As promised, here are my thoughts & experiences regarding each section of the GMAT:
Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
As I am a native speaker and have written countless essays at University, I did not prep much for this section. To start with, I read the sample essays in the
OG books. Then remembered the following structure for my essays, which you can read in the
link here. Fairly standard stuff, just remember the following:
- Use standard essay construction - introduction, points and conclusion.
- Use evidence & examples to reinforce your point.
- On the Issue section - take one view - agreement or disagreement
- Proof read your essay
As practice, I wrote the GMAT prep essays 1-2 weeks before the exam. On test day itself, I spent 20 minutes writing on each section, then the remainder of the time proof reading. Proof reading is pretty useful so as to (i) eliminate typos (ii) correct your grammar so that your phrases read well and (iii) to make sure you aren't repeating points or words.
I scored a 6.0 on this section.
Problem Solving
My general sentiment on problem solving is don't get lulled into a false sense of security. As I worked through my OG book, I got almost all the questions right.... if given enough time. There in lies the problem, if given enough time. As I started the Prep software, I still maintained the same mentality of wanting to solve every problem, yet time pressure and the ramp up in the difficulty of questions did not allow for this. So get into the habit of doing questions timed & if a question appears to take ages to solve there is normally some kind of shortcut (whether its prime factorisation etc).
For general tips in speeding up your PS skills check out the flashcards on beatthegmat and also have a read through GMAT hacks. You will pick up lots of useful tips from these 2 resources. I found them especially useful regarding factorisation which was one of my weak points. Also remember your DST Triangle (i.e. Distance = Speed x Time)! If you get into the habit of quickly translating word problems into equations, such as DST and similarly the PRT Triangle (Rate = Production/Time) it will definitely save you time on the real thing. If you read my last post, you will see I had a nightmare on my first question! So don't be afraid to let the occasional question go, even if you have been eating them for breakfast in your prep!
Also find a strategy that works for you, whether its plugging in numbers or treating everything algebraically, do whatever comes to you naturally.
Data Sufficiency
Ahhhhhh good old data sufficiency. Gave me so many problems when I first started. Again the 2 resources I posted will give you many tips but let me quickly reiterate the fundamentals:
- While reading the question, write down what you are required to prove sufficient. Is it a specific value or a Yes/No equation?
- Learn the answer stems A,B,C,D and E. A complete NO BRAINER.
- Treat each answer stem separately. NO BRAINER.
- Don't waste time trying to solve the actual equation! You just need to prove the information provided is sufficient to solve!
Now obviously, knowing the answer is better than guessing. But I found DS to be one of the topics where educated guessing can reap fruitful benefits. Now don't see this as my endorsement to go into the DS section and simply try and "wing" it. Do as much prep as possible. But if you are stuck/pressed for time on the real thing - this is the section where you can make up time. Chances are, you are doing well on the exam and are confronted by a difficult DS question. If you are able to eliminate, say statement B, you are left between (A, C or E). Similarly if you can eliminate both you are left with (C or E ~ a 50% chance). In my experience, especially difficult diagram questions, the answer is rarely E. Statements often look more sufficient than they actually are. So bear this in mind if you have to make an educated guess.
As you do more and more questions, I recommend you Google the questions you got wrong (especially from the GMAT prep). You will pick up loads of neat tricks by reading the forums, I know I certainly did! Let me just use an example to illustrate:
Question:
Each employee of Company Z is an employee of either Division X or Division Y, but not both. If each division has some part-time employees, is the ratio of the number of full-time employees to the number of part-time employees greater for Division X than for Company Z?
1). The ratio of the number of full-time employees to the number of part-time employees is less for Division Y than for Company Z.
2). More than half the full-time employees of Company Z are employees of Division X, and more than half of the part-time employees of Company Z are employees of Division Y.
Daunting at first look. But not if you know this tip:
If a data set can be split into two groups, and one of the groups has a ratio HIGHER than the overall ratio (the weighted average) for some 2 characteristics, then the other group has a ratio LOWER than the overall ratio for those 2 characteristics - and vice versa.
This makes intuitive sense (to me at least) as if one ratio is lower than the weighted average then the other ratio should be higher to compensate for this. Statement 1 simply states that Yf/Yp ratio is less than the Zf/Zp ratio, using the rule above we know this to be sufficient. Similarly Statement 2 can be interpreted as Xf/Xp ratio is greater than the Yf/Yp ratio. So the ratio for X will be greater than the ratio for both. So Sufficient. Answer is D.
Now the question above is just an example of the types of DS tips you can pick up while researching your weak points. There are many others out there that you will pick up as you work through your questions.
One other thing to note is in the OG, as you look up your answers, they almost always solve the questions. Don't get into this mindset of solving. Think sufficient. If you solved every DS question you would run out of time! Think in terms of "Right 2 unknowns, ahhh statement one gives me one equation, the other equation is presented in the question. 2 simultaneous equations, 2 unknowns, sufficient. Same for statement two. Ahh ok D".
So, do lots of prep. Pick up tips. Be exam smart. Conquer DS.
Sentence Correction
Initially I found sentence correction to be an incredibly frustrating/annoying experience even as a native speaker. The saying is true to some extent, "GMAT English is not normal English". If I wasn't a native speaker, I would recommend investing in some 3rd party books such as the Manhattan Sentence Correction book (which seems to get good reviews) as well as checking out Spidey's SC Notes. Over time, you will begin to recognise certain clues which can help you decipher SC. Look for the following:
- Subject-Verb agreement
- Learn your idioms
- Parallelism
- Does the modifier make sense?
I found it best not to try and over complicate matters. I tried to focus on the four things above and in doing so was able to eliminate answers which were patently incorrect. This often would lead me to the correct answer. If I was in some doubt, say between two answer choices, I tended to go with the more succinct/concise answer. In general, I would advise you to read all the questions and eliminate, eliminate, eliminate till you have the correct answer.
Critical Reasoning
Not much to say here. Other than write down what the question is looking for before reading the passage - i.e. assumption, strengthen, weaken, infer etc. Then actively try and think of what a sensible answer would be as you read through. Sometimes you will find this answer (or something similar) in the answer choices! If not, go through a process of elimination, as many of the answers are outside the scope of the passage (i.e. irrelevant), and choose the answer which makes most sense to you.
Reading Comprehension
Some people like to write brief notes as they read through. I did not. My reasoning was that it (a) wasted time and (b) was unnecessary as my brain could remember the general structure of the passage without the need to write it down. In terms of mindset when approaching these type of questions I would recommend the following:
- Do not skim read. If you read a sentence and it doesn't sink in - read it again!
- Try to keep a mental framework of the passage as a whole. For example paragraph one is the theory, paragraph two is the counter-evidence, paragraph 3 is an alternative theory.
- Read as if you are interested in the passage! What do you mean you don't find Native American land plots fascinating???
- Avoid answers that have STRONG words in them (i.e. the author's argument is seriously flawed). Try and go for the more BALANCED answers (i.e. the author's argument is well founded though incomplete).
Well, I think that's it. Hopefully my ramblings were of some use to you! Time to move onto the "hard part" - the essays! I am still happy to answer questions so make a post at the bottom if you have one.
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