GMAC Releases Its 2012 Application Trend Survey
September 25, 2012
GMAC, the makers of the GMAT, has released the findings from their 2012 Application Trends Survey. “A record 744 programs from 359 business schools in 46 countries participated in the survey this year. They include 527 MBA programs, 24 business doctoral programs (PhD/DBA) and 193 specialized masters programs. This year’s survey report includes, for the first time, results for masters in information technology management and masters of marketing/communications” (GMAC Press Release, September 17, 2012).
The survey showed some interesting trends in the applicant pool from the last year. While there is an overall upswing in applications for business programs, fewer traditional 2-year MBA program in the US are seeing the increase while more significantly more international 2-year full-time programs are seeing more applicants. In addition, the applicant pool in the US is increasingly composed of foreign applicants. While traditional program applications are up over the previous year, they are still far short of the numbers in 2008.
More aggressive growth can be found in non-traditional programs such as online, distance, and 1-year programs along with more specialized programs in management, accounting, and finance, according to the study. MBA students are trending toward programs that offer more flexibility. One comment in the survey noted that the increased demand for flexibility may be because the economy is starting to pick up and business professionals don’t want to leave their position or a new raise/opportunity in order to go back into school full-time for 2 years.
Overall, the survey noted that the strength of the applicant pool is trending up or, at the very least, holding steady, indicating that strong application packets will continue to be important. What kinds of programs are you most interested in pursuing – traditional, online, specialized, or some kind of hybrid?
Master Reading Comprehension Question Types: Part II
September 6, 2012
In a blog last last week, I talked about the importance of identifying the common question types in the reading comprehension portions of the GMAT and delved into the specifics for detail and global questions. Today, let’s continue that deeper look at the specifics for the common reading comprehension questions with a look at inference and function (logic) questions. Specifically let’s look at how to spot them, how to predict using the pattern behind the question, and how to spot the most common wrong answer types. Both of these questions generally constitute the harder or more commonly missed set of questions in the reading comprehension.
One of the most commonly missed reading comprehension questions is the inference question because of how it is treated on tests versus our common everyday use of inference. First of all, to spot them you are looking either for something that references “is true” or uses “infers,” “implies,” or “suggests” in the question stem. The most common phrasing is “most likely agree” in an inference stem. Once you see any of these triggers, immediately switch your mindset to look for what MUST be true. Because the language is soft in the question stem, test-takers usually just consider and look for what COULD be true. That will lead you straight to trap answer choices. You MUST look for what MUST be true. I even started mentally adding “must it be true that…” before reading each answer choice. Trust me; this will revolutionize your approach to inference questions. In addition to looking for what MUST be true, lean toward choices that have what I would call softer or squishy wording like “some,” “could,” “likely,” etc. It’s much easier to write a MUST be true answer about some things than it is to write a MUST be true about all things.
In addition to identifying the right answer, knowing the choices that you can eliminate can be just as helpful. The most common wrong answer types on inference questions are the out of scope and extreme choices. As stated above, it’s harder to write something that MUST be true about everything. Therefore, lean away from the extreme wording. Also, many out of scope choices COULD be true, so they are appealing. Asking whether it MUST be true will help you avoid these traps.
The last of the big four reading comprehension question types is the function (logic) question. These questions ask about WHY an author included some detail in the passage. You can spot these because they commonly include a line reference and include phrasing such as “functions to,” “in order to,” or “serves to.” In order to answer these questions efficiently and effectively, look to the opinion or main idea right around that detail; context is key in these questions. Typically that means that you are looking at the author opinion that is directly above or in the topic sentence of that particular paragraph. Occasionally, the point supported can come after the detail. Expanding out beyond the lines mentioned in the question is crucial to taking care of these questions adeptly. With function questions, the traps or most common wrong answers are those that pertain to the detail but don’t answer the question why – they distort what the question is asking. To avoid these make sure you always align yourself to look at the context.
Outside of these four primary question types (detail, global, inference, and function), there are a few outliers such as application, vocab-in-context, strengthener, and weakener questions. If a question doesn’t clearly fit one of the big four, don’t try to force the pattern. The patterns take time and repeated practice to get used to, but if you want to take your reading comprehension score to the next level on test day, aligning your approach with the specifics of each type is the way to go!
