Continued from How Long Should I Study for the GMAT? – Part 1

  • Remember studying for the GMAT is a daily practice. If you have to miss a day, fine; but don’t miss two consecutive days. Also keep in mind that it’s not just the sitting-down-and-studying part that should be daily: you shouldn’t ignore a question type for too long either (don’t, for instance, work on math questions for a week and then verbal questions for a week: the exam won’t be like that, so why would your study time?) Try to fit in both in every sitting if you can (both problem solving and data sufficiency for the math, and all three (critical reasoning, reading comprehension, and sentence correction) for the verbal). Read the full Article

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The most honest (although admittedly, the most unsatisfying) answer to this question is, quite simply, “it depends.” Luckily, however, I can be a little more specific about what it depends upon, and that might help you – as a singular test-taker with needs that are different from every other test-taker – make some personal determinations. In the first place, it depends upon the difference between what you’ve scored on your GMAT diagnostic and what you hope to score on the real deal (let’s call this “the improvement factor”). In the second place, it depends on the degree to which you are capable of maximizing your study time (we’ll call this one “the efficiency factor”). Lastly (and looming over both of these) there is, of course, the ever-present “time factor.” Read the full Article

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(If you’re having similar difficulties deciding between the SAT and the ACT, by the way, check out “SAT versus ACT: The Test-Taker’s Guide”).

First, a word to all you history buffs out there who are currently scheming to just take both U.S. History and World History and wash your hands of the matter: most colleges that oblige you to take Subject Tests require they be in different subject areas.

Before deciding, you should first make a list of all the colleges you’re considering.  Then spend some time checking (and double-checking!) their requirements Read the full Article

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So you’ve been studying for the SAT for what seems like years now, and your critical thinking, grammar, and math skills are on par with the pros.  And yet, you’re finding your dreams of becoming an on-site biologist who studies homeostasis at the Congo River basin have not quite been furthered by all of this study.  So how do you show the colleges you’re interested in – well – what you’re interested in?  Or that you’re a much more well rounded student than the SAT (or ACT) might have them believe?  Further, when do you get a chance to prove to the world out there that everything you learned in your World History class actually “stuck”? Read the full Article

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So you’ve been studying for the SAT for what feels now like your whole life… You are now officially in the home stretch, and you’re ready for it to be over – and believe me, I’m ready for it to be over for you. But this also happens to be the week in which I get the most questions about strategy: what, exactly, should you be doing in those final days? The answers are in ways very similar – and in other ways very dissimilar – to what you’ve been doing so far. Below is my list of top dos and don’ts in those final hours. Read the full Article

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The SAT essay is – for good reason – always one of my students’ hugest concerns. I say “for good reason” on a number of grounds. In the first place, students sit down to the SAT writing section after years of high school English classes that have instilled in them the process and practice of writing a meticulously organized exposition – one that takes multiple drafts, demands countless hours of editing, and occasionally requires a sleepless night or two. Suddenly they are faced with a 25-minute window in which their first instinct is to squeeze that whole working-and-reworking process into a significantly shorter period of time. Of course, this isn’t humanly possible – nor will it be expected of you. In the second place, the essay is the only section of the SAT that is scored – let’s admit it – subjectively. Read the full Article

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Gaining admissions into some private middle schools and high schools is surprisingly similar to that aspect of the college process.  Grades, extra-curriculars, and teacher recommendations all count. Since curricula and educational and assessment standards can vary widely from school to school, admissions personnel can compare students from varying backgrounds with respect to the “core subjects” using the standardized test scores.  The most popular of these exams are The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE), and The High School Placement Test (HSPT).  Read the full Article

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What is a Good Score on the GMAT?

September 12, 2011

The question I inevitably get asked regarding GMAT is: “What is a good GMAT score?” The short answer is that a good score is the best score that you, personally, are capable of achieving – something you’ll definitely have a better sense of once you’ve sat down with a few practice tests. The longer and [...]

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8 Essential Tips to Boost your SAT Reading and SAT Writing Scores During the Summer

May 25, 2011

Okay, so it’s summer – and many of you have just scrubbed off the last of the school year in the shower.  We know all you want right now is to be out in the park with friends – we want that too!  But we also know that October is right around the corner, and [...]

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12 things to consider before retaking the GMAT

May 20, 2011

Broadly, there are a few questions you’ll have to ask yourself when your test scores come in: Am I satisfied with the time and energy I’ve put into preparing for this exam? Given the constraints of my life, did I prepare as well as I could have? Is there room for improvement here? Am I capable [...]

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