green building standards. It would be hard to argue that the business school building isn’t a truly impressive addition to the campus, however, not everyone is happy with what the new building symbolizes. In a recent Wall St. Journal story, many alumni were displeased with the fact that the building looks like any other modern office building. That it takes away from some of the uniqueness of Yale School of Management, where classes were previously taught in old mansions in front of fireplaces. One student noted that “A big, fancy, new, shiny, modern building attracts different students than cozy houses.” Matt Baer, a 2012 graduate who works in health-care consulting added that the new building evokes “a big building in Manhattan or offices of a global consulting firm.” Another graduate of Yale talked about missing the old days when the school was more quirky and untraditional compared to their peer business schools. Unfortunately, business schools, like all college departments, are caught up in a bit of an arms race. Schools see that students are attracted to the latest and greatest in facilities, more so than they might even be attracted by things like the curriculum. Therefore, schools need to continually invest in their facilities in order to keep up with student demands. Is this a good thing for students though? Personally, I would like to see more money invested in trying to keep tuition costs low, or bigger investments in student programming. Obviously some investments need to be made in facilities to make sure the school can support the right kind of technology, but it seems that there might be an argument for schools to slow down their investments in major capital projects as tuition costs rise rapidly. So for future applicants, my advice would be to look beyond the fancy buildings and classrooms and make sure that whatever school you apply to is investing in your future, not just new facilities! Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter. The post Are Business Schools Becoming Too Corporate? appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
24 Mar 2016, 13:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: 7 Tips to Make the Most of Your College Office Hours |
 Every college orientation I ever attended strongly emphasized the importance of attending office hours in building relationships with professors, allowing students to explore subject material in greater depth, and laying groundwork for strong letters of recommendation in the future. Even so, most college students I know either glean very little from office hours or do not attend them at all. Office hours were by far the best and most useful parts of my college classes, but it took me most of my undergraduate career to start making the most of them. Here’s what I learned: 1) Just go. Individual attention from professors is rare and valuable, especially in large classes (like the ones I take at UC Berkeley, which sometimes hold hundreds of students.) Often, office hours is the only one-on-one time you’ll ever get. 2) Be sure you’ve done the reading and are caught up on the class. It is both embarrassing for you and impolite towards your professor to use his or her extra time to make up for work you should have already done. Make a good impression by showing that you take his or her class seriously. 3) Don’t be scared. Professors are often more relaxed and approachable in office hours than they are during classtime. Many enjoy working with undergraduates, or prefer more individual interaction with students over the more impersonal environment of the classroom. (Also, if you haven’t had much experience with it before, it is useful and important to learn to be comfortable interacting with superiors and authority figures. Office hours are a great way to do that.) 4) Have some questions prepared in advance. Don’t feel limited to only talking about the class; professors are often a great source of career planning advice, information about your field of interest, and tips about what other classes you might find interesting. 5) Be interested in the answers you get. Office hours allow you to learn about a field from the experts themselves. Take advantage of your access to them – and strike a better rapport with your professor – by taking a real interest in the insights your professor offers (or at least making a sincere effort to). 6) Be honest about how well you’re doing in the class. If you’re struggling to understand a concept in your class and have made an honest effort to do so, it’s perfectly fine to admit it. Your professor can help, and will appreciate your honest; he or she wants you to learn their material just as much as you want to pass the class. 7) Stay open-minded. Office hours aren’t just a networking opportunity. Networking for networking’s sake has its advantages sometimes, but your experience in office hours will be more productive and meaningful (and your letter of recommendation, if you get one, will be better) if you really get to know the person you’re talking to. Do you still need help with your college applications? We can help! Visit our College Admissions website and register to attend one of our FREE Online College Workshops! And as always, be sure to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and Twitter! Courtney Tran is a student at UC Berkeley, studying Political Economy and Rhetoric. In high school, she was named a National Merit Finalist and National AP Scholar, and she represented her district two years in a row in Public Forum Debate at the National Forensics League National Tournament. The post 7 Tips to Make the Most of Your College Office Hours appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
25 Mar 2016, 12:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: GMAT Tip of the Week: Verbal Is About The Beat, Not The Lyrics |
 On our final Friday of Hip Hop Month here in the “GMAT Tip of the Week” space, let’s take a moment to appreciate the unsung (or at least non-singing) heroes of hip hop. Did you like Snoop and Tupac in the early 90s, or Eminem in the late 90s? They spit the rhymes, but what you likely enjoy most through your Beats By Dre are Dr. Dre’s classic beats. A fan of Jay-Z and Cam’ron in the early 2000s? There’s noH to the Izzo or Heart of the City without Kanye West’s beats behind them. More recently, Kane Beatz and DJ Khaled have been the masterminds behind those bangers that you know as Drake, Lil’ Wayne, or Nicki Minaj hits. So, ok The Game wouldn’t get far without Kanye behind him, and 50 Cent would be in da club cleaning the bathrooms without that classic beat by Dre. But what does this have to do with your GMAT score? One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a GMAT examinee is to see the question for its subject matter (“it’s about crime rates” or “it’s about antihistamines”) and not for its structure (“it’s a wordplay difference” or “that’s classic generalization”). The subject matter is the lyrics that tend to get the glory, but the standardized-format structure is the beat. Even though you may find the lyrics “Go Shorty, it’s your birthday…”in your head, that’s not at all what you like about that song. It’s the epic beat. The same is true for GMAT verbal questions: what makes them tick, and what you should keep your focus on, is the structure behind that content. Consider two examples, which may look entirely different but are actually the exact same question: Example #1: The city of Goshorn has a substantial problem with its budgeting process for public works projects. Last year’s Sullivan Park expansion ran nearly 50% over budget, for example, and the city has gone from running an annual budget surplus for nearly two decades straight to now facing prohibitive budget deficits. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument that Goshorn has a substantial problem with its budgeting process? (A) The Sullivan Park expansion project featured the smallest cost-above-budget percentage of all Goshorn’s public works projects. (B) Goshorn’s budgeting process for public works has not been updated in nearly 20 years. (C) A new hiking and jogging trail in Goshorn cost more than twice as much to construct as did a similar project completed just ten years earlier. (D) Goshorn’s revenue from property taxes has decreased markedly since the height of the real estate boom five years earlier. (E) The city of Goshorn does not receive any federal or state funding for its public works projects, although several nearby cities do. ———————————————————— Example #2: The introduction of a new drug into the marketplace should be contingent upon our having a good understanding of its social impact. However, the social impact of the newly marketed antihistamine is far from clear. It is obvious, then, that there should be a general reduction in the pace of bringing to the marketplace new drugs that are now being created. Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? (A) The social impact of the new antihistamine is much better understood than that of most new drugs being tested. (B) The social impact of some of the new drugs being tested is poorly understood. (C) The economic success of some drugs is inversely proportional to how well we understand their social impact. (D) The new antihistamine is chemically similar to some of the new drugs being tested. (E) The new antihistamine should be next on the market only if most new drugs being tested should be on the market also. In each case, exactly one example is provided as evidence that there is an overall, general problem going on. In the first, that example is Sullivan Park, a project that ran over budget, leading to the conclusion that “the city has a substantial problem with its budgeting process.” In the second, exactly one new antihistamine is known to be poorly understood, leading to the conclusion that there should be a “general reduction” in the pace of bringing drugs to market (since, as the argument states, drugs should be well understood before they’re brought to the marketplace). This is classic generalization, a common theme in Critical Reasoning problems. One example is given and a much broader conclusion is drawn, which is a flawed argument because you just don’t know whether that example is an outlier or the norm. In each of these two problems, your job is to strengthen the argument, so you want to employ the “Strengthen a Generalization Error” strategy – you want to find evidence in the answer choice that the single piece of evidence is indicative of the majority of data points. With the first example, Answer Choice A does that by showing that Sullivan Park was actually the best-budgeted project (the smallest cost-above-budget percentage). If that poorly-budgeted project is the best, then all the other projects must be worse, and THEN you have a substantial problem overall. In the second example, again Choice A serves the exact same purpose: if the one antihistamine we know about is better understood than most, then most drugs are less-understood, meaning that the majority of drugs are poorly understood. And if that’s the case, then yes, we can draw that general conclusion. The overall lesson? GMAT verbal problems can be about anything under the sun: elections in fake countries, the heights of trees in the Galapagos, warranty claims on heavy duty trucks, the visibility of particles breaking off from comets…but that’s not what the test is about. Focus on the beats, and not the lyrics. And the common Critical Reasoning beats are: 1) Generalization Like you saw here, if a general/universal conclusion is drawn from one data point, you want to either show that that data point is indicative of most/all (Strengthen) or that it’s an outlier (Weaken). 2) Correlation/Causation Just because two things occur together (For example, “It’s dark so it must be nighttime.”) does not mean that one causes the other (What about an eclipse, or the fact that your hotel room has blackout shades?). 3) Clever Wordplay This is the most common type of logical error in Critical Reasoning, in which one premise uses a closely-related term (for example “arrests”) to the term that another premise and/or the conclusion uses (“crimes committed”). When you identify that those two things are close but not quite the same, then your job is clear: find an answer choice that links them together (in a Strengthen question) or one that shows that they’re clearly not the same thing (Weaken). 4) Statistics and Data Flaws When statistics are used in Critical Reasoning problems, look to make sure that the proper type of statistic is used (does an absolute number make sense, or should it be a percentage?) and that the statistic directly relates to the conclusion (much like the “Clever Wordplay” strategy). Most importantly, recognize that the content of these problems is more or less a necessary evil: the problems have to be about something, but that’s not what they’re really testing. They’re testing your understanding of the underlying logic and structure. So in honor of all the great DJs that have gotten your shoulders shaking and toes tapping over the years, remember that to beat the GMAT, you’ll have to do it with the beats. Getting ready to take the GMAT? We have free online GMAT seminars running all the time. And as always, be sure to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter! By Brian Galvin. The post GMAT Tip of the Week: Verbal Is About The Beat, Not The Lyrics appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
25 Mar 2016, 15:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Take the 2016 MBA Applicant Survey and Win $500! |
 Since 2009, the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) has regularly conducted a large survey to study trends among business school applicants. The results are shared with AIGAC member consultants and with MBA programs to help them better anticipate the needs of those who will soon apply to business school. Over the past few years, there have even been changes made to some business schools’ applications as a result of AIGAC survey findings! This online survey should take just a few minutes to complete. We would love to receive as many responses as possible before the survey closes in early April – and we would like to see one of our readers win the $500 cash prize! Simply click here to begin the survey. More about the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants: AIGAC promotes high ethical standards and professional development among graduate admissions consultants, increases public understanding of graduate admissions consulting, and enhances channels of communication with complementary organizations and entities. Thanks in advance for your participation, and good luck with the drawing! Haven’t applied to business school yet? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 to speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter. The post Take the 2016 MBA Applicant Survey and Win $500! appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
28 Mar 2016, 13:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: What Makes GMAT Quant Questions So Hard? |
 We know that the essentials of the GMAT Quant section are pretty simple: advanced topics such as derivatives, complex numbers, matrices and trigonometry are not included, while fundamentals we all learned from our high school math books are included. So it would be natural to think that the GMAT Quant section should not pose much of a problem for most test-takers (especially for engineering students, who have actually covered far more advanced math during their past studies). Hence, it often comes as a shock when many test-takers, including engineering students, receive a dismal Quant score on the first practice test they take. Of course, with practice, they usually wise up to the treachery of the GMAT, but until then, the Quant section is responsible for many a nightmare! Today, let’s see what kind of treachery we are talking about – problems like this make some people laugh out loud and others pull at their hair! Is the product pqr divisible by 12? Statement 1: p is a multiple of 3 Statement 2: q is a multiple of 4 This seems like an easy C (Statements 1 and 2 together are sufficient, but alone are not sufficient), doesn’t it? P is a multiple of 3 and q is a multiple of 4, so together, p*q would be a multiple of 3*4 = 12. If p * q is already a multiple of 12, then obviously it would seem that p*q*r would be a multiple of 12, too. But here is the catch – where is it mentioned that r must be an integer? Just because p and q are integers (multiples of 3 and 4 respectively), it does not imply that r must also be an integer. If r is an integer, then sure, p*q*r will be divisible by 12. Imagine, however, that p = 3, q = 4 and r = 1/12. Now the product p*q*r = 3*4*(1/12) = 1. 