Master GMAT Reading Comprehension Question Types: Part I
August 30, 2012
Do you want to take your reading comprehension performance on the GMAT to the next level? Once you’ve developed your passage mapping, it’s time to turn your attention to the question stems. In order to truly master the questions in an effective and efficient way, knowing the nuanced and blatant differences among the question types helps you approach the question in a way that avoids the common missteps and tightens your evaluation of the answer choices.
There are really four primary question types that appear with the typical reading comprehension passage with great regularity. For our purposes right now, we’ll focus on those; however, there can be other outlier question types that appear occasionally. The main question types are global, detail, inference, and function/logic. Let’s take a look at the first two – global and detail – today.
First, global questions are so incredibly common. You can spot them because they ask for things like the “main idea,” “primary purpose,” or even a title. Just like the name implies, these questions ask about the big picture of the passage. Additionally, the author’s opinion or lack thereof is essential to tackling these questions with confidence. If you are considering the main idea, look for the author’s overall opinion about the scope of the passage or, when there is no author opinion, just the scope. For primary purpose questions, it’s again all about author opinion and how charged that opinion is. In passages with very clear author bias, verbs like “advocate,” “argue,” or “refute” will start any answer choice that is worth consideration. In passages with very little or no author opinion, neutral verbs like “describe” or “explain” will be what you want to look for. No matter what form the global question takes, the main trap choices are those that are too narrow or only deal with a small portion of the passage. In order to avoid this, keep your eye on big picture and author opinion as you read.
Secondly, detail questions are deceptively simple because they ask about very specific points in the passage. In order to spot these questions, look for wording such as “according to …” or “the ___ states.” As long as something in the question stem doesn’t tip it over to inference from there, you are looking for something that was directly stated in the passage. The primary thing that test-takers do with detail questions is rely on their short-term memory to answer these because they don’t want to go back and spend more time in the passage. However, the test-makers build in amazing traps in detail questions. Be on the lookout for choices that are misused details, specifics from the passage that don’t answer the question. These feel familiar because they were in the passage, so they are commonly chosen. Also, there are many choices that are distortions in detail questions; these choices start out beautifully but take a turn at the end that steps outside of the bounds of the passage. Because many test-takers don’t truly read the answer choice all the way through, these are common trap choices. In order to avoid both, go back and quickly verify the correct detail; with a good map, this is a quick process.
We’ll look at the other two primary reading comprehension question types next week. In the meantime, practice spotting these two in your GMAT prep. Align yourself to predict in a way that is appropriate for the question type, and you will find your performance on these types quickly tightening. Finally, being armed against the most common wrong answer types for each is also essential to effective and efficient management of these questions. So until next week, happy studying and happy reading!
Tough GMAT Probability Questions
August 16, 2012
Tackling some of the tougher GMAT probability questions efficiently relies on both steady practice and your ability to make two key decisions well. First, you will need to quickly and accurately assess the total number of possible outcomes (the denominator of your probability equation). Second, within a multitude of possible approaches, you will need to determine the most efficient route to calculate the number of desired outcomes (the numerator of your probability equation).
With the clock ticking away on your GMAT CAT, figuring out the total number of possibilities can be time-consuming and fraught with room for error. For instance, if a question asks about the probability of getting at least 2 heads on 5 coin tosses, you could sit there all day writing out possibilities:
HHTTT
HTHTT
HTTHT
So forth and so on. I know I got dizzy with the possibilities just writing those three out. There is a better and more efficient way. For every coin that you toss there are 2 possibilities. You can think of the total possibilities like a permutation problem.
__2__ __2__ __2__ __2__ __2_
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Just like in a GMAT permutations question when we are trying to determine the total number of codes possible or 4-digit numbers, we would multiply these individual probabilities together. Therefore, there are 2x2x2x2x2 = 2^5 = 32 total possibilities.
