GMAT Pill Review: An Online Video Course From A Former GMAT Tutor

January 28, 2012 By 2 Comments

For the past year, I’ve seen the GMAT Pill mentioned on various online forums like Beat The GMAT and GMAT Club. The founder, Zeke Lee, has been active on the forums, and I’ve been impressed with the sample videos he has posted around the web. Recently I’ve had the opportunity to review the whole video series. Here’s my review in bullet point format.

- What Is the GMAT Pill? The GMAT Pill is essentially a complete online video course for the exam; it consists of five individual “pills”, one for each question type. The pills can be purchased individually, or the whole 27-hour package can be purchased at once. Since there’s currently a massive discount for buying the whole thing, that’s the recommended option.

The videos are written and narrated by Zeke Lee, a Stanford grad who scored 760 on the exam. From the content of the videos, I can tell he clearly has an extensive background teaching the GMAT. He spends more time on important topics, and less time on unimportant topics.

The quality of the audio and visuals is fine. They’re not as polished as the videos from Kaplan or Manhattan GMAT, but this can be explained by the fact that GMATPill is a one-man show. Zeke appears to have created all the content himself, and I think there’s a benefit to this since he consistently refers to his core frameworks.

The whole GMAT Pill course is intended to be completed in about one month. When you purchase the course, you receive a syllabus that details exactly where you should be on days 1-30. That being said, you obviously don’t have to follow the syllabus to the letter; in fact, you get lifetime access to the videos once you purchase. Personally I feel you could watch the videos over the course of 2 months while working on Official Guide problems and you would be fine.
Surpisingly, the GMAT Pill actually has a 50-point score increase guarantee (conditions are described below).

- How Good Is The Content? Over the past couple weeks I’ve spent a good deal of time watching the GMAT Pill videos, and my verdict is that the content is very good. It’s similar to the lessons you would get if you hired your own private GMAT tutor, and the overall cost is much less. The quant videos are comprehensive; as you work your way through the videos, all the various GMAT quant topics are introduced and discussed. The two quant sections (Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency) each have a series of “Core frameworks” videos, which are content lessons that describe how to approach particular question types. Additionally, each section has timed quizzes that you can do right within your web browser. The quiz questions tend to be challenging, and are actually labeled “600-level” or “700-level” questions. After completing a quiz, you see the results, and can watch an individual video explaining any questions you missed.

The verbal sections follow the same pattern, with one difference. For each verbal question, Zeke first answers it quickly through elimination. Then, he reviews the problem slowly and thoroughly, and explains the logic that helped him eliminate the wrong answer choices. This is the same method that I’d use if I was explaining a problem in-person to a student.

Zeke he devotes more time to topics that appear frequently, and less time to topics that appear infrequently. For example, in the Sentence Correction pill, he spends 30 minutes discussing Subject-Verb Agreement, while he spends only 6 minutes discussing Active Voice vs. Passive Voice. That’s about the right balance – both topics appear on the exam, but you’re far more likely to be tested on Agreement.

- How Much Does It Cost? The price of the whole set is currently under $250 if you purchase through this link, although that may change.

- Who Should Buy The GMAT Pill? I recommend the GMAT Pill for:

1) Students who don’t have the time to physically travel to a GMAT class twice a week
2) Any new GMAT test-takers that want a full-length course that will walk you through the content of the whole exam
3) Students with a limited time frame of 1-2 months
4) Students who live in an area where there are no GMAT courses or GMAT tutors available

- Who Shouldn’t Buy The GMAT Pill? If you really like taking in-person classes, or you can only concentrate when you are physically in a classroom, then the GMAT pill is not for you. It’s a self-study course, so you will have to be disciplined about watching the videos while blocking out distractions like your phone, Facebook, etc.

One potential drawback when compared to the major test prep companies is that you don’t get access to their vast array of online resources. However, Zeke is clearly very active in responding to questions through email; in fact, in order to be eligible for the 50-point score increase guarantee, he requires that you contact him twice over a 30-day period.

50-Point Guaranteed Score Increase: The GMAT Pill actually has a 50-point score increase guarantee, which is unusual for a small company. It comes with certain conditions attached – but that’s true with any GMAT company guarantee. (For example, Kaplan has rather stringent requirements). The GMAT Pill’s requirements are in line with Zeke’s approach of ‘improve your score within one month’. To meet the guarantee you must:
1) Log in to the GMATPill site and watch the videos on 22 of the 30 days prior to your exam
2) Email Zeke with two questions at some point during the 30 days.

These seem like pretty reasonable conditions.

Conclusion: I’d recommend the GMAT Pill as a viable alternative for students that want a complete self-study GMAT course. Like any product, the GMAT Pill has to be compared to the alternatives. On the expensive side, full-length courses from a major test prep companies like Kaplan or Manhattan GMAT cost $1200 and up. On the less expensive side, you can just buy the 3 Official Guides for about $50. The GMAT Pill is a viable middle option.

Zeke has posted a ton of free content around the forums and on his website, so if you’re interested in seeing some of his videos, you can visit the GMATPill website here.

