How to Get a 700 on the GMAT
Getting a 700 GMAT score isn’t easy, and it’s not the right goal for everyone. But if it wasn’t tough to get a 700, it wouldn’t be such an accomplishment! Here’s how to get a 700 on the GMAT and add something really special to your MBA applications. Read more
How to Take a GMAT Practice Test
While you study for the GMAT, you should take a practice test every 1-3 weeks. Here’s how to get started and how to get more out of every GMAT practice test you take.
Getting Past a GMAT Score Plateau
Is your GMAT score stuck? Are you starting to wonder whether to stop studying for the GMAT? If you’re in this situation, but you don’t have the score you want, try following this plan first.
What You Don’t Need to Know for the GMAT
There are a lot of rumors and misinformation about the topics that the GMAT tests. The test writers provide plenty of good info about what the GMAT does test (here’s a good place to start, as well as the Official Guide to the GMAT), but it’s much harder to find reassurance that certain topics won’t be tested. So, let’s look at some of the topics that students ask me about the most, and get the low-down on whether you have to study them.
How to Get a Perfect GMAT Quant Score
How can you get the elusive Q51 on the GMAT? To start, let’s be clear that this question is mostly a matter of curiosity. You don’t need a 51 on Quant to score a 700 on the GMAT: technically, with a perfect Verbal score, you would only need a 36! You don’t need a 51 on Quant to get into HBS: the median score last year was 48. You don’t even need a 51 to be a test prep teacher (although if you want to work for MPrep, you do need to be in the 99th percentile)!
And this is a good thing, because as you’re about to learn, getting a 51 on Quant involves at least a little bit of luck.
Know What to Do On Any GMAT Problem
You’ve studied, and studied, and studied, and studied. You can rattle off the first twenty perfect squares and the definition of a dependent clause. You know the four-step process for Critical Reasoning and the formula for the volume of a cylinder. So, why are you still missing GMAT problems?
Quick GMAT Math Hacks
Here are a few of the most useful quick GMAT math tricks I’ve learned over the years. They won’t show up on every problem, or even on every Quant section. But, if you happen to use one of these GMAT math hacks on test day, it could save you anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Common Math Errors on the GMAT
Do you ever make mistakes on GMAT math that just don’t make sense when you review? That’s not unusual, and in fact, it’s probably one of the most common reasons to miss easy GMAT math problems. Here’s why:
- When you’re under pressure, your memory becomes less reliable.
- Each person will find some things easier to remember than others.
How to Review a GMAT Reading Comprehension Question
Reviewing a GMAT Reading Comprehension question is similar to reviewing a Critical Reasoning problem. Just as with Critical Reasoning, not all RC problems are equally important to review. The most important problems to add to your ‘review later’ list are the ones that were just a bit too hard. Feel free to set aside the 800-level problems for now, but spend some extra time on the ones you almost got right. That’s where you’ll learn the most right now.
How to Review a GMAT Critical Reasoning Problem
Are you keeping an error log for your GMAT Verbal practice? If your goal is to get a certain overall score on the GMAT (say, a 700), don’t underestimate the value of Verbal. That’s true even if you’re scoring at a higher percentile in Verbal than you are in Quant. Read more