GMAT_Exam_Success.pdf

LearningExpress ® ’ s

GMAT ®

EXAM

SUCCESS

In Only 4 Steps!

LearningExpress ® ’ s

GMAT® EXAM

SUCCESS

In Only 4 Steps!

Elizabeth Chesla

and Colleen Schultz

NEW YORK

®

Copyright © 2003 LearningExpress, LLC.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

Published in the United States of America.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Chesla, Elizabeth L.

GMAT exam success in only 4 steps / Elizabeth Chesla and Colleen

Schultz—1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-57685-472-8

1. Graduate Management Admission Test—Study guides.

2. Management—Examinations, questions, etc. I. Schultz, Colleen.

II. Title.

HF1118.C44 2003

650'.076—dc21 2003009065

Printed in the United States of America

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Edition

ISBN 1-57685-472-8

For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at:

55 Broadway

8th Floor

New York, NY 10006

Or visit us at:

www.learnatest.com

About the Authors

Elizabeth Chesla is the author of TOEFL Exam Success, ACT Exam Success, GED Success, Reading Compre￾hension Success, Write Better Essays, and many other writing and reading guides and test preparation books.

She lives in South Orange, New Jersey.

Colleen Schultz is a math teacher from Binghamton, New York. She is a contributing writer for 501 Math

Word Problems, 501 Quantitative Comparison Questions, and an item writer for several high-stakes math tests.