 

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Total GMAT Math by Jeff Sackmann – Another Source Of GMAT Sample Questions

August 27, 2011 By 5 Comments

Update January 2012: In addition to the book Total GMAT Math, Jeff Sackmann has also written a math supplement called 1800 GMAT Practice Questions. This is a huge additional resource of GMAT sample questions. Both of these books can be bought from his online store here: GMAT Hacks.  

As a GMAT tutor, I’m always looking for new GMAT practice materials that will be helpful for my students. Over the past two years there has been an explosion of new books and online courses designed to help students improve on the exam. This includes startup companies like Knewton and Grockit, complete online video courses like the GMAT Pill, and new content delivery platforms like iPhone apps.

Of course, there are also standard textbooks available, and these materials can be just as effective. One example is Jeff Sackmann’s Total GMAT Math. I’ve been hearing about this book for a couple years on various forums, and I finally got a copy. Sackmann works as a GMAT tutor in New York City and runs the website GMAT Hacks. He’s been teaching the GMAT for over ten years; like many private instructors, he began with a major test prep company and then went off on his own. I’ve been reading his GMAThacks blog for a while now and I’ve been impressed with the level of quality content.

Total GMAT Math is available as a PDF for $49.95, or a paperback book for $59.95. I’ve been using the PDF and think this is a good option, as it encourages you to do your scratchwork separately (like the real exam).

GMAT Hacks Review

The first thing you notice about this book is that it’s huge – 430 pages in all. Sackmann includes literally every sub-topic of math for the GMAT. As a result, the book is extremely comprehensive. It was updated in 2010 and Sackmann has said that he periodically retakes the GMAT, so it’s likely that the material is up to date. Of the 430 pages, 260 are content and 170 are explanations. The explanations are one of the book’s main strengths – they are considerably more detailed than those in the Official Guide.

I was impressed by the organization of the book. Each sub-topic is divided into three parts: first, an overview of how to solve that question type; second, a question drill that reinforces the concept; third, a set of GMAT sample questions in the actual format of the exam (including answer choices A-E.) Here’s a screenshot of some GMAT Rate problems from the book:

gmat hacks rate problems pg 148

GMAT Sample Questions

As mentioned, the book is quite comprehensive and covers every topic you are likely to see on the GMAT. Some readers may find the beginning of the book too basic – it starts with overviews of arithmetic and algebra. Yet even here, Sackmann adds value in his discussion of “Mental Math”, which are tricks that are designed to help prevent difficult handwritten calculations. I know from experience that many students struggle with decimal multiplication and division, so this section should be very helpful for saving time and preventing careless errors. Sackmann actually believes that you can never do any long division at all on the GMAT. I think that’s stretching it a bit, but you can definitely avoid many long calculations with his recommendations.

The questions themselves are very good, and they have the most important characteristic of GMAT sample questions: they closely model questions from the Official Guide. As everyone knows, the undisputed best GMAT book is the Official Guide for GMAT Review 12th Edition. The problem with the OG is that there are a limited number of questions and the explanations are often poor. Sackmann has based many of his problems on Official Guide questions, but his explanations are longer and much more comprehensible. Here’s the explanations to the earlier questions:

gmat hacks rate problems explanations

The GMAT books that I typically recommend are the excellent set of books from Manhattan GMAT, which I think are the best on the market. However, I always give students the caveat that some MGMAT question are too “far out” and unlikely to appear on the actual exam. Total GMAT Math doesn’t have this problem – everything in the book closely models official questions provided by the GMAC.

The book starts to get really good later on. I noticed that Sackmann devotes extra time and practice questions to topics that appear more frequently on the exam, such as GMAT Work problems and Number Properties problems. Every topic has at least 5-10 GMAT-like sample questions. However, for the more important topics, Sackmann adds an extra set of more difficult “challenge questions.” The fact that Sackmann organized the book like this demonstrates his extensive familiarity with the exam. These “challenge questions” provide an excellent extra set of example problems for those looking to score 700 on the GMAT.

GMAT Hacks Review Summary

In summary, Total GMAT Math is an excellent resource for students seeking extra questions and explanations that go beyond the Official Guide. The book only costs about $50, so I highly recommend it as part of a study program. To see the book on Sackmann’s website, head over there now. Click here to visit GMAT Hacks.

 

 

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Los Angeles MBA Programs Overview

June 13, 2011 By 3 Comments

If you’re looking at MBA programs in Los Angeles, there are a few options to consider. The only two programs with national reputations are UCLA Anderson and USC Marshall, but there are several other programs with strong local reputations and extensive alumni networks.

Before I discuss the schools and their respective rankings, I should mention that all ranking systems have inherent flaws and biases. Most rankings data is derived from polls of school officials (deans, MBA program directors, admissions officers) and depends heavily on reputation. Malcolm Gladwell recently wrote a New Yorker article trashing rankings systems in general and U.S. News in particular.

I also like this article from MBA admissions website Poets and Quant comparing MBA rankings systems. Clearly, the quality of an MBA program cannot be reduced to a simple rankings number. Even schools that are not nationally ranked may be especially strong in one particular area. For example, Loyola Marymount’s MBA program has a top-25 finance curriculum, while Pepperdine has a very strong social and environmental curriculum. So the best program for any individual depends on his or her particular interest.

