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02 Apr 2015, 16:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: When Do You Have Enough Information on Data Sufficiency GMAT Questions? |
 Habitually, data sufficiency questions give students cause for concern on the GMAT quantitative section. This is primarily due to the fact that data sufficiency questions are rarely seen in high school and college, and are therefore relatively unknown to most prospective test takers. If you remember the first data sufficiency question you encountered while studying for the GMAT, it may have looked like it was written in another language. In many ways, data sufficiency questions are like being in a foreign land. Even if you understand the rules, you’re often not as comfortable as in your native environment that you’ve acclimated to over many years (e.g. an Englishman in New York). It is normal to feel a little discombobulated, especially at first. However, once you’ve done a few (hundred) data sufficiency questions, you tend to get a feel for the question type. One issue still eludes a lot of test takers: When is it enough? Data sufficiency is asking about (drum roll, please) when the data is sufficient. It’s pretty easy to disprove something if you can find a counter-example right away, but if you struggle with finding definitive proof, how long should you try to work at it. Suppose a question asks whether X^2 = Y^3, that is asking whether any perfect square is also a perfect cube, you could spend a lot of time meandering towards a solution. What if we try 2^3, which gives 8? Well 8 isn’t a perfect square of any number, so we keep going. 3^3 is 27, which isn’t a perfect square of any number either. How far should we go? The next number, 4^3, gives 64, which is a perfect square, so we found an example relatively quickly, but we could conceivably spend several minutes calculating various permutations. Imagine a question asking if X^2 = Z^5 and see how long it would take to find an example. The good news is that the question is almost always solvable using logic, algebra and mathematical properties. The bad news is it’s not always obvious how to proceed with these definitive approaches, and the brute force strategy is often employed. We can try various options and see if any of them work, while at the same time looking for patterns that tend to repeat or signal the underlying logic of the situation. While this strategy certainly has its place, it can sometimes be very wearisome. Let’s look at a data sufficiency question that highlights this issue: W, X, Y and Z represent distinct integers such that WX * YZ = 1,995. What is the value of W? WX * YZ _____ 1,995
Let’s look at this problem another way, which is: these two numbers must multiply to 1,995. We know one number ends with a 5, so we arbitrarily set it to be 25 and see what that gives if we set the other number to be 91. That comes to 2,275, which is way above what we need. How about 25 * 81, that yields 2,025. That’s too big, but just barely. How about 25 * 79? That will give us 1,975, which is slightly too small. We can’t get 1,995 with 25, but that’s all we’ve demonstrated so far. We can eliminate some choices as number like 15 can never be multiplied by a 2-digit number and yield 1,995, but there are still numerous choices to test. It’s pretty easy to see how the brute force approach when you have dozens of possibilities will be very tedious. There’s another element that’s even worse, which is let’s say you manage to find a combination that works (such as 21 * 95), how can you be sure that this is the only way to get this product? Short of trying every single possibility (or calling the Psychic Friends hotline), you can’t be sure of your answer. This problem thus requires a more structured approach, based on mathematical properties and not dumb luck. If two numbers multiply to a specific product, then we can limit the possibilities by using factors. We thus need to factor out 1,995 and we’ll have a much better idea of the limitations of the problem. 1,995 is clearly divisible by 5, but the other number might be hard to produce. The easiest trick here is to think of it as 2,000, and then drop one multiple of 5. Since 2,000 is 5 x 400, this is 5 x 399. Now, 399 is a lot easier than it looks, because it’s clearly divisible by 3 (since the digits add up to 21, which is a multiple of 3). Afterwards, we have 133, which is another tough one, but you might be able to see that it’s divisible by 7, and actually comes to 7 x 19. Finally, since 19 is prime, we have the prime factors of 1,995: 3 x 5 x 7 x 19. How does this help? Well there may be 16 factors of 1,995, but the limitations of the problem tell us that we only have two two-digit numbers. Thus something like 15 * 133 breaks the rules of the problem. Our only options to avoid 3-digits are 19*3 and 5*7 or 19*5 and 3*7. This gives us either 57 * 35 or 95 * 21. At least at this point we’re 100% sure that these are the only two-digit permutations that combine to give 1,995. Let’s get back to the problem. Statement 1 tells us that X (the unit digit of the first number) is prime, which knocks out 21 from the running. However the three other options all end with a prime unit digit, meaning that any of them are still possible. At this point it’s very important to note that the problem specified that W, X, Y and Z were all distinct integers. Since they must all be different, the option of 57 * 35 is not valid because the 5 is duplicated. As such, the only option is 95*21, and the prime number restriction confirms that it’s really 95 * 21 (and not 21 * 95). Variable W must be 9, and thus this statement ends up being sufficient. Statement 2 essentially provides the same information, as Z is not a prime number and thus necessarily 1 given our choices. This confirms that the multiplication is 95 * 21 and W is still 9. Either statement alone is sufficient, so answer choice D is the correct option here. It’s important to note how close this question was to being answer choice B, as the non-prime limitation ensured we knew where the 1 was. But the fact that these digits had to be distinct changed the answer from B to D, reinforcing the adage that you should read the questions carefully. This question can be solved without factors, but it is very hard to confidently answer it using only a brute-force approach. Solving through mathematics and number properties is not always the easiest route to success on data sufficiency. Sometimes you can write down a few options and see exactly how the problem will unfold, but if you use concrete concepts, you’ll know when it’s been enough. Plan on taking the GMAT soon? We have GMAT prep courses starting all the time. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! Ron Awad is a GMAT instructor for Veritas Prep based in Montreal, bringing you weekly advice for success on your exam. After graduating from McGill and receiving his MBA from Concordia, Ron started teaching GMAT prep and his Veritas Prep students have given him rave reviews ever since. |
03 Apr 2015, 10:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Developing Your Reapplication Strategy: Part 2 |
 Before you dive in, take a look at Part 1 of this post. One of the most common reasons for rejection for business school applications is when the applicant’s career vision is not clearly connected to what they did in the past, or simply failing to convey a passionate, compelling case for why they needed the MBA. This often comes down to a simple failure of message. It could be that the overall picture that was painted was not articulated in a way that captured the attention of the committee. How was your fit with your target programs demonstrated? Was there something in your application that communicated a poor match with their culture or curriculum? These are the questions that can truly drive you crazy, since it’s largely guesswork. Whether or not you can isolate and address a weaknesses in your application, however, is not nearly as important as communicating to the committee what you have done since last year to make you a better candidate this year. This is the number one most important issue to consider when re-applying. In fact, many schools will only require one essay for a re-applicant, which is basically some version of “what has changed to make you a more viable candidate?” This is where you should focus, and hopefully you recognized this task soon enough after your rejection last year so that you have spent the past 12 months making things happen to improve your candidacy. From bettering your GMAT results, to getting a promotion at work, to seeking out new leadership opportunities, there is really no limit to what you can do to improve your profile. If those efforts happen to directly address an identified weakness, even better. Many schools show favor to re-applicants. Some say your odds go up 30% when you reapply. Maybe schools like the determination they see, or appreciate the demonstration of passion for and commitment to their program. Or perhaps re-applicants simply work harder in the 12 months between seasons to sharpen their attractiveness as a potential MBA candidate. Whether it’s self-fulfilling prophesy or statistical advantage, there are good reasons to try again at your target schools, so long as you give some thoughtful analysis to why you didn’t make it and apply some concerted effort into new achievements to enrich your profile. You have several months ahead to get going on a new plan, and then another whole year before you’d have to matriculate. Be intentional about seeking out challenges which will truly impress the admissions committee and reveal a stark contrast and improvement over the profile you just submitted and saw rejected. Want to craft a strong re-application? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or click here to take our Free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter. Bryant Michaels has over 25 years of professional post undergraduate experience in the entertainment industry as well as on Wall Street with Goldman Sachs. He served on the admissions committee at the Fuqua School of Business where he received his MBA and now works part time in retirement for a top tier business school. He has been consulting with Veritas Prep clients for the past six admissions seasons. See more of his articles here. |
