Thursday, January 28, 2021

3 essential skills to ace GMAT verbal

 


If you are starting your GMAT preparation  then you need to work on concepts and develop skills. 

So what are the skills?

Here are 3 essential skills which are required to ace the GMAT verbal

1. Writing a summary – rewording a paragraph in your own words

2. Observing the structure of the passage

3. Identifying clue words. 

These are 3 of the 10 major skills, you need to hone during GMAT preparation. 

If you need any help in GMAT preparation. Ping me.


My contact link is here:

Now, let us understand each skill in detail.

Skill 1: Write a summary

This skill involves rewording the paragraph in your own words.

While reading a paragraph, you need to observe

  • the main points of the paragraph.
  • an “opinion” or a “feeling” statement (for example: Author's opinion)

A summary should be 1 or 2 lines long. 

Lets take an example

Example 1

There are times when the night sky glows with bands of color. The bands may begin as cloud shapes and then spread into a great arc across the entire sky. They may fall in folds like a curtain drawn across the heavens. The lights usually grow brighter, then suddenly dim. During this time the sky glows with pale yellow, pink, green, violet, blue, and red. These lights are called the Aurora Borealis. Some people call them the Northern Lights. Scientists have been watching them for hundreds of years. They are not quite sure what causes them. In ancient times people were afraid of the Lights. They imagined that they saw fiery dragons in the sky. Some even concluded that the heavens were on fire.

 

Summary:

The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, are bands of color in the night sky. Ancient people thought that these lights were dragon on fire, and even modern scientists are not sure what they are.

 

Notice:

There are times when the night sky glows with bands of color. The bands may begin as cloud shapes and then spread into a great arc across the entire sky. They may fall in folds like a curtain drawn across the heavens. The lights usually grow brighter, then suddenly dim. During this time the sky glows with pale yellow, pink, green, violet, blue, and red. These lights are called the Aurora Borealis. Some people call them the Northern Lights.Scientists have been watching them for hundreds of years. They are not quite sure what causes them. In ancient times people were afraid of the Lights. They imagined that they saw fiery dragons in the sky. Some even concluded that the heavens were on fire.

 

1. The lines in blue is factual information. 

In GMAT they rarely ask you questions based on  factual information. So this part can be ignored.

2. The line in red is the main idea. 

The whole paragraph talks about Aurora Borealis. So main idea can be “description of Auora Borealis”

Further 

3. You can notice two opinion statements. These lines are underlined.

Opinion 1: Scientists are not sure, what causes them

Opinion 2: Ancient people are afraid.

So the summary of this paragraph has two components:  main idea+ opinions.

Some paragraphs may not have opinions. 

Note*

In your preparatory phase, take notes. Write down the summary of each paragraph. When you start taking computer adaptive tests, you wont have time to jot down the summaries on paper. Instead, you will be able to frame the summaries in your mind.(To reach this stage, you need to do extensive practice though.)

What next?



Skill 2: Observe the structure of the passage

It is imperative you observe the structure/layout of the passage. 

You need to identify the link/relationships that connect the lines in the paragraph.

For example a paragraph may follow this structure

  • Line 1: Conclusion (main point, author is trying to prove)
  • Line 2: Reason 1
  • Line 3: Reason 2
  • Line 4: Example

Or

  • Line 1: Claim ( a view without evidence)
  • Line 2: Counter conclusion (main point, author is trying to prove)
  • Line 3: Reason 1 for the counter conclusion
  • Line 4: Example for the counter conclusion

So on and so forth

This skill(identifying the layout) is essential to ace the critical reasoning and the reading comprehension section of the exam

Let us take an example and observe the layout

Read the passage and write the layout

Purebred cows native to Mongolia produce, on average, 400 liters of milk per year; if Mongolian cattle are crossbred with European breeds, the crossbred cows can produce, on average, 2,700 liters per year. An international agency plans to increase the profitability of Mongolia’s dairy sector by encouraging widespread crossbreeding of native Mongolian cattle with European breeds.

The layout of the passage is as follows:

Purebred cows native to Mongolia produce, on average, 400 liters of milk per year; if Mongolian cattle are crossbred with European breeds, the crossbred cows can produce, on average, 2,700 liters per year. An international agency plans to increase the profitability of Mongolia’s dairy sector by encouraging widespread crossbreeding of native Mongolian cattle with European breeds.