Without further ado, here are the options for an MBA in Los Angeles. The list below only includes schools that are accredited by the AACSB, the accrediting body for MBA programs.

UCLA Anderson School Of Management

The UCLA Anderson School is the top-ranked program in LA, and the only one ranked in the Top 20 nationally. Anderson is definitely the most selective on this list: to be admitted, you’ll want at least a 700 GMAT, a strong undergraduate GPA, solid work history, and excellent recommendations. You will also have to distinguish yourself in your application essays.

UCLA is known to be particularly strong in finance, real estate, and entrepreneurship. In the national rankings, it falls around 14th, so it’s not part of the ‘elite 8′ MBA programs. However, the real strength of this program is in the student body. For the aspiring MBA that wants to stay in Southern California, UCLA is the only top national program, so the students at Anderson are among the most driven, motivated people in the area. Many Anderson students get accepted into elite schools like Wharton or Chicago Booth, but choose to stay in LA for a variety of reasons such as the superior climate. :)

The field study part of UCLA’s MBA program is called AMR (Applied Management Research) and it takes place during the second year, over the course of six months. ULCA’s description is:

“This two-quarter challenge in the second year of the MBA program brings 80 teams of three to five students in contact with the organizational and competitive realities of business. Each team spends 20 academic weeks (October – March or January – June) for approximately 10 hours per week per person examining a specific company, industry, and strategic opportunity. Teams then develop a written and oral strategic implementation recommendation. Organizational partners range from mature companies to young companies. Partners might be close by in Southern California or as far away as Santiago or Prague.”

Essentially this means that each student team writes a business plan for a currently operating company. This is a very valuable experience with direct relevance to many post-MBA jobs. The list of companies that have participated include companies like 20th Century Fox, Capitol Records, the Los Angeles Opera, and Playboy Enterprises.

UCLA also has a part-time program called FEMBA (Fully-Employed MBA), which was recently ranked #1 in the nation by BusinessWeek. However, I would strongly recommend the full-time option. I am actually a graduate of the FEMBA program (2009) and in my experience, the recruiting was heavily biased towards the full-time students. FEMBAs are eligible to take part in the recruiting process which begins in the fall of the 2nd year; however, I found that employers preferred to hire full-time students for both jobs and internships.


UCLA MBA Class Profile:

Latest UCLA MBA Rankings:

  • Poets&Quants: 17
  • BusinessWeek: 17
  • U.S. News & World Report: 15

Tuition & Fees: $81,966 (resident), $97,854 (non-resident)

Median GMAT: 710

GMAT Range (mid-80%): 680-750

Average GPA: 3.53

Acceptance Rate: 29%

Full-Time Enrollment: 729 (33% international)

USC Marshall School Of Business

The Marshall School at USC ranks only slightly below UCLA in the national MBA program rankings. In the most pollsrankings USC is slightly outside the Top 20. USC is noted for being particularly strong in entrepreneurship and accounting, and US News ranks the program top-10 in each of those disciplines.

There are a few other areas where Marshall shines. The school is noted for having deep connections to the Asian business community. In fact, the field study part of the Marshall program is called PRIME, Pacific Rim International Management Education. This is part of the required first-year curriculum at Marshall. It includes courses in international business strategy and global economics. PRIME concludes with a 10-day overseas trip in which students “visit selected domestic and multinational companies and governmental institutions, to observe global operations and interview senior managers.”

Another area where USC is particularly strong is MBA-type jobs in the entertainment industry. Entertainment companies with local offices (such as Disney, Universal, and Fox Broadcasting) love to recruit from USC for jobs in finance, entertainment marketing, strategic planning, and business development. USC actually offers a formal Certificate program in the Business Of Entertainment which can be earned along with an MBA degree.

As an LA resident, I can throw in one caveat to attending USC. The school is not located in a great area of town. Housing is limited for grad students, so it’s more of a commuter school. Many students wind up living in Downtown, West Hollywood, or the Westside. Thus, the student body is very geographically spread out. This is contrast to UCLA, which is in a nice area with lots of nearby apartment options for grad students.

USC MBA Class Profile:

Latest USC MBA Rankings:

  • Poets&Quants: 22
  • BusinessWeek: 26
  • Forbes: 32
  • U.S. News & World Report: 20
  • Financial Times: 57

Tuition & Fees: $97,800

Median GMAT: 690

GMAT Range (mid-80%): 640-740

Average GPA: 3.30

Acceptance Rate: 22%

Full-Time Enrollment: 518 (22% international)

Mean Age: 28

Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management

The Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine is the third-highest ranked MBA program in the LA area. It’s still somewhat selective: the median GMAT score at Pepperdine is 650. In the latest MBA program rankings, it came in around 78th in the nation. However, this number doesn’t include the whole picture. Pepperdine has a strong reputation in the Los Angeles area as well as a very large and diverse local network.

The school offers a wide variety of programs – there’s a one-year fulltime MBA, a two-year fulltime MBA, several part-time sections, and an executive program. Unlike UCLA, Pepperdine students pick an area of concentration from among five choices: dispute resolution, entrepreneurial management, finance, leadership and managing organizational change, or marketing.