03 Apr 2015, 12:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: 5 Best Pieces of Advice for College Freshmen |
 If you’ve gone to a few college fairs and admissions events, especially if you’ve already been accepted to a college, you start to hear the same things over and over again. Specifically:
That doesn’t mean, though, that they should be the only advice you hear. Here are the next five best pieces of advice I heard coming into college—things which were repeated much less often, but which ended up contributing to my college experience almost as much as the first five did. 1. Don’t pack your schedule five days a week from 8am to 6pm, like you used to do in high school. Unless you’re willing to make some serious social or personal sacrifices, it doesn’t work. It really just doesn’t. 2. On a related note: Do some research on classes you plan to take before you actually sign up for them. Look for an online syllabus, or ask the professor (or a former student) for a copy of a recent one. About how many hours of study should you expect to commit outside of class time? What subjects are covered? Is the professor listed on ratemyprofessors.com? Did other students like the class, and why? If it’s a required class: Do you have the option of taking it another semester? Do multiple professors teach it, and can you choose which professor you take it with? It’s much easier to sign up for the right classes than to have to drop them later (and to have to scrounge for space in replacement classes. 3. Make friends with your professors. Not just for letters of recommendation, or for networking purposes; make a real effort to get to know them. They are some of the most interesting, well-educated, experienced people on campus, and more often than not they’re quite happy to get to know you too. I’ve gotten some of my best life and career advice from coffee breaks with professors. 4. Take courses outside of your major. Your college offers access to a huge breadth of knowledge, and it would be a shame not to explore beyond your corner of the academic world. Entering new fields of study can introduce you to people you wouldn’t otherwise meet or relate to, help you discover new passions, and even enrich your understanding of your own subject. 5. Keep a record of your college life. I, for instance, like to journal. Some of my friends like to take lots of pictures. Whatever medium you choose, remember to document the best and the worst of these four-ish years. It’s astonishing how quickly we forget the little things, like the feeling of walking into a new apartment for the first time, or the best pizza the dining hall has to offer. Once in a while, when I’m feeling nostalgic or in need of a pick-me-up, I flip through the early pages of my journal and rediscover a little part of my past that makes me laugh, or reminds me how far I’ve come since that first year in the dorms. My mother still has her sorority scrapbooks, and likes pointing out how terrible her hair used to be, and what her pledge sisters—later, bridesmaids and best friends—looked like before they started dressing professionally. It’s easy to snap a picture or scribble down a few notes, and well worth the time. Best of luck in your applications! Need more guidance in planning for college? Visit our College Admissions website and fill out our FREE College profile evaluation! 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. |
03 Apr 2015, 17:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: GMAT Tip of the Week: Prepare for the GMAT Using the Study Plan Rule of Thirds |
 Here on the first Friday of April, we’ve officially ended the first quarter of the year and fiscal reports are streaming in. But who’s in a hurry to finish 2015? We’re still firmly entrenched in the first third of the year, and if 2015 is the year that you plan to conquer the GMAT you’re in luck. Why? Because your GMAT study plan should include three phases: 1) Learn One of the most common mistakes that GMAT studiers make is that they forget that they need to learn before they can execute. Are you keeping an eye on the stopwatch on every question you complete? Are you taking multiple practice tests in your first month of GMAT prep? Have you uttered the phrase “how could I ever do this in two minutes???”? If so, you’re probably not paying nearly enough attention to the learning phase. In the learning phase you should:
Regardless of how you’ve studied, you’ll need to complete plenty of practice to make sure you’re comfortable implementing those strategies and using those skills on test day. Once you’ve developed a good sense of what the GMAT is testing and how you need to approach it, it’s time to spend a few weeks devouring practice problems. Among the best sources include:
3) Execute Before you take the GMAT you should have taken several practice tests. Practice tests will help you:
So be certain to let yourself learn with a natural progression via the GMAT Study Rule of Thirds. Learn first; then focus on practice; then emphasize execution via practice tests. Studying in thirds is the best way to ensure that you get into a school that’s your first choice. Are you studying for the GMAT? We have free online GMAT seminars running all the time. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! By Brian Galvin |
06 Apr 2015, 10:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Taking the Best Approach When Solving Data Sufficiency GMAT Questions |
 Sometimes, we get questions which we cannot neatly bracket as Arithmetic/Algebra/Geometry etc. In fact, the higher level questions usually focus on more than one subject area. The trick in these questions is to assimilate all your knowledge from various areas and then think how best to solve. Today we have such a question for you – you could get really lost in it or could solve it in a few seconds if you take the right track. The trick is starting on the right track and that is why you have 2 mins per question available to you else 40 secs per question would have been sufficient! Question: This game season, five divisions are going to play. Out of all the teams in each division, 6, 9, 12, 13 and 14 teams have qualified from the respective divisions. Each division will hold its own tournament – where a team is eliminated from the tournament upon losing two games – in order to determine its champion. The five division champions will then play in a knock-off tournament – a team is eliminated as soon as it loses a game – in order to determine the overall champion. Assuming that there were no ties and no forfeits, what is the maximum number of games that could have been played in order to determine the overall league champion? (A) 89 (B) 100 (C) 102 (D) 107 (E) 112 Solution: Is it a max-min problem? Perhaps, but which guiding principle of max-min will we use to solve this problem? First think on your own how you will solve this problem. Will you focus on the method or the result i.e. will you worry about who plays against whom or just focus on each result which gives one loss and one win? If you don’t worry about the method and just focus on the result, you can use a concept of mixtures here. In mixture questions, we focus on one component and how it changes. Here, we need to keep track of losses. Let’s focus on those and forget about the wins. As given, there were no ties so every loss has a win on the other side. Every time a game is played, someone loses. We can give at most 2 losses to a team since after that it is out of the tournament. Don’t worry about against who it plays those two games. Whenever a team loses 2 games, it is out. The team could have won many games but we are not counting the wins and hence, are not concerned about its wins. As discussed, we are counting the losses so each win of that team will be counted on the other side i.e. as a loss for the other team. Consider the division which has 6 teams – what happens when 12 games are played? There are 12 losses and each team gets 2 losses (we can’t give more than 2 to a team since the team gets kicked out after 2 losses), so all are out of the tournament. But we need a winner so we play only 11 games so that the winning team gets only 1 loss. We want to maximize the losses (and hence the number of games), therefore the winning team must be given a loss too. So maximum number of games that can be played by the district in its own tournament = 2*6 – 1 = 11 Similarly, the division with 9 teams can play at most 2*9 – 1 = 17 games. The division with 12 teams can play at most 2*12 – 1 = 23 games. The division with 13 teams can play at most 2*13 – 1 = 25 games. The division with 14 teams can play at most 2*14 – 1 = 27 games. This totals up to 11 + 17 + 23 + 25 + 27 = 103 games Now we come to the games between the district champions. We have 5 teams. 1 loss gets a team kicked out. If the teams play 4 games, there are 4 losses and 4 teams get kicked out. We have a final winner! Hence the total number of games = 103 + 4 = 107 There are a lot of variations you can consider for this question. Say, if we need to minimize the number of games, how many total games would have been played? Notice that the only games you can avoid are the ones in which the 5 district champions lost. You do still need 2 losses for each team to get the district champion and one loss each for four district champions to get the winner. Hence, at least 107 – 5 = 102 games need to be played. Look at it in another way: To kick out a team, it needs to have 2 losses so if the district had 6 teams, there would be 5*2 = 10 games played. Similarly, the division with 9 teams will play at least 2*8 = 16 games. The division with 12 teams will play at least 2*11 = 22 games. The division with 13 teams will play at least 2*12 = 24 games. The division with 14 teams will play at least 2*13 = 26 games. This totals up to 10 + 16 + 22 + 24 + 26 = 98 games Now we have 5 champions and they will need to play at least 4 games to pick a winner. Therefore, at least 98 + 4 = 102 games need to be played. You can try other similar variations – what happens when a team is kicked out after it loses 3 games instead of 2? What happens if you don’t have the knock-off tournament and instead need each district champion to lose 2 games to get knocked out? 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! |