Next, we need to look at the numerator (desired outcomes). We want to find the all of the possibilities that have at least 2 heads, which means that we could have 2 heads, 3 heads, 4 heads, or 5 heads. To do so, we would need to count all of the different ways that these possibilities could be arranged. Again, we find ourselves in a situation that will be time-consuming and fraught with error. Instead of going down this path, remember that the sum of the probabilities of a complete set of mutually exclusive possible outcomes is 1. Thus, as is often the case on “at least” probability questions, we can look for those options that are restricted. Then we only have to count the options that have 1 or 0 heads.
TTTTT
HTTTT
THTTT
TTHTT
TTTHT
TTTTH
There are only 6 of those, instead of the 26 possibilities the other way.
Finally, we can either subtract 6/32 from 1 in order to remove all of the restricted possibilities from 1 or we can subtract 6 from 32 and use the result as the desired possibilities. Either way, the answer is 26/32, which you can reduce down to 13/16.
Let’s look at another to make sure we have this down.
Question
A test has 5 multiple-choice questions. Each question has 4 answer options (A,B,C,D). What is the probability that a student will choose “B” for at least four questions if she leaves no questions blank? Pause a moment and try it for yourself first.
Step 1: Total number of possibilities
There are 5 questions and each has 4 possibilities, so our total possibilities would be 4x4x4x4x4 = 4^5 = 1024
Step 2: Approach Desired Strategically
Here there are far more possibilities for 0, 1, 2, or 3 “B’s,” so let’s get a total for 4 or 5 “B’s”.
All B’s — B,B,B,B,B
Four B’s — A,B,B,B,B – B,A,B,B,B – B,B,A,B,B – B,B,B,A,B — B,B,B,B,A
C,B,B,B,B – B,C,B,B,B – B,B,C,B,B – B,B,B,C,B – B,B,B,B,C
D,B,B,B,B – B,D,B,B,B – B,B,D,B,B – B,B,B,D,B – B,B,B,B,D
3 x 5 = 15 because we can repeat the same pattern for each letter other than B
We can also calculate the total possibilities of 4 B’s by calculating the possibilities for each “no-B” position.
No-B,B, B, B, B = 3x1x1x1x1 = 3
B, No-B, B, B, B = 1x3x1x1x1 = 3
B, B, No-B, B, B = 1x1x3x1x1 = 3
B, B, B, No-B, B = 1x1x1x3x1 = 3
B, B, B, B, No-B = 1x1x1x1x3 =3
A total of 15 possibilities with 4 B’s in the mix
That gives a total of 16 different ways that a student can choose at least 4 B’s here.
16/1024 = 1/64 as our final probability.
Keep these two decisions in mind each time that you approach a tough probability question on the GMAT quantitive section. You don’t have to write out all of the possible outcomes in order to tackle these on test day!
The language of probability can take a while to learn, especially if you are unfamiliar or out of practice with it to start. Post your questions below, and we can help you get on track.
Road to Business School: San Francisco
August 11, 2012
San Francisco is next: read this and see which schools will be in attendance.
After visiting Chicago and LA, tomorrow we’re moving on to San Francisco. If you live in the bay area and are thinking about business school this year or next, come check out the event. You can get more details and register here. Below you will find details on the where and the when of tomorrow’s event along with a list of the schools that will be in attendance and their Twitter handles.