Pepperdine’s field study program is called the E2B (education-to-business) Applied Learning Program. In this program students form a 5-person ‘consulting team’ and spend 15 weeks working with a local business. At the end of the program, students are asked to provide real-time strategic and operational recommendations to their companies. The range of companies that participate is very diverse – in the past, the program has included corporate giants like Coca-Cola and Cisco as well as local auto shop and software startups. E2B is similar to the field study programs at Anderson and Marshall, except its focus is more local than international.

“The student body at Pepperdine is very diverse. I’ve taken classes with surgeons, an oncologist, lawyers, and even a Navy jetfighter pilot. My classmates have included students that were alumni from Stanford, Caltech, Princeton, and other prestigious universities. On the other end of the spectrum, I know students from FIDM, Devry, and University of Phoenix that were accepted into the program and were actually really hardworking team players. Overall, the students at Pepperdine are really hardworking and really ambitious.”

Overall, Pepperdine is a strong program with a solid reputation on the West Coast. It’s an especially good choice for working students who are unable to hit the 700 mark on the GMAT.


Latest Pepperdine MBA Rankings:

  • Poets&Quants: 78
  • Forbes: 75
  • U.S. News & World Report: 82

Tuition & Fees: $77,468

Median GMAT: 650

GMAT Range (mid-80%): 580-710

Average GPA: 3.23

Acceptance Rate: 79%

Full-Time Enrollment: 376 (24% international)

Mean Age: 27

Other Los Angeles MBA Programs

If you are unable to reach the GMAT range of the schools above, there are a few others worth taking a look at.

Loyola Marymount University MBA

Loyola Marymount really shines for its part-time MBA program, which is ranked thirteenth in the country by BusinessWeek. US News still puts the part-time program in the Top 50. This program even ranks ahead of USC – not surprisingly, 70% of the students are part-time. Interestingly, US News ranks Loyola’s finance program among the top 25 in the country. This is a major accomplishment when you consider the competition Loyola is up against. The finance curriculum is a major determinant of any MBA programs’ overall quality.


Latest Loyola Marymount MBA Rankings:

  • Business Week: 13 (part-time program)

Tuition & Fees: $3324 per class

Average GMAT: 616

Total Enrollment (Part-Time): 102

CSUN MBA

Cal State Northridge is an MBA program with a good reputation around the San Fernando Valley. The minimum required GMAT score is a 540, the median score. There’s no fulltime program – only an evening part-time program. If you live and work in the San Fernando Valley and intend to stay there after graduation, CSUN may be a good option. Especially if your company will provide tuition reimbursement.

Other CSU MBA Programs (Cal State LA MBA, Cal State Long Beach MBA, etc.)

The other Cal State LA are good options if you intend to stay local, or if your company will pay for graduate school. Although they may lack the reputation and network of other programs, they are still accredited and have a rigorous academic curriculum.

Anywhere Else (University Of Phoenix MBA)

Personally I would recommend against pursuing an MBA anywhere else in the LA area, unless your employer will give you full tuition reimbursement. The University Of Phoenix MBA program is not accredited by the AACSB, so unless you have very specific reasons why it will benefit your career, I’d pick a CSU school.

 

 

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UCLA Anderson MBA 2011 News

March 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Through the end of 2010, I worked with a number of GMAT students that are currently waiting to hear back on their applications. For UCLA in particular, Round 2 applications were due January 5th, and the official date for a decision is March 30th. However, any applicant still being considered for Round 2 should have been invited for an interview by now.

For anyone who applied Round 3, it could still take several months to hear back from the adcom, as they are currently wrapping up the Round 2 applicants.

UCLA MBA Application Deadlines For 2011:

MBA Round 1

Application Deadline: October 20, 2010

Decisions Released: January 12, 2011

 

MBA Round 2

Application Deadline: Jaunary 5, 2011

Decisions Released: March 30, 2011

 

MBA Round 3

Application Deadline: April 12, 2011

Decisions Released: June 1, 2011

 

FEMBA Round 1

Application Deadline: November 3, 2010

Decisions Released: February 2, 2011

 

FEMBA Round 2

Application Deadline: February 9, 2011

Decisions Released: May 4, 2011

 

FEMBA Round 3

Application Deadline: April 27, 2011

Decisions Released: June 22, 2011


 

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Los Angeles GMAT Success Story

March 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The below entry is quite long, so here’s a summary: One of my GMAT students was able to improve her score, but still fell short of her target. However, she was accepted to her MBA program of choice.

In September of last year, a student contacted me for GMAT help. She had already taken the GMAT and scored a 420. Her goal was to get into an MBA program at a local California State university. This school has a strong reputation around Los Angeles, where many professionals are alumni. The student’s scoring goal was 540, which was the average score for the school. Coincidentally, that’s also the current median GMAT score of all test-takers.

We began meeting once per week for two-hour sessions. Much of the time was spent reviewing targeted Official Guide problems in the student’s weak areas. We also reviewed several full-length GMAT practice exams. The practice exams were taken using the GMATprep software exams and Manhattan GMAT’s online CAT exams.

This student was smart, but somewhat inconsistent with her studying. She worked full-time and frequently travelled on the weekends, so the majority of her studying was in small increments during the week. She also took a couple of extended breaks from studying altogether.

