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DAVIDS VERITAS GMAT COURSE COMPANION

(DVGCC):

An eBook of Articles Written by David Newland

in Collaboration with Veritas Prep

Compiled by: Stacey Vos

DVGCC Content Coordinator

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For the latest articles and class notes be sure to check DVGCC.com

For more information on the best GMAT preparation and MBA consulting in the world
please visit the Veritas Prep website at veritasprep.com

To find a Veritas class near you or online (including the schedule of David's upcoming
classes visit http://www.veritasprep.com/gmat/gmat-course-options/

For other great articles on the GMAT, MBA admissions, and MBA program profiles
please visit http://www.veritasprep.com/blog/

For access to the FREE Veritas Prep question bank http://www.veritasprep.com/gmatquestion-bank/

For access to the FREE Veritas Prep practice test http://www.veritasprep.com/gmat/freegmat-practice-test/

GMAT is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council , which

does not endorse nor is affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this book. All
contents copyright 2008 - 2015 David Newland and Veritas, LLC. All rights reserved.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GMAT TEST STRATEGY
1. Why Federer Would Beat Nadal on the GMAT
2. What Ninja Warrior Can Teach You on the GMAT
3. E.A.S.I. Questions on the GMAT
4. Running Out of Time at the End of the Test?
5. Ask Dr. David: Low GMAT Verbal Score
6. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Good forYour GMAT Score
7. How To Earn A Higher GMAT Score Than You Deserve
8. Narrow Your Focus to Expand Your Score on the Verbal Section
9. Take Advantage of Advances in Brain Science to Maximize Your Verbal Score

B. TEST ANXIETY
1. Laugh Your Way to Success on the GMAT
2. You Are Not Your GMAT Score: Abolishing the Ego and Excelling on the
GMAT
3. The Most Important Time is Now
4. There is a Solution to Every Problem on the GMAT
5. Imagine Your Way to Success on the GMAT
6. Be a Player in the GMAT Game and Not Just a Fan

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7. 4 Things You Control on GMAT Test Day

C. LIFESTYLE & THE GMAT

1. Want to Beat the GMAT? Stop Multi-Tasking Now!
2. Dont Be a Charity Case on the GMAT
3. How Exercise Can Increase Your GMAT Score
4. How Multi-tasking Can Hurt Your GMAT Score
5. Exercise and Brain Power: Do I Need to Run a 10K to Ace the GMAT
6. How Can I Improve My Focus on the GMAT

D. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF PRACTICE

1. Why the GMAT Should Be Given on iPads
2. We Talkin About Practice: Getting the Most Out of Your Practice Tests
3. Think You Made a Mistake? Good Errors on the GMAT
4. Studying for the GMAT Is Your First Business School Class

5. Struggle to Understand the GMAT

6. Take a GMAT Selfie
7. This is the Difference Between a 600 and a 700 GMAT Score

E. DATA SUFFICIENCY

1. Witnesses to the Crimein Data Sufficiency

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2. GMAT Tip of the Week: Why New York is Simply Not Sufficient
3. The Puzzle Equation on Data Sufficiency
4. The GMAT is SlipperySo Use the Handrails
5. When to Actually Do the Math on Data Sufficiency
6. GMAT Tip of the Week: Fall in the Love with the Correct Data Sufficiency
Answer, Bachelor-Style
7. How to Raise Your GMAT Score with the Data Sufficiency Mirroring
Technique
8. GMAT Tip: Diagnose Your Own Data Sufficiency Difficulties
9. Doing the Most with the Least on Data Sufficiency
10. Dont Bury the Lead' on Data Sufficiency
11. Avoiding a Data Sufficiency Hangover
12. Data Sufficiency: Lean Toward A, B, D, and Jump to C vs. E
13. Do Your Work Early on Data Sufficiency
14. The Most Difficult Data Sufficiency Question to Answer
15. Use the Filters on Data Sufficiency

F. PROBLEM SOLVING
1. Rebel or Embrace? How to Ace Permutation with Restrictions
2. The Most Important Moment in a Problem-Solving Question

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3. Give Yourself the Benefit of the Doubt on Problem Solving

4. Use the Translator to Master Triple Ratios
5. Double Difficulty on GMAT Problem Solving
6. Batting Average vs. Number of Hits on the GMAT
7. The Winning Strategy for Weighted Average Problems
8. Two Simple Rules for Conquering Conversion Problems
9. Find Out How Algebra Could Be Your Key to Success on the GMAT Quant
Section
10. The Most Efficient Way to Study Least Common Multiples on the GMAT

G. QUANTITAVE STRATEGY
1. Are You a Top Chef or a Worst Cook on the Quant Section?
2. Think Like a DoctorAnd Diagnose Your Way to GMAT Success
3. Are You Headed For a Quantitative Car Crash?
4. Use a Pilots Checklist to Soar on Quantitative
5. The Three Questions That Ruin Your GMAT Score

H. QUANTITATIVE MARTIAL ARTS

1. If the GMAT Were in the Olympics Which Event Would It Be?
2. QMA Data Sufficiency Jujitsu Bad Subjects

I. CRITICAL REASONING

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1. MIP: Critical Reasoning the Tim Duncan Way

2. Who Needs a Stimulus? Self-Proving Answer Choices on Inference Questions
3. The OG 13 and the Future of Critical Reasoning
4. Approaching Assumption Questions Like an Expert
5. Ask Dr. David: Critical Reasoning in the Eyes of an Expert
6. Automatic Conclusion on Plan Questions
7. Turning an Assumption Question into an Inference
8. Putting Critical Reasoning in Context
9. Shift the Burden on Inference Questions
10. Watch for Negations in Critical Reasoning
11. Mastering Critical Reasoning 'Evaluate' Questions
12. Use the AWA to Study for Critical Reasoning

J. SENTENCE CORRECTION
1. Watch Out for Zombiesin Sentence Correction
2. Split the Pair in Sentence Correction
3. No Relatives, No Problems on Sentence Correction
4. The Five Criteria of Sentence Correction
5. End Verb-on-Verb Violence
6. What Do Relatives and Sentence Correction Have in Common on the GMAT?

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7. You Are Not the Decision-Maker on Sentence Correction

8. Word Order Does Not Matter on Sentence Correction
9. The Verbs Do and Does as Stand-Ins on Sentence Correction
10. How to Check for Parallelism in Sentence Correction
11. The Simple Equation for Success on Sentence Correction
12. Avoid Outside Information on Sentence Correction
13. Use Logic to Make Quick Work of Difficult Sentence Correction Problems
14. Think Better, Not Best, on Sentence Correction
15. Because GMAT
16. Boost Your GMAT Score by Mastering Sentence Correction
17. The GMAT is Like a Murder Mystery
18. Get Out of Jail Free on Sentence Correction
19. Listen for the Echo in Sentence Correction
20. 5 Errors to Look For in Sentence Correction Questions on the GMAT

K. READING COMPREHENSION
1. Dial the Right Area Code for Reading Comprehension
2. Five Ways to Find the Primary Purpose in Reading Comprehension
3. The Most Important Moment in Reading Comprehension

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L. AWA
1. Easter Egg HuntOn the GMAT?
2. Critical Reasoning on the AWA Section of the GMAT
3. A Universal Template for the GMAT Essay
4. Shortcut for AWA: Pick Out the Intentional Flaws

M. INTEGRATED REASONING
1. What Integrated Reasoning Really Tests on the GMAT

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A. GMAT TEST STRATEGY

1. Why Federer Would Beat Nadal on the GMAT (01/13/2011)
Neither of these two has taken the GMAT (why would they?) but while they may trade
wins on the tennis courts, if Swiss-native Federer wanted to go to top-ranked Swiss B-school
IMD, hes a shoo-in to beat Nadal on the GMAT and heres why.
Federer is often described as smooth, efficient, even elegant. Nadal on the other
hand is powerful, tenacious, and relentless. Nadal is called the most determined
competitor currently playing any sport. He simply will not let go of any point. He runs down
shots that he has 1 chance in 100 of returning. By doing so he eventually convinces his opponent
that further resistance will never lead to success and so he actually wins matches with less total
effort than he would put forth if he did not go after the nearly-impossible shots.
All of this makes him the number one ranked tennis player, yet these same characteristics
would not work well for him on the GMAT. If Nadal pursued the same tactics on the GMAT that
he uses on the tennis court he would probably only be able to attempt about half of the questions
on the quantitative section. Running hard after every possible point in tennis is commendable,
but on the GMAT it is reckless! Spending as much time as it takes to work out a problem and
never letting go of any problem would be Nadals downfall on the GMAT.
Once a test-taker gets over 3 minutes on a problem there begin to be negative returns,
such that even getting the question right might not be worth the time expended. For example,
five minutes spent on a quant question (with two minutes as the average time allowed) means
that a test-taker must make up that extra three minutes somehow. Most people hope to spread
that out over several questions, maybe make up 30 seconds per question on each of six questions.
Yet that desire to go fast in order to make up time can result in questions missed. Even if
answered correctly, that one five minute question can cost big in terms of other questions missed.
And dont forget about the experimental questions on the GMAT. Nadal has the
advantage of knowing that each point he plays on the tennis court will actually count. Some
points are more important like in a tiebreaker but on the tennis court there are no points that
do not count; no points where Nadal would play as hard as he can, finding out only later that the
point does not count. Unfortunately on the GMAT there are such questions where you exert
yourself to the fullest and the question does not count. Since there are no sure ways to identify
such questions it is important to have a balanced approach do not spend too much time on any
one question! Unfortunately, there are a lot of Nadals out there taking the GMAT test,
doggedly clinging to every point, and earning a lower score as a result.
Federer on the other hand would do very well on the GMAT. He knows the situation on
the tennis court and he knows his limitations. If a ball is on the other end of the court and Federer
has almost no chance of reaching it then he will let it go and save his effort for another play. If he
is down 0-40 in a game that he does not need to win, he may save his energy for the next game
rather than likely waste it on a lost cause. This is what the smart test-taker does on the GMAT. If

