GMAT Prep, Step by Step (in 10 languages)

The psychometricians who write the GMAT know where you live.

As if data sufficiency, subjunctive mood and combinatorics weren’t sufficient challenges, the test makers make sport with your information processing habits. They understand how you interpret (and misinterpret) language. They know where you are likely to jump in response to certain words or phrases. They have data highlighting the assumptions you are likely to make and how a certain turn of phrase can induce you to pick a wrong answer.

So how do you counter this onslaught of insight? Be analytical. Think critically before you act. Proceed step-by-step.

Step-by-step? Like so many GMAT strategies, it sounds almost self evident – but in reality, most students don't get it initially, so I’ve learned how to reinforce the message in 9 other languages. Here are the phrases with specific steps you can take to boost your score.

Paso a paso (Spanish) - Locate the question within the test. Quant or verbal? Data sufficiency or problem solving? What’s the relevant content?

Schritt fur Schritt (German) - Paraphrase the question. Restate it in your own words to make sure you understand it precisely.

Ipbu ipbu (Mandarin) - Know the goal. Jot down the terms in which the answer should be expressed.

L’at l’at (Hebrew) - Look for patterns. Save time by recognizing opportunities for backdoor strategies, common error patterns, question types and trap answers.

Adim adim (Turkish) – Always engage the testmaker. Ask yourself: “Why did she use this word or express this phrase exactly so?” “ What is the purpose of this keyword?”

Pas a pas (French) – Learn process approaches for each question type and use them diligently. Jumping to an answer is like leaping into a pond without knowing how deep it is – a very bad idea.

Hepba hepba (Arabic) – Use tools such as charts, number lines, timelines or simple pictures to visually unpack the information in the question stem.

Shag za shagum (Russian) Be aware of your pace and know when it’s time to guess strategically so you don’t run out of time on the final few questions.

Vima pros vima or simply vima-vima (Greek) - Plan your test preparation, focusing on the topics/question types that will yield the greatest point benefit. Then nothing on the test will be Greek to you.

Thanks for stopping by.

Interpreting and using GMAT practice tests.

This question comes from a former student:

Doug-

Can you help explain the test scoring for me? The inconsistency in the test scoring is stressing me out. So far I've taken both the Kaplan practice CAT's and the mba.com practice CAT's.

Kaplan Cat3 Q-20 correct V- 17 correct Total 520

Kaplan Cat4 Q-16 correct V- 22 correct Total 500

GMAT prep test 1- Q 18 correct V- 19 Total 510

GMAT prep test 2- Q- 19 correct V- 28 correct Total 490???

As you can see my highest verbal yet and second highest quantitative so my score should be at least higher than a 510-520?? I know the math seems to be weighted higher but their last score doesn't make sense.

Is it possible the program scored me wrong or am I missing something here?

Anything's possible. However, looking at your overall scores, I actually see very little inconsistency. On the other hand, you are focusing on the number of correct answers compared across four tests. To understand the apparent discrepancy, keep in mind two concepts: First, the test is scored on a curve, so your overall (scaled) score depends not only on how you performed, but also on how other test takers scored. Second, and more importantly, remember how the test algorithm works. If you get several questions wrong in the beginning of the test, the algorithm lowers your score and gives you easier questions. After that, you can readily answer more (now easier) questions correctly but will have a tough time recovering on the maximum achievable scaled score. (I'd be curious to know how much variation you noticed in your percentile rankings and scaled scores.)

Your overall scores have been remarkably consistent. GMAC says you can expect your score on test day to be within +/- 40 points of your true ability 2/3 of the time. By contrast, your mean score over the four tests you cited is 505 with a standard deviation of only 13 points.

I've got another opportunity for you to consider. You didn't mention how frequently you've taken these tests. After each practice CAT, are you taking time to review your results question by question and identify areas that need work? You should follow up such an analysis with additional practice before tackling another CAT. Taking practice tests without the supplementary work in between might help you improve your timing (and conceivably raise your score thereby) but it won't generate your maximum performance increase.

You've already boosted your scores by 100 points from the diagnostic test. To maintain your momentum, I suggest that you analyze the tests you've completed so far to figure out which two or three topics, strategies, or concepts offer the biggest potential harvest of points - and then dig in on those areas intensively.

- Doug