After I tutored this student for about two months, she took the exam in late November. Her score was a 470 – an improvement of 50 points, but still disappointing. We had a long conversation to discuss the results. She told me that during the exam, she got into timing difficulty on the Quant session, and had to rush through the last five problems. She also got slammed by some difficult Reading Comprehension science passages about obscure topics. However, she decided to retake the exam once more.

I was glad to hear that the student was determined to give the GMAT one last shot. She scheduled her next exam for late December. During this month, we continued to meet once per week. She also applied to her target MBA program with the 470 score, and was rejected.

During the month of December, our third month working together, things began to click. (Side note: sometimes, it really does take that long to get used to the questions on the GMAT!) I could tell that she was becoming more skilled at solving problems on the Quant section. She became much more efficient, and she improved her timing as well. Previously, she was spending 3 minutes on difficult questions, yet still getting them incorrect. Now, following my recommendation, she would just make an educated guess after 90 seconds.

The net result was that she retook the GMAT on December 31st and scored a 510. We were both happy that she had improved, but disappointed that she wasn’t able to reach her target score. Nonetheless, she had now managed to improve 90 points from her original score. She submitted her new GMAT score to the school, even though it was still below their average score.

A few weeks later, the student called the admissions office of the school that had rejected her. On this call, she discovered that the school had an ‘appeals process’ in which you could ask for your application to be reconsidered. All she had to do was email the admissions office and request the appeal. She wrote the email, and heard back about a week later – she was accepted!

I can’t know the precise reason why she was accepted. When she originally applied, her GMAT score was a 470, and she submitted her new score of 510 a month later. I believe the admissions committee may have been impressed that she retook the GMAT and improved. This showed that she was serious about earning her MBA. Furthermore, the student took the initiative and called the admissions office to inquire whether her new score might help. This also showed her determination.

A third possibility is that the school was under-enrolled for the new class, and needed to fill more seats. However, even if this was true, she still demonstrated her commitment by improving her score and staying in touch with the school.

Everyone’s GMAT journey is different, and this student’s journey was especially difficult. She studied for over four months, and took the exam three times. However, in the end she was accepted to her school of choice! As of now, she has already begun taking classes and is officially an MBA student.

Remember that thousands of students are accepted into GMAT programs each year with a below-average score for their program. If you are persistent and show that you are serious, you may be one of them. If you live in L.A., write me to inquire about Los Angeles GMAT tutoring.

Key Takeaways:

1. When you begin to prepare for the GMAT, you should have between 2-3 months of relatively stress-free time ahead. You should not take any extended breaks (over 1 week) from studying. If you work full-time, leave your weekends open since you’ll be too tired to study for more than an hour on weekdays

2. During practice exams and on test day, make sure you use the correct timing strategies.

3. Even if you don’t reach your target GMAT score, BE PERSISTENT. Try to meet the members of the admissions committee at an information session, or get in touch with them through phone or email.

- Matt, www.thegmattutor.com


 

 

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GMAT Data Sufficiency: Small Details In The Question Stem

March 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When doing a GMAT Data Sufficiency problem, it is easy to miss important information provided by the the question stem. Many students immediately go to work on the two statements, without making note of critical facts in the question itself. This rush can lead you down the wrong path, since the stem often gives crucial information about variables.

On data sufficiency, you are often ‘testing values’ or ‘picking numbers’ to see whether a statement is sufficient. There are a few crucial details to keep in mind when testing values:

1) Can the variable be positive, negative, or zero?

2) Is the variable restricted to integers, or can it be a decimal or a fraction?

3) Are you given the relationship between two variables (such as ‘consecutive’ or ‘consecutive even’)?

Some of the harder questions on the GMAT test your ability to note these small details. Consider the following problem (from Official Guide to the GMAT, Quantitative, 2nd Edition):

How many integers n are there such that r < n < s ?

(1) s – r = 5
(2) r and s are not integers

(take a moment and solve this problem - answer and discussion below)

I’d evaluate the statements using a table to test different values. Evaluating statement 1, you might write down

rs# integers between r and s
164
274
-6-14

The table shows a pattern – there’s always 4 numbers such that r < n < s. Thus statement 1 is Sufficient.

Evaluating statement 2, we have no idea of the value of r and s, so there could be any number of integers between them. So statement 2 is insufficient, and the answer is A.

…or is it?

If you think about it carefully, you may see that we neglected to test non-integer values for Statement 1. If we do include non-integer values for this statement, we see the number of integers between r and s could be either 4 or 5. Thus, statement 1 is Insufficient. See below:

rs# integers between r and s
164
1.16.15

Now taking the statements together, we know that the difference between r and s is 5, and we know that r and s are not integers. Thus, there can only be 5 integers between the two variables, and the correct answer is C.

In the rush to solve a Data Sufficiency problem, the importance of small details in the Question Stem is often overlooked. This example shows the necessity of paying careful attention to these details. In particular, note key words like ‘integers’ and information about the variable’s range (whether it can be positive, negative, or zero).