06 Apr 2015, 12:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: How to Succeed During Your Summer Internship |
 You survived the perilous and anxiety ridden seven-month journey that is internship recruiting. After enjoying a few months of post-recruiting relaxation it’s time to wrap up your 1st year of business school and start your internship. Many students think once they receive their summer internship offer the hard part is over. That could not be further from the truth. Securing a full time job offer after your summer internship can be just as difficult as it was to initially get your internship offer. Here are four tips to help ensure success during your summer internship: 1) Prepare in Advance Start your internship the right way by coming in as prepared as possible. Many employers will provide a preview of your summer project, brand, or rotation. Use this information to research everything you can to provide yourself an advantage once your summer internship begins. Beginning your internship with even a cursory knowledge of an industry, client, or competitors can create a positive early impression. 2) Set Goals The easiest way to prevent surprises come offer day is to make sure you are working towards the right goals and objectives during your internship. These can be both task specific goals as well as overall summer goals that ensure you are addressing all of the requirements necessary to receive an offer. Working with your supervisor to clearly articulate goals for each of these scenarios upfront will help position you for success. 3) Work Smart Succeeding in an MBA internship is not just about working hard. Most interns will work as hard as they can to try to receive a full-time offer. However, working hard is not enough to secure an offer; you must also work efficiently and in line with cultural norms at your firm. 4) Ask For Feedback The best way to work smart is to make sure you are executing your deliverables in the proper fashion. By creating a feedback loop, with your supervisor, where open lines of communication exist concerning your performance, you can ensure that you are meeting all of the firm’s expectations. Some internship programs have structured feedback baked into the assessment process. Others internship programs are more informal. Identify which type fits your internship program and make sure you are leveraging the value of feedback to excel in your summer internship. Follow these four tips and your full-time offer will be in your hands before you know it! Thinking of going to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. As always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on 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 read more of his articles here. |
07 Apr 2015, 17:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: 3 Ways to Stay Calm in the Chaos of Campus Life |
 You’re trying to organize your calendar. You have a Spanish Club meeting at 4pm. Happy hour at 6pm. Then you have to come home and pack for your girls trip over the weekend… Your roommate keeps talking about how she bombed her organic chem exam. She keep repeating herself, so head into the kitchen for some peace and quiet. Suddenly you see a mound of dishes… You want to pull your hair out. Adjusting to college life can be complicated from the social aspect, to coursework, to extracurriculars. It’s easy to become overwhelmed or burned out. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you acclimate to campus life: 1. BALANCE. Sometimes becoming involved on campus and handling coursework can be challenging. Be sure to keep your “eye on the prize” as our expert SAT instructor, Courtney Tran, says. You are in college to broaden your educational background and become a scholar in your major of choice. Focus on your academics before jumping into campus clubs and events. Once you have a hold on your coursework and studies, then start to explore involvement with student organizations. Easing into this transition will give you the ability to know what you can and cannot take on while still maintaining that high GPA you need for your scholarship. It is helpful to start small when you begin to participate in clubs; but once you are ready for more – speak up! If you have found that “balance” of academics and activities, reach out to Directors of your student organizations and express you are interested in a leadership role. 2. BE MINDFUL. Another way to assist with keeping calm in campus life is to take time for yourself. You committed to having a movie night with your new BFF from Anthropology class, but you haven’t been to your dorm room in 4 days straight! Postpone these plans and have an evening to yourself. Go to a yoga class, plan an hike, start reading that new fiction book that’s been collecting dust on your shelf. Whatever gives you sense of peace, be sure to do some sort of personal activity once a week. Maybe you find solace in spending 3 hours playing Assassins Creed. Perhaps it is going for a long run. Whatever it may be, this time away from the social and studious aspects of life will give you the necessary tools to stay in touch with yourself and be mindful of what you need personally to continue to excel in college. 3. EXPLORE. It is helpful to take yourself out of the collegiate lifestyle to realize… there is a world outside of college! We often become so enthralled and captivated in our new campus setting, we forget to go beyond the dining hall and dorms. Be sure to explore your new surroundings. This will help pull you out of the chaos of college life and help you to stay grounded. If you’re attending school at Stanford, look up art shows, check out museums, or visit San Francisco and eat at that Thai restaurant with 376 Yelp reviews. If you’re in Boston, push the boundaries and go outside of Cambridge. Explore state parks or neighboring cities. Find the new coffee shop and opt to study there for an afternoon rather than the same on-campus Starbucks that you frequent. Look for spots that aren’t associated with your university. This will keep you cognizant of the world. Embrace your college town beyond it’s “college town” reputation. The first year of college is trying, transitional, and triumphant. Remember to stay “cool” while attending school so to find balance in social and academic success. Best of luck on you college applications! Need some AP help or still have questions about college admissions? Visit our College Admissions website and fill out our FREE College profile evaluation! By Shay Davis |
07 Apr 2015, 17:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: 4 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Second Year of Business School |
 You’ve survived the 1st year of business school – congrats! Memories of those challenging core classes, long nights preparing for case interviews and student led conference feel distant in your mind. You didn’t think you would make it through that summer internship from hell but you managed and now return to campus with an offer in hand and your entire 2nd year in front of you. For many, your 2nd year of business school will be more relaxing and less stressful, especially if you have an offer in hand. So how do you make the most of your final year in business school? Follow these tips below to ensure a productive last year on campus. Skill Development Remember why you are at business school! Your 2nd year is a great time to really focus on any remaining gaps in your business training. For some, its functional, where specific areas like leadership, teamwork, and creativity need to be refined. For others, industry knowledge gaps in areas like finance or marketing are key to ensuring success in future professional endeavors. By targeting these gaps with applicable coursework you can leave business school with a polished professional skill set. Career If you have secured a job in advance of your second year, your remaining time on campus is the perfect opportunity to prep for your future career. Engaging in specific training for programs like PowerPoint or Excel can help you hit the ground running on your first day in the office. It is also important to continue to stay abreast of the latest happenings within your industry and firm. Most employers will maintain contact with you throughout your 2nd year and will sometimes connect you with current employees. Remain impressive in all of these discussions to continue developing your reputation within the firm. If you were unable to secure a full-time offer after your summer internship, there is nothing to worry about. Many 2nd year students, even those with full-time offers will be recruiting as well. Recruiting should be a key focus if you’re still looking. The earlier you are able to wrap up recruiting, the faster you can switch your focus to other more enjoyable areas of your 2nd year experience. Relationship Building I avoided using the term networking here because these relationships are exclusively focused on developing stronger bonds with your classmates. These relationships should not be focused simply on career related items but instead on cultivating long lasting relationships. One of the greatest benefits of business school is the vast amount of connections that can stem from your relationship with the university. Take the time during your 2nd year to develop these relationships through student clubs, dinners, trips, and social outings. Travel Finally, make sure to travel! When else will you have all of this free time to travel the world and create timeless memories? Once you start your full time job, the ability to travel for weeks on end becomes more and more unlikely, so enjoy the flexibility while you can. Your 2nd year of business school should be a wonderful time as you close out one of the most transformative experience of your life. Take advantage of all the opportunities available to you and cap off your time in business school the right way. Thinking of going to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. As always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on 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 read more of his articles here. |
08 Apr 2015, 09:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: A Simple Shortcut to Help You on the Quantitative Section of the GMAT |