1 is not divisible by 12, so in this case, pqr is not divisible by 12. Hence, both statements together are not sufficient to answer the question, and our answer is in fact E! This question is very basic, but it still tricks us because we want to assume that p, q and r are clean integer values. Along these same lines, let’s try the another one: If 10^a * 3^b * 5^c = 450^n, what is the value of c? Statement 1: a is 1. Statement 2: b is 2. The first thing most of us will do here is split 450 into its prime factors: 450 = 2 * 3^2 * 5^2 450^n = 2^n * 3^2n * 5^2n And do the same thing with the left side of the equation: 10^a * 3^b * 5^c = 2^a * 3^b * 5^(a+c) Bringing the given equation back, we get: 2^a * 3^b * 5^(a+c) = 2^n * 3^2n * 5^2n Statement 1: a is 1. Equating the power of 2 on both sides, we see that a = n = 1. a + c = 2n (equating the power of 5 on both sides) 1 + c = 2 c = 1 Statement 2: b is 2. Equating the power of 3 on both sides, we see that b = 2n = 2, so n = 1. If n = 1, a = 1 by equating the powers of 2 on both sides. a + c = 2n (equating the power of 5 on both sides) 1 + c = 2 c = 1 So it seems that both statements are separately sufficient. But hold on – again, the variables here don’t need to be cleanly fitting integers. The variables could pan out the way discussed in our first problem, or very differently. Say, n = 1. When Statement 1 gives you that a = 1, you get 10^1 * 3^b * 5^c = 450^1. 3^b * 5^c = 45 Now note that value of c depends on the value of b, which needn’t be 2. If b = 3, then 3^3 * 5^c = 45. 5^c = 45/27 C will take a non-integer value here. c = .3174 The question does not mention that all variables are integers, therefore there are infinite values that c can take depending on the values of b. Similarly, we can see that Statement 2 alone is also not sufficient. Using both statements together, you will get: 2^a * 3^b * 5^(a+c) = 450^n 2^1 * 3^2 * 5^(1 + c) = 450^n 5^(1 + c) = 450^n/18 By now, you’ve probably realized that depending on the value of n, c can take infinite different values. If n = 1, c = 1. If n = 2, c = 4.8. And so on… We don’t need to actually find these values – it is enough to know that different values of n will give different values of c. With this in mind, we can see that both statements together are not sufficient, and therefore our answer must be E. Hopefully, in future, this sneaky trick will not get you! Getting ready to take the GMAT? We have free online GMAT seminars running all the time. And, be sure to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and Twitter! Karishma, a Computer Engineer with a keen interest in alternative Mathematical approaches, has mentored students in the continents of Asia, Europe and North America. She teaches the GMAT for Veritas Prep and regularly participates in content development projects such as this blog! The post What Makes GMAT Quant Questions So Hard? appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
28 Mar 2016, 15:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: How to Choose the Right College Curriculum for You |
 In many high school students’ college search processes, the most important factors they look for in schools are things like housing, location, size and student body. While all these factors may be important, students often miss one huge aspect of college – school itself! Sounds obvious, right? But sometimes it can be easy to forge that college is still school, and that school will actually take up the majority of your college time. So, to make sure you make the best college choice for you, it’s important to also look at academic aspects of a school, like their curriculum requirements – by this, I mean general education requirements, distribution requirements, major requirements, language requirements, study abroad programs, and a host of other things. Since school is going to take up so much of your time, it’s important that you spend this time in a curricular environment that you like and that challenges you to grow academically. There are three general forms that a college’s curriculum can take: let’s call them moderate, strict, and open. Moderate Most colleges around the country have moderately structured curriculums. At these schools, students are required to take a few courses in a variety of different fields (often referred to as “General Education” or “GE” courses) while also completing a major. Usually, you will have freedom in which course you choose to take in these required fields – for example, students might have to take 2 humanities classes, 2 science classes, 2 social sciences classes and 2 math classes in order to graduate, but the specific classes the students take within these fields is up to them. Many students will choose to fulfill these requirements early on in their first couple of years at school, and then use their remaining time as upperclassmen to take electives and complete their major. Strict Schools with strict curriculums have a set of classes that all students must take – these colleges believe that there are certain classes that are valuable to everyone and feel that creating a common “core” of classes is valuable to the student body as a whole. Unlike moderate curriculums, strict curriculums will usually be very specific with which individual classes you are required to take. Schools like Columbia University and University of Chicago have well-known core curriculums that are a hallmark of the academic experience at these schools. This type of curriculum is helpful for students who like structure and want to know exactly what they are getting in to. Open My personal favorite is the open curriculum, which allows students a great degree of freedom in choosing their classes. There are no “GE’s” or distribution requirements, and there are rarely any specific class requirements at all. Admittedly, very few schools have this type of curriculum, but if you’re the type of student who likes taking on the responsibility of designing their own education, an open curriculum might be right for you. Colleges like Brown, Grinnell and Amherst are well known for their curricular freedom. At times, the freedom in an open curriculum can be daunting, but when it is used well, this type of curriculum can be incredibly freeing for students who like to explore all their passions. Now that you’re familiar with the general types of curriculum options, it’s time to start researching! Figure out what academics style best suits you as a student, and then go out and find colleges that match that. Each type of curriculum has its advantages and disadvantages, so make sure the one at your school will work for your needs and help you grow into a stronger student. Do you still need help with your college applications? We can help! Visit our College Admissions website and register to attend one of our FREE Online College Workshops! And as always, be sure to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and Twitter! By Aidan Calvelli. The post How to Choose the Right College Curriculum for You appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
28 Mar 2016, 17:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Updated GMAT Score Cancellation and Reinstatement Policies: What This Means For You |
 GMAC has updated its score cancelation and reinstatement policies for GMAT test-takers. A full description of these changes is included in GMAC’s recently published blog article, but here are some highlights and guidance on what this means for future GMAT test-takers: What is Changing? If you took the GMAT and felt like you needed more time to decide whether or not to cancel your score, then you’ll be happy with GMAC’s new policy. Test-takers now have 5 years to reinstate their scores and 3 days to cancel them. Before this, test-takers had to be much more rushed in making their decisions, with only 60 days to reinstate their scores, and a mere 2 minutes to cancel them. The cost of these actions is also much more forgiving: it is now only $50 to reinstate your score (compared to the previous $100 fee), however you will have to pay a fee of $25 to cancel your score if you choose to do so after leaving the test center. What is NOT Changing? GMAC has kept several of its cancelation and reinstatement policies intact. For example, it is still true that if you choose to cancel your score, no one but you will know about it. There is also still no fee to cancel your score at the test center, and the period you must wait to retake the GMAT is still 16 days. Why Does This Matter? Why do we even care about this change in the GMAC’s policies? Well for one, it allows for much more flexibility in the test-taking process, as test-takers who choose to cancel their scores now have much more time to prepare for their next test administration. (No more scrambling to prepare for a retest in 16 days!) However, it is still important to remember that the GMAT retest policy still