 

1. Underlined line in brown is the objective /conclusion

2. Line in red is the plan/ reason which leads to the conclusion

3. Line is green is a hypothetical opinion


Note*

To tackle a critical reasoning question, you need to identify the conclusion first.


So layout here is

  • Line 1: claim
  • Line 2: conclusion
  • Line 3: plan

Lets take a complex passage

Rain-soaked soil contains less oxygen than does drier soil. The roots of melon plants perform less efficiently under the low-oxygen conditions present in rain-soaked soil. When the efficiency of melon roots is impaired, the roots do not supply sufficient amounts of the proper nutrients for the plants to perform photosynthesis at their usual levels. It follows that melon plants have a lower-than-usual rate of photosynthesis when their roots are in rain-soaked soil. When the photosynthesis of the plants slows, sugar stored in the fruits is drawn off to supply the plants with energy. Therefore, ripe melons harvested after a prolonged period of heavy rain should be less sweet than other ripe melons.

 

Now draw a layout

 Check your answer here

Can you see how the lines are inter-connected?

Line 1 leads to line 2… which leads to line 3…and so on.

The last line is the conclusion.

So focus on the layout of the paragraph


Skill 3: Identify clue words

 

There are clue words which are strategically placed in the given paragraph.  These words can help you identify the relationships between lines.

Some of the clue words are

 And,because,hence,thus,therefore, yet….

 Lets take an example


 I got fever because I ate ice cream.


Here because indicates a cause and an effect. 

 

I ate ice cream is the reason ..I got fever is the effect


Now lets take a sentence correction question

 

A peculiar feature of the embryonic mammalian circulatory system is that in the area of the heart the cells adhere to one another, beating in unison yet adopting specialized orientations exclusive of one another.

 Here the clue word is “yet”

“beating in unison” yet “ adopting specialized”

 Here “yet” is used as a conjunction . It means but or nevertheless. 

In-spite of beating together the heart cells adopt different orientations which are not related

 

What next?



These are 3 of the 10 major skills you need to hone while preparing.

If you need any help in GMAT preparation. Ping me.

 

Happy learning!. 

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

How to develop our logic thinking to ace the GMAT


I have taken this article from "speaking tree" blog.

According to Aristotelian theory, humans are the most evolved form of thinking and feeling beings so far. What is more, we alone have the potential to grow and evolve into the spiritual dimension. But what precisely, if anything, sets us apart from other living creatures? Is it the faculty of reasoning? But reasoning does not, and cannot, teach us anything new. Socrates was a man, a mortal being. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

You can see here that there is no new truth that the third and concluding statement expresses that is not clearly implied in the first two sentences.

The conclusion of any piece of syllogistic reasoning does not enable us to learn anything new other than what is contained in its premise. You have the same limitation with inductive logic where you arrive at general truths from particular examples.

The mind grasps reality by establishing relationships between entities that it perceives new and perceptions that it carries from the past. The distinguishing feature of humans lies in our capacity for self-awareness.

Self-awareness is the key to develop logical thinking

Other living creatures may have the ability to perform a greater variety of tasks or may have developed superior sensibilities in certain areas, but we have the capacity to look at ourselves and be aware of ourselves.
We can attain knowledge, but what is unique about us is that we can also get to know how we can attain that knowledge. A human being is like a computer that can see how it has been programmed and, thereby, transcend its programming.

credit - speaking tree.
https://www.speakingtree.in/article/ability-to-be-self-aware

Thursday, January 14, 2021

GMAT preparation : 3 study hacks

 


Are you in a full-time job? Are you a time-starved test aspirant?


Do you want to balance work and GMAT preparation?

Do you want to maximize your performance in the GMAT?


If your answer is yes, then this article is apt for you.

 

I suggest 3 study hacks which can make your preparation effective


Study hack 1:

Get a customized study plan + coach

You can either make your own study plan based on the generic plans, which are available or you could work with a GMAT coach, like me. We can work together and arrive at a study plan

Working with a coach has its benefits.