- Matt, www.thegmattutor.com

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The Best $20 You Can Spend On GMAT Prep

February 25, 2011 By 4 Comments

As an aspiring GMAT test-taker, it can be hard to sort through the overwhelming amount of test prep materials that are available. In working as a GMAT tutor, I’ve met students that have used the books of all the major companies – Kaplan, Veritas, Princeton Review, and Manhattan GMAT. Often, they wonder exactly which are the most cost-effective materials forimproving their GMAT score. Based on my experience teaching the GMAT, I always give the same advice: buy just one Manhattan GMAT book. It costs only $20, and gives you access to MGMAT’s excellent online materials.

If you buy a single MGMAT book (there are eight to choose from), you get access to their online Student Center, which includes:

1. Six full-length online CAT exams. MGMAT’s software is excellent – when reviewing the exam, you can see the difficulty level of each question, and the time you spent answering it. You also get statistics on your % correct for each question type. This allows you to focus on your weak areas. If you want to score 700+ on the GMAT, these practice exams are absolutely essential. I’d take as many of them as possible.

2. Flash cards. You get access to online flash cards, which can also be printed. Each one tests a single concept. These will help you fill in the small gaps in your GMAT content knowledge.

3. A 25-question Question Bank for the particular book that you purchased.

Now, the books themselves from MGMAT are excellent as well. Since there are a total of eight different books available, you may wonder which one to buy. I recommend the following based on your particularweak areas.

Which Manhattan GMAT Book To Buy

1. If you have trouble with word problems, or translating words into algebra, try the Manhattan GMAT Word Translations book. It has specific problems and exercises aimed at improving this skill.

2. If you’re already a high-scorer (600+) looking for an extra boost, I recommend Manhattan GMAT Number Properties. This book has excellent techniques for working problems that involves prime numbers, factors, and factorization, and odd-even properties.

3. If Sentence Correction is your weak point, buy Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction. This is by far the best SC correction book on the market – it has a particularly strong section on idioms. The idiom section is very useful for non-native English speakers, as it has examples of “CORRECT”, “SUSPECT”, and “WRONG” uses of each particular idiom.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend picking up a MGMAT book. It will be among the best investments you can make in your GMAT prep.

p.s. No, I don’t work for Manhattan GMAT :) But I do use their books with my students.


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GMAT 2011: What to Expect From the GMAT Exam in 2011

November 11, 2010 By 1 Comment

Recently, the Graduate Management Admissions Council (the authors of the GMAT exam) announced that a new section would appear on the GMAT in 2012. This section, Integrated Reasoning, is currently under development by the GMAC. However, for the time being, the GMAT exam in 2011 will retain the same format it has had since it switched to a Computer Adaptive Test in 1997.

That being said, students who take the GMAT in 2011 should be aware of some broad trends. First of all, the median GMAT score has been trending upwards in the past five years; currently, the median GMAT score is 540. Interestingly, this upward trend has been observable since 2005; in the previous five years, the median GMAT score remained steady at 520.

I can think of two possible explanations for this trend. First, 2005 was the year that Pearson VUE took over administration of the GMAT exam from ETS. This switch may have caused GMAT scores to reset to a higher baseline. Secondly, a number of excellent new test prep companies have gained popularity since 2005. Along with new GMAT test prep materials, additional GMAT study options have become available. In particular, online GMAT test prep and online GMAT tutoring has become more accepted. The wealth of high-quality test prep materials and greater access to skilled GMAT instructors may be contributing to the rise in GMAT scores.

Another trend is the rising number of non-US citizens taking the GMAT exam. In 2009, the majority of examinees sitting for the GMAT exam were non-US citizens. Although US-based programs are still the preferred destination for most MBA applicants, business schools applications in other countries have been growing astronomically. Since 2005, MBA applications have more than doubled for schools located in India, Singapore, and Spain.

Although US schools are losing “market share”, the absolute number of applicants is still rising due to the rise in the overall level of GMAT examinees. In 2009, 263,000 examinees took the GMAT, compared to 200,000 in 2005. This represents a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of about 7%. At this rate, the GMAT 2011 will have just over 300,000 examinees. However, it should be noted that historically, the number of GMAT examinees increases most rapidly during economic recessions. This seems to be true in the latest economic cycle. In 2006 GMAT test-takers only increased by 4,000, while in 2008 and 2009 GMAT examinees increased by more than 20,000 each year.

gmat 2011 trendsOne ratio appears to be holding constant. Since 2000, the ratio of male to female examinees on the GMAT exam had held steady at 60/40. Since this ratio has held steady for the past ten years, it is likely that it will be roughly the same for the GMAT 2011.


Overall, since the new section of the GMAT exam won’t be added until 2012, current test prep materials remain valid. Students certainly should not delay taking the exam until 2012 because of the new section. The right time to take the exam is when you can devote 2-3 months to studying, while leaving yourself with ample time for application essays and recommendations.

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I’m a GMAT Tutor based in Los Angeles, CA. I can be reached at matt@thegmattutor.com or through www.thegmattutor.com. Visit the GMAT Pill for more information.

Filed Under: gmat, gmat 2011, mba admissions Tagged With: ,

Does a GMAT score of 750 increase your chances of admission more than a score of 700?

November 11, 2010 By 1 Comment

Update Jan 2012: This was originally an article comparing the benefits of a GMAT score of 750 vs. a GMAT score of 700. However, Google has ranked this page #1 for “gmat score distribution”, so if you have arrived here seeking that information, here it is:

As of January 2012, the median GMAT score is 540. The 90th percentile score is 700.