applies, in that you cannot take the GMAT more than 5 times in 12 months, so it is important to build a “buffer” into your prep schedule. If you test too close to an MBA application deadline, you won’t have time to retest. These changes in policy also just go to show us that nothing in life is free (except canceling at the test center). If you want the convenience and luxury of having extra time to make your decisions, you’d better be ready to pay up for it. To minimize this cost, test-takers should have a target GMAT score in mind as well as a plan going into the test, and then actually stick to that plan upon receiving a final score. Think of this like buying an airline ticket – many airlines will let you hold a ticket for free, but it can cost an additional fee to hold it for up to a week. The same idea applies here. Additional time isn’t going to change your score and it shouldn’t impact what score you’re willing to accept, so have a game plan going into test day and stick to it to avoid unnecessary fees. It is also worth noting that most business schools will still accept a candidate’s highest GMAT score (after all, it is in the school’s best interests to report having students with high average GMAT scores), so if you take the GMAT and score moderately higher than you did the last time you took the test, it may not be necessary to actually cancel your lower score. Talk to the schools to which you’re applying to understand the programs’ policies, but don’t overthink it. Unless there’s a significant gap between your old and new score (+100 points), or you achieved an extremely low score one of the times you took the test (below 500 points), save your money and keep all of your scores. Getting ready to take the GMAT? We have free online GMAT seminars running all the time. And, be sure to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and Twitter! By Joanna Graham The post Updated GMAT Score Cancellation and Reinstatement Policies: What This Means For You appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
29 Mar 2016, 11:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: What MBA Class Size is Best for You? |
 There are many different characteristics that can factor into selecting the right business school for you. From school reputation, recruiting, and alumni network to teaching style and professors, MBA programs come in all shapes and sizes. One aspect that is often overlooked in the business school search process is class size – not to be confused with the size of individual classes within a school or by the size of the entire student body. Why is this so important? The class size of your MBA factors into many aspects of your business school experience and will continue to influence your career many years after matriculation. MBA programs like the Tuck School at Dartmouth or the Johnson School at Cornell boast tight knit cultures that offer small class sizes. By contrast, programs such as Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School and the Wharton School at Penn boast large class sizes with deep alumni networks. So what type of environment is right for you? Only you can say, but consider the following: Personality What setting do you thrive in? For some, a bigger class size would be too overwhelming, while others might thrive in this setting but feel intimidated by the intimacy of a smaller class size. The decision to pursue an MBA is an intensely personal one, as is the type of program you choose, so be sure to reflect on your preferences to ensure the class size of the program you choose will mesh well with your unique personality. Career How will the class size of your target program impact your future career options? With a larger student body often comes more resources and access to a wider breadth of recruiters, however, such large a large student population also brings the risk of potentially finding yourself “lost” in the crowd of your classmates. Do some research and ensure the programs and recruiters necessary to support your career development align with the type of class you are looking to join. Network Are you more inclined to build small, closer relationships or broadly connect with many? Bigger programs can allow you to better address both of these options, while smaller programs may restrict your ability to accomplish the latter. However, it is important to note that the culture of a school’s student community may play a more important factor than even overall class size. For example, Northwestern’s Kellogg School (a program with large class sizes) has historically been known to have very collaborative students, which counteracts the stereotypes commonly associated with programs of its size. This just goes to show that an MBA program can’t always be judged on its size. As always, research is the key go beyond common stereotypes associated with programs of all sizes and make an informed decision as you construct your target school list or make a matriculation decision. Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter. Dozie A. is a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. His specialties include consulting, marketing, and low GPA/GMAT applicants. You can find more of his articles here. The post What MBA Class Size is Best for You? appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
29 Mar 2016, 14:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Answer ACT Reading Questions By Matching the Author’s Tone to the Answer Choices |
 One of the best ways to attack the Reading Section on the ACT is to look for reasons to eliminate answer choices. In other words, rather than try to find evidence for each answer choice to determine whether or not it is correct, you can identify reasons as to why you can eliminate answer choices because they are incorrect. In this post, I’ll be covering one easy trick you can use to eliminate at least one answer choice on a surprisingly high number of questions in the ACT Reading Section – matching the author’s tone to the choices. Quickly read the following excerpt: Russian author Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, perhaps better known as Leo Tolstoy, is largely considered the most prolific Russian novelist in history. Most famous for his two long novels War and Peace, which he penned in 1869, and Anna Karenina, which he wrote in 1877, Tolstoy was a master of realistic fiction. While not the beginning of his literary career, his rise to prominence began when he accounted his experiences in the Crimean War with Sevastopol Sketches, his first acclaimed work. Soon after, between 1855 and 1858, he published a self-autobiographical trilogy, Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth, recounting through fictional characters his own childhood with a sentimentality he later rebuffed as poor writing. Toward the end of his life, Tolstoy became more of a moral thinker and social reformer, transitioning from poplar novelist to evangelical essayist. Even after a quick read-through, you should be able to describe the author’s tone. (And if you don’t feel comfortable doing so, now is the time to start!) That is, you should be able to ask yourself, “Is the author’s tone laudatory? Is it critical? Is it neutral? Is it persuasive?” and so on. In short, you should have a general sense of whether or not the author has a positive, negative, or neutral stance towards their subject, and you should also have a sense of the degree – i.e. is the author strongly critical, or do they just have some reservations? Now, go ahead and write down what you think the author’s tone is in the above excerpt. In this case, the author’s tone is laudatory, as the author calls Tolstoy “prolific” and a “master of realistic fiction.” So, keep in mind that descriptive terms – adjectives, descriptive phrases, and the like – will clue you in on what the author’s tone is. Now that we’ve identified the author’s tone, take a look at the following question*: According to the passage, it could be concluded that the novel War and Peace was: (A) The first of Leo Tolstoy’s works to be published. (B) Leo Tolstoy’s last novel of any cultural or literary significance. (C) Written by Leo Tolstoy after he wrote his self-autobiographical trilogy. (D) Written by Leo Tolstoy using inspirations from his experience in the Crimean War. Without rereading the passage, I can immediately eliminate one of the answer choices. Why? Because it is distinctly different than the author’s tone. The author is praising Tolstoy, so answer choice B, which comes off as critical (Saying that the book is