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Federer encountered a question for which he could not develop a clear strategy, he would
understand that he might be better off letting that question go and devoting his time and attention
to other questions that he has a much better chance of answering correctly.
Playing like Federer on the Quantitative Section
How do you switch from a Nadal to a Federer when approaching the GMAT?
The biggest switch that you can make is that of focus. Nadal is focused on never losing a
point while Federer focuses on winning the points necessary to claim victory in the match. Adopt
Federers focus! Do not live in fear of missing a question on the quantitative section. Remember,
(nearly) everyone misses questions. You can score in the top 1% and still miss questions! Instead
you should focus on getting questions right.
Take 1 minute to 1:15 to develop a strategy for each question on the quantitative section.
Within that time frame you should be able to have a firm idea of what avenue to pursue in order
to complete the question. If you are unable to come up with a strategy in this time frame, it is
unlikely that you will be able to answer the question correctly within the time frame allowed. At
this point, a Nadal will dig in harder and never let go. The very fact that this question seems
too difficult will spur a Nadal-type test-taker into putting more time and effort into this question
rather than into one that he or she has a much better chance of getting right. Avoid this trap by
moving on when you realize that you do not have a good idea of how to approach a question.
Be a Federer on the GMAT and outscore all of those Nadals out there. Dont think
that this approach is just for those looking for a mid-range score and dont let pride stand in your
way. Even students who take pride in their math abilities may confront questions that, for some
reason, do not fall in line for them. Only one or two questions that take five minutes can change
a test-takers attitude and approach and can result in a much lower score.
I cant promise you a better tennis game, but if you approach the GMAT like Federer you
will be smooth and efficient and, most importantly, earn a higher score.

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2. What Ninja Warrior Can Teach You on the GMAT (03/03/2011)

If you have not already watched the latest season of American Ninja Warrior (on the
G4 channel in the U.S.) you will want to do so immediately, or at least record it now and
watch it once your B-school applications are in! For those of you who do not know, the original
Ninja Warrior is a competition involving what is known as the worlds most difficult obstacle
course constructed at Midoriyama outside of Tokyo, Japan. American Ninja Warrior details the
selection of 10 Americans to travel to Japan and then follows them through the various stages of
the Ninja Warrior obstacle course, each more impossible than the last.
You can learn something from these ninja warriors because the GMAT is also a
treacherous and demanding obstacle course.
Ninja Warrior has more in common with the GMAT than it does with other athletic
competitions like football, baseball, soccer, or tennis. In those competitions, teams or individuals
compete against each other, and one team can win based on the weakness of the other. This is not
true of Ninja Warrior. It is often said, The Ninja Warrior course has no weaknesses. The same
can certainly be said of the GMAT exam!
So what does the worlds toughest obstacle course teach us about the GMAT?
First, although both the GMAT and Ninja Warrior operate under strict time limits,
in both cases you are better off taking the time to be sure that you are doing something
right, rather than only doing it quickly. The first stage of Ninja Warrior allows the
competitors only 2 minutes and 10 seconds to complete 7 obstacles (about the same amount of
time you have for each problem solving question). Although the clock is ticking, the best
competitors always seem to stop and gather themselves before moving strongly and confidently
through the obstacle.
The competitors that focus only on the time and run headlong into unknown traps do not
survive even the first stage. The same is true on the GMAT: Better to gather yourself, understand
what you are doing and move forward confidently than to just jump into the middle of a problem.
If the ninja warriors were taking the GMAT, one thing they would certainly do is to understand
what the question is asking (and how to get there) before they started creating equations and
performing calculations.
Second, even the best-trained, most-skilled competitors make mistakes! In the history
of Ninja Warrior more than 2500 attempts have been made at the course and yet only three times
has a competitor completed all four levels and earned the title of Ninja Warrior. If you can
believe it, it is even harder to score a perfect 800 on the GMAT! And even those scoring 800
likely missed a question or two. So you can expect to make mistakes on test day, and you should
plan to recover from those. Unlike on Ninja Warrior, where one mistake sends a competitor
splashing into the murky waters below, an incorrect answer on the GMAT is not fatal. It is just
part of the contest.

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Third, the best competitors never look down and they never look back! Even if one
of the Americans taking on the course in Japan were to almost fall on the Bridge of Blades or
barely make it up the 17-foot high Warped Wall, he would not waste time thinking of the
challenge just completed, but only look forward to the next obstacle in his path. As on the
GMAT, ninja warriors cannot go back and should not waste time thinking of what is already
done. And they should never look down to see how high up they are! When trying to climb the
final 75-foot tower known as Mount Midoriyama in just 30 seconds, it does not pay for a ninja
warrior to stop and try to calculate whether he is on pace or not. Attempting to estimate how he
is doing has no actual impact on the challenge at hand and does not help him to make it up that
tower.
The same is true of trying to estimate how you are doing on the GMAT. This is typically
attempted through trying to guesstimate the difficulty level of the questions encountered. This
estimation, even if accurate, does not change the questions that will come next and does not
make the test any easier. Even worse, like the ninja warrior on that 75-foot tower, your
estimation of how you are doing may depend on your perception. The warrior on the rope cannot
see the full picture and does not actually know how close he is until he reaches the
finish. Similarly, the GMAT test-taker cannot accurately estimate the difficulty of a question
based on his or her experience of the question.
So watch the latest season of American Ninja Warrior and, to succeed as a GMAT ninja
warrior, learn from the TV ninjas:

remember to collect yourself before you rush into a question keeping calm leads to
speed in the long run
shake off mistakes everybody makes them and they are not fatal
keep your focus on the question in front of you there is no rewind and no need to figure
out how well you are doing. You will learn soon enough!

Good luck GMAT warriors!

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3. E.A.S.I. Questions on the GMAT (12/02/2012)

Easy is a term that should not really be used when speaking about the GMAT. To say
that a question is Easy means that it does not require your full attention; it means that the
question can be completed quickly to save time for other tougher questions; and it means that
the question holds no dangers and need not be taken seriously. There are NO such questions on
the GMAT!
Remember the GMAT adapts to you so that every question that you face on the test
should be one that holds at least a couple of traps for unsuspecting test takers. To speak of a
question as easy is to not show enough respect for the test and to invite a lower score in the
form of missing questions that you could get right.
There are no Easy Questions on the GMAT. On the other hand, there are many
E.A.S.I. questions that you will face. E A S I stands for Essential and Super
Important. It is kind of corny, I know. I mean for it to be. It is also memorable. E A S I
is my acronym for the type of question that is at or below the level of question that you can
consistently complete. In other words, these are the questions that do not inspire as much fear or
confusion; these are the questions that when you see them you say, Yeah, I can do that.
In your practice sessions and especially on the exam, whenever you see a question that
would make you say, Oh that one is easy. I want you to automatically say, EASI means
that it is Essential and Super Important so I better focus on this one and get it right. You
see, the way the GMAT scoring works, the most important questions for you to get right are the
ones that you can get right. So stop trying to rush through questions that you can do and please
do not take any question for granted. If you think that you can correctly answer a question then
focus on that question and nothing else until you are done.
Just a note about GMAT scoring to help you understand why EASI questions are so
important: According to the GMAC Incorrectly answering easier questions will lower your
score. In a hypothetical discussion of a test-taker who is capable of the 650 level the GMAC
representative, Rebecca, said that missing one question at the 550 level does not make much
difference but, If however, you miss many 550 questions, then this set of questions will count
more when all the responses and difficulties are evaluated.
Questions that are below your ability level (meaning the level of question that you have
the capability of getting correct on a consistent basis) can have a major impact on your score.
Basically the computer estimates what level of question you can consistently get right. If you
miss too many questions that are below your level, then the computer will stick you at the level
of your mistakes even though you are capable of much more. In other words, miss too many
EASI questions and that lower level will be the score you earn.
It is sort of ironic given the fascination that people have with practicing only the most
difficult questions that any question above your ability level will basically have no impact on
your score. Thats right, for most people, getting a really tough question right one that you
would not normally get correct will not suddenly bring up your score to new levels. And