 There are certain strategies that we all know, and yet, for whatever reason, sometimes hesitate to use during the exam. Some students are unusually skilled in algebra, for example, and so when we discuss the option of picking numbers, they dutifully nod and decide that this approach isn’t for them, that picking numbers is an unsatisfying shortcut that robs them of the opportunity to display their algebraic virtuosity. The problem with this line of thinking is that our goal on the test isn’t simply to answer the questions correctly, but to do them within the confines of a challenging time constraint. So while it might feel more satisfying for the quantitatively-inclined to solve a complicated system of equations than it would feel to use a strategy, a strictly algebraic approach can be counterproductive, even if done correctly. Take this Official Guide* question, for example: During a trip, Francine traveled x percent of the total distance at an average speed of 40 miles per hour and the rest of the distance at an average speed of 60 miles per hour. In terms of x, what was Francine’s average speed for the entire trip? A. (1800 – x) /2 B. (x + 60) /2 C. (300 – x ) / 5 D. 600 / (115 – x ) E. 12,000 / ( x + 200) Here’s what happens if we do this algebraically: let’s say that the total distance traveled is ‘D.’ If x% of the trip is spent traveling 40mph, then this distance can be represented as (x/100)*D. This means that the remaining distance, during which Francine will be traveling at 60mph, will be [1 – (x/100)]*D. Here’s what this will look like in a standard rate table: R T D Part 1 40 [(x/100) * D]/40 (x/100) * D Part 2 60 [[1 – (x/100)]*D]/60 [1 – (x/100)]*D Total Ugh D Well, good luck. Incidentally, this is how the Official Guide solves this question in their explanations. This approach will get you to the answer. But it will likely be difficult and time-consuming. So rather than suffer through the brutal algebra required above, we can pick numbers. I always appreciate symmetry in my math problems, so let’s say that Francine went the same distance at 40mph as she did at 60mph. If this is the case, then she went 50% of the distance at 40mph, and x = 50. Next, we can pick any distance we like for both parts of the trip. To make the arithmetic as simple as possible, let’s pick a number that’s a multiple of both 40 and 60. 120 will work nicely. Now our table will look like this: R T D Part 1 40 120 Part 2 60 120 Total Life is much improved. We can see that Francine spent 3 hours going 40mph and 2 hours going 60mph, so now we can fill in the rest of the table: R T D Part 1 40 2 120 Part 2 60 3 120 Total R 5 240 Solving for R, we get R*5 = 240. R = 48. Not so bad. So we know that if x = 50, the average rate should be 48. Now all we have to do is plug 50 in place of ‘x’ in all the answer choices, and once we get to 48, we’ll have our answer. Before we proceed, let’s think about this from the perspective of the question-writer for a moment. If we were trying to make this question more challenging, where would we put the correct answer? Considering that the average test-taker will start with A and work her way down, it makes sense to put the correct answer towards the bottom of our options, as this will require more work for the test-taker. Let’s get around this by starting with E and working our way up. E. 12,000 / (x + 200) Substituting 50 in place of ‘x’ we get: 12,000 / 250 Rather than doing long division, I’ll rewrite 12,000 as 12*1000 to get 12*1000/250 That becomes 12 * 4 = 48. That’s what we want. We’re done. The answer is E. Takeaway: There are no style points on the GMAT. We don’t want the approach that would most impress our fellow test-takers, we want the approach that gets us the right answer in the shortest amount of time. Percent questions that involve variables are excellent opportunities for simplifying matters by picking numbers. Moreover, when we find ourselves in a situation that requires testing the answer choices, we want to remember that the problem will be more challenging if the correct answer is D or E, so while this won’t always be true, it is the case often enough that it’s beneficial to start by testing E and systematically working our way up. As soon as we have our answer, we’re finished. We can save the impressive mathematical flourishes for our finance classes. *Official Guide question courtesy of the Graduate Management Admissions Council. Plan on taking the GMAT soon? We have GMAT prep courses starting all the time. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! By David Goldstein, a Veritas Prep GMAT instructor based in Boston. You can find more articles by him here. |
08 Apr 2015, 10:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: SAT Tip of the Week: 3 Ways You Should Study for the Essay |
 For many hopeful college applicants, the essay can feel like one of the most stressful portions of the SAT. It is not simply that it is the first section of the SAT, which is certainly stressful, or that so little time is allotted to complete the essay, another legitimate concern, but also that there is no way to know the question that will be posed and thus no way to know if the right example will pop into the brain of the nervous test taker while he or she is taking the test. These are all valid concerns for all the college hopefuls out there, but all of these concerns can be addressed by studying for the essay in the right way, and yes, you can study for the essay! Here are three tactics that can help alleviate some of the stress of this section and prepare students to rock the SAT essay. 1. Study Potential Examples The idea of preparing examples for an unknown prompt is baffling to many students, but it is absolutely true that students can have examples prepared in advance of the test. The SAT tends to ask very general questions. It would be out of character for the SAT pose a prompt like, “What are the strongest ways to increase the market-share of a digital product using open-source platforms?” I’m sure that this is an important question to someone, but there is no way to ensure that all high school students have been exposed to the necessary information to answer this question. The SAT is NOT looking for the single correct answer, they are looking to see if students are capable of making an argument in writing. The SAT, therefore, asks very general questions that can be addressed by a number of different examples. An example of a potential SAT question is something more like, “Is it necessary for people to sacrifice individual wants for the group to succeed?” The general nature of this question allows it to be addressed in varied ways. Most books, historical movements, or current events, which are the best examples to use to support a thesis on the SAT, are complex and contain at least one aspect that can be used make a general argument. Pick ten of your favorite books, historical figures or movements, or recent events and study them in detail. World War II is one that I have used, and it can be applied to nearly every SAT question I have ever encountered. In the above example, the sacrifice of individual soldiers, the rationing of resources for the war effort, and the use of women in the factories to produce the materials of war, which contributed to the US success in the war effort, show how individual sacrifice is necessary for the success of the group. I would fancy up my wording a little bit, but that is all the information I need for an entire paragraph of my essay. The test makers get that this essay must be completed in 25 minutes, so they are not looking for Shakespeare. If a student can pick an example that is on topic and say HOW it supports the thesis, he or she is already doing ninety percent of what they need to. 2. Time Your Practice The essay is supposed to be completed in 25 minutes, which is significantly less time than many students are used to. It is important for a student to get a feel for what 25 minutes is so that he or she does not get overwhelmed on the day of the test. Though it doesn’t sound like a lot of time, 25 minutes is plenty of time to accomplish the task of writing a simple argumentative essay, especially since the examples are already primed and ready to go. The real benefit of doing timed practice is that it teaches students not to get too bogged down with one particular paragraph or idea. Always err on the side of clarity over style. As long as the argument is clearly supporting the thesis, the essay will be in a good place. Don’t be afraid to state explicitly, “ this [example] clearly demonstrates [thesis].” 3. Make An Essay Template This is the real key to preparing for the essay. The essential make up of a five paragraph essay is simple. There is an introduction which presents the topic, states the thesis, acknowledges the opposition, and lays out how the essay will argue its point of view. There are three body paragraphs which use examples to support the thesis. Finally, there is a conclusion which restates the thesis and briefly reminds the reader what it has just read. This is all a five paragraph essay is! Because it is so formulaic in its structure, and because the topics are always essentially taking a side on some issue, the majority of the essay can be “written” beforehand in the form of a template. By plugging in this formula, it is easy to essentially create a template for what to say. Here is an example introduction using a template (*Note: the function of the sentence within the introduction is in (), and the information to be added is in []): “The notion that [Prompt] has been demonstrated in numerous contexts to be [true/false] (Thesis). Though there are some who would argue that [whatever opposition might say], this perspective does not adequately reflect the intricacies and complexities of [topic] (Acknowledgment of opposition). ([General statement about why topic is important or why thesis is true]). Three demonstrations of [thesis] are [Example One], [Example Two], and [Example Three] (How Thesis Will Be Defended).” The entire essay can essentially be sketched out in advance in the same way as above. By determining the structure in advance, more time can be dedicated to showing how the examples demonstrate the thesis. By using these techniques to study for the SAT essay, students can virtually guarantee that in the moment of taking the SAT they will be able to focus all their brain power on clearly showing how the prepared examples show their thesis and not get caught up in the paralysis caused by stress. Happy studying test takers! Still need to take the SAT? We run a free online SAT prep seminarevery few weeks. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! David Greenslade is a Veritas Prep SAT instructor based in New York. His passion for education began while tutoring students in underrepresented areas during his time at the University of North Carolina. After receiving a degree in Biology, he studied language in China and then moved to New York where he teaches SAT prep and participates in improv comedy. Read more of his articles here, including How I Scored in the 99th Percentile and How to Effectively Study for the SAT. |