Tolstoy’s last novel of any cultural or literary significance is pretty dang snarky!), couldn’t be the correct answer. Let’s use this strategy again on a few more questions. First, read the following excerpt and identify the author’s tone: “A handicapped child represents a qualitative different, unique type of development… If a blind child or a deaf child achieves the same level of development as a normal child, then the child with a defect achieves this in another way, by another course, by another means; and, for the pedagogue, it is particularly important to know the uniqueness of the course along which he must lead the child. This uniqueness transforms the minus of a handicap into the plus of compensation.” That such radical adaptions could occur demanded, Luria thought, a new view of the brain, a sense of it not as programmed and static, but rather as dynamic and active, a supremely efficient adaptive system geared for evolution and change, ceaselessly adapting to the needs of the organism – its need, above all, to construct a coherent self and world, whatever defects or disorders of brain functions befell it. That the brain is minutely differentiated is clear: there are hundreds of tiny areas crucial for every aspect of perception and behavior. The miracle is how they all cooperate, are integrated together, in the creation of a self. In this passage, the author’s tone is positive. The author uses the words “dynamic,” “active” and “miracle,” and cites another author (in the first paragraph) who uses the word “unique.” Thus, these descriptive phrases allow me to conclude that the author takes a positive tone towards his or her subjects of handicaps and the brain. Now, let’s take a look at some questions. The goal of this exercise is simply to notice what answer choices we can eliminate (not what the correct answers are) without rereading by simply noticing which tones of the answer choices does not match the tone of the author. The author’s main purpose in the second paragraph is to show: (A) how he has come to think differently about the brain. (B) why sickness often causes a contraction of life. (C) when he had made new discoveries about the brain. (D) which of his subjects helped him redefine the term “norm.” With just a quick look at this question, I can immediately eliminate answer choice B. This option takes a negative tone towards sickness, which is clearly out of line with the author’s tone. Simple enough! Let’s try another question: The quotation in the first paragraph is used in this passage to support the idea that: (A) children with handicaps should be studied in the same way as children defined by physicians as “normal.” (B) deficits need to demonstrate intactness in order to be judged acceptable. (C) neural or sensory mishap occurs in children as well as adults. (D) development of children with handicaps may proceed in positive yet quite distinctive ways. Once again, you will notice that the tone of one of the answer choices stands out as distinctly different from the author’s tone: answer choice B is unusually harsh in tone (judging a deficit “acceptable” comes off as rather cold, if not outright inhumane), so I can make the decision, even without rereading the quote, to eliminate B. The more adept you get at noting the author’s tone, the more naturally this strategy will come to you. So, next time you do a practice reading section, try incorporating this strategy into your studies. *Note that I can use the matching tone strategy on these questions because they all reference the purpose of the author (namely, they begin with the phrases “according to the passage,” “the author’s main purpose,” “the quotation is used in this passage to support,” etc.). However, if the questions had asked about a different point of view than the author’s, I wouldn’t be able to use this strategy. Still need to take the ACT? We run a free online ACT prep seminarevery few weeks. And be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter! By Rita Pearson The post Answer ACT Reading Questions By Matching the Author’s Tone to the Answer Choices appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
30 Mar 2016, 13:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: The 4 Toughest MBA Interview Questions |
 As many applicants are in the thick of business school interviews, it’s a good time to discuss some of the toughest interview questions we’ve heard from past applicants and the best ways to answer them. It’s important to note that while a question might seem really difficult to answer, very often the interviewer is asking it not only to get to know you and your qualifications, but to also see how you act under pressure. No matter how difficult the question might seem, it’s important to try not to be flustered and stammer your way through an answer. By practicing your answers to these questions (and many more) you can ensure that you will be well prepared on the day of your interview for anything the interviewer might throw your way. Now, let’s take a look at 4 of the most difficult questions MBA candidates are asked during their business school interviews: “Tell me about yourself.” Typically, the first question you’ll get asked in your MBA interview is this seemingly straightforward one, however, it is tricky in a subtle way. We advise applicants to not give their life stories here – the fact that you rode horses growing up is probably not going to be all that relevant to your business school application. Our recommendation is to, instead, begin your story towards the end of your undergraduate career and then walk the interviewer through each major career progression. For example, your answer can follow a guideline such as, “After school, I went to company x and got the chance to do a, b, and c. However, I wanted to get the chance to do z, so I went to company y…” and so on. “What other schools are you applying to?” Once again, a question that doesn’t seem too difficult on the surface, but could be tough to answer. It’s a good rule of thumb that if you are asked this question in your interview, you should mention two to three peer schools of the school you are interviewing with. If you are applying to ten different schools, it might be wise to keep that information to yourself, as this could come off as desperate to the admissions committee. Also, unless you are only applying to the top 5 ranked business schools, don’t simply list off a bunch of schools in the top 5 – this type of answer could make it look like the school you are interviewing with is your safety school, and even if it is, you still want to leave the admissions committee with the impression that their school is your top choice. “What’s your greatest weakness?” This is probably one of the questions that applicants dread the most. Do you try the old trick of stating a weakness that is really a strength? (Hint: “I work too hard” is not a weakness.) Your interviewer will see right through that. My suggestion is to give a legitimate weakness, but more importantly, to pivot this answer quickly toward how you are working to improve on that weakness. For example, you could frame your weakness in a manner such as, “My greatest weakness is that I’m not a very strong manager yet. To improve on this I’ve looked for volunteer opportunities where I can practice my leadership skills in a low-risk environment. I’ve now learned that to be a great manager, I need stronger empathy skills and I look forward to continue to develop these in business school.” By stating a real weakness and tying it back to your desire to be at that particular business school, you will show the admissions committee that you are not afraid to admit your flaws and that you are being proactive in addressing them. “Why should we admit you?” Although it may be tempting, now is not the time to be cocky or funny with a glib like, “Why wouldn’t you admit me?” Simply running through your qualifications again in a sincere manner will be a perfectly sufficient and strong answer. Remember, although you should definitely think through and practice your answers to questions such as these, you also don’t want your answers to sound too forced or scripted on the day of the interview. Run through your answers in a natural way, and you’ll have no problem answering them on your interview day. Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter. The post The 4 Toughest MBA Interview Questions appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
30 Mar 2016, 14:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: SAT Tip of the Week: How to Write a Perfect Essay on the New SAT |
