Simply Brilliant
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Simply Brilliant offers elite GMAT tutoring and classes as well as expert MBA admissions consulting to help clients gain admission to top business schools. Follow the blog for GMAT and MBA admissions tips.
Simply Brilliant
1y ago
In a competitive response to the GMAC’s shortening of the GMAT™, the ETS announced on May 31, 2023 that it will be shortening the GRE® General Test, effective September 22, 2023. See the announcement here.
What’s New
Total test time less than 2 hours
Removal of the unscored section
Removal of the Analyze an Argument essay
Reduction in the number of questions from 40 quant and 40 verbal to 27 of each, which will be divided in two quant and two verbal sections (the number of questions in each section will be announced by the end of June 2023)
Elimination of the 10-minute scheduled brea ..read more
Simply Brilliant
3y ago
I’ve reviewed the 2022 GMAT Official Guide (OG2022), GMAT Quantitative Review (QR2022) and GMAT Verbal Review (VR2022), comparing them to the 2021 editions. Every year, I look for new patterns and trends. At this time, the paperback books have not yet shipped, so this evaluation is based on the ebooks. Amazon is taking pre-orders of the paperbacks and is projecting shipment on June 2, 2021. MBA.com has removed the paperbacks from its online store, citing “challenges with delivering physical goods.” If you are planning to take the GMAT, I recommend getting the ebooks at MBA.com, so you can star ..read more
Simply Brilliant
4y ago
Every year, I analyze the latest editions of the GMAT Official Guide, GMAT Quantitative Review and GMAT Verbal Review. I look for new patterns and trends in the problems that have been added and removed. For 2021, key insights include:
1. Many Problems Added, But Only the Diagnostic and One CR Removed. In all, there are 1,895 problems, including some problems only available online from the publisher Wiley. In the main Official Guide, there are 998 problems, including 32 new Problem Solving (PS), 10 new Data Sufficiency (DS), 19 new Critical Reasoning (CR), 31 new Senten ..read more
Simply Brilliant
5y ago
Every year, we analyze the latest editions of the GMAT Official Guide, GMAT Quantitative Review and GMAT Verbal Review. We look for new patterns and trends in the problems that have been added and removed. For 2020, key insights include:
1. More Problems Added Than Removed. In all there are 100 more problems in the main Official Guide, 19 more in the Quantitative Review, and 11 more in the Verbal Review.
2. Much More Geometry and Visual Reasoning. The new quant problems are heavily concentrated in geometry data sufficiency (DS), including problems involving 3D, inscribed angles and sim ..read more
Simply Brilliant
5y ago
New insights into the scope of the GMAT and how GMAC test writers think about the exam are always useful. In an earlier post, I pointed out the revamped Sentence Correction intro in the GMAT Official Guide 2019. Enhanced Score Reports (ESR’s) give us another opportunity to get into the test writers’ minds.For those who have already taken the exam, an ESR is available for US$30 at mba.com, even if the scores were canceled. ESR’s provide greater detail on the test-taker’s performance. If you are planning to re-take the exam, an ESR is a wise investment. In GMAT tutoring sessions with those who h ..read more
Simply Brilliant
5y ago
Every year, we analyze the latest editions of the GMAT Official Guide, GMAT Quantitative Review and GMAT Verbal Review. We look for new patterns and trends in the problems that have been added and removed. For 2019, key insights include:More Easy & Mid-Level Problems. Continuing a trend over the past few years, all three official books have primarily updated and enhanced the easy and mid-level problems. In fact this year, the problems above a certain number in each section of each book remained unchanged. If you are targeting a top score, however, I wouldn't underestimate the importance of ..read more
Simply Brilliant
5y ago
Of the 31 new Critical Reasoning problems in the 2019 Official Guide books, two highlight a distinct and previously uncommon pattern of reasoning in cause and effect relationships. The problems are GMAT Official Guide 2019 #608 p.529 and GMAT Official Guide Verbal Review 2019 #155 p.148. These examples illustrate that one way to strengthen an argument relying on a cause and effect relationship is to show that interfering with the cause prevents or reduces the effect.Consider the following example.To alleviate the motion sickness George’s dog Rastro experienced during space flights, George’s ve ..read more
Simply Brilliant
5y ago
One of the most important tips I can give someone preparing for the GMAT is, “Never give up!” This is the very last reminder I give my private tutoring clients just before they take the exam.Too often, people tell me, “I thought I bombed the quant.” Then during the break between the quant and verbal sections, they tell themselves, “Ugh! I’ve got to take this thing again!” And so they give up on the verbal. When they get their scores, they find that they received their best quant score ever, but their verbal score was terrible.The nature of the GMAT makes it very difficult to tell how you’re do ..read more
Simply Brilliant
5y ago
©iStockphoto.com/Eric Hood
Just as athletes mix different types of training to develop strength, agility, speed, and endurance, you can work a variety of study techniques into your GMAT prep regimen to boost your performance on exam day. Three important types of work include skill building, speedwork, and practice exams.Skill building involves learning or refreshing your knowledge of the concepts tested on the GMAT. It includes class time, tutoring time, and time spent doing problem sets online or in books. Your goals for skill building ..read more
Simply Brilliant
5y ago
Image: Karen Shaw/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Developing the right balance between perfectionism and pacing can be one of the greatest challenges in preparing for the GMAT. In high school and college, many of us did well by adopting perfectionism as a winning strategy. We studied hard and expected to ace exams, perhaps getting 90+% of the questions right. The GMAT, however, is a different game. It is perhaps similar to competitive horse jumping, in which faults are accumulated for missing jumps or going over the allotted time.The adaptive natu ..read more