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missing that question will not bring your score down. As Rebecca from GMAC said, if a
question is very hard (say a 750 question and you are really a 650 test taker) and you guess
incorrectly, the question will not count much.
Lets say you are a 650-level test-taker. This means that you can get questions at that
level correct on a consistent basis (say 60% or more of questions at that level). If you suddenly
get a 750-level of question right the computer will consider this a lucky guess UNLESS you
are able to follow it up with more questions right at this level. Now since you are not at the 750level you will probably not even see very many more questions at this difficulty before the
computer zeros in on your ability level. So that 750 level question that you got right will be
considered a false positive and will not really impact your score.
The GMAT takes care of these false positives by requiring you to get multiple questions
right at a given level before you have attained that score. So one or two questions right at a given
level will be considered lucky no matter how hard you worked on those problems, after all
the computer does not know if you guessed or not. And of course missing a question that is
above your ability level does not negatively impact your score very much, in fact, it is expected.
The GMAT must deal with false positives. It has to fairly assess you, which is why it
asks 37 and 41 questions its whole job is to minimize the impact of false positives. A good
percentage of the questions that are asked in each section are just to make sure that you really
deserve that score and that you did not just guess correctly a couple of times. After all, you
always have a 20% random chance if you just blindly guess. We can all agree that this test
should be something more than luck, so rest assured that GMAC has a plan to take care of your
false positives (and those of other test-takers).
But it is your job to take care of the false negatives. False negatives are questions that
you should get right, that are in fact at or below your ability level, but that you miss for some
reason usually for a silly mistake. All negatives are just negatives to the computer so they
all count against you! Remember that the computer does not know that you simply made a
small error such as stopping one step short on a problem that you can absolutely solve. As far
as the computer knows you had no idea how to even get started. To the computer there are no
small errors you simply missed the problem.
And to be fair, one of the things that GMAT is designed to test, perhaps the one thing that
it really is supposed to test is your ability to concentrate and avoid such errors. After all, do you
think business schools are more interested in your knowledge of grammar or in your ability to
make careful decisions under pressure? The computer can catch your grammar errors for you,
and a calculator can tell you the cube root of 2744, but all MBAs need to be decision-makers. It
is right for the GMAT to test your ability to avoid careless mistakes since they are evidence
of, well, carelessness.
False negatives can occur because you are in a hurry and fell for a trap answer, or,
perhaps, you lost concentration and just missed what for you is a simple question. In many cases
a false negative is the result of test-taker thinking that a question is easy and therefore not
giving it enough time and focus.

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If you are at that 650-level and you miss several questions below that level based on
avoidable errors then you will receive that lower score. It is your responsibility to get the
questions right that you can get right. GMAC is relying on you to avoid these false negatives
so that the computer can give you the score you deserve.

Ways to Avoid False Negatives:

1. Never rush work efficiently but never rush through any problem on the Quant or
Verbal section no matter how easy it seems.
2. Write down what the question is asking on each Quant question several of the best
traps the GMAT has involve getting you to answer the wrong question.
3. Narrow your focus on the Verbal the incorrect answer choices on all three types of
verbal questions often involve the portion of the argument or the passage or the sentence
that do not really matter. Learn to focus on the correct portion of each type of verbal
question.
4. Slow down at the end of problems mistakes are often made at the end of problems
when a test-taker sees the finish line in sight and does not notice the trap that was set. The
problem may have you subtract the result of your calculation from the original number or
multiply it times two and if you rushing at the end you may not notice this trap.
5. Develop your own version of handrails this is an article that gives you an idea of
the types of handrails that can keep you from falling on test day.
Do yourself a favor, when you see a question that you think is Easy Just say E A S I
means Essential and Super Important to my score!

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4. Running Out of Time at the End of the Test? (12/20/2012)

There is a famous quote from Rudyard Kipling that goes something like: If you can keep
your head while those about you are losing theirs then you can outscore them on the GMAT.
Okay he may not have been talking about the GMAT 100 years ago, but the sentiment is correct.
Please read on:
So you are running out of time. This happens to most people, especially on the Quant
section but on the verbal as well. What do you do if you have, for example, 12 minutes left and
10 questions to go on the Quant section? The short answer: spend the time needed to get as many
right as you can and guess at the rest. Say, 2 minutes each on 6 questions and guess at four. Or
perhaps you get some shorter questions and you can do 1:30 on 8 questions and only guess at the
last 2.
The two things NOT to do are:
1. Panic and spend 1 minute rushing through each question and likely miss most of them.
2. Panic and spend 4 minutes each on the next three questions and leave 7 of them blank.
In other words, dont panic!
You see, if you do wind up running out of time on the last few questions, hopefully this has
occurred because you have gotten many questions right already. Even if you are down to 5
minutes for the last 5 questions you still do not change the strategy. It is better to fully address
two or three questions out of the last 5 and then to guess at the others rather than spend a minute
rushing through each and likely missing all 5.
Just make sure to get an answer in for all questions. GMAC has released the research and
high-scoring students (above 600) like you are much better off guessing (even guessing
incorrectly) as opposed to leaving the questions blank. The reason for this is fairly complicated
but here is my plain language take: When you fail to answer questions the GMAT penalizes you
by taking that percentage off of your score. You fail to answer 4 questions you lose 10% of your
score. If you have a pretty high score you have a lot to lose.
On the other hand, questions that you do answer, even by guessing, help or hurt you based on
how tough the questions are. So if you are doing well on the last several questions leading up to
the ones where you have to guess then you will be guessing at questions that are considered
difficult and even if you miss a difficult question it cannot hurt your score that much since it was
at or above your ability level.
This is why it is crucial to stay in the game even if you feel like you are running out of time.
The degree to which guessing at 3 or even 5 questions will hurt you really depends on how you
do on the questions before those. If you are already missing questions at a high rate in those last
10 or so and you then have to guess (presumably incorrectly most of the time) then the computer
will be offering you lower and lower levels of difficulty so that the questions that you guess on at
the end will be at a level that you could answer easily given the time but you will be missing

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them since you do not have time. And GMAC confirms that missing questions below your level
of capability has a bigger impact on your score than any other type of question.
So what to do if you are running out of time at the end of the test? Dont panic; dont change
you strategy. Do the best you can on as many questions as you can and then guess at the
remainder. Keep your head, keep your score!

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5. Ask Dr. David: Low GMAT Verbal Score (03/13/2013)

A student recently asked me how she could have gotten such a low score on the verbal
section when the questions seemed so easy. Here is my response:
I have had students in your situation before and let me say that sometimes when
things feel too easy on the VERBAL section, it is when a person allows herself or himself to
get caught by assumptions and easy answers and does not dig as deeply as they should. This
often happens when students finish the VERBAL section too quickly or feel like it was
easy.
Remember, there are lots of traps on the GMAT. A difficult question does not
necessarily feel difficult when you fall for these tricks. For example, on sentence correction
at Veritas Prep we talk about the decision points that help you to quickly work through
multiple answer choices. Things like singular/ plural or past/ present tense are great decision
points.
But there are also False Decision Points. Some people think that being is an
automatic elimination for an answer choice. Others think that you can eliminate choices because
they change the meaning from answer choice A. Still others get caught up in picking answers
that sound better without first considering grammar and logic.
The person who relaxes too much on sentence correction is likely to make a decision
based on one of these traps these false decision points. Now this person will think, that was an
easy question, I just had to eliminate all the choices that sounded weird to me. And of course,
they will have missed the question.
The same is true for critical reasoning and reading comprehension as well. If you relax
too much on critical reasoning you will likely end up making an assumption or going for an
answer that plays on your prior knowledge or your preconceptions. Of course this will make the
question seem easier as well, so that the person who misses the question will think it is easy
while the one who answers correctly will see the complexity.
So relaxing too much on the verbal, often because of being tired and unwilling to dig
deeply into the questions, can lead to an unexpectedly low score on the verbal section.
On the Quantitative section you would likely at least know that you did not understand
the question. On the verbal section things can appear to be going easily, too easily in fact, and
the low score can be a surprise. It is up to you to work hard during the test and to not fall for the
assumptions and easy answers that will be all too tempting on the GMAT.

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6. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Good forYour GMAT Score (12/04/2013)

It used be said that kids were taught the 3 Rs: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic (or
Rithmeticthe joke is that only one of these actually begins with an r, but they all sound like
they do). Anyone who is under the age of 40 probably grew up with a different 3 Rs: REDUCE,
REUSE, and RECYCLE. REDUCE first, if you can, then REUSE anything and everything
useful, and finally RECYCLE to get the underlying value out of something that you would
otherwise throw away.
You already know that REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE is right for the planet, but
what you may not know is that it is great for your GMAT score as well.