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On the old SAT, the essay questions were often vague philosophical prompts asking you to develop and support your position on the topic. This opened itself up to all sorts of shenanigans by students, like blatantly lying about personal examples (I’m guilty…) or using examples from classic novels to show off their smarts. On the new SAT, the format of the essay is different. Now the SAT is about analyzing how an author develops her argument and convinces readers of her point. This difference means that the same old strategies won’t cut it anymore. Luckily, there’s an effective way to make the new essay as formulaic as the old essay, giving students a useful framework that they can always use, regardless of the prompt First, here are the directions for the essay. The top of the page will read something like: As you read the passage below, consider how (the author) uses
Write an essay in which you explain how (the author) builds an argument to persuade his/her audience that (author’s argument is true). In your essay, analyze how (the author) uses one or more of the features in the directions that precede the passage (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his/her argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with (the author’s) claims, but rather explain how (the author) builds an argument to persuade his/her audience. At first glance, these directions might seem vague. “Evidence,” “reasoning,” and “stylistic or persuasive elements” are sometimes too broad to conceive an essay out of. Here’s where my strategy comes in. On every essay, I like to have three go-to techniques that I always look for when reading the article and can use in my essay. These three are pathos, logos, and ethos – modes of persuasion that are present in practically all argumentative writing, these three techniques are easy to apply to an SAT essay. Plus, analyzing how the author uses these intellectual terms will show your grader that you have a high-level command of rhetorical analysis, and set you up for a classic five-paragraph essay. Let’s break down these techniques further: Pathos is an appeal to emotion. Authors use pathos to draw readers into their pieces and connect them with the story. You can often find examples of pathos in anecdotes, calls to action, or appeals to a common purpose. Logos is an appeal to logic. Authors use logos to make their pieces more intellectually persuasive and consistent. You can often find examples of logos in the use of data, statistics, or research. You can also find logos in trains of reasoning: if x happens, then y will also happen, because of factor z (or something akin to that). Ethos is an appeal to ethics, character, or credibility. Authors use ethos to add authority or legitimacy to their arguments. This can be done by demonstrating that the author is qualified to make the argument he or she is making. It can also be done by citing experts or authority figures who let the reader know that the author’s claims are backed up by sound evidence or opinion. As such, ethos is often present in quotes from experts or citations of authority figures. These three techniques – pathos, logos and ethos – are specific and complex enough to let you write a sophisticated new SAT essay, as well as broad enough to allow you to find and analyze them in any article the SAT essay throws at you. This combination of factors creates a structure of analyzing how the author uses pathos, logos and ethos to build his or her argument that is a great way to approach the new SAT essay. Still need to take the SAT? We run a free online SAT prep seminarevery few weeks. And be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter! By Aidan Calvelli. The post SAT Tip of the Week: How to Write a Perfect Essay on the New SAT appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
30 Mar 2016, 18:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Don’t Obsess Over GMAT and GPA Numbers on Your MBA Application! |
 Each year, the majority of anxiety for business school applicants tends to revolve around their GMAT and GPA numbers. Without fail, candidates drive themselves crazy wondering whether their GMAT score or GPA is high enough to gain admission to their target MBA program. These MBA data points are, of course, just as important an aspect of the decision making process as any of the others, but many candidates obsess over the raw numbers in a disproportionate manner. No matter how many times an admissions officer speaks out publicly about the importance of the non-data elements of the application process the message often falls on deaf ears. Admissions Committees generally want to know who you are as a person. If numbers were truly the only factor taken into consideration with MBA applications, then most top schools would have classes filled with students who have +700 GMAT scores and +3.5 GPAs, but this is not the case – just a quick look at the class profile of any top business school will confirm this. What is far less common is the rare candidate who can connect their own personal story with the values and culture of their target program. Candidates oven undervalue how truly unique they are because the time spent undergoing the business school self-assessment process is often limited. Now, letting admissions know who you are does not mean just talking about your job. Dive deeper and share aspects and anecdotes of your unique story that have defined your life up until this point. Tying such a narrative to your personal and professional hopes and dreams can be particularly powerful, and can truly help an applicant stand out against the competition way more than a +700 GMAT score can. An applicant’s story – and being able to connect that personal narrative with a particular school’s values – is even more important for candidates whose GMAT and GPA are less competitive when considering school-specific averages. This personal approach is effective for all candidates, but is a necessity for candidates who may have obvious data-related red flags in their profile. By being authentic and creating a holistic application package, an applicant can convince the Admissions Committee that their low GMAT or GPA will not affect their academic experience (or the experiences of their peers) on campus or in career options in the future. Avoid the mistake that many candidates fall victim to every year of obsessing over scores and understand that your numbers do not define you – the greater focus you put in sharing the “real” you in your application process, the better your chances of admission will be. Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter. Dozie A. is a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. His specialties include consulting, marketing, and low GPA/GMAT applicants. You can find more of his articles here. The post Don’t Obsess Over GMAT and GPA Numbers on Your MBA Application! appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
31 Mar 2016, 19:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: How to Maximize Your MBA Application Essay in 2 Simple Steps |
 So much to share and so little space to use – this is often the case for MBA application essays. Transforming all the unique details of who you are as a candidate into a flowing personal and reflective essay is essential to stand out as an authentic and engaging personality to the Admissions Committee. A great business school essay will be able to present a multi-dimensional candidate without coming off like an unrelated checklist of highlights. With the limited space you’re given to write these application essays, it can be quite a challenge to fit in all of the key character traits, substantiated and vivid career highlights, fit with the target MBA program, achievable career goals, and passions outside work that you want to demonstrate to the Admissions Committee. How can you ensure that you maximize the word limits you are given while still creating something that flows naturally and is easy to read? Follow these two guidelines: 1) Do not repeat details The most common way applicants tend to break down the task of working on multiple essays is to complete them one at a time – after finishing one essay, they review it and then start off on another one. The problem with this writing process is that details from one essay often end up being repeated in another, such as background information on the company a candidate worked for or the candidate’s role within a particular organization. These