The median GMAT quant score is 39. The 90th percentile quant score is 50 (that’s very difficult to get). Although you can theoretically score up to 60 on quant, nobody really scores higher than a 51.

The median GMAT verbal score is 28. The 90th percentile score is 40. Again, you could theoretically score up to 60 on this section, but I’ve never seen anyone score higher than a 46.

Now back to our regularly schedule article:

The popular perception among MBA applicants is that a GMAT score of 700 is the magic number for acceptance into a top-ranked business school. Many applicants aren’t comfortable until they have the magical number of “7” in the hundreds digit of their score. However, you may be wondering if an even higher score – a 99th percentile score – will differentiate you from the other applicants to top MBA programs. Increasing your score from a 700 (94th percentile) to a 750 (99th percentile) may require additional study time of anywhere from 20-50 hours, and you may wonder if it’s worth it.

To answer this question, I began with the data published by the top-ranked schools. It’s a bit hard to compare, but it’s a start. At Harvard, the middle 50% score range of the most recent incoming class was 700-760. At Stanford, the median GMAT score is 730. Finally, at Wharton, the average score (which may differ from the median) was 715. From these numbers, it appears that admissions officers at these schools put a slight premium on 99th percentile scores.

Next, let’s go a little further to see just how big the advantage is for GMAT scores of 750 or higher. For this analysis, I used data published by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. In 2009, Kellogg had a total of 5,795 applicants, and 689 students enrolled. That’s an 11.8% enrollment rate.


Now here’s a key point: the enrollment rate differs from the acceptance rate. Not every student will accept an offer, so adcoms have to admit more students than will actually enroll. These two figures are related by what is called the yield – the percentage of students that accept their offer. The most recent data I could find for Kellogg indicates their yield is 57%. This means that 1,208 students were actually given offers in 2009, an acceptance rate of 20.8%.

Kellogg is kind enough to give us the GMAT score distribution of their applicants, as well as the distribution of the students who actually enrolled:

Kellogg MBA GMAT Data
With a few more calculations, I used this data to back out the chance of acceptance at each GMAT score level. I will spare you the math, but here are the results:
Kellogg MBA GMAT Data
The data in this second table indicates that you have a 29% chance of admission with a 750+ score, as compared to a 21% chance of admission with a 700-740 score. Now here’s the kicker: this table assumes a flat 57% yield across all GMAT score levels. However, this may not be an accurate assumption. The adcom at Kellogg knows that if they extend an offer to a <640 scorer, that applicant is much more likely to accept than a 750+ scorer.

In other words, the yield for <640 scorers is much higher than the yield for 750+ scorers. A 750+ scorer will likely be weighing admissions offers from a number of different schools, whereas a <640 scorer has a very high chance of accepting the offer to Northwestern. As a rough estimate, the yields may look something like this:

<640: 80% likely to accept
650-690: 60% likely to accept
700-740: 50% likely to accept
750-800: 30% likely to accept

This means that the advantage of scoring 750+ is probably even higher than indicated in the second table.

Of course, the GMAT is but one part of your overall application. The important question for an MBA applicant is: is it worth it spending the extra time to reach a 750+ score, or spending that time on the other parts of your application?  The answer, of course, is “it depends.”

The GMAT continues to persist in MBA applications because it’s the only standardized metric for adcoms to compare students from different backgrounds. However, it is only one part of your overall application. An admissions officer at UCLA Anderson writes,

Beyond the [GMAT] lies such qualitative measures as leadership and teamwork skills, managerial experience, initiative, ability to learn and growth from mistakes, introspection, ability to articulate clear reasons for an MBA and career goals going forward, contributions (to school, work, and/or community), etc. It is here that the bulk of time of applicant evaluation is spent. Although less quantifiable dimensions than the GMAT, they are equally important.
My takeaway from the above quote is that the incremental effort to boost your GMAT score is better spent working on your essays, career, and extracurricular activities. If you start your MBA application process early enough (January of the year you are applying), you should be able to make significant and demonstrable progress in these areas. Once you reach a GMAT score of 700+, your other strengths will differentiate you from other applicants. A comment from a GMAT forum:
I would think that the law of diminishing returns kicks in after a while. If you’re not good enough for them at 730 then what makes you better at 750? GMAC says that scores can vary by as much as +/- 30 on any given day. Basically, if you’re a 720 scorer you could go as high as 750 and as low as 690 just based on the variability involved. Even HBS Admissions Director Dee Leopold says that once you get over 700 you have “checked the box” for GMAT.
For those wondering how to get accepted into an elite school with a below-average GMAT score, I recommend researching a phenomenon called the Superstar Effect. The Superstar Effect proposes that if you are able to distinguish yourself enough to become a top expert in a particular field, you can bypass some of the traditional admissions criteria (GPA, GMAT, etc.) Students that are admitted to elite universities with below-average test scores often fall into this category.