REDUCE
REDUCE is the first and best way to minimize your impact on the environment.
REDUCE is also the best first step on the GMAT; if you can reduce the amount of information
that you are paying close attention to, you can go a long way toward saving time and energy
while getting a greater number of questions right. Three areas where we can reduce most
effectively are Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, and Word Problems.
Sentence Correction
When you begin a sentence correction problem, understand that in most sentences, about
half the words are what we call clutter, designed to prevent you from properly focusing on the
decisions to be made in the sentence. You especially want to get used to ignoring three things
(we would say cross them out, but you cannot do that on the GMAT): prepositions, extra clauses
that do not affect the underlined portion, and modifiers that are not misplaced.
When you next practice sentence correction, try reducing the portion of the sentence that
you focus on: It is incredible how much easier grammar becomes when you are focusing on
the smallest possible unit to make your decisions.
Critical Reasoning
It may be easier to visualize reducing as it applies to sentence correction, but it is no
less important to critical reasoning. A critical reasoning stimulus usually consists of about half
context, a term we use at Veritas Prep for the sort of background information that sets the stage
for the evidence and conclusion in an argument. Certainly, the entire stimulus should be read,
including the context, but when it comes to focusing on the essentials of the argument, the
context is not something that should command your attention.
When you attempt critical reasoning problems, consciously try to separate the stimulus
into context, evidence, and conclusion. Understand that the context is just there to set the stage
for the evidence and conclusion. Focus on the evidence and the conclusion and see how much
more straight-forward critical reasoning can be.

Newland 21
Word Problems
You might not think that you are reducing when you are transforming a word problem
into a set of equations or using the numbers provided in some other meaningful way. This is
exactly what you are doing, however, just as in sentence correction and critical reasoning: You
are distilling the essential information from the context.
The one thing people often forget is that when you are setting up these problems, you should
really do the reducing BEFORE you begin the calculations. Many people jump right in to the
problems without even taking the time to find out what the question is. If you think about
transforming a word problem as reducing the clutter and distilling the information into a useable
form, you can avoid some of the traps that are intentionally included on the GMAT.
When you work with word problems, start by writing out the question in the form that is
most helpful to you. Then reduce the words into equations, lists, or calculations that will help
you answer the question. Like sentences in sentence correction, word problems are easier to
understand when you reduce the clutter.

REUSE
Reuse means to find a way to use something in its current form, so that no energy is
required to remake the item. If you keep a glass jar and store something else in it, you get a
second use from the item at no additional cost.
Reuse is also a great strategy on the GMAT. If you can get a second use for no extra time
or energy, you are working efficiently.
Reuse on Data Sufficiency
Data Sufficiency is one of the best areas to apply the concept of reuse. For any data
sufficiency problem where you actually use values to test the statements, you should be on the
lookout for values you can use with each statement. If a particular value is acceptable to
statement 1, try that value with statement 2 as well. This is reusing at its best.
Try the following problem:
Is x divisible by 24?
x is divisible by 6
x is divisible by 4
This problem is an excellent example of reusing numbers on Data Sufficiency. There are
different ways to approach this problem, including breaking 24 down into the prime factors
before approaching the statements. The technique we are going to explore now is one that many
test takers will adoptplugging in values for x.
To evaluate the first statement, we want to see if we can use a value for x that is divisible
by 24 and another value for x that is not divisible by 24. Statement 1 gives the constraint that the

Newland 22
values must be divisible by 6, so we could not use, for example, 15 as a value for x since this
does not divide evenly by 6. Statement 1 allows only multiples of 6, because those are the only
numbers that divide evenly by 6.
The first value to plug in for x is 24, which does divide by 6 and so is an acceptable
value. It also, of course, divides by 24. So this number gives us an answer of Yes to the
question, Is x divisible by 24. Now we want to put our focus on getting an answer of No. x is
not divisible by 24. Remembering that x must be divisible by 6, we can choose 12 as a number
that does divide by 6, but not by 24.
Since we have both a No and a Yes, statement 1 is not sufficient.
It is in evaluating statement 2 that the concept of reuse comes into play. While testing
statement 2 to see if it is sufficient, we will try to use as many of the values we tested as possible.
For this particular problem, you can see that 24 works for statement 2 as well. It is divisible by 4,
and it is divisible by 24. So this is an answer of Yes. The value that gave us a No for
statement 1 works here as well; 12 is divisible by 4 and is not divisible by 24.
So each of the values that worked with statement 1 also worked with statement 2.
Therefore, not only is each statement not sufficient alone, but we already know that the
statements are not sufficient together, since the values of 24 and 12 clearly satisfy both
statements and give an answer of Yes and No to the question.
Reusing saves the time and energy of coming up with additional numbers, but more
importantly, it also gives you values that satisfy both statements, so that if you need to evaluate
both statements together you can do so more efficiently.

RECYCLE
To recycle is to take a product and break it down and use the underlying essence
(aluminum, paper, plastic, etc.) to create another product. Recycling on the GMAT means that
when you are doing practice problems you always break them down to their essence so that if
you see a similar (but not identical) problem on test day, you can apply the method or technique
to the new problem.
Problem-Solving Recycling
Lets look at an example of two problems, one that will help you to learn a technique and
another where you will apply the technique.
Problem 1
If and x and y are positive integers and 260x = 390y, what is the minimum ratio of x:y?
A. 13:30
B. 2:3
C. 3:2

Newland 23
D. 3:1
E. 30:13
To solve this problem, you clearly need to find the smallest values of x and y that will
balance the equation. To do this, reduce the coefficients in front of each variable to the lowest
possible ratio. The variables will then equal the opposite coefficient. When reducing a ratio, it is
often helpful to reduce numbers to their prime factors. In this case you have (2*2*5*13)x =
(2*3*5*13)y. The greatest common factor of these numbers is 2*5*13 or 130. So the new
equation is 2x = 3y. To balance the equation, x and y must be in the ratio of 3:2. So the answer is
C.
Recycle the technique of balancing the equations using prime factors as you approach
this problem from the Veritas Prep Arithmetic book:
Problem 2
If 375y = x and x and y are positive integers, then which of the following must be an integer?
I y/15
II y/30
III y/ 25
A. I only
B. III only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only
E. I, II, and III only
At first glance this problem may appear to be very different from problem 1. In this
problem you have an exponent for one of the variables, and that variable does not have a
coefficient (other than the implied coefficient of 1). The answer choices are in fractions and not
in ratios. However, a closer look shows that the problems have the essential facts in common.
They are both equations that need to be balanced and they both feature positive integers. Recycle
the technique from problem 1 as you approach problem 2.
Begin by reducing 375 to its prime factors. The prime factors of 375 are 3*5*5*5. In
other words 3*5. So the equation becomes (3*5)y = x. The problem with this coefficient for y
is that 375 is not a perfect square and it cannot equal x-squared. Since x and y are integers, the
right-hand side of the equation will be a perfect square. Therefore the variable y must be a
number that when multiplied by 375 creates a perfect square on the left side as well. If y = 15 (or
3*5), then the left-hand side of the equation becomes 3254, which is a perfect square. Therefore,
the smallest number that y can be is 15.
Evaluating the options above: Option I must be an integer since 15/15 is an integer.
Option 2 is not necessarily an integer since 15/30 is not an integer and while y can be larger than
15 it is clear that this option is not one that must result in an integer. Option 3 must be an integer
since y = 3*5 and y= 3*5 which means that y/ 25 must result in an integer. The correct answer
is D. You recycled the technique of using prime factors to help balance an equation!

Newland 24
You do still need the original 3 Rs on the GMATreading, writing, and rithmeticbut
you can definitely count on Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle to lessen your burden on test day!

Newland 25

7. How To Earn A Higher GMAT Score Than You Deserve (02/14/2014)

How to earn a higher GMAT score than you deserve? Beat the opponents you are
supposed to beat and earn a higher score.
The All-Star Break is here in the NBA and the San Antonio Spurs are still the most
boring team in basketball. In fact, this year they are even more boring! You can predict the result
of any Spurs game just be looking at the opponents record. The Spurs always lose to the best
teams and they always beat everyone else.
As I write this article, the San Antonio Spurs are the 7th best team in the NBA. They are
clearly not better than OKC, Indiana, Miami, Portland, L.A. (Clippers), and Houston. The Spurs
record against these teams is a combined 111 and the Spurs have a losing record against each of
these top teams. There is no reason to expect that in the playoffs the Spurs would defeat any of
these other six teams.
As the 7th best of 30 teams the Spurs are in the top 23%. In GMAT terms the Spurs are
the 77th percentile. Which would land them a score of 650. Quite a good score. Especially when
they have had a tough year.
The remarkable thing is that while the Spurs are only the 7th best team they have the 3rd
best record in the entire league behind only OKC and Indiana. In GMAT terms 3rd best out of 30
is top ten percent (so the 90th percentile) and now the Spurs GMAT score would be a 700 or 710.
How do they do it? How can a 650-level team earn a 700+ score? The same way that you
can! They beat the opponents they are supposed to beat. I am not sure that any sports team has
ever so perfectly illustrated the game plan that can lead to success on the GMAT! Win the ones
you are supposed to win and you will get a great score.
The Spurs are just 111 against the top teams and they are 34-2 against the other 22
teams in the league. That is like you getting nearly every question that is under the 700-level
correct and missing most of the questions above that level. In terms of consistency that is an
ideal GMAT exam! If you are that consistent it means that you do not have many false
negativesquestions that you should have gotten right but missed and you have few false
positiveslucky guesses or other questions above your level that you go right.