sentences and phrases, usually in the introduction of each essay or as an added description along the body of the essay, not only waste precious space, but also negatively affect the flow and readability of your essay as a whole. Keep in mind that each essay you write for the same school is part of a single application package, like chapters of a very short book. In order to create the best applciation possible, you must review your complete set of essays in one sitting to ensure that they complement each other well and provide a multi-dimensional personal profile with the right tone for the particular school you are applying to. 2) Use different settings Just as a Tom Cruise kept viewers engaged during the Mission Impossible series by showcasing his superhuman physical stunts in various locations such as an opera house in Vienna, a power plant in Morocco and a train station in London, among others, an MBA applicant’s essay would be much more captivating if the candidate’s personal qualities were highlighted through different contexts. This does not necessarily mean you need to use various geographic locations as the backdrop of your essays (not all of us are as free to travel the globe as Tom Cruise), but rather, to choose to highlight defining moments from your life across various work situations, extra-curricular activities, passions and stories. By default, most applicants are a bit bias in choosing to use examples from their current work situations, as this is where they spend the majority of their time and where their most recent experiences have occurred. Thus, without careful thought, applicants often end up answering many or most of their essay questions with examples pertaining to only their most recent employment. However, this wastes the opportunity to show the admissions committee your diverse experiences and interests. Before writing your essays, it is essential to carve out the time to take an inventory of experiences you’d like to highlight and outline your whole set of essays. Afterwards, identify for each essay the settings you can use to display a particular talking point. Doing this saves you time, and puts forth a richly textured personal application. Following these two steps ensures that you’ll make the most of the limited essay space you are given so that your overall MBA application package stands out from the competition. Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter. Written by Edison Cu, a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for INSEAD. The post How to Maximize Your MBA Application Essay in 2 Simple Steps appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
01 Apr 2016, 12:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: GMAT Tip of the Week: Don’t Be the April Fool with Trap Answers! |
 Today, people across the world are viewing news stories and emails with a skeptical eye, on guard to ensure that they don’t get April fooled. Your company just released a press release about a new initiative that would dramatically change your workload? Don’t react just yet…it could be an April Fool’s joke. But in case your goal is to leave that job for the greener pastures of business school, anyway, keep that April Fool’s Day spirit with you throughout your GMAT preparation. Read skeptically and beware of the way too tempting, way too easy answer. First let’s talk about how the GMAT “fools” you. At Veritas Prep we’ve spent years teaching people to “Think Like the Testmaker,” and the only pushback we’ve ever gotten while talking with the testmakers themselves has been, “Hey! We’re not deliberately trying to fool people.” So what are they trying to do? They’re trying to reward critical thinkers, and by doing so, there need to be traps there for those not thinking as critically. And that’s an important way to look at trap answers – the trap isn’t set in a “gotcha” fashion to be cruel, but rather to reward the test-taker who sees the too-good-to-be-true answer as an invitation to dig a little deeper and think a little more critically. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and one examinee’s trap answer is another examinee’s opportunity to showcase the reasoning skills that business schools crave. With that in mind, consider an example, and try not to get April fooled: What is the greatest prime factor of 12!11! + 11!10! ? (A) 2 (B) 7 (C) 11 (D) 19 (E) 23 If you’re like many – more than half of respondents in the Veritas Prep Question Bank – you went straight for the April Fool’s answer. And what’s even more worrisome is that most of those test-takers who choose trap answer C don’t spend very long on this problem. They see that 11 appears in both additive terms, see it in the answer choice, and pick it quickly. But that’s exactly how the GMAT fools you – the trap answers are there for those who don’t dig deeper and think critically. If 11 were such an obvious answer, why are 19 and 23 (numbers greater than any value listed in the expanded versions of those factorials 12*11*10*9…) even choices? Who are they fooling with those? If you get an answer quickly it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re wrong, but it should at least raise the question, “Am I going for the fool’s answer here?”. And that should encourage you to put some work in. Here, the operative verb even appears in the question stem – you have to factor the addition into multiplication, since factors are all about multiplication/division and not addition/subtraction. When you factor out the common 11!: 11!(12! + 10!) Then factor out the common 10! (12! is 12*11*10*9*8… so it can be expressed as 12*11*10!): 11!10!(12*11 + 1) You end up with 11!*10!(133). And that’s where you can check 19 and 23 and see if they’re factors of that giant multiplication problem. And since 133 = 19*7, 19 is the largest prime factor and D is, in fact, the correct answer. So what’s the lesson? When an answer comes a little too quickly to you or seems a little too obvious, take some time to make sure you’re not going for the trap answer. Consider this – there are only four real reasons that you’ll see an easy problem in the middle of the GMAT: 1) It’s easy. The test is adaptive and you’re not doing very well so they’re lobbing you softballs. But don’t fear! This is only one of four reasons so it’s probably not this! 2) Statistically it’s fairly difficult, but it’s just easy to you because it’s something you studied well for, or for which you had a great junior high teacher. You’re just that good. 3) It’s not easy – you’re just falling for the trap answer. 4) It’s easy but it’s experimental. The GMAT has several problems in each section called “pretest items” that do not count towards your final score. These appear for research purposes (they’re checking to ensure that it’s a valid, bias-free problem and to gauge its difficulty), and they appear at random, so even a 780 scorer will likely see a handful of below-average difficulty problems. Look back at that list and consider which are the most important. If it’s #1, you’re in trouble and probably cancelling your score or retaking the test anyway. And for #4 it doesn’t matter – that item doesn’t count. So really, the distinction that ultimately matters for your business school future is whether a problem like the example above fits #2 or #3. If you find an answer a lot more quickly than you think you should, use some of that extra time to make sure you haven’t fallen for the trap. Engage those critical thinking skills that the GMAT is, after all, testing, and make sure that you’re not being duped while your competition is being rewarded. Avoid being the April Fool, and in a not-too-distant September you’ll be starting classes at a great school. Getting ready to take the GMAT? We have free online GMAT seminars running all the time. And as always, be sure to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter! By Brian Galvin. The post GMAT Tip of the Week: Don’t Be the April Fool with Trap Answers! appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
04 Apr 2016, 18:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: How to Successfully Use Your College Weekends |
