How Not To Cheat on the GMAT.

February 8, 2012 by



One of our most popular blog posts last year was about cheating on the GMAT. It seems the idea of working around the complexities of the test and ‘outsmarting’ the GMAC and Business Schools is a popular fantasy—though I hope that none of our readers seriously entertained the idea.

But there are plenty of ways to get around the toughest parts of the test. So without further ado, here are some tips that feel like cheating but aren’t!

Non-cheat #1: Skip to the right answer without solving the question.

We’ve covered GMAT shortcuts and we have strategies like backsolving and picking numbers in other places, to I won’t go into too much detail here.  But suffice to say, the fact that you have only five answer choices means that in many cases, problems that appear to require complex

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GMAT tip: Got a question? Ask it!

February 6, 2012 by



I spend a lot of time teaching.  By virtue of this profession, I spend a lot of time fielding questions.  I actually thrive on questions.  Questions tell me many things.  Each of the following line items begins, “If my students are asking questions, it means…”

  1. They’re engaged.
  2. Class rapport is healthy.
  3. We’ve created a learning environment.
  4. This is a concept I need to spend more time on right now.
  5. This is a concept I need to revisit and work into subsequent lessons.
  6. I am asking sufficient/appropriate questions.
  7. My delivery is off and I need to adjust.
  8. They care.
  9. They are learning.
  10. I am doing my job.

Make no mistake, I truly do love questions.  Which is why I hate the statement that precedes so many of the questions I love: “This is a dumb question…”

No!  It’s not!  Let me ask you this—in your previous history as a student, each time

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Resume Building for your MBA Application Part 3: Content Tips and Tricks

February 5, 2012 by



By MonaAbdel-Halim

This is the final part of a 3-part series.  Make sure to read part 1 and part 2 to understand the context.

Content Tips & Tricks

Now that you are more familiar with a U.S. resume, have an idea of the format you will use and know what to include, these tips and tricks will help ensure you maximize your resume effectiveness and present the reviewer with the best picture of what you have to offer:

●     Be clear and concise: Overly flowery adjectives and verbs can leave an employer annoyed or, worse yet, confused. Keep your work experience brief and concise. Use bullet points when possible and use action verbs to describe the nature of your roles with prior employers. Always strive to detail accomplishments, rather than just job responsibilities.

●     Short and sweet: Remember, resumes should be short and sweet.

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Ignorance is Bliss (Well, sometimes) – GMAT Question

February 4, 2012 by



I live in New York, so I do not spend very much time driving.  However, a couple weeks ago I was visiting my family out of state and I found myself behind the wheel.  Driving down a busy street at forty miles per hour, I had to watch for changing lights, for pedestrians and for other cars.  But what I found most remarkable, was what I did not even notice.  The color of the pavement, the trees lining the curb, and the birds flying through the air.

You are probably wondering what this could possibly have to do with the GMAT.  Just as I found the case to be when driving, on most GMAT problems we focus on all of the information we need, but, it is just as important to make sure that we ignore any superfluous

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Resume Building for your MBA Application Part 2: Content

February 2, 2012 by



ByMonaAbdel-Halim

This is part 2 of a 3-part series. Make sure to read Part 1 to understand the context.

Content

Do be sure to include content broken down into the following categories:

Education: Be sure to list any relevant education to the opportunity in which you are applying. For instance, if you attended a trade school and it is relevant to the position, it is appropriate to list it. Otherwise, be sure to list any institutes of higher education and degrees earned. Majors and minors are generally good to list, while GPAs are unnecessary in most cases but highly recommended if higher than a 3.5 in a 4.0 scale. The same also goes for standardized exams. If you’re in the top 10%, show it. Otherwise, leave it out.

Professional Experience: Professional experience is typically best when detailed chronologically. This will make following your career trajectory

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Commanding the Clock on the GMAT

January 31, 2012 by



I watched the Oscar-nominated film Master and Commander when it came out in theaters, and to this day a particularly ghastly scene lingers in my mind. While fighting through a brutal, sudden storm, the captain of the ship (a very macho Russell Crowe) is forced to make a horrible decision. Two of his men have gone overboard, clinging to a snapped mast floating in the ocean. The mast is still connected to the boat by its rigging, and as the squall blows the boat onward, the deck slowly lists to the side and takes on water, dragged down by the sodden wood and cloth. The men on the mast beg for help, knowing the freezing water is not survivable. But the captain knows that he has seconds before the mast will capsize the boat. Without hesitation, he takes an

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Resume Building for your MBA Application Part 1: Aesthetics

January 30, 2012 by



By: MonaAbdel-Halim

Curriculum Vitaes and resumes are often referred to interchangeably, but to the professional world, these documents are very different. Resumes are the accepted norm in the United States, while CVs are the accepted norm in European and Asian countries — different in title, but very similar in content.

Conversely, CVs in the United States are expanded documents focusing on research, teaching, coursework, and publications. These are typically only used in the academic environment, while some components are the same as resumes you’ll need to apply to business school, the format is noticeably different.

If you already have a CV, you are halfway there…just follow these simple guidelines to help you turn it into a winning resume.

Aesthetics

Length: U.S. resumes are typically no longer than one or two pages long. Resumes are

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GMAT Timing – Arithmetic Shortcuts

January 29, 2012 by



Timing on the GMAT quantitative section presents a challenge to a majority of students. Between complex formulas, which can be hard to remember and apply, and word problems, which can conceal simple math among layers of text, there are a number of places to lose time—or, if you’ve followed Kaplan’s blogs and other resources, to avoid losing times with clever tricks and strategies.

But the truth is, sometimes you will spend a full minute just decoding a complex word problem. And that’s okay. The GMAT assigns problems adaptively, meaning that every last student will encounter problems that challenge them.

But that extra time needs to come from somewhere. If we’re slowing down to understand complex prompts, we need to speed up somewhere else to save time. And one of the places that you should not be spending a lot of time is arithmetic. The GMAT is

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Compete in B-school

January 28, 2012 by



You are going to be very busy in business school. Whether a part-time or full-time student, time will be in short supply.  So does it make sense to add even more work to an already heavy load?  Unequivocally, “Yes!”

I have written before about the importance of getting involved in extra-curricular activities while in grad school.  In fact, experiential learning initiatives are becoming part of the curriculum at our nation’s b-schools.  Why?  Because of their inarguable value in terms of augmenting your education.

OK, so how do you get involved?  The most common way is to enter into a business competition.  There are many of these competitions throughout the year, each unique in its own way.  Perhaps your institution even hosts one, or regularly participates in some long-standing

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2 Dice and the GMAT. What’s the relationship?

January 26, 2012 by



While my students certainly accept that they have to take the GMAT, I often hear complaints about the applicability of GMAT topics – especially math – to real world situations.  My usual response to this observation is that the GMAT is using math questions to test critical thinking skills that business schools consider essential.

However, some GMAT problems have surprising real world applications outside the realm of business.  The sample problem below is an example of one such question.  Specifically, it can help you win at craps.

If you want to try the problem on your own, skip down to it now and then return here – part of this discussion will give you clues about the correct answer.

For those of you not familiar with craps, the basic play is fairly

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