3 benefits

1. Get a customized study plan:

     The study plan is designed, after assessing your strengths and weakness. Your weak areas should be covered extensively. Some of you might be at level 0 in math others might be at level 0 in verbal. Each learner is different. You need a unique plan 

2.  Avoid retakes: 

      A haphazard preparation will lead to a poor score. You should take the GMAT after the coach gives you the go-ahead signal.

3.  Re-orient your preparation,if your section test scores plateau:  

    If approach A doesn’t work, then try approach B. If B doesn’t work then try approach C. Only when you work with a coach, you can re-orient the preparation often, because the coach based on his/her experience can guide you better. 

All great athletes work with a support team. Then only they are able to achieve peak performance.

 

Study hack 2:

Be consistent in your preparation

I recommend that you study daily for 30 to 50 mins, if your preparation time is 2 months+

or 

study 1.5hrs daily if your preparation time is less than 2 months.

A sample 50-minute schedule

1. 20 mins Reading comprehension

2. 15 mins of Sentence correction rules revision practice / Critical reasoning rules revision and practice

3. 15 mins math rules revision and practice

Do not break the preparation flow, especially during the initial preparatory phases.

Note*- Reading comprehension must be practiced daily.


Study Hack 3:

Take section tests often

I make all my students take section tests often.25+ section tests and 5 full Mock tests

The section tests should cover only one topic say Sentence Correction or Reading Comprehension or Data Sufficiency.

Time duration can be 20 mins or 30 mins.

Also, I also give my students speed drills. 10 min tests..

Note* - Keep a track of your accuracy rate and maintain an error log

You could use the GMAT official guide and make your own series of section tests.

Do 12 questions in 25 mins.

For example 12 Sentence correction questions in 25 minutes or 12 data sufficiency questions in 25 minutes.

Also take triple the time to review the performance.


Feel free to ping me , if you need GMAT (math/verbal) help

My contact link is here:


Happy learning. 


 

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

How to overcome GMAT math anxiety?



Do you have a non-math background?

Has it been a long time since you touched your math books?

Feeling anxious?


Many students ask me this question.

"Can I ace the GMAT math, if I have a non-math background?"   Yes, you can.


Remember GMAT tests you on math reasoning primarily. 


To overcome anxiety, You need to learn math concepts.+ You need to develop math skill-sets too.


Formula/theorems (Area of the circle, HCF and LCM of numbers...)  are the math concepts.



So what are the math skill-sets?

Definition of a skill-set: A skill-set is the combination of knowledge and abilities that you've developed through your life and work. You use these skills-sets to tackle problems.


We, at semantics, have developed modules, which can hone a students math and verbal skill sets.

Let me take you through one math skill-set. 

Problem Decomposition  

Definition: Decomposition is  the process of breaking a problem down into smaller parts to make it easier to tackle.


If you have a non- math background, you might find it difficult to comprehend word problems.

One way to analyze word problems is - break problems into meaning-full chunks.  


You need to

1. break the problem into  2 or more segments.

2. Analyse each segment.

3. Infer data (if necessary)

4. Diagram information…

Only after all this, you write equations and solve..


Let me demonstrate the above process via a math question


Lets take this problem and break it into segments.

Segment 1: "Each machine produces 1 toy every 3 minutes"


Segment 2"After replacement : 40% of machines  produce 1 toy every 2 minutes"

When you process segment 2, you should also infer additional information.

This information is not explicitly mentioned.

Inference:  If 40% of the machines produce 1 toy every 2 minutes, then 60% of the machines produce 1 toy every 3 minutes

 

Segment 3: "Percentage increase in the number of toys produced in 60 minutes."

 

After breaking the problems into segments, you should use one of the many problem solving approaches.

Lets use this approach:  substitution of numbers.


Assume 100 machines are there initially

 

Segment 1:

Total time is 60 mins.

1 machine produces a toy every 3 minutes . Hence 20 toys are produced by 1 machine in 60 mins.

There are totally 100 machines.. Hence number of toys produced = 100 x 20=  2000 toys

 

Segment 2:

Total number of machines = 100

 type 1: 40% of the machines (i.e. 40 machines) produce 1 toy every 2 minutes,

type 2: 60% of the machines (i.e. 60 machines)  produce 1 toy every 3 minutes

Lets calculate number of machines produced by  type 2 first.. 