09 Apr 2015, 10:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Exploit the Gap in Logic on Critical Reasoning GMAT Questions |
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When dealing with strengthen or weaken Critical Reasoning questions, it’s important to have a rough idea of what the correct answer should look like. This process is often called “predicting” the correct answer, and it helps tremendously to avoid tempting but incorrect answer choices. It’s important to note that you won’t always be able to guess the exact answer choice provided, but you can get within the ballpark. After all, the correct answer is something that will hinge on the inevitable disconnect between the conclusion stated and the evidence provided in the passage. Let’s focus on this disconnect first. If the GMAT provided you airtight arguments that were absolutely perfect, there would be no simple way to strengthen or weaken them. As such, the arguments provided inevitably have some kind of gap in logic contained between the conclusion and the evidence that theoretically supports that conclusion. Your goal is to identify that gap and either attempt to seal it up (strengthen) or rip it apart (weaken). Of course, a dozen different answers could all weaken the same conclusion, so it’s not always possible to predict the exact answer ahead of time. However, all the answers that weaken the conclusion stem from the same gap (not banana republic) in logic, whereby the evidence provided does not quite support the conclusion stated. If you can identify the conclusion and the gap in logic, you tend to do quite well on these types of questions. Let’s look at an example to illustrate this point: Researchers have recently discovered that approximately 70% of restaurant lemon wedges they studied were contaminated with harmful microorganisms such as bacteria and fungal pathogens. The researchers looked at numerous different restaurants in different regions of the country. Most of the organisms had the potential to cause infectious disease. For that reason, people should not order lemon wedges with their drinks. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion above? A. The researchers could not determine why or how the microbial contamination occurred on the lemon wedges. B. The researchers failed to investigate contamination of restaurant lime wedges by harmful microorganisms. C. The researchers found that people who ordered the lemon wedges at restaurants were equally likely to contact the diseases caused by the discovered bacteria as were people who did not order lemon wedges. D. Health laws require lemons to be handled with gloves or tongs, but the common practice for waiters and waitresses is to handle them with their bare hands. E. Many factors affect the chance of an individual contracting a disease by coming into contact with bacteria that have nothing to do with lemons. These factors include things such as health and age of the individual, as well as the status of their immune system. There is a lot of text to review for this question, so let’s begin by identifying the conclusion. (Pauses an appropriate amount of time for review). The final sentence “For that reason, people should not order lemon wedges with their drinks” is the conclusion. In fact, the first three words can be removed, as they simply point to the fact that everything previous to that sentence is evidence to back up the ultimate conclusion. The passage concludes that we should not order lemon wedges (Antilles). Let’s examine the evidence provided to back this up: 70% of the wedges observed are contaminated, and this contamination can lead to infectious diseases. Furthermore, the study was conducted in various locations across the country. This means we can’t weaken the conclusion by simply going two towns over. Apart from that, the sky’s the limit. At first blush, this passage seems like a classic causation/correlation problem. The majority of lemon wedges are contaminated, so we shouldn’t order the lemon wedges in order to avoid falling ill. Well what if something else (say the water) was contaminated, leading to tainted lemon wedges. Then we’d avoid the wedges without avoiding the underlying cause of the diseases. In the general sense, avoiding the lemon wedges may not have the desired effect because there is nothing guaranteeing that it is solely the wedges that cause infectious diseases. Now let’s look at the answer choices, keeping in mind that the correct answer choice should weaken the conclusion that the wedges are somehow responsible for any potential illness. Answer choice A, “the researchers could not determine why or how the microbial contamination occurred on the lemon wedges”, doesn’t help in any real way. Just because you don’t understand how a virus works doesn’t make it any less dangerous to you (e.g. the Walking Dead). The problem is still the lemon wedges, even if no one is sure why. This answer choice can be eliminated. Answer choice B, “the researchers failed to investigate contamination of restaurant lime wedges by harmful microorganisms” is quite obviously out of scope. Lime wedges have very little to do with lemon wedges (despite what Sprite says), so the cleanliness of the lime wedges is irrelevant to avoiding the lemon wedges. It is possible to be tempted by this answer choice if you conflate lemon with lime, especially if you’re tired, but a thorough analysis convincingly knocks this choice out. Answer choice C, “the researchers found that people who ordered the lemon wedges at restaurants were equally likely to contact the diseases caused by the discovered bacteria as were people who did not order lemon wedges” is spot on. We had predicted that the problem was about lemon wedges being correlated to infectious disease without necessarily causing them. This answer choice tells us that people who didn’t order the lemon wedges were exactly as likely to fall sick as those who did. Therefore, avoiding the lemon wedges (the conclusion) will have no effect on your likelihood of feeling sick. This will be the correct answer, but we should look through the remaining two choices nonetheless. Answer choice D, “health laws require lemons to be handled with gloves or tongs, but the common practice for waiters and waitresses is to handle them with their bare hands.” is almost certainly true, but does not weaken the conclusion. Newsflash: Not everyone follows health code guidelines. (I’ve seen Ratatouille). If anything, knowing such an uncouth practice is commonplace would strengthen the idea of not ordering lemon wedges. Answer choice D is incorrect, as our goal is to weaken the conclusion. Finally, answer choice E, “Many factors affect the chance of an individual contracting a disease by coming into contact with bacteria that have nothing to do with lemons. These factors include things such as health and age of the individual, as well as the status of their immune system” is also true, but orthogonal to the issue of lemon wedges. Perhaps you could claim that healthy people have fewer risks in ordering lemon wedges, but still it would be a health risk. This answer does not weaken the conclusion in any way, and must therefore be discarded as well. As indicated before, your prediction might not match exactly the correct answer choice, but it will exploit the gap in logic between the conclusion and the evidence. There will inevitably be (at least) one disconnect between the conclusion and the supporting evidence presented, your goal is to identify and elaborate upon that gap. If you successfully do that on test day, you can go toast your score with a celebratory drink, lemon wedges and all. Plan on taking the GMAT soon? We have GMAT prep courses starting all the time. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! Ron Awad is a GMAT instructor for Veritas Prep based in Montreal, bringing you weekly advice for success on your exam. After graduating from McGill and receiving his MBA from Concordia, Ron started teaching GMAT prep and his Veritas Prep students have given him rave reviews ever since. |
10 Apr 2015, 10:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: GMAT Tip of the Week: Writing the AWA Without Engaging Your Brain |