 Weekends in college – stereotypically the time for football games, Frisbee on the green, and massive parties – are not always so glamorous. While it is true that these things do happen with regularity on the weekends, they don’t tell the whole story. In fact, with how much work college students have, a significant part of many students’ weekends is often spent in the library. This presents itself as a bit of a dilemma – you want to go do fun things with your friends, but you also don’t want to be behind on schoolwork for the upcoming week. There is both a pressure to do work and a pressure to be social. Luckily, balancing college life is not too hard, and learning to do so can reap great benefits. All you have to keep in mind are the concepts of moderation and planning, and your weekends will end up being both productive and fun. So what do I mean by moderation? Moderation is two-fold. One part is doing things in small chunks, rather than reserving huge blocks of time for doing just one thing. Breaking up your work into manageable chunks to do on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is a good step towards making sure you don’t get overwhelmed. Doing this reminds you that the amount of work you have is rarely as bad as you think it is, especially when you consider that all 24 hours of the weekend are available for productivity since there obviously aren’t any classes. Lots of people have fun on Friday and Saturday and leave all their work for Sunday, but this can result in a difficult end to your weekend, where your marginal productivity greatly decreases as the day goes on. The best path forward is to split up your time and try to ensure that you do things in manageable bursts, not long grind sessions. The other aspect of moderation is thinking about the weekend as a time where you can both have some fun and do some work, instead of thinking of it in the extreme as only one or the other. Many college students either say that they’re going to have the most crazy party weekend ever or they will have to be holed up in their rooms all weekend to study for their 3 midterms the following week. In reality, most weekends can fall somewhere in between. All it takes is shift in mindset to one that thinks in moderate and not extreme terms. If I say that I’m going to have a pretty good weekend because the last week of work was challenging, that still leaves open the possibility that I’ll be able to do a little bit of work this weekend without feeling like I’m sacrificing all my fun. Self-talk is important in how we shape our perceptions, and the same is true with thinking about how we should spend our weekends. Planning, the other important concept in balancing one’s weekend, is exactly what it sounds like, and while some students enjoy the weekend because it is less structured than their school week, planning out your time is actually quite useful. If you make a plan that includes all you have to do and all you want to do, you’ll be able to physically see that you can balance having fun and doing work. When you have a general idea of what you are doing and when you will be doing it, you are more likely to actually get yourself to do it. It’s true that random plans with friends always come up on the weekend, but when you have a plan of how you want to spend your time you will be able to make a smart choice as to whether it would be responsible of you to follow through with this spontaneous plan (often times it is). I definitely believe that having fun during the weekend (and the week) is important, but I also mean to convey that having a plan, albeit a flexible one, puts you in a position to succeed. Weekends are great respite from the daily grind of the school week. In order to make the weekend fun and keep up with work, it’s important to learn how to wisely balance work and play. Do you still need help with your college applications? We can help! Visit our College Admissions website and register to attend one of our FREE Online College Workshops! And as always, be sure to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and Twitter! By Aidan Calvelli. The post How to Successfully Use Your College Weekends appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
04 Apr 2016, 18:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Quarter Wit, Quarter Wisdom: Using a Venn Diagram vs. a Double Set Matrix on the GMAT |
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Critics may have given a rotten rating to the recently released “Batman v. Superman”movie, but we sure can use it to learn a valuable GMAT lesson. A difficult decision point for GMAT test takers is picking the probable winner between Venn diagrams and Double Set Matrices for complicated sets questions. If that is true for you too, then the onscreen rivalry between Batman and Superman will help you remember this trick: Venn diagrams are like Superman – all powerful. They can help you solve almost all questions involving either 2 or 3 overlapping sets. But then, there are some situations in which double set matrix method (aka Batman with his amazing weaponry) might be easier to use. It is possible to solve these questions using Venn diagrams, too, but it is more convenient to solve them using a Double Set Matrix. We have discussed solving three overlapping sets using Venn diagrams here. Today, we will look at the case in which using a Double Set Matrix is easier than using a Venn diagram – in instances where we have two sets of variables, such as English/Math and Middle School/High School, or Cake/Ice cream and Boys/Girls, etc. Eventually, we will solve our question again using a Venn diagram, for those who like to use a single method for all similar questions. First, take a look at our question: A business school event invites all of its graduate and undergraduate students to attend. Of the students who attend, male graduate students outnumber male undergraduates by a ratio of 7 to 2, and females constitute 70% of the group. If undergraduate students make up 1/6 of the group, which of the following CANNOT represent the number of female graduate students at the event? (A) 18 (B) 27 (C) 36 (D) 72 (E) 180 To solve this problem using a Double Set Matrix, first jot down one set of variables as the row headings and the other as the column headings, as well as a row and column for “totals.” Now all you need to do is add in the information line by line as you read through the question. “…male graduate students outnumber male undergraduates by a ratio of 7 to 2…”  “…females constitute 70% of the group.” Female students make up 70% of the group, which implies that male students (total of 9x) make up 30% of the group. 9x = (30/100)*Total Students Total Students = 30x Since 9x is the total number of male students while 30x is the total number of all students, the total number of female students must be 30x – 9x = 21x.  “If undergraduate students make up 1/6 of the group…” Undergrad students make 1/6 of the group, i.e. (1/6)*30x = 5x If the total number of undergrad students is 5x and the number of male undergrad students is 2x, the number of female undergrad students must be 5x – 2x = 3x. This implies that the number of graduate females must be 18x, since the total number of females is 21x.  Therefore, the number of graduate females must be a multiple of 18. 27 is the only answer choice that is not a multiple of 18, so it cannot be the number of graduate females – therefore, our answer must be B. Now, here is how Superman can rescue us in this question. An analysis similar to the one above will give us a Venn diagram which looks like this:  Of course, we will get the same answer: the number of graduate females must be a multiple of 18. We know 27 is not a multiple of 18, so it cannot be the number of graduate females and therefore, our answer is still B. Hopefully, next time you come across an overlapping sets question, you will know exactly who your superhero is! Getting ready to take the GMAT? We have free online GMAT seminars running all the time. And, be sure to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and Twitter! Karishma, a Computer Engineer with a keen interest in alternative Mathematical approaches, has mentored students in the continents of Asia, Europe and North America. She teaches the GMAT for Veritas Prep and regularly participates in content development projects such as this blog! The post Quarter Wit, Quarter Wisdom: Using a Venn Diagram vs. a Double Set Matrix on the GMAT appeared first on Veritas Prep Blog. |
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 Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024 11:30am NY / 3:30pm London / 9pm Mumbai Watch earlier episodes of DI series below EP1: 6 Hardest Two-Part Analysis Questions EP2: 5 Hardest Graphical Interpretation Questions  ➡️ Sayali narrates her experience of succeeding on the GMAT after 4 attempts & 2 years of preparations with 32 percentile improvement on GMAT verbal.
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