GMAT and reasoning

How to analyze an essay topic

How to analyze an essay topic.
Here is one

The following appeared as part of a memo from the manager of an automobile manufacturing company.

Because the demand for our automobiles is expected to increase dramatically, we need to open a new manufacturing plant as soon as possible in order to continue o thrive. Our marketing projections indicate that 80 million people will want to buy our automobiles. Yet our existing plant can only produce 40 million automobiles. The new plant can be opened on a part time
basis, with workers from our existing site rotating responsibilities, until an operational staff can be trained. A major airplane manufacturer was extremely successful using this rotating strategy when it opened its new plan five years ago.

Preliminary notes
How dramatic is the increase? the analogy is faulty- comparison between airplane manufacturing and automobile manufacturing- does rotation work strategy work here? Marketing projections can be exaggerations- ill defined premises- how did the company estimate the demand, can the volume increase achievable in the given time. How realistic is the projection? Is there no completion for the company?


Flaws in the argument.
80million want to buy our autombile.(on what basis the projection is made).
Are current Workers willing to work extra time(an assumption is made).
Follow the airplane manfacturers strategy(faulty analogy may not work).
Undermining competitors marketing strategy.
Assumes the markets wont change.
...

For more argument analysis visit: http://www.semanticslearning.com/gmatessay-and-IR-tips.asp

Lets motivate ourselves

Latest GMAT verbal tip 18-9-2013

Latest verbal tip added at http://www.semanticslearning.com/GMAT-verbal-tips.asp

Instruction comprehension: A closer look at the directions for SC questions.
You  see these directions with every sentence correction test that you take.  But have you taken a closer look at these?
Each of the sentence correction questions presents a sentence, part or all of which is underlined. Beneath each sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. Follow the requirements of standard written English to choose your answer, paying attention to grammar, word choice and sentence construction. Select the answer that produces the most effective sentence; your answer should make the sentence clear, exact, and free of grammatical error. It should also minimize awkwardness, ambiguity, and redundancy.
Things to comprehend.
1.  There may /may not be error(s) in the given sentence. That is, the original sentence can be correct.
2.  it tests more than merely grammar – word use, arrangement of words equally important.
...............

Latest math tip

To solve a sum dealing with number of men and number of days taken to complete a work use the logic:  1 person takes 1 day to complete 1 unit of work.
If 20 men take 20 days to complete a work, How many days it will take 40 men take?
Assume 1 person takes 1 day to complete 1 unit of work. 20 men complete 20 units in 1 day. So in 20 days, 400 units is completed.
Hence 40 men will complete 40 units in 1 day and 40 men will complete 400 units in 10 days.
Answer is 10 days.

For more math tips visit. http://www.semanticslearning.com/GMAT-math-tips.asp

GMAT superia is compiling an online repository of - easy to understand tips for math/verbal/essay/IR.  Please copy them into your notebook and revise them regularly.

MATH tips:http://www.semanticslearning.com/GMAT-math-tips.asp
Verbal tips: http://www.semanticslearning.com/GMAT-verbal-tips.asp
Essay and IR Tips: http://www.semanticslearning.com/gmatessay-and-IR-tips.asp

Statement of purpose ( SOP ) - Template

More  on  sops
A  proposed structure  of presentation

Para 1- achievements summary
Sub heading 1. Academic
Sub-heading 2. Co-curricular
Sub-heading 3- social/community work
Sub-heading 4- career achievements of the last 2-3 yrs – specific details of contribution- eg. Cost management, productivity improvement

Para 2- challenges  and dimensions of work
Challenging tasks assigned /volunteered at school or college level
Challenges in execution
At job - Geographical reach, size  of wares/service managed  and customer base served

Para 3 - initiatives
School/ college level –to solve an existing problem or to improve upon an existing practice
What work was voluntarily sought and successfully carried out in your job

Para 4 – the value placed on you
By your employer, for your consistency
Any rapid rise in your career, extra rewards earned...

Integrated reasoning score - What to make of it

While going through GMAC's archives. I hit upon this analysis.

These numbers would have changed as of now.

The mean score was 4.0.
Prepare well for the IR section. This score might be the key when you use your GMAT score to apply to colleges in 2014 or 2015...

How to prepare for GMAT math

Mostly everyone while preparing for the GMAT math, studies official guide and few other books like Manhattan, Kaplan...

Although for some, studying these few GMAT books is enough to crack 99 percentile in the math, others are not able to crack the 600 barrier itself. What might be the reason?

Well, I feel that students who excel in math since school stand a better chance of cracking GMAT math with a minimal preparation.

For the others, who are just starting their math journey, not only they have to read the GMAT OG,they have to read basic math concept books, problem solving books, etc...GMAT OG and other GMAT books, just scratch the surface while preparing for math. First it is required to tune your brain to work with numbers and then numbers and words. The GMAT math books does not cover the entire skills which is required to reach 51 raw score in the GMAT math..

Watch this video. Some of the books mentioned will cover the additional sources which you need to refer to develop
1. math concepts
2. math reasoning
3 GMAT math.

GMAT sentence correction tips

Sentence correction faux pas by JOHN JOVI

What errors do the sentence correction questions present?

Subject- verb agreement, pronoun error, tense error, misplaced modifier, preposition error, faulty comparison ...
I am very comfortable with Subject-Verb-Agreement

Let me show you
Eg.  one of the countries participating in the SAARC meet is Indonesia.
Indonesia is one of several countries that is participating in the SAARC meet.