1 machine produces a toy every 3 minutes . Hence 20 toys are produced by 1 machine in 60 mins. Totally 60 machines.. Hence 60x20= 1200 toys  

 

Let us calculate number of machines produced by type 1.

1 machine produces a toy every 2 minutes . Hence 30 toys are produced by 1 machine in 60 mins. Totally 40 machines.. Hence 40x30= 1200 toys

so totally 1200+1200 = 2400 toys are produced.


Segment 3:

Percentage change =  (2400-2000)/2000 x 100 = 20% 


Hope you have understood this problem solving process.

Even if you have a non-math background, you can learn these processes and apply them on a wide genre of questions.

If you need help in GMAT math or verbal..

Feel free to reach out:

My contact link is here:


Happy learning. 

 


Tuesday, January 5, 2021

GMAT sentence correction : How do you start your prep

Grammar, most think, is boring

But can anything be boring if it leads to your biggest dream? No, right?  So take a liking for grammar, usage, Standard English, correct English …whatever you call it.




Literate writing is grammatical. To express clearly and effectively- both oral and written- a functional knowledge of the rules and rudiments of English is necessary. You should be able to analyse a sentence, locate errors and modify the sentence. These skills are crucial to language testing in aptitude tests. How and where to use those rules-syntactical and semantic aspects- corresponding to word arrangement and intended meaning respectively-determine your success in grammar based questions.

Grammar-based questions of top exams such as GMAT, present many challenges- long and complex sentences, multiple errors, subtle differences.

Thorough preparation is the key. Thanks to media, we’ve internalized a lot of nonstandard jargon, which we assume are appropriate even in the academic context. Much of those usages are incorrect in a test scenario. Hence you have to both learn and unlearn grammar.

How do you start

If you sit down to learn grammar, there is a mindboggling collection of grammar books on the shelves that examine every nuance from a linguistic point of view. You do not need all these. You just need an aptitude-focused course, that exhaustively catalogues and illustrates those usage points that are relevant to graduate level entrance tests.


Stage 1: Identify

work with simple exercises in a workbook form covering all parts of speech. This helps to review sentence structures long forgotten.

Study illustrative sentences for those usages- nouns, pronouns, subject, verb, modifiers, conjunctions, prepositions… how they agree with other parts of the sentence.


Stage 2: Analyse

 now you must move on to syntax- various word arrangements in the sentence, the dos and don’ts of sentence construction, sentence variety, effectiveness  expressions


Stage 3: Plan

 work with test related concepts, the format of commonly asked  questions, strategies for answering those question types and speed techniques.


Stage 4: Implement

Practice with good quality questions, take timed  full verbal tests, review areas of weakness.


Watch this sentence correction video tutorial.  You can do this simple exercise to understand one basic building block - subject and verb


Lets have a chat if  you are stuck in the GMAT sentence correction .. 

Further

If you want to ace the GMAT math or verbal... 

Feel free to get in touch with me

My contact link is here:

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

GMAT sentence correction : How do I maximize my score

 

Can you maximize your score in the sentence correction section in less than 30 days..


Yes, it is possible ….


You can follow a 3-stage approach. You need to

  • Understand the often-tested errors in the GMAT............(Concept Stage 1)
  • Learn  to identify errors, using various techniques  .......(Application Stage 2)
  • Learn to use logic and to arrive at a correct answer in less than 60 seconds.(Mastery Stage 3)


Before I discuss few strategies, let us understand the skills tested by GMAT in the sentence correction section.

SC type of question tests your ability to recognize the correctness and effectiveness of expression in standard written English. In choosing your answer, follow the requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer that produces the most effective sentence;

Sentence correction questions present a sentence, part or all of which is underlined. Beneath the sentence, you will find five ways of paraphrasing the underlined passage. The first answer choice repeats the original underlined passage; the other four are different. If you think the original phrasing is best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose one of the others. this answer should be clear and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy or grammatical error. 

An example:

 People who inherit the sickle cell anaemia gene from only one parent seem to be resistant to malaria, an evolutionary advantage that may explain why a genetic condition so debilitating to many individuals has survived in the human population.