Earning a Lower Score than you Deserve

Most other teams in the NBA are like some test takersthey gear up for the tough
challenges and they underestimate the easier ones. For example, the team just behind the Spurs
in the standings, the Portland Trail Blazers, has a record of 74 against the top teams (remember
the Spurs are 111). This team is clearly better than the Spurs. They have beaten the Spurs 3
times just this year. So Portland should have a better record! But they have lost 7 more games to
easy teams than the Spurs have. These lapses in concentration are the same things that can
keep a more talented test-taker at a lower score.

Newland 26
On the GMAT missing lower level questionsfailing to beat the opponents that you
should beatcan have a seriously detrimental impact on your score. As the official GMAC
representative wrote, Incorrectly answering easier questions will lower your score. In a
hypothetical discussion of a test-taker who is capable of the 650- level, the GMAC
representative, Rebecca, said that missing one question at the much lower 550-level does not
make much difference, If however, you miss many 550 questions, then this set of questions will
count more when all the responses and difficulties are evaluated.
Missing questions that you should get right causes the computerized scoring system to
believe that you may not be capable at that level and can cause your score to be much lower
than you deserve. You might easily be that 650- level test-taker who earns a 550-level score
because you failed to win the ones that you should win.

Getting a Higher Score than you Deserve

If you want to get the maximum possible score that your ability and training will allow,
follow the Spurs model: Beat the teams that you can beat and dont worry if you lose a few of the
toughest ones. In fact, if you are losing bigpull your starters! That is what the Spurs do. Rather
than going all-in on the toughest games against the best opponents the Spurs often rest their
better players during those games that they might lose anyway and play their best players against
the lesser teams for a sure win. Is this what NBA fans want to see? No! But it is very smart
strategy.
Applying this to the GMAT, if you cannot seem to get going on that tough Quant
question, dont be afraid to guess. It is not the difficult questions that you guess at that will lower
your score, it is the lower-level questions that you make a silly mistake on that will take your
score down.
The questions that you should be gearing up for are the ones that you can get right, not
the ones that you have already spent 3 minutes on and you are going nowhere. Take it from the
Spurs, when you see an opponent that you can beat put all of your focus into that task and never
take it for granted. You too could be the 7th best team with the 3rd best record and earn a Higher
GMAT score than you deserve. Now of course you deserve as high a score as you can earn,
but why not make that the highest score of which you are capable!
(And by the way, I pick the Pacers and Oklahoma City to meet for the NBA title this
year. Those teams are more like 760-scorers on the GMAT!)

Newland 27

8. Narrow Your Focus to Expand Your Score on the Verbal Section (07/02/2014)
The Verbal Section of the GMAT is different from the Quantitative Section. It is not just a
difference between words and numbers; there are lots of word problems on the quant side and
lots of numbers in Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning on the Verbal Section.
The true difference is focus. While on the quantitative section, you expand on the given
information, you have to narrow your focus on the Verbal Section. To illustrate the difference,
lets start with the Quantitative mindset:
On the Quant Section, you build on the information given.
On Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency questions, you are expected to take the information
you are given and build on it. If a geometry problem gives you the length of one side of a
triangle, you are expected to use formulas and ratios to determine the other sides. Its a matter of
adding to the information you have. Use everything you are given and try to build on it to derive
more information.
On the Verbal Section, you have to narrow your focus.
On the verbal section, you are usually given more information than you need. Rather than
building on what you are given, you need to focus on the parts that are truly important.
A good portion of what you are given in any Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, or
Reading Comprehension item is likely to be background information or clutter. There are
specific things that you should not focus on for each of the verbal question types.
Critical Reasoning: context.
At Veritas Prep we break each Critical Reasoning argument into three different types of
information: the conclusion, the evidence, and the context. The conclusion and the evidence
are crucial to determining the correct answer. If you focus on these, you will be well on the way
to developing great Critical Reasoning technique. The context, on the other hand, is information
to give you the necessary background for the argument. Learn to recognize this background
information and use it to inform your reading without making it the focus of your reasoning.
Focusing too much on the context is a primary reason that Critical Reasoning confuses many test
takers.
For example, if a prompt begins a background sentence with traditionally or in most cases, it
is probably context and therefore not all that helpful. Find the conclusion and the most important
fact that the conclusion is based upon.
Sentence Correction: modifiers.
Sentence Correction is a natural subject for narrowing your focus. A good portion of each
sentence consists of prepositions, other modifiers, and even entire clauses that do not affect the
underlined portion of the sentence.
Carefully study modifiers so that you are quickly able to determine when a modifier can be
safely ignored. Basically, when a modifier is properly used, you can ignore that modifier and

Newland 28
focus on the other portions of the sentence, particularly the subject and verb. It is usually only
when a modifier is misplaced that it can be used (to eliminate that answer choice). Either way,
modifiers should be a primary focus of your studies because they allow you to narrow your
focus.
Reading Comprehension: details.
Narrowing your focus on Reading Comprehension means to read the passage at the appropriate
level and return to it for detail questions. Reading the passage at the appropriate level means to
read for an executive summary. You have to grasp the main idea and the organization of the
paragraph without getting lost in details. Do not take notes while reading the passage. If you do,
you are likely to write down just the sorts of details you can go back to the text to find: names,
dates, numbers, and scientific or technical language. If you see a sentence such as If a star has a
mass of less than 1.4 solar masses, it will become thats a detail that you can always go back
to if you are asked about it. On your first read, you should leave it alone.
You can write down the main idea of each paragraph, but do not begin writing until after you
have finished reading the paragraph. Then focus on the main idea of the paragraph and write no
more than 10 or 12 words. By forcing yourself to succinctly state the main idea of each
paragraph, you will necessarily be distilling the essence of the passage as well as providing
signposts so you can quickly return to the passage to answer detail questions.
Narrow your focus on the Verbal section and expand your GMAT score.

Newland 29

9. Take Advantage of Advances in Brain Science to Maximize Your Verbal Score

(10/08/2014)
In the New York Times bestselling book The Organized Mind, behavioral neuroscientist Daniel
J. Levitin describes the attention filter with which each of our brains is equipped. This
attention filter suggests profound implications for your approach to the verbal section of the
GMAT.
What the attention filter is:
The attention filter is a constantly alert part of your brain that calls your attention to important
things and filters out the things that are less important. This is why we seem to always notice
potential threats such as movement and loud noises.
However, the attention filter is not merely hard-wired but is actually constantly recalibrated
based on what we tell our brains to look for. Here are two examples of the attention filter at work
(from Professor Levitin).
If you are at an amusement park with your young child (or niece of nephew) and you realize that
the child has wandered off your brain immediately recalibrates the attention filter to look only
for people that are the right size and to listen for voices that are the pitch of a childs voice.
Suddenly you almost will not even see the adults in the park because your attention filter will not
distract you with something you are not looking for.
If you are at a party and there are dozens of conversations going on around you your attention
filter will screen out most of these automatically, but if someone across the room says your name
the attention filter will break into whatever thoughts you are having and bring you this breaking
news bulletin someone is talking about you. This is because your name is one of the things
that your attention filter has been calibrated to prioritize.
The Attention Filter and the Verbal Section of the GMAT
If you want to improve on the GMAT verbal section you should train your brain to pay attention
to the right things:
Critical Reasoning: Use your attention filters love of the unexpected.

Newland 30
If you ask a critical reasoning expert what they look for when they read a stimulus they will tell
you that beyond finding the conclusion, they are most interested in two things: 1) shifts in
language and 2) anything that the argument did not have to say.
The key to strengthening, weakening, or evaluating an argument is to notice the flaw in the
reasoning. To become adept at spotting the flaw train your brain to look for switches in wording
and extra words like all or only that are unexpected and can hold the key to the argument.
Sentence Correction: Refine your attention filter
Sentence Correction perhaps provides the greatest advantage for a trained attention filter! This is
because you are constantly paying less attention to some things (specifically prepositions,
adjectives, and unnecessary clauses) and you are paying much more attention to other things
(namely the differences in the answer choices known as decision points.)
When an expert begins a sentence correction problem some of the words almost seem to fade and
other words become more noticeable. This is precisely the attention filter at work. If you train
your brain to recognize the things that you do want to emphasize (such as different versions of a
verb in the answer choices) and those you dont want to give your attention to (such as
prepositions) then sentence correction will be much more enjoyable!
Reading Comprehension: Recalibrate your attention filter
Reading Comprehension is another great example of the attention filter, as it involves both
reading the passage and searching for answers in the text. This requires that you use your
attention filter in two different ways:
When reading the passage set your filter to pay more attention to the main idea of each paragraph
instead of the details. As with Critical Reasoning, this often means directing your attention more
to the structural language than to the technical terms. Most people have been trained to read for
details in their jobs so this recalibration is important!
When answering the questions use the question stem to recalibrate your attention filter each time.
Searching for the information you need is a natural process for your brain, so practice in order to
become efficient and returning to the passage.

Newland 31
The key to the verbal section of the GMAT is to focus on the proper thing at the proper time.
Luckily your brains attention filter was designed exactly for this purpose! Use neuroscience to
your advantage and maximize your score on the verbal section.