PS; John Jovi, you are right in the first, but wrong in the second…

Here’s the correct sentence:
 Indonesia is one of several countries that are participating in the SAARC meet.

Are you a quant person?

Are you a quant person?
Quantitative thinking ( thinking with numbers) is integral to corporate business careers. Hence MBA entrance tests contain a generous dose of quantitative problems. One’s performance in such problem solving is a manifestation of his overall problem solving ability.
Business Schools perceive quantitative scores as indicative of higher order thinking and decision making skills. They believe that quant thinkers can handle diverse business challenges. They can analyse, diagram, hypothesise, set goals, try permutations and combinations, perceive probabilistic outcomes and synthesis a possible outcome.

Quantitative personality is not necessarily a hardcore math person
For a quantitative thinker, math knowledge is one of the many tools in his quest for excellence in problem solving. It is also possible that one is a good quantitative person but not a math person.
By and large, a quant person is someone who can look at independent ideas and facts, look at a situation and be able to come up with a response irrespective the accuracy of the approach and thereby the solution.  It also means looking at a situation and draw up on one’s own repertoire of tactics for a possible way forward…. a possible answer... In short, a quant person  might have a great memory but is rather someone who reasons very well.

A quant person uses thinking skills approach to problems
So when a quant person looks at a math problem with varied factors, and probably requiring more than one mathematical concept, he  doesn’t get confused; he will pull the question apart and can see where one step leads into the other and can merge and manipulate the combinations to get the final answer. He goes beyond the given data, creates a problem field, assumes himself to be part of the problem, takes various experiences and knowledge points to extrapolate a position and direction. In other words, a quant person is empowered to handle problem situations well; one who says no ‘can’t’, until he has exhausted all possible knowledge, theories, and experiences before asking for help.

A quant person ‘transfers learning’
For a quant person, the idea of doing a lot of problems stems from the need to see the various possibilities of solving problems rather than an expectation of chancing upon an exam like problem. For effective ‘transfer of learning’ making observations while attempting a problem is the key.

The quant person in a nut shell should be inquisitive, innovative, fearless, flexible and an inherent risk taker. “the Science of Thinking” methodology attempts to inculcate quantitative reasoning in addition to quantitative aptitude in test aspirants. Visit www.semanticslearning.com for more details.
Read http://www.semanticslearning.com/beta/gmat-science-of-thinking.asp of thinking for more details

GMAT sentence correction error types

Sentence correction faux pas by JOHN JOVI

What errors do the sentence correction questions present?

Subject- verb agreement, pronoun error, tense error, misplaced modifier, preposition error, faulty comparison ...
I am very comfortable with Subject-Verb-Agreement
Let me show you
Eg.  one of the countries participating in the SAARC meet is Indonesia.
Indonesia is one of several countries that is participating in the SAARC meet.
PS; John Jovi, you are right in the first, but wrong in the second…
Here’s the correct sentence:
 Indonesia is one of several countries that are participating in the SAARC meet.

Ten ways to score poorly in GMAT

Ten ways to score poorly in GMAT! If you are rich enough for retakes, that is

1. I know math, so no need to go thru the same old arithmetic, algebra, geometry stuff

2.  Tones of free downloads on your pc..what is relevant, what is not, even God may not know..

3. Just official guide, what else, nothing official about it…

4. I will join for the costliest, longest duration course in town…let them get me the score, no need to  study at  home..

5. I wont do the essays while practicing, only math and verbal mock exams  will do

6. I speak and write good English, so verbal is going to be a cake walk, no less

7.  I need just one month for preparation, after all I had high grades in college.

8.  Do as many tests as possible, in fact 90 percent of my preparation time should be spent on tests. concepts? What concepts?

9. My friend said GMAT was easy for him, no tough qns ( hey, what was your friend’s score?)

10. Out of five tests  I  did, one test I scores above 650. So I will give the test as planned.  I believe in luck!

PS Good luck

GMAT math tip #5

GMAT math tip..

Is there a relationship between squares and sum of odd numbers. Find out.

1^2=1

2^2= 1+3

3^2=1+3+5

4^2=1+3+5+7

5^2=1+3+5+7+9

To get n^2 add the first n odd integers.

GMAT math tip #5

To find out more tips. Click here.

http://www.semanticslearning.com/math-home.asp

GMAT sentence correction Tip of the day

Sentence correction tip  – 10 ‘not-so-obvious’ usages

1. use a verb, not its noun form

An action expressed in the verb form is more effective than the noun form; a noun form creates wordy prepositional phrases.

Action verb- decide

Noun form of the verb - decision 

Example 1

Ineffective: Her decision was to invite her colleagues to the dinner that is being hosted by her.

Effective: She decided to invite her colleagues to the dinner party she  is hosting. 

Here, decided, a ‘working/action verb’ is more effective than the noun form, ‘decision’

Example 2

Ineffective:  In the current fiscal year, both target of its production was reached by the factory and the amount of effluents was reduced. 

Effective: In the current fiscal year, the factory both reached production target and reduced the amount of effluents.

Example 3

Ineffective: The Indian government demanded the withdrawal of security forces by China from the border and that the bunkers put up within Indian territory be removed.  

Effective: The Indian government demanded that China withdraw its forces from the border and remove the bunkers put up within the Indian territory.

Example 4

Ineffective: The dissidents’ objection was against the delaying of election of party functionaries by the high command. 

Effective: The dissidents objected to the high command’s delaying the election of party functionaries. 

Example 5

ineffective:  The coach’s encouragement  was influential to the team, for good performance. 

Effective:  The coach encouraged the team to perform well.