PART I Preparing for the GMAT 1

Chapter 1 About the GMAT 3

Overview of the GMAT 4

Computer-Adaptive Test 6

Preparing for the Computer-Based GMAT Exam 7

How the GMAT Is Scored 9

Getting Your Scores to Schools 12

Retaking the Exam 12

GMAT Testing Center Rules and Regulations 13

Registering for the GMAT Exam 16

Paying for the GMAT 20

Chapter 2 GMAT Study Skills 21

Where Do I Start? 21

I Need a Plan 23

I Need a Place 26

The Right Tools 30

The Study Plan 31

You Are Worth It: Motivational and Relaxation Techniques that Work 34

Learning Strategies and Test-Taking Techniques 37

Testing Psychology 40

Contents

vii

How to De-Stress 41

Stay Healthy 43

Multiple-Choice Strategies 44

The Endgame 45

PART II The GMAT Verbal Section 49

Chapter 3 Verbal Pretest 51

Questions 52

Answer Explanations 58

Chapter 4 What to Expect on the GMAT Verbal Section 63

Reading Comprehension Questions 64

Critical Reasoning Questions 65

Sentence Correction Questions 66

Chapter 5 Reading Comprehension 69

Active Reading 69

Finding the Main Idea 72

Distinguishing between Fact and Opinion 76

Identifying Specific Facts and Details 78

Essay Types and Organizational Patterns 79

Making Inferences 83

Chapter 6 Critical Reasoning 87

Elements of an Argument 87

Complicating Arguments 89

Evaluating Arguments 93

Chapter 7 Sentence Correction 109

24 Rules for Grammar and Style 110

Sentence Structure 111

Grammar and Usage 119

Style 128

Chapter 8 Tips and Strategies for the Verbal Section 137

Reading Comprehension Questions 138

Critical Reasoning Questions 139

Sentence Correction Questions 141

–CONTENTS–

viii

Chapter 9 Verb Forms 143

Regular Verbs 145

Irregular Verbs 146

Helping Verbs 150

Subjunctive Mood 150

Troublesome Verbs 151

Gerunds and Infinitives 152

Chapter 10 Prefixes, Suffixes, and Word Roots 155

Prefixes 155

Suffixes 160

Common Latin Word Roots 162

Common Greek Word Roots 164

Chapter 11 Verbal Section Practice Test 169

Questions 170

Answer Explanations 193

Chapter 12 Verbal Section Glossary 207

PART III The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment 211

Chapter 13 Pretest 213

Questions 214

Answer Explanations 218

Chapter 14 About the Analytical Writing Assessment 221

Analysis of an Issue 221

Analysis of an Argument 223

How the Essays Are Scored 225

Chapter 15 Guide to Effective Writing 231

The Writing Process 231

Seven Steps for Writing a Strong AWA Essay 236

Writing with Style 248

Writing Correctly: The Conventions of Standard Written English 252

150 Most Commonly Misspelled Words 265

–CONTENTS–

ix

Chapter 16 Tips and Strategies for the AWA 267

General Writing Strategies 267

Analyzing the Issue 269

Analyzing the Argument 269

Chapter 17 AWA Practice 271

Analysis of an Issue Sample Prompts 272

Analysis of an Argument Sample Prompts 282

Answers and Explanations 292

PART IV The GMAT Quantitative Section 305

Chapter 18 Quantitative Pretest 307

Problem Solving Questions 308

Data Sufficiency Questions 310

Answer Explanations 312

Chapter 19 About the Quantitative Section 317

About the Types of Questions 318

Chapter 20 Arithmetic 321

Types of Numbers 321

Properties of Numbers 322

Order of Operations 323

Special Types of Defined Operations 324

Factors, Multiples, and Divisibility 325

Prime and Composite Numbers 327

Even and Odd Numbers 327

Consecutive Integers 328

Absolute Value 328

Operations with Real Numbers 328

Chapter 21 Algebra 339

Translating Expressions and Equations 339

Combining Like Terms and Polynomials 340

Laws of Exponents 341

Solving Linear Equations of One Variable 341

Solving Literal Equations 342

Solving Inequalities 343

–CONTENTS–

x

Multiplying and Factoring Polynomials 344

Solving Quadratic Equations 344

Rational Expressions and Equations: 347

Coordinate Graphing 349

Systems of Equations with Two Variables 350

Problem Solving with Word Problems 352

Functions 355

Chapter 22 Geometry 357

Angles 358

Polygons 359

Triangles 360

Quadrilaterals 363

Circles 364

Measurement and Geometry 365

Chapter 23 Tips and Strategies for the Quantitative Section 367

Chapter 24 Quantitative Practice Test 369

Questions 370

Answer Explanations 387

Chapter 25 Quantitative Section Glossary 397

Appendix A GMAT Online Resources 401

Appendix B GMAT Print Resources 403

–CONTENTS–

x i

PART

Preparing for

I the GMAT

A graduate degree in business or management can transform your professional life, opening the door to pro￾motions, new opportunities, and new careers. For better or for worse, which business school you attend

depends to some degree upon how well you do on the Graduate Management Admissions Test® (GMAT®).

Like the SAT® exam, ACT Assessment®, and GRE® test, the GMAT exam is a standardized test designed

to help schools determine how well you might succeed in their graduate program. Of course, the GMAT exam

is just one of the tools schools use to assess a candidate’s knowledge and skills, and it is by no means a defin￾itive measure. But it is an important test, and because your scores can determine your eligibility for certain

programs and give you an edge over other candidates, it is important that you do well on the exam.

The GMAT exam is sponsored by the Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®), a non￾profit association of representatives from business schools around the world. Nearly 2,000 business schools

use the GMAT exam, which is developed and administered by the Educational Testing Service® (ETS®), the

same organization that develops and administers a number of other standardized tests including the SAT and

TOEFL® exams. The majority of people taking the GMAT exam seek to enter MBA programs, but an increas￾ing number of other graduate business and management programs are now offered, and many of these pro￾grams also use the GMAT exam to assess the qualifications of applicants.

CHAPTER

About the

GMAT Exam

Planning to apply to a graduate business or management degree

program? Then you need to find out all you can about the GMAT®

exam so you can do your best on the exam. This chapter will tell you

everything you need to know to get started. You will learn how the

test is structured and scored, how to register, and what procedures

and regulations to expect at the testing center.

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