Newland 32

B. TEST ANXIETY
1. Laugh Your Way to Success on the GMAT (06/15/2012)
For the last 15 years a wave of laughter has swept across one of the largest countries in
the world. Why are so many people in India laughing? Is it because they have just spoken to
some American and are amazed at the crazy way that most Americans speak English? No. The
laughter is coming from laughing clubs where people practice laughter yoga. Now maybe
those of you who have not heard of laughter yoga are laughing a bit at the whole concept That
would be music to the ears of Dr. Kataria the founder of laughter yoga.

How Laughter Yoga Got Started

According to Dr. Katarias official website, the first laughing club got off to a great start,
but soon hit a roadblock that threatened to end laughter yoga before it really got started. Here is
the story from laughteryoga.org:
Dr. Kataria started with just a handful of people, at 7AM on March 13, 1995, at a public
park in his neighborhood in Mumbai, India this was the first Laughter Club. They laughed
together in the park that day to the amusement of bystanders; and the small group quickly grew
to more than 50 participants, within a few days. In the initial meetings, they stood in a circle with
one person in the center, to tell a joke or a funny story. Everybody enjoyed and felt good for the
rest of the day.
After two weeks, the Laughter Club hit a snag. The stock of good jokes and stories ran
out, and negative, hurtful and naughty jokes started to emerge. Two offended participants
complained that it would be better to discontinue the Club than to continue with such jokes. Dr.
Kataria asked the Club members to give him just one day to develop a breakthrough that would
resolve the crisis.
That night, Dr. Kataria reviewed his research and finally found the answer he was
looking for: Our bodies cannot differentiate between pretend and genuine laughter. Both
produced the same Happy Chemistry. The next morning he explained this to the group, and
asked them to try to act out laughter with him, for one minute. Amid skepticism they agreed to
try. The results were amazing. For some, the pretend laughter quickly turned into real laughter
this was contagious and in no time others followed. Soon the group was laughing like never
before. The hearty laughter that followed persisted for almost ten minutes. This breakthrough
was the birth of Laughter Yoga.
Now Laughter Yoga is worldwide with 6000 clubs in 60 countries. Activities now extend
beyond simulated laughter and include elements of traditional yoga between laughter exercises.

Dr Katarias Breakthrough and the GMAT

Newland 33
Perhaps you are thinking that this article was written to recommend that you join a laughter yoga
club as a complement to your intense GMAT studies? Actually, this is a very good suggestion! I
am thinking of finding a club to join myself! Finding ways to release the stress of GMAT studies
is very important, but the real point of this article has more to do with you simulating the
breakthrough that made it possible for laughter yoga to continue beyond the first phase of good
jokes and stories. It was the discovery that laughter can be a matter of going through the motions
at first and then real laughter can follow. And even if the laughter is always simulated the health
benefits are still the same. In other words it is enough to fake it the results will still be good.
So how can all of this actually help you on the test?

Fake it on the GMAT!

Obviously you should not break out into forced laughter in the middle of the testbut
you can force yourself to do something else pretend that you are calm and confident. Thats
right, anytime that your mind wants to move in the direction of negativity or doubt, say to
yourself, I can do this, I will earn my target score today. I am calm and confident. Everything
else that follows in this article is designed to help you to fake your confidence for just a few
moments until that confidence becomes real, just like the laughter that starts off forced and then
genuinely rolls through the laughter club members around the world.
Develop a mantra.
Most people find that they are talking to themselves at some point during the GMAT exam. This
talk can often be negative. Replace that negativity with a powerful, positive mantra that you
develop. The mantra could be a reference to something that you have accomplished in the past
that was harder than a 3.5 hour GMAT test. For example your mantra could be 26.2 if you
have run a marathon or 4 finals in 4 days that you aced back in college. Your mantra could be
a soothing word, this is what a traditional meditation mantra would be the word Ommm is
probably the original mantra. Or your mantra could be the name of a school that you really hope
to attend or the name of a family member of other person who really inspires you. Whatever
mantra you develop, the purpose of the mantra is to give you a powerful way to interrupt any
negative thoughts or anxiety while injecting a bit of confidence and inspiration. It will also give
you a short pause, just a few seconds away from the question in front of you, the space you need
to get refocused and reenergized.
Relax your jaw and lower lip.
Runners know this secret; if your jaw and lower lip are relaxed then your entire body is relaxed.
The jaw is where you carry your tension along with your shoulders. When you notice yourself
leaning into the computer screen hunched up at the shoulders, take a moment to relax your jaw
and lower lip. Exhale in an audible sigh with your breath passing directly over your lower lip;
at the same time allow your shoulders to relax. Close your eyes and take a moment for yourself,
say your mantra, and then return to the test with a new sense of calm.
Focus on what you know.
When you see a problem that at first you do not know how to do, tell yourself that you can do it
and you will do it. After all, there are only so many things tested on the GMAT, it is just that the

Newland 34
test writers have developed a tremendous ability to hide what they are really asking. If possible
rephrase the question, think about the subject being tested and the methods that apply to that
subject. If the problem is an equation already written out with variables and exponents revisit the
things you can do with exponents. If the problem is in sentence correction then you can go
through the errors that you know are tested. You have studied this stuff and you know it so
focus on what you DO know and what you CAN do. At first you might have to fake confidence
and calm and tell yourself that everything is fine when you feel nervous. But once you see that
you actually are staying positive and focused then you will be the one who is laughing.

Newland 35

2. You Are Not Your GMAT Score: Abolishing the Ego and Excelling on the
GMAT (07/13/2012)
The ego is the mistaken belief that I am what I do, I am what I have, I am what others
think of me - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Living in the Ego can cause tremendous anxiety. If you believe that your worth is based
on your possessions or your reputation or your occupation then you will always be threatened by
the loss of these things. If you come to understand that you are worthy simply based on the fact
that you are a human being, capable of love and trust and understanding, then you will see that
you do not need to define yourself based on a comparison to others. It is the Ego that makes us
view someone elses success as our failure. We need to learn to put away the Ego and learn to
love and to accept ourselves. You are important and special based on who you are, not based on
anything that you do.
But what does abolishing the ego have to do with succeeding on the GMAT?
EVERYTHING! The ego is the part that makes you defensive and prevents you from truly
learning; the ego is the part that causes you to approach the GMAT test with a mistaken strategy;
and the ego is the part that tells you that you are your GMAT score and thereby makes you really
nervous!
If you believe that your self-worth is determined, for example, by your GMAT score or
by the business school that you attend then you will put way too much pressure on yourself.
Attending business school should be about finding a school that fits your goals and your
personality and your own mission in life. This is certainly easier if you have a great GMAT
score, but obsessing too much on the score can actually have negative effects.

How to Abolish the Ego in your GMAT Studies

1. Be process-oriented and not results-oriented. Perhaps the most important lesson that
deep thinkers like Wayne Dyer can help us to understand is that we are responsible for
the intention that we bring and the effort that we put into the things that we do, but we are
not responsible for the results. If you approach the GMAT with the right intention for
example, to master the test in order to gain entrance into business school and to thereby
improve your life and the lives of others; if you bring your best efforts to studying and to
the exam; then you have done all that you can do. The score that comes up on the screen
is not your responsibility. If it is not the score that you need then you can always take the
test again. The process should be your focus rather than the result. By focusing on what
you can control you should be able to avoid some of the nervousness that comes with
focusing too much on the final score.
2. You are not your GMAT score. Say it with me now. I am not my GMAT score. That
stands for those of you with a 700+ as well as those who are still struggling. We are all
the same, none of us are better than anyone else. You might then ask me why Veritas
only hires 99th percentile scorers to be instructors. That is just to make sure that we all
really know this material. I would like to think that the most important qualification for
Veritas instructors is a sort of humility. As an instructor I do not think of myself as being

Newland 36
better or smarter than anyone else. I do not look at students differently just because they
are struggling with exponents or inference questions.
I understand that you are not your GMAT score. You are a person with plans and dreams and
I hope that I can help you move along the path of your journey. Are you prepared to look at
yourself in the same way? Once you understand that you are not your GMAT score then your
ego can get out of the way and you can really put forth your best effort. Your GMAT score is a
means to an end. It is something that you want to achieve in order to move forward in life, but it
does not define you.
The reason that most of us are here is to get better at the GMAT. I understand this. But what
does this mean? Becoming better is not about being better than someone else, it is about
being better than you used to be. It is about doing the best that you can in everything that you
do. Put forth your best effort and do so with the right intention and you will find success in life,
whatever your GMAT score happens to be!
There was a great article written by Eric Bahn of Beat the GMAT back in March of 2010
called The GMAT is not Important In Life. You should read it!