A. seem to be resistant to malaria,

B. seemingly are resistant to malaria,

C. seem to be resistant to malaria and have

D. seemingly are resistant to malaria and to have

E. are, it seems, resistant to malaria, and they have

 

Sentence correction questions test three broad aspects of language proficiency:

Correct expression

A correct sentence is grammatically and structurally sound. It conforms to all the rules of standard written English, including noun-verbal agreement, noun-pronoun agreement, pronoun consistency, pronoun case and verb tense sequence. A correct sentence will not have dangling, misplaced or improperly formed modifiers; unidiomatic expressions or faults in parallel constructions

 Effective expression

An effective sentence expresses an idea or relationship clearly and concisely as well as grammatically. This does not mean that the choice with the fewest and simplest words is necessarily the best answer. It means that there are no superfluous words or needlessly complicated expressions in the best choice.

 Proper diction

An effective sentence also uses proper diction.(Dictionary refers to the standard dictionary meaning of words and the appropriateness of words in context). In evaluating the diction of a sentence, you must be able to recognize whether the words are well chosen, accurate and suitable for the context

 Note*

You will see results faster in sentence correction than critical reasoning or reading comprehension section. Because there are only 25 errors tested in this exam. 

Some of the 25 errors tested are:

  •         Subject verb agreement
  •         Pronoun error
  •         Misplaced modifier
  •         Wordiness
  •         Lack of clear subject
  •         Meaning conformity…

After knowing concepts, you need to focus on the application and mastery stages

There are various strategies, you need to know……….

 For example

 strategy 1 Identify clue words 

When you see these clue words……….. Use the error tool respectively.

More/less/greater … than………comparison error tool

And/but……………..Parallelism error tool

Unlike/like…………….contrast error tool

There are lots of clue words like this


I will be discussing each error tool in-depth in my classes.


strategy 2 Differentiate Verb & noun

Observe these sentences

1. The cost of drought to the country is in billions

2. Drought costs the country in billions

 

Sentences 1 and 2 are grammatically correct.

But you must choose option 2. Why?

Can you identify the subtle difference?


In statement 1: Cost is a noun

In statement 2: Cost is a verb


Tip: When you attempt the GMAT, give more preference to verbs than nouns.

 So you have to choose statement 2 and not 1


There are lots of things to learn when you prepare for the GMAT ....


Happy learning.


If you want help in GMAT math or verbal.. Feel free to get in touch with me

My contact link is here:





Friday, December 4, 2020

GMAT math thinking skills - 8

GMAT tests your logical skills as well as your knowledge of math concepts.  To score high, you need to remember various formulas, theorems. Also you need to master critical problem-solving skills.

Today I am going to  take you through one problem -solving skill –

Problem analysis with a diagram

Take this problem .

If you follow approach 1. 

You will use many formulas and theorems. You will get an answer, but it will take more time.

If you follow approach 2.

 You will minimize the number of formulas used. You will use your logical skills and reduce complex computation. You will solve questions faster.

In GMAT time-taken per question is the key. If you solve questions in less than 30 seconds, then you will have more time in the bank to solve harder questions. You will also be able to complete the section in the allotted time.

Penalty marks for un-attempted questions are huge.

Can logic be taught?

Yes!  Logic can be taught. If the tutor teaches you reasoning skills and demonstrates those skills on a wide range of problems, your thinking will get re-oriented. You will be able to solve questions using more than one approach.

I feel Logic is best taught in a tutor driven class, not through generic videos

If you need help in GMAT, here are my details

My contact link is here:


Now let us understand both the approaches.

Approach 1

This approach involves formulae/theorem...
Area of square ABCD = side2

Side = 8. Hence area =64

F and E are midpoints of the respective sides. AB=AD=8

Hence AF=FB=4 and AE=ED=4

Triangle AEF, Triangle BFC and Triangle EDC are right angled triangles. Hence we can use Pythagoras theorem

This approach was time consuming. Also, This approach involves lots of calculation.


Approach 2 - faster approach



When you encounter geometry problems, look at the picture for few seconds.

Can you observe a square and 4 triangles?

Spend time observing the pictures and look for clues.

The area of shaded portion is equal to the area of the square – (sum of the area of the 3 triangles).

This approach requires you to know the area of the triangle = 0.5 x base x height.

