HOW TO USE THIS BOOK: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR ACING THE GMAT

1. Learn the Famed Princeton Review Test-Taking Strategies

In the next few chapters, you’ll find the strategies that have given our GMAT students the edge for the past 20 years.

2. Learn the Specific Math and Verbal Skills You’ll Need

Our courses include an extremely thorough review of the math and verbal skills our students need to ace the GMAT, and this book will give you that same review.

3. Practice Each Type of Question—at the Difficulty Level You Need to Master

Two of the GMAT’s sections, the Quantitative and Verbal sections, are computer adaptive. These sections quickly hone in on your ability level and then mostly give you questions at or just above that level. It makes sense for you to practice on the level of problem you will actually see during the test. GMAT Premium Prep is the only book out there with practice questions grouped by difficulty. Page after page of practice questions are arranged at the back of this book in difficulty “bins”—just like the questions on the real GMAT—so that you can concentrate on the question level you will have to answer on the actual test in order to get the score you need.

The Integrated Reasoning section of the GMAT is not computer adaptive. We’ve provided two complete Integrated Reasoning sections at the back of this book to help you prepare for this section of the test.

4. Periodically Take Simulated GMATs to Measure Your Progress

As you work through the book, you’ll want to take our online practice tests to see how you’re doing. These tests closely mimic the GMAT so you can become familiar with the test’s content and structure. Our tests include adaptive sections for the Quantitative and Verbal sections and a non-adaptive section for the Integrated Reasoning section. Our practice tests can be found at PrincetonReview.com. In addition, we actively encourage students to use The Official Guide for GMAT Review, which is published by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). It contains actual test questions from previous administrations of the GMAT. You should also take at least one of the real practice tests available through the GMAT website, www.mba.com.

5. Hone Your Skills

Using the detailed score reports from your practice exams, you’ll be able to zero in on problem areas and quickly achieve mastery through additional practice. And as your score rises on the adaptive sections, this book is ready with more difficult question bins to keep you on track for the score you need. You can use the two practice Integrated Reasoning sections in this book to help you prepare for your practice tests and your real GMAT.

6. Keep Track of the Application Process

Throughout the book, you will find informative sidebars explaining how and when to register for the test, how and when to apply to business school, the advantages and disadvantages of applying early, and much more. Plus, at PrincetonReview.com, you’ll be able to take advantage of our powerful web-based tools to match yourself with schools that meet your needs and preferences.

WHAT IS THE GRADUATE MANAGEMENT ADMISSION TEST?

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a standardized test used by business schools as a tool to decide whom they are going to let into their MBA programs.

Where Does the GMAT Come From?

The GMAT is published and administered by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). GMAC is a private company. We’ll tell you more about them later on in this book.

What Does the Test Look Like?

The GMAT is offered only on computer. The 3.5-hour test is administered at a secure computer terminal at an approved testing center. You enter your multiple-choice answers on the screen with a mouse; you must compose your essay for the Writing Assessment section on the computer as well.

On average, this would give you two minutes for each quantitative question and a little less than two minutes for each verbal question—but you will find that our Princeton Review strategies will slightly revise these times. You must answer a question in order to get to the next question—which means that you can’t skip a question and come back to it. And while you are not required to finish any of the sections, your score will be adjusted downward to reflect questions you did not complete.

On each of the Quantitative and Verbal sections, approximately one-quarter of the questions you encounter will be experimental and will not count toward your score. These questions, which will be mixed in among the regular questions, are there so the test company can try out new questions for future tests. We’ll have much more to say about the experimental questions later.

But Wait, There’s More

One of the first options you’ll encounter when taking the GMAT is the option to choose from one of three possible orders for the exam sections. You pick your preferred section order on the day of the test.

Here are the possible section orders:

How Do You Know What Order to Pick?

The answer to that depends on your goals for the test and your level of comfort with the different sections. Are you looking to get a high Quantitative score, but you don’t care so much about the Verbal? Has your school told you they never consider the essay and Integrated Reasoning section? Are you good at Verbal but not so good at Quantitative?

The answer to these questions and other questions like them help to inform your section order choice.

How Does This Impact Your Studying?

We recommend that you take your first two tests using the classic order. A major goal of your first practice test is to simply get acquainted with the sections, question types, content, and timing of the GMAT. A major goal of your second practice test is to start putting into use some of the basic approaches for important question types.

Taking your first two tests using the classic section order provides a baseline score. Having established a baseline score, you can then try out different section orders for the remaining tests. Compare the results of the tests with different section orders to the results of the tests with the classic section order and see if there are any improvements.

In addition to looking for score improvements, you should also pay attention to a handful of other factors about your preferences in test taking.