Newland 37

3. The Most Important Time is Now (07/18/2012)

The most important time in your life is now;
The most important person in your life is the one you are looking at right now;
The most important thing you can do in your life is what you are doing now;
The best way to prepare for the future is to be totally present now. - Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra is a medical doctor and the author of dozens of best-selling books on
improving your life through spirituality. He is famous for living in the now. In a recent
interview with Oprah Winfrey during her visit to India, Chopra showed his famous wristwatch.
The watch looks normal from a distance, but up close you can see that the hands of the watch
have been removed and the watch itself filled with sand so that even the numbers are obscured.
On the glass face of the watch has been engraved the word NOW. Chopra explains that there is
no past, it no longer exists; there is no future, it does not yet exist; what we have is a continuous
series of moments, each of which takes its turn being NOW.
What a revelation this is for GMAT test-takers. The question that you just struggled with
for 90 seconds and then guessed on no longer exists. The additional questions that you have not
yet seen do not exist. The only thing that exists is the question before you right now. If you can
view the GMAT in this way then you can learn to focus and to achieve the best score that you are
capable of achieving. Distraction is one of the worst enemies of a good GMAT score. You must
have the discipline and the courage to take the hands off of the wristwatch in your head and think
of each moment, each question, as a separate now and one that deserves your full attention.

The NOW on Test Day

When you attempt a question that question should become the only one in the world for
you. As Deepak said The most important thing you can do in your life is what you are doing
right now. This is doubly true on the GMAT. Not only must you focus on the test itself as
opposed to all of the distractions that might fill your mind, but you also must focus on just the
one question at a time and not the other questions that you have faced and that you will face.
Let me explain this very carefully. I am talking about not being distracted while you are
working on a question. This does not mean that you should never guess at a question, in fact
most people guess at some questions on the test. Please see my article Why Federer would beat
Nadal on the GMAT. What I am saying is that on each question that you do attempt you must
focus on that question in an undistracted way.

Turn off the Clock

The GMAT already does you a favor by not allowing watches in the testing center. You
can complete the transformation by turning off the little timer that counts down in the upper
corner of the screen. The very sight of this timer ticking away the minutes is enough to cause
anxiety. I spoke of courage a moment ago: have the courage to trust yourself and your training

Newland 38
and to turn off that little clock that always keeps you worried about the past (have I taken too
long on the problems I have done?) and keeps you obsessed with the future (Do I have enough
time left?). Break free of the tyranny of this clock by turning it off during your practice tests
and trusting your training and your abilities to guide you.
I am sure that you will want to turn the timer back on for a moment in order to check
your progress. Do this at specific intervals so that you do not waste concentration by wondering
when you should check. I recommend checking no more frequently than every 10 questions. Do
not be overly concerned with what the clock says. Remember that different types of questions are
designed to take different amounts of time. A number properties Data Sufficiency question can
take 1 minute, while a word problem with multiple variables may take 3 minutes. So even if it
appears that you are well ahead of your pace or well behind this may be due to the types of
questions that you have faced. If you are working calmly and confidently then you are doing all
that you can do.
In your life, turn of the clock, forget the past, and do not worry about the future.
Concentrate on what Chopra calls the never-ending now. On the GMAT, focus on the question
that you are attempting, respect it, give it your full attention, and when you are done with it move
on completely from it. Remember, the most important time is now.

Newland 39

4. There is a Solution to Every Problem on the GMAT (10/15/2012)

Problem (noun): any question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty.

I think about the GMAT a lot. I was watching a lecture by Dr. Wayne Dyer, the spiritual
and positive thinking guru, and, naturally, I started thinking about the GMAT! Dr. Dyer said that
there are no true problems in our relationships, that everything we see as a problem is only based
on a failure of understanding. He then concluded that every problem has its own solution carried
within it.
Now Dr. Dyer was talking about life and relationships, but I was thinking about the
GMAT and everything that he said seemed to be directed at GMAT test-takers. You see, on the
GMAT there truly is a solution to every problem. Is that not an amazing thought?
There is a solution, a correct answer, to every problem and you have the power to find
that solution.
There is nothing you will see on the GMAT that cannot be solved everything is
possible! Whats more, the GMAT adapts to you so that most of the problems you will see
both quantitative and verbal are within your possible reach.
In fact, when the people at GMAC, the company responsible for the GMAT, talk about
GMAT questions they do not call them problems at all; they call them items. This may sound
like corporate doublespeak, but it actually makes sense when you think about a problem as
something that holds you back. Looking at the definition from the beginning of this article you
can see that the items on the GMAT are not really problems involving doubt, uncertainty, or
difficulty they are questions that have clear answers that you can find as long as you keep a
clear head.
I might put it like this, On the GMAT there no problems only opportunities. The
only actual problems (as in doubt, uncertainty and difficulty) that test takers have on the GMAT
are the ones that each person brings with them.
Problems are not the items that appear on the screen; problems are the things in
your head that prevent you from correctly solving the items on the screen.
The title of this article is There is a Solution to Every Problem. This not only means a
correct answer to every GMAT item, it also means that there is a solution for every kind of
limitation that you carry with you into the test center.
Here are possible ways to address two of the problems that people bring into the test
center:

1) Negative self-talk

Newland 40
I am starting with this topic not only because it may be the most common problem but
also because I suffered from this the last time I took the GMAT (yes thats right GMAT experts
and veteran instructors can suffer from this, too). Negative self-talk during the test can take the
form of statements such as I am really bombing today, I cant believe how badly I am doing,
How can I be so stupid and I am never going to business school now.
Sound familiar? These are destructive statements that cannot possibly be of any help to
the person thinking them. These statements take up space in the brain and get in the way of
answering questions correctly. So by definition, negative self-talk is a problem but what do
we do about it?
Remember the facts:

Everyone misses questions on the GMAT. Let me say that again, EVERYONE misses
questions on the GMAT. What a wonderful thought that is! We are all in the same boat.
The 99th percentile and 39th percentile have this in common we answer questions
incorrectly. We all feel stupid sometimes. In fact, people who score a 49 or a 50 on the
quant section may well have missed 12 questions out of 37. That means lots of
opportunities to confront questions that you do not understand, and yes, lots of reasons
for self-doubt.
On my way to earning a 770 last year I allowed myself to have some doubt and negative
self-talk during the quantitative section only to learn that I had performed quite well not
perfectly, but quite well. The negative self talk did me no good and as is true in many
cases I was performing much better than I thought. Remember the facts and do not
become so negative when you fail to understand certain questions! It happens to everyone
and you might still be doing much better than you think.

It is much better for you to have an optimistic mindset:

If you do end up with a score that is lower than you were hoping for you can deal with it
then.
While you are taking the test keep telling yourself that you are getting questions right and
that you are doing well, this will allow you to perform your best, without the distraction
that negativity brings.
When you do choose to guess at a question you might as well say to yourself, It is my
lucky day and I just guessed correctly after all you may have done so and what matters
most is your mindset going forward.
If you get a question that seems very difficult to you then say, I am doing very well so
far, while I might not get this one, I will get the one after it and keep doing well.
And when you get a question that seems easy you can say, Yes! Another problem that I
can answer correctly, it is my day to shine.

You can turn any situation throughout the test into either an optimistic or a negative thought
you have no way of knowing which is true until the test is over so practice thinking positively
during your practice tests and get rid of the negative self-talk.

Newland 41

2) Test Anxiety
This is a similar problem to the negative self-talk in that it comes from a place of fear
rather than from reality. Test anxiety is heightened by the idea that you may not be able to
perform the way that you need to when the time comes. However, test anxiety is often based on a
misconception namely that everything depends on you performing at your absolute best
throughout the test. Instead, you should understand that you can rely on your training and on
your procedures, techniques, and methods.
To use a sports analogy, think about a golf swing. A golf swing is all about using the
same technique every time. That is how those professional golfers can place the ball within a few
feet of the desired location, even though they are 200 hundred yards away. Yes, the pressure is
on but what the champions do in response to that pressure is to perform exactly what they would
do in practice. Same routine, same stance, same swing. Sometimes they get lucky and a good
shot turns out to be great, but the point is that success does not require anything extraordinary
just the ability to keep doing what they have practiced so many times.
How can you do this on the GMAT? How can you perform under pressure in the same
way that you would at home doing practice questions? The answer is reliable habits that you
have practiced so many times that- like the professionals golf swing they do not fail you when
you need them most.

Reliable, Repeatable Techniques and Methods are your Secret Weapon

Do you have techniques and methods for each of the five question types? Do you know
what you are going to do during the first 30 seconds of a Critical Reasoning problem? Do you
have a method of beginning each data sufficiency? Having procedures in place so that you get
started on each new question in a predictable way (rather than panicking) can help your test
anxiety!
I have always found team sports where everyone is working together like basketball,
soccer, and football create much less anxiety for me than individual sports. Stepping up to
serve a tennis ball with people actually watching is very nerve-wracking. Running around the
basketball court with 9 other people creates much less anxiety. The GMAT, however, seems to
be the epitome of an individual sport: just you and the questions (and the timer) (and your
nerves).
However, you can turn the GMAT from an individual sport into a team sport. Your team
mates are the procedures and the habits that you have developed and practiced as you prepare for
the test. When Veritas students confront data sufficiency questions they have a set of tools that
they can use. The list of five number properties will help them avoid any errors. They have the
data sufficiency toolkit to help them to think of ways to address the problem. And they have
what I call handrails, the set of techniques and procedures to avoid the traps inherent in this
question type. See the article The GMAT is Slipperyso use the Handrails.