Road to Business School San Francisco
Where:
Grand Hyatt San Francisco
345 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
When:
Sunday, August 12th from 1PM-4:30PM
To prepare:
Take a moment or two to jot down your top questions for the admissions officers from the schools you are interested in so that you are ready to make a great first impression. You may even want to get your elevator pitch ready just in case you get put on the spot with one of the admissions officers from your top choice. Finally, do a bit of research on your top schools before the event. A great place to start is the school’s Twitter feed. To get you started, here is a list of the schools joining us in Los Angeles:
San Francisco RTBS Schools and Twitter Handles:
- Babson College – @BabsonMBA
- Boston University – @BUManagement
- Brandeis International Business School – @BrandeisIBS
- Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) – @teppercmu
- Claremont University (Drucker) – @DruckerSchool
- Emory University (Goizueta) – @EmoryGoizueta
- Georgetown University (McDonough) – @msbgu
- Georgia Tech (Scheller) – @georgiatechbsch
- Hult – @Hult_Biz
- IE – @IEbusiness
- IESE – @iesebs
- Indiana University (Kelley) – @KelleySchool
- INSEAD – @INSEAD
- Johns Hopkins (Carey) – @JHUCarey
- Melbourne Business School – @MBScarlton
- Michigan State University (Broad) – @MSUBroadCollege
- New York University (Stern) – @NYUStern
- Ohio State (Fisher) – @FisherOSU
- Penn State (Smeal) – @SmealCollege
- Purdue University (Krannert) – @PurdueKrannert
- San Francisco State University – @SFStateMBA
- Southern Methodist University (Cox) - @SMUCox
- The Duke MBA (Fuqua) – @DukeFuqua
- Thunderbird – @TBirdAdmissions
- UC Berkeley (Haas) – @BerkeleyHaas
- UC Riverside – @UCRiverside
- UC San Diego (Rady) – @RadySchool
- UCLA Anderson – @uclaanderson
- University of California, Davis – @ucdavismba
- University of California, Irvine (Paul Merage) – @UCIrvine_MBA
- University of Illinois – Champaign – @uiucbusiness
- University of Maryland (Smith) – @SmithSchool
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst (Isenberg) – @IsenbergUMass
- University of Minnesota (Carlson) – @CarlsonNews
- University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) – @kenanflagler
- University of Notre Dame (Mendoza) – @nd_mba
- University of Rochester (Simon) – @SimonSchool
- University of San Diego – @SanDiegoMBA
- University of San Francisco – @usfmanagement
- University of Southern California (Marshall) – @USCMarshall
- University of Texas – Austin (McCombs) – @UTexasMcCombs
- University of Washington (Foster) – @UWFosterSchool
- Vanderbilt (Owen) – @VanderbiltOwen
- Washington University in St. Louis (Olin) – @WUSTLbusiness
Throughout the event, we will be live tweeting from @KaplanGMATprep using hashtag #RTBS. Make sure to check in with us and the schools you are talking to on Twitter. Also, look for great contest opportunities during the event via Twitter and Instagram (@kaplangmatprep).
We can’t wait to see you on the road to business school!
Road to Business School: Los Angeles
August 7, 2012
Next up – Los Angeles…
The GMAT team is on the road this month visiting cities all over the country with our Road to Business School events. With admissions competition still fierce at top MBA programs, and the MBA job market improving, students and professionals seeking to rebound or advance will want to know invaluable strategies about how to get into business school. For those of you in the LA area that are considering business school, join us on August 11th for our Road to Business School event. This event is a fantastic opportunity to network with admissions officers from top MBA programs around the nation and the world, learn key strategies for the GMAT, and hear from experts on the admissions process. Here are the event details:
Road the Business School Los Angeles
Where:
Millennium Biltmore Hotel
506 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
When:
Saturday, August 11th from 11AM-2:30PM
To prepare for this event, you’ll want to first register; it’s completely free, but space is limited. Next, join our Road to Business School Inner Circle contest for a chance to win an edge over the competition. Next, take a moment or two to jot down your top questions for the admissions officers from the schools you are interested in so that you are ready to make a great first impression. You may even want to get your elevator pitch ready just in case you get put on the spot with one of the admissions officers from your top choice. Finally, do a bit of research on your top schools before the event. A great place to start is the school’s Twitter feed. To get you started, here is a list of the schools joining us in Los Angeles:
Los Angeles RTBS Schools and Twitter Handles:
- Babson College – @BabsonMBA
- Boston University – @BUManagement
- Brandeis International Business School – @BrandeisIBS
- California State University – Fullerton (Mihaylo) – @CSUFMihaylo
- Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) – @teppercmu
- Claremont University (Drucker) – @DruckerSchool
- Emory University (Goizueta) – @EmoryGoizueta
- Georgetown University (McDonough) – @msbgu
- Georgia Tech (Scheller) – @georgiatechbsch
- Hult – @Hult_Biz
- IE – @IEbusiness
- Indiana University (Kelley) – @KelleySchool
- INSEAD – @INSEAD
- Johns Hopkins (Carey) – @JHUCarey
- Melbourne Business School – @MBScarlton
- Michigan State University (Broad) – @MSUBroadCollege
