GMAT advice from the EMPOWERgmat team
222 articles on GMAT strategy, study plans, pacing and the MBA application.
Data Insights Is Where Data Sufficiency Lives Now. Don't Treat It Like Quant.
Data Sufficiency now lives in Data Insights. Grinding more Quant won't fix your score there. Here's how to train for it on its own terms.
3 Answer Changes Per Section: A SAFETY NET, Not a Strategy
The GMAT Focus Edition lets you change 3 answers per section. Plan to rush now and fix later, and that safety net becomes the trap that sinks your score.
Current GMAT or Focus Edition? Let Your STRENGTHS Decide
Current GMAT or the new Focus Edition? Your own practice test data already knows which one pays you more points. Here's how to read it.
Weighted Averages: The Answer Is Closer to the BIGGER Group
Weighted average and mixture questions look like algebra. One common sense rule lets you cross off most of the answers before you do any math.
Word Problems: Translate Before You Calculate
Most GMAT word problem mistakes happen before any math. Learn to turn every sentence into a note first, with two worked examples and their traps.
Inference Questions: The Right Answer Is BORING
On GMAT Inference questions, the clever answer is the trap. Learn why the dull answer that MUST be true wins, and train yourself to pick it.
Sentence Correction Is Leaving. That Does NOT Mean You Can Skip It (Yet)
Sentence Correction is leaving the GMAT, but not before your test date. Skip it in practice now and you hand away Verbal points on Test Day.
The GMAT Focus Edition Is Coming. Should You WAIT For It?
A shorter GMAT is coming in late 2023. Before you freeze your prep to wait for it, do the math on what waiting actually costs you.
The New GMAT Focus Edition Changes How We'll All Be Taking the GMAT
The New GMAT Focus Edition - What is it? How is it different? How will it impact admissions? NOTE: The GMAT Focus Edition is slated for release later this…
You Can't Score 700+ If You Pretend to be A Speed Reading Superhero
Are you tired of breezing through GMAT passages only to realize you missed crucial information, or literally remember absolutely nothing? Or feeling like…
Stop Solving for x When the Question Doesn't ASK for x
The GMAT asks for x + y and you spend three minutes finding x. Learn to spot the real target and reach it in seconds, not minutes.
Graphs and Charts: Read the AXES Before You Read Anything Else
Most GMAT chart mistakes aren't math mistakes. They're reading mistakes. Here's the ten second habit that saves those points, with a worked example.
Data Sufficiency: Stop Combining the Statements Too EARLY
Clicking 'both statements together' on Data Sufficiency feels safe. It's often the trap. Here's how to squeeze each statement dry before you combine.
Reading Comp: The Main Idea Is the ONE Thing You Must Know Before the Questions
You keep missing Reading Comp questions because you try to memorize every detail. Lock in the main idea first, and go back for the rest only when a question asks.
Two-Part Analysis Is Two EASY Questions Wearing a Costume
Two-Part Analysis wants two answers at once, so it looks scary. It's really two easy questions sharing one prompt, and solving one half can unlock the other.
The 'Weekend Warrior' Study Plan Is a TRAP
Eight hours every Saturday feels heroic and builds almost nothing that sticks. Here's why short daily GMAT reps win, and what your week should look like.
Combinations: Does Order MATTER? Answer That First
Most GMAT counting mistakes happen before any math. Learn the one question to ask first, and the 5 second swap test that answers it.
Coordinate Geometry: Slope Is Just Rise Over Run (So Stop Panicking)
Coordinate geometry questions mostly come down to slope and where a line crosses the axes. Draw the picture, walk the line, and stop panicking.
Waiting on Round 2 Decisions? Train for INTERVIEWS Now
Refreshing your inbox won't get you admitted. MBA interviews are a test you can train for, so build your stories now, before the invite lands.
Your Error Log Is USELESS If It Only Says 'Careless'
Writing 'careless' in your error log feels productive and fixes nothing. Learn to name the real cause, so you stop missing the same gettable questions.
15 - 760+: Defining Your Pacing Problem in the Quant and/or Verbal Sections (Part 1)
Over the years, one of the most common concerns that I’ve heard from GMATers is about their pacing – specifically, the fact that they have to rush through a…
14 - 760+: Your Big Problem With the Verbal Section is Based on a “Probability Problem”
Many Test Takers tend to find the Quant section of the GMAT to be easier than the Verbal section. Quant is based on more ‘obvious’ rules and patterns and you…
13 - 760+: Reading Comp: Practice Your Reading Pace on 3 Passages
In the prior post, we discussed proper reading pace for when you deal with GMAT RC passages (as a reminder, that pace should be about 150 words per minute).…
12 - 760+: Reading Comp - Learning to Read GMAT RC at the Perfect Pace
Many GMATers make the mistake of thinking that ‘skimming’ is the proper way to deal with Reading Comp passages. By its nature, skimming is often a desperate…