EMPOWERgmat Blog
Almost without fail, the first questions that most Test Takers will look at after taking a CAT are the questions that were answered incorrectly. Reviewing questions that were answered CORRECTLY is almost an afterthought (and oftentimes avoided) – THAT ‘missing’ review is a HUGE opportunity. Sometimes the biggest overall improvements can be made in areas in which you are ALREADY knowledgeable. First, there’s a distinct possibility that you answered some questions correctly by taking a lucky guess (either because you were stuck or low on time) – so reviewing […]
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Nearing the middle of July, many Test Takers are starting their GMAT prep (or are in the midst of it already) in anticipation of applying to Business School before the Round 1 deadlines occur in September/October. Many of those same Test Takers will face varying challenges during their studies and they won’t know how to go about overcoming those challenges. Worse still, many will be so unable, or unwilling, to do the necessary self-analysis that they will utter the least useful phrase imaginable – “I have no idea why_____.” As […]
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When it comes to studying for the GMAT, there are a variety of ways to approach the process. Regardless of how you might formulate your study plan, CATs are essential to your improvement as a Test Taker and to help you prepare for what you will eventually face on the Official GMAT. Unfortunately, many Test Takers mis-use their CATs and end up not properly prepared on Test Day. Using your CATs in a rather specific way will help you to maximize your performance on the GMAT. First off, it’s […]
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GMAT Test Takers often face similar difficulties during their studies, so there are certain questions that tend to come up about how to improve those studies. One of the most frequent questions I’m asked about is pacing-related: “how do I fix my pacing problem?” To start, you have to acknowledge that a pacing problem does NOT exist on its own – it’s the result of OTHER problems in how you are approaching the process of answering GMAT questions. It really is often this simple Arguably the most common […]
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**Note: I will NOT be discussing any individual questions from this new book. Doing so would cheat YOU, the reader, out of experiencing those questions “fresh.” On Test Day, you have to be prepared to deal with any GMAT concept at any time in each section, so knowing anything beyond the obvious (it’s Geometry because I can see a picture of a circle; it’s an Assumption question because the prompt asks for the ‘assumption’) would diminish the process that you have to go through to answer the question.** You […]
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GMAT questions can often be solved with more than one approach – this is great news for Test Takers since having more than one option means that you’re less likely to get ‘stuck’ on a given prompt. Taking this idea one step further, if YOU know more than one way to answer a given question, then you have a significant advantage: you can CHOOSE to use the fastest approach, save time and save on the amount of energy that you have to expend to get to the correct answer. To […]
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**Warning: During this article, I’m going to stop you periodically and ask you to perform some basic math and logic ‘tasks.’ The work that you do on earlier tasks WILL impact your understanding of later tasks.** During the Quant section of the GMAT, you’ll be asked to deal with averages on a few questions - sometimes you’ll be asked to calculate an average or an average speed, sometimes you’ll be given an average and asked to figure out something else. You will probably handle all of those questions just […]
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The GMAT is a predictable, standardized test. As such, you can train to score at a high level with GMAT test preparation. Full-length practice CAT exams are an essential part of the study process, but it never ceases to amaze me how often Test Takers use their CATs incorrectly. Choosing to do any of the following will likely lead to CAT scores that are unrealistic and an Official Score that is far lower than you want it to be. Not Taking the FULL CAT The GMAT is a […]
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While taking a CAT for GMAT test preparation, or on test day itself, almost all GMAT test takers experience the terrible realization that there are WAY too many questions left to answer and not enough time to answer them. Learning proper pacing is an issue that most test takers have to deal with – the first step in fixing that problem is to realize that YOU are the cause of your pacing problem. Finding Wasted Time When reviewing a CAT performance, most test takers focus on […]
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