- New York University (Stern) – @NYUStern
- Ohio State (Fisher) – @FisherOSU
- Penn State (Smeal) – @SmealCollege
- Purdue University (Krannert) – @PurdueKrannert
- Southern Methodist University (Cox) - @SMUCox
- The Duke MBA (Fuqua) – @DukeFuqua
- Thunderbird – @TBirdAdmissions
- UC Riverside – @UCRiverside
- UC San Diego (Rady) – @RadySchool
- UCLA Anderson – @uclaanderson
- University of California, Davis – @ucdavismba
- University of California, Irvine (Paul Merage) – @UCIrvine_MBA
- University of Denver (Daniels) – @uofdenver
- University of Illinois – Champaign – @uiucbusiness
- University of Maryland (Smith) – @SmithSchool
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst (Isenberg) – @IsenbergUMass
- University of Minnesota (Carlson) – @CarlsonNews
- University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) – @kenanflagler
- University of Notre Dame (Mendoza) – @nd_mba
- University of Rochester (Simon) – @SimonSchool
- University of San Diego – @SanDiegoMBA
- University of Southern California (Marshall) – @USCMarshall
- University of Texas – Austin (McCombs) – @UTexasMcCombs
- University of Washington (Foster) – @UWFosterSchool
- Vanderbilt (Owen) – @VanderbiltOwen
- Washington University in St. Louis (Olin) – @WUSTLbusiness
Throughout the event, we will be live tweeting from @KaplanGMATprep using hashtag #RTBS. Make sure to check in with us and the schools you are talking to on Twitter. Also, look for great contest opportunities within the next few days leading up to and during the event via Twitter and Instagram (@kaplangmatprep).
We can’t wait to see you on the road to business school!
The Chicago Road to Business School
August 3, 2012
With admissions competition still fierce at top MBA programs, and the MBA job market improving, students and professionals seeking to rebound or advance will want to know invaluable strategies about how to get into business school. For those of you in the Chicago area that are considering business school, join us on August 9th for our Road to Business School event. This event is a fantastic opportunity to network with admissions officers from top MBA programs around the nation and the world, learn key strategies for the GMAT, and hear from experts on the admissions process. Here are the event details:
Road the Business School Chicago
Where:
Congress Plaza Hotel
520 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
When:
August 9th from 6:30-9:30pm
To prepare for this event, you’ll want to first register; it’s completely free, but space is limited. Next, join our Road to Business School Inner Circle contest for a chance to win an edge over the competition. Next, take a moment or two to jot down your top questions for the admissions officers from the schools you are interested in so that you are ready to make a great first impression. You may even want to get your elevator pitch ready just in case you get put on the spot with one of the admissions officers from your top choice. Finally, do a bit of research on your top schools before the event. A great place to start is the school’s Twitter feed. To get you started, here is a list of the schools joining us in Chicago:
Chicago RTBS Schools and Twitter Handles
- Boston University – @BUManagement
- Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) – @teppercmu
- DePaul University (Kellstadt) – @DePaulMBA
- Emory University (Goizueta) – @EmoryGoizueta
- George Washington University – @gwbusiness
- Georgetown University (McDonough) – @msbgu
- Hult – @Hult_Biz
- IE – @IEbusiness
- IESE – @IESEbs
- Illinois Institute of Technology (Stuart) – @Illinoistech
- Indiana University (Kelley) – @KelleySchool
- INSEAD – @INSEAD
- Johns Hopkins (Carey) – @JHUCarey
- Loyola University Chicago (Quinlan) – @LoyolaQuinlan
- Melbourne Business School – @MBScarlton
- Michigan State University (Broad) – @MSUBroadCollege
- Northwestern University (Kellog) – @KelloggSchool
- Ohio State (Fisher) – @FisherOSU
- Penn State (Smeal) – @SmealCollege
- Purdue University (Krannert) – @PurdueKrannert
- Southern Methodist University (Cox) – @SMUCox
- The Duke MBA (Fuqua) – @DukeFuqua
- Thunderbird – @TBirdAdmissions
- University of California, Irvine (Paul Merage) – @UCIrvine_MBA
- University of Chicago (Booth) – @booth_insider
- University of Denver (Daniels) – @uofdenver
- University of Illinois at Chicago (Liautaud) – @UICLiautaud
- University of Illinois – Champaign – @uiucbusiness
- University of Iowa (Tippie) – @TippieIowa
- University of Maryland (Smith) – @SmithSchool
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst (Isenberg) – @IsenbergUMass
- University of Minnesota (Carlson) – @CarlsonNews
- University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) – @kenanflagler
- University of Notre Dame (Mendoza) – @nd_mba
- University of Rochester (Simon) – @SimonSchool
- University of Southern California (Marshall) – @USCMarshall
- University of Texas – Austin (McCombs) – @UTexasMcCombs
- University of Washington (Foster) – @UWFosterSchool
- Vanderbilt (Owen) – @VanderbiltOwen
- Wake Forest University – @Stacy_WFUMBA
- Washington University in St. Louis (Olin) – @WUSTLbusiness
- Wisconsin MBA – @WisconsinMBA
Throughout the event, we will be live tweeting from @KaplanGMATprep using hashtag #RTBS. Make sure to check in with us and the schools you are talking to on Twitter. Also, look for great contest opportunities within the next few days leading up to and during the event via Twitter and Instagram.