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Writing a Friday GMAT Tip of the Week post on a tight deadline is a lot like writing the AWA essay in 30 minutes. 30 minutes is not a lot of time, many say, and because an effective essay needs to be well-organized and well-written it is therefore impossible to write a 30-minute essay. Let’s discuss the extent to which we disagree with that conclusion, in classic AWA style. In the first line of a recent blog post, the author claimed that writing an effective AWA essay in 30 minutes was impossible. That argument certainly has at least some merit; after all, an effective essay needs to show the reader that it’s well-written and well-organized. But this argument is fundamentally flawed, most notably because the essay doesn’t need to “be” well-written as much as it needs to “appear” well-written. In the paragraphs that follow, I will demonstrate that the conclusion is flawed, and that it’s perfectly possible to write an effective AWA essay in 30 minutes or less. Most conspicuously, the author leans on the 30-minute limit for writing the AWA essay, when in fact the 30 minutes only applies to the amount of time that the examinee spends actually typing at the test center. In fact, much of the writing can be accomplished well beforehand if the examinee chooses paragraph and sentence structures ahead of time. For this paragraph, as an example, the transition “most conspicuously” and the decision to refute that claim with “in fact” were made long before I ever stopped to type. So while the argument has merit that you only have 30 minutes to TYPE the essay, you actually have weeks and months to have the general outline written in your mind so that you don’t have to write it all from scratch. Furthermore, the author claims that the essay has to be well-written. While that’s an ideal, it’s not a necessity; if you’ve followed this post thus far you’ve undoubtedly seen a number of organizational cues beginning and then transitioning within each paragraph. However, once a paragraph’s point has been established the reader is likely to follow the point even if it’s a hair out of scope. Does this sentence add value? Maybe not, but since the essay is so well-organized the reader will give you the benefit of the doubt. Moreover, while the author is correct that 30 minutes isn’t a lot of time, he assumes that it’s not sufficient time to write something actually well-written. Since the AWA is a formulaic essay – like this one, you’ll be criticizing an argument that simply isn’t sound – you can be well-prepared for the format even if you don’t see the prompt ahead of time. Knowing that you’ll spend 2-3 minutes finding three flaws in the argument, then plug those flaws into a template like this, you have the blueprint already in place for how to spend that time effectively. Therefore, it really is possible to write a well-written AWA in under 30 minutes. As discussed above, the author’s insistence that 30 minutes is not enough time to write an effective AWA essay lacks the proper logical structure to be true. The AWA isn’t limited to 30 minutes overall, and if you’ve prepared ahead of time the 30 minutes you do have can go to very, very good use. How do I know? This blog post here took just under 17 minutes… Are you studying for the GMAT? We have free online GMAT seminars running all the time. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! By Brian Galvin |
10 Apr 2015, 10:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: I'm Waitlisted: Now What? |
 Hooray! Admissions decisions have arrived!! Unfortunately, instead of a clear decision, you find out that you have been waitlisted. Your friends may know exactly where they will be attending college in the Fall or at least the couple of schools they are deciding between, but you are stuck in limbo. So what can you do? If you are on multiple college waitlists, ask yourself the questions below: 1. Analyze your acceptances and the schools where you were waitlisted. Of all of the schools, which school is your top choice where you would be happy to attend? 2. If your top choice college (identified in the first question) accepted you, don’t worry about the waitlist! Remember, you have until May 1st to submit your intent to enroll and any related initial deposits. 3. If your top choice school put you on the waitlist, there are a couple of steps you can take to show them that you are serious about attending.
By Jennifer Sohn Lim,Assistant Director of Admissions at Veritas Prep. |
13 Apr 2015, 10:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: How to Solve Advanced Compound Interest Questions on the GMAT |
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We have discussed simple and compound interest in a previous post. We saw that simple and compound interest (compounded annually) in the first year is the same. In the second year, the only difference is that in compound interest, you earn interest on previous year’s interest too. Hence, the total two year interest in compound interest exceeds the two year interest in case of simple interest by an amount which is interest on year 1 interest. So a question such as this one is very simple to solve: Question 1: Bob invested one half of his savings in a bond that paid simple interest for 2 years and received $550 as interest. He invested the remaining in a bond that paid compound interest (compounded annually) for the same 2 years at the same rate of interest and received $605 as interest. What was the annual rate of interest? (A) 5% (B) 10% (C) 12% (D) 15% (E) 20% Solution: Simple Interest for two years = $550 So simple interest per year = 550/2 = 275 But in case of compound interest, you earn an extra 605 – 550 = $55 This $55 is interest earned on year 1 interest i.e. if rate of interest is R, it is 55 = R% of 275 R = 20 Answer (E) The question is – what happens in case you have 3 years here, instead of 2? How do you solve it then? Here is a small table of the difference between simple and compound interest to help you. Say the Principal is P and the rate of interest if R  It gets a bit more complicated though not very hard to solve. All you need to do is solve a quadratic, which, if the values are well thought out, is fairly simple to solve. Let’s look at the same question adjusted for three years. Question 2: Bob invested one half of his savings in a bond that paid simple interest for 3 years and received $825 as interest. He invested the remaining in a bond that paid compound interest (compounded annually) for the same 3 years at the same rate of interest and received $1001 as interest. What was the annual rate of interest? (A) 5% (B) 10% (C) 12% (D) 15% (E) 20% Simple Interest for three years = $825 So simple interest per year = 825/3 = $275 But in case of compound interest, you earn an extra $1001 – $825 = $176 What all is included in this extra $176? This is the extra interest earned by compounding. This is R% of interest of Year1 + R% of total interest accumulated in Year2 This is R% of 275 + R% of (275 + 275 + R% of 275) = 176 (R/100) *[825 + (R/100)*275] = 176 Assuming R/100 = x to make the equation easier, 275x^2 + 825x – 176 = 0 25x^2 + 75x – 16 = 0 25x^2 + 80x – 5x – 16 = 0 5x(5x + 16) – 1(5x + 16) = 0 x = 1/5 or -16/5 Ignore the negative value to get R/100 = 1/5 or R = 20 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! |
13 Apr 2015, 13:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: You & Your Major: Don’t Get Too Attached |
 I absolutely love my major. I’ve been studying international relations since the end of my freshman year; two years in, it’s still my favorite field. I think it’s incredible that seven billion people, despite all their differences and disagreements, are able to coexist through governments and agreements. I love my professors, read the news religiously, and travel around the world to take political science classes from different countries’ perspectives. It’s awesome. That being said, one of the best choices I ever made in college was taking courses outside of my major. Originally, it was an accident; I decided to switch from political economy to political science more than halfway through the class registration process, so most of the political science courses I needed were already full. Fortunately, I had plenty of space left in my four-year class plan to take the courses I needed, so I signed up for a dance class, a physics class, and a history class to round out my schedule. Since then, I’ve gone out of my way every semester to take a course in a new field. I know I don’t have the time time (or the academic stamina) to become an expert in each field I explore, so I take friends’ and professors’ recommendations for great intro-level courses in biology, art, anthropology, and even tennis. I don’t like every field I try—the best thing I learned from a course in philosophical history is that I don’t like philosophical history—but discovering how much I do find interesting has made the whole experiment worth it. Today I can explain the basic science behind earthquakes, dance to jazz music without making a fool of myself, and analyze a classical painting. Many of my electives have helped me to understand my own field better; for instance, learning Chinese and perfecting my Spanish have enhanced my understanding of Asian and Latin American cultural and political current events. Colleges list more subjects and courses than any one student will ever be able to actually take, and after graduation you’ll lose much of your access to that huge store of knowledge. Your undergraduate years are more than just a rite of passage into the working world, or a means to a higher salary; they also offer exposure to fields you’ve never heard of, or fields you never knew you’d love. At least for me, investigating those fields was more than worth the extra few hours of class. Keep this in mind as you register for courses. Go explore! Need more guidance in planning for college? Visit our College Admissions website and fill out our FREE College profile evaluation! 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. |
13 Apr 2015, 14:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: What to Expect During Consulting Recruiting as a First Year MBA Student |
