GMAT vocabulary study tips for ESL and international students.
The GMAT has a reputation for being tough, and it can seem especially daunting when it’s not just the content or strategy of the exam—but the language itself—that presents a challenge.
Never fear! Kaplan teachers help many students prepping for business school who learned English as a second language, and we’ve got some steps to help you get proactive in building your GMAT vocabulary.
Aim for total English immersion between now and Test Day
Immersion means surrounding yourself with exclusively English movies, English music, English radio, English-speaking friends, and English newspapers. You can absorb grammar and acquire a better ear for the language even in the short time between now and Test Day if you immerse yourself.
For speakers of English as a second language, resources abound on the internet: nytimes.com for reading, npr.org for radio (Fresh Air, Diane Rehm, and This American Life are great picks), free podcasts on iTunes, English music on pandora.com—all of these are great places to build your vocabulary.
The New York Times is especially important, since you need to be comfortable with high-level prose in the GMAT reading comprehension section. Nytimes.com is particularly helpful to that end because double-clicking on a word you don’t know calls up a definition. Any improvements you make in GMAT vocabulary and reading comprehension will also help you once you get to business school.
Use your first language to help with GMAT vocabulary
Particularly if you’re an international student who speaks a Romance language, such as French, Spanish, or Italian, you can use your knowledge of that language to make educated guesses on unfamiliar and obscure English words included as part of the GMAT vocabulary. Spanish-speaking students, for example, will likely have no problem guessing that “lachrymose” means tearful, considering it sounds just like “lágrimas,” which is Spanish for “tears.” Word roots will also come more naturally to you, since they are often forms of words you already know.
Recognize that math vocabulary is equally important
You might be very strong in math—but if you studied it in a language other than English, you’ll need help with some terms. Many of our students in Puerto Rico, for instance, know “odds and evens” as “pares and impares.” The GMAT math makes more sense if you learn the English translations for unfamiliar math terms. When you encounter math terms you are unsure of, look them up. Also, practice accurately translating Algebra word problems—this is a particularly important skill for international students to master before Test Day.
Become familiar with the Kaplan essay templates
Simplicity and clarity are the keys to writing an essay in a foreign language in just 30 minutes. First, make sure you understand the prompt. If you are enrolled in a Kaplan course, use the Kaplan Template for the essay and know that you will probably have to make use of all the time valves in order to finish. When writing, it is better to communicate something simple directly into English, as opposed to translating something complex from your native language into English. This is definitely something you will want to practice repeatedly under test-like conditions.
Pace appropriately if you speak English as a second language
When reading questions and passages takes longer than average, pacing becomes more challenging. You want to make sure you input an answer for every question, even if you have to guess, since you don’t lose points for wrong answers.
If you’ve learned English as a second language, you may find that pacing while reading can be tricky. Kaplan’s elimination strategies for wrong answer traps on GMAT reading comprehension will help you learn to answer more quickly. Also, using the approaches for each reading comprehension question type will save you time. Place special emphasis on these facets of your study to make the most of the time you have.
Sure, the fact that you learned English as a second language may cause a bit of anxiety anxiety about the GMAT, but following these strategies will allow you to be as proactive as possible when facing the challenge. Many international students and speakers of English as a foreign language are accepted into MBA programs every year. Ready to be one of them?
Get familiar with the content, strategy, and the language used on the GMAT by checking out Kaplan’s test prep course options.
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