We can’t wait to see you on the road to business school!
The Business School Elevator Pitch
July 30, 2012
Imagine, if you will, that you are standing in the lobby of a large building right now and have just pushed the button to go up to the 30th floor for an appointment you have in a few minutes. As you are waiting for the elevator to arrive, you strike up a conversation with the person waiting with you. To your amazement, you find that your companion for the elevator ride will be none other than an MBA admissions officer from your top b-school – the very b-school that you are applying to this fall! First of all, this very scenario is not outside the realm of possibility if you attend our Road to Business School events in August. Second, what will you say in the 30-45 seconds you have to make a great impression and potentially secure your dream?
Before you meet the admissions officers that you will meet at the Road to Business School and before you send in that application to your programs of choice, it is essential that you refine and define your elevator pitch! This is the synopsis, in under one minute, of what qualifies you as a candidate and why they should be interested in admitting you. There are three vital questions to answer in your elevator pitch.
1) Why do you want to go to business school?
2) Why our business school rather than others?
3) Why is now the right time for you to go to business school?
These three questions are the heart of any good application, and if you can’t answer them, you need to spend some time refining your answers to them in order to present a compelling case in person and in your b-school application. You will want to answer these questions in long form in your personal statement, but you will also want a short form for your interview and for events in which you have the opportunity to meet these officers such as our Road to Business School fairs.
When you are answering these questions, you want to make sure that you are authentic. The rationale behind your answers needs to come from a place and a desire within you. Also, admissions officers want to know that you have taken the time to do your research about the differences between schools. Know the specifics of the program you’re interested in. Get specific about why you would choose their specific program over others. What classes interest you, what groups will you join, and how will you fit the culture of the school?
Finally, before you attend a Road to Business School event where you will meet these admissions officers, practice your elevator pitch. Present your pitch to friends, family, your dog, etc. until it feels natural and polished. Remember to get to the point and make every word count — just like tweeting. This process will also set you up nicely to write your personal statement and prepare for your interview. Get started now because you never know when you’ll get that short elevator ride that could change the trajectory of your future, and plan to join us for the Road to Business School in August to make that meeting definitely happen!
Road to Business School 2012
July 26, 2012
If you are applying to business school in the near future, you, no doubt, have questions about your candidacy, your application, and the differences amongst the various schools. There is a business school that fits you best, but with so many to choose from, how do you narrow it down? One of the best ways to get started is by talking to admissions officers from the schools you are considering. These officers are a great wealth of information on applications, school visits, specialized MBA programs, and much more.
These event not only give you the chance to learn about the schools but also afford admissions officers the opportunity to learn about you. These individuals may or may not remember your face as they sort through thousands of candidates, but referring to them by name on your application can jog their memory and is a clear way to demonstrate your sincere interest in a school.
At Road to Business School events, you’ll be able to meet and talk with admissions officers from over 30 schools in an open networking environment. In addition to the invaluable time with admissions officers, you will also be able to:
1) Hear from a panel of admissions officers as they answer some of the most common questions about bschool admissions.
2) Choose from a wide range of breakout sessions on every aspect of the admissions process.