 Management consulting is one of the most popular career tracks for enterprising MBA students. In fact at some top feeder schools, this career track can represent upwards of 40% of accepted job offers. Consulting recruiting in business school is one of the most competitive and hotly contested industries for summer internships. Firms tend to only test drive a fraction of their full time hires during summer internship programs, so limited spots exist for 1st year students. Once on-campus, interested students will be surprised at the number of other students going out for consulting. This is a common occurrence at most top feeder programs, so if a career in management consulting is really your goal this should not deter you. For many schools there is a recruiting grace period that begins once you get on-campus and extends a few weeks into your first quarter/semester. This serves to allow you some time to transition into life as a student without the pressure of recruiting. However, once this grace period is over, consulting recruiting will kick into high gear. You may receive a few introductory emails from consulting firms at first but the firm specific 1st Year Presentations is the official launch of the recruiting season. During these presentations, consulting firms will introduce themselves to interested students in a formal setting. Depending on your program and the company, this may occur on-campus or off-campus at a hotel, restaurant or other private space. During this event you will have the chance to learn about firm values, meet consultants, sign-up for the mailing list, and view the summer internship recruiting calendar. The next phase involves you getting to know the firm and the firm getting to know you. This is primarily done through email, personal calls from working consultants, and “coffee chats” which are one on one in-person conversations. Also, firms may host events on campus through your consulting club about various topics related to working in the industry. During this process, firms will build a profile on potential recruits based on measurables like your resume and GMAT score but also your perceived fit. All of these elements will feed into who gets on the coveted interview list. For most programs, interview season kicks off in the new year so resist the urge to get started on case prep much earlier than this. A common issue 1st Year students struggle with is getting burned out from doing too many mock interviews. Trust experienced 2nd Year students and club leadership as they should be offering organized and structured prep for you. During interview season each firm has a different process but all involve multiple rounds with junior and senior consultants testing you with both case and behavioral questions. Once you secure your offer and make a decision on what firm to spend your summer with, the recruiting process finally ends. However, one thing you will learn about consulting recruiting is that it never really ends and after accepting the offer, and especially during your internship, you will constantly be evaluated. This can be an anxious and exhausting process so make sure to leverage your peers for support as you navigate consulting recruiting. Thinking of going to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. As always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on 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 read more of his articles here. |
14 Apr 2015, 10:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Simplify Your Calculations on Data Sufficiency GMAT Questions |
 In a previous post, I emphasized the importance of minimizing the number of variables we assign when tackling word problems in Data Sufficiency. This philosophy also works quite well when dealing with complicated geometry questions. Let’s say, for example, that you had an isosceles triangle. We know that in isosceles triangles, two sides will be equal and the angles opposite those sides will be equal to each other. Rather than call the angles ‘x,’ ‘y,’ and ‘z,’ we can designate the two equal angles as ‘x.’ Because these two angles sum to 2x, the remaining angle must be 180-2x, as the interior angles of a triangle always sum to 180. Now we have one variable to deal with, rather than three, and this greatly simplifies any future calculations we’ll have to make. Let’s apply this logic to an extremely challenging 700+ level Data Sufficiency question*: We’re given the following:  In the figure shown, point O is the center of the circle and points B, C, and D lie on the circle. If the segment AB is equal to the length of line segment OC, what is the degree measure of angle BAO?
 Fight the impulse to jump to the statements now. In a harder question like this, we’ll benefit from taking more time to derive additional relationships from the question stem. Psychologically, this is often a struggle for test-takers. You’re conscious of your time constraint. You want to work quickly. The trick is to trust that this pre-statement investment of time will allow you to evaluate the information provided in the statements more efficiently, ultimately saving time. Now the name of the game is to try to label as much of this figure as we can without introducing a new variable. Notice that segments CO and BO are both radii of the circle, so we know those are equal. Our diagram now looks like this:  Next, look at triangle ABO. Notice that segments AB and BO are equal. If angles opposite equal angles are equal to each other, we can then designate angle AOB as ‘x’ because it must be equal to angle BAO, as those two angles are opposite sides that are of equal length. Moreover, if the three interior angles of a triangle will sum to 180, the remaining angle, ABO, can be designated 180-2x. This gives us the following.  No reason to stop here. Notice that angles ABO and CBO lie on a line. Angles that lie on a line must sum to 180. If angle ABO is 180-2x, then angle CBO must be 2x. Now we have this:  Analyzing triangle CBO, we see that sides BO and CO are equal, meaning that the angles opposite those sides must be equal. So now we can label angle BCO as ‘2x.’ If angles CBO and BOC sum to 4x, the remaining angle, BOC, must then be 180-4x, so that the interior angles of the triangle will sum to 180.  We’ve got enough at this point that we can very quickly evaluate our statements, However, there is one last interesting relationship. Notice that angle COD is an exterior angle of triangle CAO. An exterior angle, by definition, must be equal to the sum of the two remote interior angles. So, in this case, Angle COD is equal to the sum of angles BCO and BAO. Therefore COD = 2x + x = 3x, which I’ve circled in the figure. (Triangle CAO is outlined in blue in the figure below to more clearly demarcate the exterior angle.)  That’s a lot of work. Determining all of these relationships will likely take close to two minutes. But watch how quickly we can evaluate our statements if we’ve done all of this preemptive groundwork: Statement 1: Angle COD = 60. We’ve designated angle COD as 3x, so 3x = 60. Clearly we can solve for x. Sufficient. Eliminate BCE. Statement 2: Angle BCO = 40. We’ve designated angle BCO as 2x, so 2x = 40. Clearly we can solve for x. Sufficient. Answer is D. Notice, all of the heavy lifting for this question came before we even so much as glanced at our statements. Takeaway: For a challenging Data Sufficiency question in which you’re given a lot of information in the question stem, the best approach is to spend some time taming the complexity of the problem before examining the statements. When you work out these relationships, try to minimize the number of variables you use when doing so, as this will simplify your calculations once you’re ready to go to the statements. Most importantly, don’t do too much work in your head. There’s no need to rely on the limited bandwidth of your working memory if you have the option of putting everything into a concrete form on your scratch pad. *GMATPrep question courtesy of the Graduate Management Admissions Council. Plan on taking the GMAT soon? We have GMAT prep courses starting all the time. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! By David Goldstein, a Veritas Prep GMAT instructor based in Boston. You can find more articles by him here. |
14 Apr 2015, 14:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: MBA Admissions Timeline: When You Should Take the GMAT, Ask for Recommendations, and More |
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As we are putting final touches on R3 applications, it is already time to start thinking about the next application cycle for many of you. This is especially true if you want to apply in R1. Deadlines that seem distant always have a way to sneak up on those who are unprepared. To help you in the planning process, we thought it would be useful to outline what a well thought-out timeline for a successful business school application might look like. This is written for the average applicant; some might be able to pull it off in a much shorter period (not recommended), others, such as non-traditional applicants, might need a lot more time. For the purposes of this exercise it is useful to divide the complete application into the following streams of work:
Regarding your recommenders, you should prepare them to write those amazing letters of recommendations. Don’t just tell them which schools you applying to and send them the email with instructions. Instead, provide them with an updated resume, relevant examples of leadership and an overview of what themes you are trying to convey in your application. (Having started the essays and resume already you will be well prepared for this.) This should happen about 6-8 weeks before the first deadline, or by early July for a September deadline. School selection starts with desktop research, includes class visits (international applicants should try to attend local information sessions), as well informational interview with alumni and current students. Be sure to check the visiting schedule well in advance, as most schools do not offer class visits around final examinations. Try to complete these by April (after that things you run out of options). Standardized test results serve as an important indicator of academic abilities in the Admissions Committee’s eyes. If you are striving for admissions to a top tier b school, you should be aiming to get it around average for that school. This means you might have to retake it more than once. (Non-traditional applicants, including military, get a break typically.) Your GMAT and GRE also serve to inject some realistic expectations into your short list of schools. Hence, getting tests out of the way early is really ideal. For a typical applicant the tests should be completed about 4 months prior to the first deadline. For September deadlines, it means the official GMAT should be taken in April, allowing sufficient time to retake the test if necessary. In summary, for a September deadline, here are some milestones you should try to hit in order put yourself in the best possible situation when applying to b school :
By Marcus D. Learn more about him here, or find the expert who’s right for you here! Visit our Team page today. |
15 Apr 2015, 09:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: SAT Tip of the Week: 5 Ways to Pace Yourself to a 2400 |