For instance, do you like to ease into a test or hit the ground running? If you like to ease into a test, you may want to stick with the classic section order. While all parts of your GMAT score are important, most schools do attach less importance to your AWA (Analytical Writing Assessment) and Integrated Reasoning scores than your Quantitative and Verbal scores. Remember, as well, that only the Quantitative and Verbal scores are used in calculating the overall score. So, if you like to ease into a test, the AWA and Integrated Reasoning can provide that way to ease in.

Do you like to do the section you’re most worried about first? Some test-takers like to get the section that they are most worried about out of the way. If that’s you, you’ll probably want to pick either the Verbal First or Quantitative First orders, depending on which section you are most worried about!

Are you worried about fatigue? Most test-takers find the GMAT both fast-paced and tiring. Fatigue can be a very real issue. If you are worried about fatigue, you probably want to do either the Verbal First or Quantitative First orders as they place the two least consequential sections at the end of the test.

What Information Is Tested on the GMAT?

You will find several different types of multiple-choice questions on the GMAT.

How Is the GMAT Scored?

As soon as you’ve finished taking the GMAT, your computer will calculate and display your unofficial results, not including your Writing Assessment score. You can print a copy of your unofficial results to take with you. Within 20 days, you will receive your score report online; a written report will be available only by request.

Most people think of the GMAT score as a single number, but in fact there are five separate numbers:

1. Quantitative score (reported on a scale that runs from 6 to 51 in one-point increments)

2. Verbal score (reported on a scale that runs from 6 to 51 in one-point increments)

3. Total score (reported on a scale that runs from 200 to 800 and based only on the results of Quantitative and Verbal sections)

4. Analytic Writing Assessment score (reported on a scale of 0 to 6, in half-point increments; 6 is the highest score)

5. Integrated Reasoning score (reported on a scale from 1 to 8 in one-point increments)

The report will look something like this:

Scores in the Quantitative and Verbal sections of the test are based on three factors: the number of questions you answer, whether you answered the question correctly, and the parameters of the question (such as difficulty). Your score improves if you answer more questions, answer them correctly, and answer them at a higher level of difficulty. Scores below 6 or above 51 are exceedingly rare.

Many business schools tend to focus on the total score, which means that you may make up for weakness in one area by being strong in another. For example, if your quantitative skills are better than your verbal skills, they’ll help pull up your total score—although some of the more selective schools say they prefer to see math and verbal sub-scores that are balanced. According to GMAC, two-thirds of test-takers receive a total score between 400 and 600. Total scores go up or down in ten-point increments. In other words, you might receive 490 or 500 on the GMAT, but never 494 or 495.

The Integrated Reasoning section is scored from 1 to 8 in one-point increments. Questions have multiple parts, and you must answer each part correctly to get credit for the question. The Integrated Reasoning score is not included in the Overall score.

The score on the Analytical Writing Assessment section is based on the submission of one Analysis of an Argument essay. The essay is scored independently twice, and the average of the scores is taken. One of the scorers for the essay may be an automated essay-scoring engine.

You will also see a percentile ranking next to each score. For example, if you see a percentile of 72 next to your Verbal score, it means that 72 percent of the people who took this test scored lower than you did on the Verbal section.

WHAT IS THE PRINCETON REVIEW?

The Princeton Review is a test-preparation company founded in New York City. It has branches in more than 50 cities across the country, as well as abroad. The Princeton Review’s techniques are unique and powerful, and they were developed after a study of thousands of real GMAT questions. They work because they are based on the same principles that are used in writing the actual test. The Princeton Review’s techniques for beating the GMAT will help you improve your scores by teaching you to:

• think like the test-writers

• take full advantage of the computer-adaptive algorithms upon which the GMAT is based

• find the answers to questions you don’t understand by using Process of Elimination

• avoid the traps that test-writers have set for you (and use those traps to your advantage)

A Warning

Many of our techniques for beating the GMAT may be very different from the way that you would naturally approach problems. Some methods may even seem counterintuitive. Rest assured, however, that many test-takers have used our methods to get great GMAT scores. To get the full benefit of our techniques, you must trust them. The only way to develop this trust is to practice the techniques and persuade yourself that they work.

Practice with Real Questions

One reason coaching books do not use real GMAT questions is that GMAC won’t let them. So far, the council has refused to let anyone (including us) license actual questions from old tests. As we mentioned above, the council has its own review book, The Official Guide for GMAT Review, which we heartily recommend that you purchase. GMAC also puts out preparation software called GMATPrep, which can be downloaded for free from www.mba.com. This software includes two computer-adaptive tests plus additional practice sets, all of which feature real GMAT questions. By practicing our techniques on real GMAT items, you will be able to prove to yourself that the techniques work and increase your confidence when you actually take the test.

And, remember, by using The Princeton Review’s practice questions grouped by level of difficulty at the back of this book, you’ll be able to concentrate on types of questions you are actually likely to see.

Contents