3) Flex your GMAT muscles in challenging question sessions.
4) Network with students from the schools that you are interested in.
Attending one of these events is an efficient way to do your bschool research. Join others on the same road and get the ball rolling on your application process. All of these events, including our first virtual b-school fair, are free to attend. However, space is limited, so you will want to register soon.
For more information or to register go to our Road to Business School page.
To get you started, check out a this advice from an admissions officer at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management at a 2011 Road to Business School event:
GMAT Ratio Problems: Avoid the Algebra
July 14, 2012
Mastering ratio questions on the GMAT requires systematic organization of the individual pieces and a solid understanding of how ratios are typically presented and tested on test day. One of the most common presentations of ratios on test day is a question that presents a part:part or part:whole relationship and asks for the actual number of a part, the whole, or a difference between the parts.
The first thing to note about ratios is that they represent relationships between items. On the GMAT Quantitative Section, the ratio is usually in the simplest form; I call this multiple level 1 because it represents the smallest potential positive quantity for each aspect of the ratio. For instance, if a question tells you that the ratio of apples to oranges is 2:3, you know immediately that the minimum number of apples possible is 2 while the minimum number of oranges is 3 and the minimum total pieces of fruit is 5. Also, the actual number for those items must be a multiple of that minimum. Selecting the correct answer quickly on ratio questions commonly revolves around your ability to determine a multiple for one of the parts in a ratio relationship.
In order to manage all of the information in the question well, let’s pull out a tried-and-true tool, the basic chart. I know that most of us set up a proportion for these questions and solve algebraically. We absolutely can deal with ratios in a traditional math route through a proportion and algebraic equation; however, setting up the algebra traditionally leaves more room for error and can take a bit more time depending on the complexity of the question. The method is ultimately up to you, but in your GMAT prep you always want to learn to choose the most efficient and effective route for the particular question at hand. If you love the algebra, go for it (For those who want to avoid it more often, check out this additional GMAT strategy). In this post, I want to introduce and explain my favorite way to deal with this typical ratio question type – the ratio grid:
| Multiple Level | ||||
|
1 |
Step 1: Identify Ratio Parts
First, let’s take a look at the different pieces of data that can be presented in a ratio question. The first things to identify about the given ratio are the individual parts. In the example ratio of apples to oranges from above, we have a base ratio of 2:3. The stated parts of the ratio are apples and oranges, so we plug these into the chart with their respective minimums.
| Multiple Level | Part 1: Apples | Part 2: Oranges | ||
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
Step 2: Finish Level 1 Quantities
Next, finish out your base minimums, determining the minimum total by adding the minimum individual parts and determining the minimum difference by subtracting the smaller part from the larger part.
| Multiple Level | Part 1: Apples | Part 2: Oranges | Total Fruit | Difference |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
Step 3: Strategically Eliminate
At this point, pause and eliminate answer choices strategically based on the minimums you have identified. The answer MUST be a multiple of the corresponding minimum that the question is asking for. Often this one step is the last thing that you will need to solve the question. For example, using our hypothetical apples : oranges scenario above, if a question asked for the total number of apples, eliminate anything that is not a multiple of 2 because the total number of apples must be some kind of multiple of 2. If the question is looking for the total number of oranges, eliminate all choices that are not a multiple of 3. If the question is asking for the total number of fruit in the basket, eliminate all choices that are not a multiple of 5 and so on. If that does not eliminate 4 choices, we move on to the next level to evaluate those choices that are left.
Step 4: Plug in the Actual Value From Question
In a typical ratio question, along with the base ratio, the test-makers will give you an actual total for one of the parts, the total, or the actual difference. Your task at this point is to plug the actual value in at the appropriate place in the chart and to determine which multiple level that actual value is sitting at. For instance, for our scenario of the apple to orange ratio of 2:3, if the question told you that there are 30 total pieces of fruit in the basket, we would plug 30 in below the original 5 and determine the multiple level by identifying what 5 must be multiplied by to get to 30. Since, 30 is 5 times 6, we are working on level 6.
| Multiple Level | Part 1: Apples | Part 2: Oranges | Total Fruit | Difference |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
|
6 |
30 |
Step 5: Determine Your Answer
At this point you can solve for any of the remaining parts. For instance, if the question told you that in a basket the ratio of apples to oranges was 2:3 and the total pieces of fruit in the basket was 30 and asked for the actual number of apples in the basket, you would multiply 2 by 6 to get 12.
| Multiple Level | Part 1: Apples | Part 2: Oranges | Total Fruit | Difference |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
|
6 |
12 |
30 |
Now, let’s walk through these steps using a realistic GMAT question:
The ratio of girls to boys in a class is 6:7. If there are 18 girls, how many total students are in the class?