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As a young test taker I remember the terror of looking up at a clock and realizing that I was only halfway through a sixty question exam while my time had dwindled to a measly ten minutes. Many adults still have stress dreams in which they are running out of time on a timed test (how unfortunate that so many cannot even escape this dread in their sleep!) The SAT is a beast of a timed test and many students have a hard time determining how to manage their time while taking this exam. While the timed nature of the test is daunting, there are a few concrete steps that can be taken to avoid a panic attack when the words “five minutes remaining” are uttered on test day. 1. Practice Real SAT Sections With A Timer This may feel like an obvious suggestion, but it is surprising how many students go in to sit for the SAT having never actually timed themselves on any full SAT sections. A person can do the SAT question of the day until they are blue in the face, but that does not adequately prepare a student for the realities of the SAT (its worth noting that doing anything until a person is actually blue in the face may necessitate medical attention). Being prepared for the SAT is imperative to being able to use time effectively on the test day, and part of preparation is knowing what twenty five minutes feels like and what spending too much time on one question feels like. There is no substitute for practice. 2. Brainstorm for 1-3 Minutes Then Plug In Specifics To An Essay Template The time spent figuring out how to structure an essay on the SAT is time wasted. This may sound counter intuitive as structure is a big part of what the SAT graders are evaluating, but it is this reason exactly that makes the structure of the essay the first thing that can be systematized and recycled. Instead, use a little time to brainstorm examples and allow the structure to be generated ahead of time. Essentially all a brainstorm consists of is the position on the question and the examples that will be used in the argument. For example, if the SAT essay question were, “Is failure necessary for growth?” An outline could be as simple as this
3. Answer Reading Questions As You Read One of the biggest problems with time management on the reading section is the time taken to read a passage multiple times. Students often read a passage once just to get the gist of it, then go back to read it again to answer all the line specific questions. This is a waste of time. The line specific questions are in chronological order and can be answered as the reader is reading the essay. Simply read the question, mark the lines the question is referring to in the test booklet, read until a few sentences past the marked lines, and, finally, attempt to answer the question (thinking of your own answer first, of course, then looking at the answer choices). This technique alone can save a LOT of time come test day. It still may be that a student will need to ponder over an answer, but the answer is in the passage so learning to access the passage as a student is answering questions not only increases time, but also increases the student’s chances of choosing the correct answer. 4. Skip Math Questions Where The Steps Are Unclear IMMEDIATELY For most students who wish to achieve at the highest level, all questions will need to be attempted, but should a student encounter a question where the way to answer the question is unclear, the student should skip the question immediately and come back to it later. The SAT gives equal weight to every question, so spending six minutes on one question and coming up with no answer not only hurts a student on that question, but also on every question that follows. A student should attempt to answer every question that they can, so if the student does not even get to four questions at the end of a section , they have no way of knowing if they would have been able to more easily answer one of the final questions. The test is in order of difficulty, but difficulty is relative. What’s hard for one person might be simple for another, so do not waste time being baffled by a question. Be baffled, then move on quickly. *Bonus Tip: If you have answered all the questions that you feel you can approach easily, go to the questions where you didn’t know how to start and do SOMETHING. Write out formulas, label givens, eliminate answer choices that don’t make sense. Sometimes, doing the first step will lead to others and an impossible question can become quite simple. 5. Bubble Page By Page And Do NOT Focus On The Time These are general test taking guidelines, but are very useful. Rather than bubbling in every question as you answer it, a process that requires a lot of transferring of attention from the test booklet to the answer sheet, answer all the questions on a page then turn to the answer sheet and bubble in all the appropriate answers. This has the added bonus of making it harder to get off by one question on the answer sheet because students tend to pay more attention to the number of the question when utilizing this technique. Also, do not focus on the time. A little glance at the clock is fine, but you should be so used to the timing of the test that you feel whether or not you are spending too long on a question. If you realize that you are running out of time, do not panic. Simply do your best to complete the questions you can with accuracy (though it wouldn’t hurt to glance at the questions you have left and attempt those that seem possible to complete quickly). Perhaps you will get one or two more questions correct, instead of getting all the remaining questions wrong because you rushed through them. The biggest thing a student can do on the day of the test to make sure that they are pacing themselves properly is to practice often and to breathe! The stress of the day can make people jittery and poorly focused, but preparation and breathing help to eliminate these problems and prepare you to to rock the SAT. So get out that timer and start practicing! Happy Studying! Still need to take the SAT? We run a free online SAT prep seminarevery few weeks. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! David Greenslade is a Veritas Prep SAT instructor based in New York. His passion for education began while tutoring students in underrepresented areas during his time at the University of North Carolina. After receiving a degree in Biology, he studied language in China and then moved to New York where he teaches SAT prep and participates in improv comedy. Read more of his articles here, including How I Scored in the 99th Percentile and How to Effectively Study for the SAT. |
15 Apr 2015, 12:01
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: The Questions You Should Ask in Your MBA Interview |
 One of the most important portions of a business school interview (or any interview really) is the time they give you, usually at the end, to ask any questions you may have. Of course you should be prepared by then with thoughtful queries about the program, including specifics on specialty academic areas of interest (think: healthcare or energy tracks, etc.), activities and clubs, ratings, rankings, professors, etc., but in order to differentiate yourself and avoid asking the same exact questions everyone else does, it makes sense to tilt these questions towards your personal needs. Try to apply the question to something which is unique to your situation, skill-set or interests. If you can connect the questions you ask them to your unique story, you will be taking a step towards differentiation from others. The bonus is, you are also leveraging this time to offer up even more evidence for your admission. Here’s another hint: people like to talk about themselves, so have at least one question that allows them to share their opinion about, and not necessarily their knowledge about the program. You don’t want to put them on the spot by asking specifics such as, “How has the male/female ratio changed over the past five years?” or “How many countries are represented in your class?” People don’t like to be asked questions they don’t know, and doing so may undermine the rapport you have built with them thus far. Asking them about how they feel about the school or their reasons for choosing the program or specific courses or clubs is a much safer route. I would also avoid questions which sound too much like something they would have asked you, such as, “If you could change one thing about the program, what would it be?” Or, “What would your colleagues say about you as a teammate?” You get the idea—you are not interviewing them, but rather using what little time you have left to get some useful information and more importantly, tell them something more about yourself. As I have said before, feel free to have your questions on a notepad which you prepared in advance. This is a good idea for two reasons: 1) After 45 minutes of answering questions, your adrenaline may blank out your memory for the questions you had planned to ask—awkward! 2) Having thoughtfully prepared questions in advance will demonstrate preparedness and show you are thorough. Try to have more questions written down than you think you will need. There’s nothing worse than leaving dead air at the end that you otherwise could have used to keep the conversation going. Also, don’t ask them if they think you’ll be accepted or how you look compared to other candidates they are seeing. Asking if they see any weaknesses in your profile is fine, just don’t make it seem like you are trying to get privileged information about your competition. One final thing—this portion of the interview is also your last chance to present any evidence for your candidacy which was not covered adequately in the interview thus far, so you might consider using this time to discuss something you want them to know about you which you think might make a difference but didn’t come up during the regular interview. If you were well prepared coming in, you will know the top three or four points you wanted to make sure they knew about you by the time you finished the interview, so don’t leave the room until those things have all been conveyed. Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or click here to take our Free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter. Bryant Michaels has over 25 years of professional post undergraduate experience in the entertainment industry as well as on Wall Street with Goldman Sachs. He served on the admissions committee at the Fuqua School of Business where he received his MBA and now works part time in retirement for a top tier business school. He has been consulting with Veritas Prep clients for the past six admissions seasons. See more of his articles here. |
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