by Rich Cohen Rich.C@empowergmat.com www.EMPOWERgmat.com
This series of emails and PMs focuses on situations that many Test Takers face during their studies. The names of the original posters have been changed to protect their identities.
Broad Study Advice
Hi Rich,
I’ve been studying for some time already and scored 550 on a practice test. I have two more months to study and want to score a 650. How many hours should I study each day?
Gabbie
Hi Gabbie,
You shouldn't expect to study every day, as it's not healthy to do so. As a general rule, I recommend a study plan based around 10-15 hours per week, under the additional rule that the studying be done in "small chunks" (the exception - full length CATs).
Unfortunately, volume of study doesn't necessarily lead to high scores. You still need to be sure that you're learning the proper tactics and improving over the course of your studies. A GMAT Course can help you to learn the right tactics and teach you all manner of inside information about the GMAT that you wouldn't necessarily learn from self-study.
FAST Tactics Besides Doing Math
Dear Rich,
How would you answer this question? How would you do the algebra or would you use a different method?
A certain state levies a 4 percent tax on the nightly rates of hotel rooms. A certain hotel in this state also charges a $2.00 nightly fee per room, which is not subject to tax. If the total charge for a room for one night was $74.80, what was the nightly rate of the room?
68
69
70
71
72
Hobie
Hi Hobie,
Certain GMAT Quant questions are written in such a way that you can just TEST THE ANSWERS against the information in the prompt until you find the one that matches. This method can be remarkably fast when done correctly.
With these 5 answers choices, you could technically start with any of them. In most cases, you should opt to test one of the "middle" answers first (usually starting with B or D is the best choice, but here answer C is a nice round number, so it would be easy to test).
If the nightly rate was $70, then the tax would be 4% of 70 = (.04)(70) = 2.80 and then you'd add the $2 room fee….
70 + 2.80 + 2 = 74.80 which is an exact match for what's listed in the prompt.
Thus, the final answer is C
Uncommon Language in CR Prompts
Rich,
Can you please explain to me the expression: “No two children understood?”
In an experiment, two-year-old boys and their fathers made pie dough together using rolling pins and other utensils. Each father-son pair used a rolling pin that was distinctively different from those used by the other father-son pairs, and each father repeated the phrase “rolling pin” each time his son used it. But when the children were asked to identify all of the rolling pins among a group of kitchen utensils that included several rolling pins, each child picked only the one that he had used.
Which one of the following inferences is most supported by the information above?
(A) The children did not grasp the function of a rolling pin.
(B) No two children understood the name “rolling pin” to apply to the same object.
(C) The children understood that all rolling pins have the same general shape.
(D) Each child was able to identify correctly only the utensils that he had used.
(E) The children were not able to distinguish the rolling pins they used from other rolling pins.
Ilya
Hi Ilya,
Answer B ("No two children understood that the name 'rolling pin' to apply to the same object") means that if you took ANY TWO children from the study and asked them to find the 'rolling pin', they would point to different objects.
This is inferred from the information in the last sentence of the prompt.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