A) 18
B) 21
C) 27
D) 28
E) 39
Step 1: Identify the Parts and Step 2: Fill in the Remaining Level 1 Quantities
First, look at just the base ratio to establish the minimums for level 1. The ratio of girls to boys in a class is 6:7.
| Multiple Level | Boys | Girls | Total Students | Difference |
|
1 |
6 |
7 |
13 |
1 |
Step 3: Strategically Eliminate
Because we are ultimately solving for the total number of students in the class, we need to eliminate anything that is not a multiple of 13, our minimum number of total students.
A) 18 – eliminate
B) 21 – eliminate
C) 27 – eliminate
D) 28 – eliminate
E) 39 – keep (MUST be the answer)
And we are done! Always check your multiples before you deal with the rest of the question. Sometimes, this is all that you need to correctly and strategically solve.
Let’s look at one more that is a bit more difficult.
Three investors, A, B, and C, divide the profits from a business enterprise in the ratio 5:7:8, respectively. If investor A earned $3,500, how much money did investors B and C earn in total?
A) $4,000
B) $4,900
C) $5,600
D) $9,500
E) 10,500
Step 1 & 2: Identify Parts and Finish out Grid
First we look at the base ratio to establish some minimums. Three investors, A, B, and C, divide the profits from a business enterprise in the ratio 5:7:8, respectively. In this chart, I modified the total column slightly because the goal of the question is to deal with the sum of B and C.
| Multiple Level | A | B | C | Sum of B and C |
|
1 |
5 |
7 |
8 |
15 = (7+8) |
Step 3: Strategically Eliminate
The goal is to solve for the sum of investors B and C, so the answer MUST be a multiple of 15. Eliminate every choice that isn’t a multiple of 15.
A) $4,000 – eliminate
B) $4,900 – eliminate
C) $5,600 – eliminate
D) $9,500 – eliminate
E) $10,500 – Keep – MUST be the answer
Let’s look at one last variation of this pattern.
At a certain zoo, the ratio of sea lions to penguins is 4 to 11. If there are 84 more penguins than sea lions at the zoo, how many sea lions are there?
A) 24
B) 36
C) 48
D) 72
E) 132
Steps 1 & 2: Set up the base ratio
At a certain zoo, the ratio of sea lions to penguins is 4 to 11.
| Multiple Level | Sea lions | Penguins | Total together | Difference |
|
1 |
4 |
11 |
15 |
7 |
Step 3: Strategically Eliminate
Since we are solving for the number of sea lions, eliminate any choice that is not a multiple of 4.
A) 24 – Keep
B) 36 – Keep
C) 48 – Keep
D) 72 – Keep
E) 132 – Keep
Step 4: Plug in Actual Value and Determine Multiple Level
“If there are 84 more penguins than sea lions at the zoo” is the given difference between the pieces. To get to 84 you must multiply 7 by 12, so we are at multiple level 12.
| Multiple Level | Sea Lions | Penguins | Total Together | Difference |
|
1 |
4 |
11 |
15 |
7 |
|
12 |
84 |
Step 5: Determine your answer
Since we are looking for the number of sea lions, multiply the base 4 by the multiplier 12. Therefore, “C” is our final answer.
| Multiple Level | Sea Lions | Penguins | Total Together | Difference |
|
1 |
4 |
11 |
15 |
7 |
|
12 |
48 |
84 |
The big takeaway for ratio questions on the GMAT is that most are about multiples. Make sure that you check multiples before you waste too much time walking through the problem completely. Also, organize your information systematically on test day to efficiently and effectively walk through every question on the test.
Do you have a favorite way to approach these questions? Post it in the notes so that we can all check it out.