Keeping the above in mind, a GMAT score of higher than 750 can definitely come in handy for two things:

1. It may get you a partial or full scholarship at some schools. Usually, these will be schools ranked in the second tier or lower. However, if you are smart enough to score a 760 on the GMAT, you probably also know that an MBA from a second-tier school is worth much less than an MBA from a top-20 school. So, the savings on your up-front tuition investment must be measured against the possible future benefits you are giving up by attending a lower-ranked school.

2. It qualifies you to teach the GMAT for a test-prep company that requires you have a 99th percentile score. These jobs can be quite lucrative; however, they are also very competitive. You’ll still have to go through the interview process and compete against other 99th percentile scorers, some of whom may have more teaching experience. Also, I don’t imagine you are applying to business school with the hope of teaching the GMAT.


Ultimately, whether to spend the effort to achieve a 99th percentile score is up to the individual applicant. While the raw numbers indicate that 750+ scorers are favored over 700-740 scorers, the incremental effort to boost your score may be better spent elsewhere.

I’m a GMAT Tutor based in Los Angeles, CA and the author of the DVD Advanced Tips for Data Sufficiency Success. Contact me for in-person GMAT tutoring in Los Angeles or online GMAT tutoring worldwide. I can be reached at support@thegmattutor.com or through www.thegmattutor.com.

Filed Under: gmat 700, mba admissions Tagged With: , ,

Improving from a GMAT Score of 650 to 700

November 11, 2010 By 3 Comments

Some GMAT students are able to get their score up to a 650 level without too much anguish. Using the most recent statistics from the GMAC, a 650 score is approximately the 80th percentile. The amount of study time required to reach this point can vary – it depends on your background in math, and whether you are a native English speaker. For most test-takers, I’d estimate that it takes at least 50 hours of study.

However, most GMAT students know that 700 is the magical number to be competitive at a top-20 school. Many students wonder exactly how to earn those last 50 points and go from 650 to 700. First of all, recognize that it may take an additional 1-2 months of study. The GMAT rewards preparation and efficiency, and these can only be achieved through a considerable investment of time. Next, examine your individual section scores (Quant and Verbal) and determine which you need to focus on.

Improve Your GMAT Quantitative Score: One reason you may be scoring about 650 is you’re very strong on verbal scorers, but have gaps in your math fundamentals. Remember, the GMAT is scored not only on the basis of how many questions you get right, but also on the difficulty level of those questions. If you’re scoring between 40-44 on Quant, it means you are missing the more difficult math questions. This may include number properties, overlapping sets, absolute values, inequalities, probability, and combinatorics.

It’s likely that you can improve by using more advanced test-prep materials such as Kaplan GMAT 800 or a Manhattan GMAT quant guide (“Number Properties” or “Equations, Inequalities & VIC’s” cover some more advanced topics). If you’ve only worked with the Official Guide 12th Edition (the red book), consider also buying the Official Guide For Quantitative Review 2nd Edition (the green book). The OG Quant contains hundred of additional quant examples. The regular Official Guide has only a few examples in the areas of probability and combinations, but you can find a few more examples of these difficult question types in the Quant book.

It’s also likely that you could benefit from working on your timing on the Quant section. You should be working at a measured pace of approximately two minutes per question – less for Data Sufficiency and more for tough Problem Solving questions. Work with a timer and make sure you get into this rhythm as you’re doing your test prep.

As I’ve written before, if you are completely clueless on a math question (i.e. have no idea how to approach it), simply make an educated guess and move on! The situation you absolutely want to avoid is encountering questions at the end of the section that you know how to solve, but don’t have enough time. You’ll have to guess on problems that you could easily solve if you had another 30 seconds. Any single question in quant is not that important – it’s possible to miss 10 questions on and still score a 48Q (97th percentile).

Finally, as you are doing practice problems, keep an error log of the ones you miss. Make a note of the question type, and try to find similar examples. Come back to the question in a week and see if you can solve it. You may also benefit from hiring a private tutor. Make sure any tutor you hire has experience teaching the GMAT itself – you should avoid hiring a math generalist, who may not be familiar with the specific math content of the GMAT.

Improve Your GMAT Verbal Score: Another group of test-takers are those that score very high on Quant but receive mediocre Verbal scores. Oftentimes, these are non-native English speakers. Many 650-level scorers fall into this category. I’ve seen very unbalanced scores such as Q49V33 (660) or Q46V27 (600). If this is the case, then you clearly need to spend your additional time working on your verbal fundamentals.

I have several recommendations. First, consider buying one of the highest-recommended verbal test prep books. These would be from Manhattan GMAT and Powerscore. These two companies publish highly recommend Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction books, such as Powerscore CR Bible.

Second, work on your timing for each of the three verbal question types. It is critical to get your average Sentence Correction time under one minute. Critical Reasoning times can vary, depending on the difficulty of the question – they can take between 45 seconds and two and a half minutes. Once you have your timing down on these two question types, you’ll be able to read through long Reading Comprehension passages without feeling time pressure. Some tough Reading Comprehension passages can take as long as ten minutes, and you’ll want to have sufficient time for these.

Getting from 650 to 700 can be tough for many GMAT test takers, and can often take an additional 1-2 months of study. However, if you can earn the “7” in the hundreds digit of your GMAT score, it may be worth the time.

 

Filed Under: 650, gmat, gmat 700, gmat quantitative