Now let’s analyze the figure. F and E are the midpoints

The sides of the square are 8


Area of triangle AEF = 0.5x4x4 = 8

Area of triangle EDC = 0.5x4x8 = 16

Area of triangle FBC = 0.5x8x4 = 16

Area of square =64

Area of shaded region = 64- 16-16-8 =24

This approach is far easier and involves less calculation.

So always use logic to arrive at answers faster

 

 



Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Maximize your GMAT score in a month

 


If you are planning to take the GMAT in a month,  you need to work on SMART goals

S - Specific

M- Measurable

A- Achievable

R - Relevant

T- Time bound 

It would be beneficial, if you work with a GMAT tutor, who can design a custom-made program for you. 

If you want to maximize your scores in the GMAT.. Lets have a chat...

My contact link is here:

When students ask me to design a program, I usually focus on certain points.  Here are some of them

MATH cues

To aim for a good score in math section, you need to be good at questions, which test your mathematical ability and questions, which test your mathematical reasoning/logic.


You need to

 

some of the activities, which I suggest 

1. Remember all the math formula

 

Collect all the relevant math rules and formulae. Revise them daily

2. Solve 500+ concept-based and application-based sums 

Certain math questions are based on concepts . Others are based on concepts+ logic. You need a separate strategy for each

To know about the math specific skill sets ..click here. 

3. Solve a question in 60 seconds to 90 seconds

 

Learn time saving strategies like substitution/possibility generation…

Some strategies are discussed ..click here. 

4. Identify weak areas and rectify them

Maintain an error Log(document). The error log will help you identify weak areas easily. 

5. Pace yourself properly during the test

Work on 20+ timed section tests.

Spend more time on the first 10 questions and less time on the last 10 questions in a section test.

 Understand GMAT pacing  here

6. Leave your ego aside and guess an answer, if you are not able to solve in 60 seconds

Make calculated guesses. you can still hit a Q50 score with 2-3 mistakes. However, there is a heavy penalty on leaving questions unanswered.


7. Follow a problem-solving process, so that you don’t get stuck while solving a question

 Devise broad strategies which you can apply to a genre of sums.

Discussion on the problem solving process  ..click here. 

8. Follow a reasoning-based approach if you have a non-math background

Learn how to use logic more than math

Click here to see how you can use reasoning skills to solve problems 

9. Compile all the notes/short cuts/strategies in one notebook

Buy a good GMAT quant book apart from the official guide. Ping me if you want my notes.


Verbal cues

1.Work on sentence correction. In a short time, you can see results, if you follow the correct SC cues.

 2.Critical Reasoning can be a little more difficult to improve upon. If you work with strategies, your accuracy rate will zoom upwards.

3. Reading Comprehension is a bit crucial when it comes to improvement, for, if you do not comprehend a passage well you will end up making repeated mistakes. So you need to develop basic reading skills. Read read read.. there is no substitute for reading.

You need to

 

some of the activities, which i suggest 

1. Remember all the grammar rules, that are often tested in the GMAT

 

Make a list of the 25 most often tested errors. Study them many times.

Some errors are discussed here

2. Solve SC questions of various difficulty levels

Learn how to use logic more than just verbal rules to tackle harder questions

how do I improve my sentence correction score click here

3. Learn critical reading – A reading style which will help you break complex RC passages into manageable chunks.

Read articles of different genres. Practice micro-skills- summary writing/passage mapping..

More on this here

4. Take logic lessons to  tackle the critical reasoning(CR) section

Derive an approach for the 10 critical reasoning question types. Practice micro-skills -diagramming/ logic identification

Understand diagramming as a micro-skill for CR here

5. Solve question in 60 seconds to 90 seconds

 

Learn time saving strategies

6. Identify weak areas and rectify them

Maintain an error log/document


7. Pace yourself properly during the test

Work on 20+ timed section tests. Spend more time on the first 10 questions and less time on the last 10 questions


8.Leave your ego aside and guess the answer

 Make calculated guesses. you can still hit a V 40 score with 2-3 mistakes. However, there is a heavy penalty on leaving questions unanswered.


9. Compile all the notes/short cuts/strategies in one notebook

Buy a good GMAT verbal book apart from the official guide. Ping me if you want my notes.




Happy learning !!