Newland 42
Anxiety often comes from the idea that everything depends on you and that you have to
go it alone. Studies show that when people feel like they have support, when they have allies,
their anxiety is much less EVEN WHEN THE PROBLEMS THEY CONFRONT ARE
GREATER. Dont attempt the GMAT alone. Let your procedures and techniques be your
teammates and you will never feel like you have to do it alone. You dont even have to do
anything extraordinary on test day in order to achieve your dream result. Remember, to be a
champion in golf you do not want to suddenly start hitting the ball a different way just because
things are getting intense. Just keep doing what has worked for you in practice and consciously
work to push the anxiety away.
You see there is a solution to every problem and those are a few solutions to two
common problems!

Newland 43

5. Imagine Your Way to Success on the GMAT (01/19/2013)

I want to have friends that I can trust; to love me for the man that I am not the man that I was.

-Avett Brothers song The Perfect Space.

Does it sometimes seem that everyone is trying to put limits on you? Or maybe they go in
the opposite direction and work hard to replace your goals and dreams with their expectations?
Even the people who love you may have a vision of you that is based on what they think you can
or should accomplish. Maybe someone says, But there is math on the GMAT and you have
never been very strong at math. Or perhaps, But you are too busy to do everything necessary to
apply to business school. Or even something like, But I just cant imagine you at Stanford
Business School.
That is the problem. Other people do not need to do your imagining for you! Maybe you
have never been very strong at math but today is another day and if going to a great business
school is the vision that you have for your life then you owe it to yourself to pursue that goal
without the baggage of other peoples doubts and expectations. Of all the things in this world
the one that you should be most in charge of is your own imagination.
As Dr. Wayne Dyer said in the book Wishes Fulfilled:
Your imagination is your own fertile field for growing any seedlings that you choose to
plant for a future harvestNever allow someone elses ideas about what is possible or
impossible for you, how you should be thinking, or who you should be or anything else to
occupy your imagination.
As a GMAT teacher, tutor, and author it is so easy for me to focus just on the test itself.
When, as experts we respond to peoples questions on the various forums here on Beat the
GMAT we tend to focus on right and wrong answers and on processes, such as the best way to
approach this data sufficiency problem. Now obviously these things are helpful to those seeking
to master the GMAT, but our advice is primarily useful only because it helps someone to move
closer to his or her dream of attending business school.
You see each of you is also an expert in many things most importantly you are an expert
on your own goals and dreams. And it is essential to remember that as you go through this
process, only you can define what you will become. As Dr. Dyer puts it:
Never and I mean never, allow anyone elses ideas of who you can or cant become to
sully your dream or pollute your imagination. This is your territory, and a KEEP OUT sign is a
great thing to erect at all entrances to your imagination.
As the Avett brothers said in the opening quote, it is not about the man or woman that
you were, it is about the person you have become and are in the process of becoming. Dont
define yourself as someone who has a problem with math or who is not good at sentence

Newland 44
correction. Dont limit yourself in your dreams of what you can do in business school, or in life,
either.
The most potent negative voice is the one that seems to come from inside. But it really
does not come from the truest part of you. That doubting voice is really the product of layers and
layers of the past: of other people projecting their own limitations onto you until you suddenly
believe the lie that what you are today is exactly what you always will be and that who you are is
not good enough.
This is why Dr. Dyer said, dont listen to well-meaning self-appointed life coaches
who tell you how you should be thinking about your future. Often they are trying to fulfill their
wishes of needing to feel superior by advising you what to doEnlist only those (including
yourself!) who are primarily interested in what you see and hear in your imagination about
your life.
I for one am tired of those people who tell you that they are just being kind or
realistic when they tell you what you can and cannot do with your life. Maybe somewhere
in this application process you will decide that you do not want to go to business school after all.
Or, on the contrary, maybe you will decide that even if it takes you three years of studying for
the GMAT and another year of writing applications that you will fulfill your dream of business
school. Either way, the decision must be yours.
And once you have decided that business school is your dream, as opposed to say acting
or teaching or music or some other passion, then it is crucial that you not allow any negative
thoughts into your imagination. This is especially true of the GMAT itself. Research shows that
people who refer to themselves as bad at something have a much harder time finding success
in that area. People who see themselves as on a path to proficiency are generally much more
successful.
Do not allow your imagination for one instant to show you a picture of you failing at
the GMAT (or anything else). If you say, I cannot do well on the verbal section then you are
well on your way to making that come true. If you say, Although the GMAT is only a test it is a
step on my path in life and I am already well on the way to achieving the score I need you will
have found a much more successful mindset.
One danger of these forums is that you will find that certain things may come easily to
other people. Sometimes other members and even experts will not take very good care of your
dreams. They will respond that a question is easy and wonder why you are having so much
trouble. You will read stories of people who studied for only a few weeks and earned a 700 or
720 or 750! Do not let this discourage you. Other peoples comments have nothing to do with
your journey and besides, most people here are very supportive in fact of all the people in the
world they can probably most appreciate your dream.
The GMAT is a challenge, business school is a challenge, and in many ways life is a
challenge, but you have everything it takes to succeed. You are, in fact, well along the path to

Newland 45
success. Do not allow other peoples expectations to invade your imagination and undermine all
that your life can be. You are not your past and you are not how other people see you.
Your course in life is largely determined by how you view yourself. You are just one
thought away from changing your life. You are studying the GMAT for a reason. Allow your
imagination to show you what your success looks like You high five the proctor after you
see your GMAT score. You ace the interview with your dream business school. And you make
meaningful contributions to this world after you graduate.
We experts can help you to study for the GMAT, but you are the essential
element. You are the reason we are all here and dont for one moment imagine that
anything can hold you back.

Newland 46

6. Be a Player in the GMAT Game and Not Just a Fan (12/31/2014)

On the GMAT, you want to be a player and not just a fan.
Sports fans can be an obsessed group. They identify with a particular team and really want that
team to win. However, because fans cannot play in the games, they are concerned almost
exclusively with the outcome.
This is why fans are so much more nervous than the players are. Players are involved in the
process; they are paying attention to what they are doing in that moment. A player may even
really enjoy a game that he happens to lose. Fans rarely enjoy a game that their team does not
win. In fact, a fan is often so nervous during a game that the fan does not enjoy the game. This
comes from being too focused on the outcome.
Dont be too concerned about the score
Anxiety can be thought of as the distance between where you are and where you want to be. If
you are in the middle of the test, but a large part of your mind just wants the test to be over and
to receive your score and be done with it, that is when the anxiety comes in. You cannot be in
two places at once, and if your mind is focused on estimating your score, trying to figure out how
well you are doing, or just plain wishing that the test was over, you will never be able to give
your best effort.
Think of something that you really love to do, some sport, musical endeavor, dance, or other
creative outlet. When you are doing something that you truly love to do, you are so lost in the
moment that you are not even thinking about the result. Musicians, actors, athletes, and others do
their best work when they are truly present.
The same is true of the highest GMAT scorers. Those who have scored really well on the exam
often report that they did not remember what any of the previous questions were about and were
not worried about what questions they might get in the future. They were too focused on the
question in front of them to be distracted by the past or the future.
How to play the game like a pro
Any winning athlete will tell you that leading up to the big game he or she is simply focused on
doing the best possible job. It is not helpful to approach any game with the mindset I really need
to win this game. Instead the athlete focuses on the game plan: overall strategies to adopt,
responses to various circumstances, moves and countermoves.

Newland 47
As a GMAT pro, you want to take the same approach. While other people are focused on the one
thing they cannot controlthe scoreyou focus on all of the things you can control: your
preparation, game plan, focus, timing, mindset, and effort.
Here are some game day tips:
Believe in your training. Test day, like game day, isnt the time to doubt yourself. When a
problem looks tricky, remind yourself which processes have worked on similar problems in your
homework.
Laugh off small setbacks. Ever notice that pro athletes often smile or laugh after they make a
bad play? Thats not (usually) a lack of caring; its a strategic decision to pick themselves up
with an upbeat attitude to get the next one.
Never look back. Great shooters in basketball are said to have no conscience, like great
quarterbacks in football have short memories. What does that mean? As soon as that play is
over, theyre already thinking about the next one. If you had to guess or just realized you made a
mistake, that doesnt matterwhat matters is the question in front of you.
By the time you take the GMAT, you should know exactly what it takes to succeed. So dont
waste your time and attention thinking about the score. You will know your score soon enough.
Like any great athlete or artist, your focus in on the process. Let the fans obsess about the
result; be a player instead!

Newland 48

7. 4 Things You Control on GMAT Test Day (10/21/2014)

I recently had the chance to answer a question about overcoming Test Anxiety on the GMAT. The
test-taker wanted to know how to avoid being so anxious on test day and how to stop obsessively
thinking about the score before and even during the exam itself. I wrote, Your job on test day is to
focus on the question in front of you. Not to guess at what your score might be or continually estimate
how much time you have left per question.
Your anxiety is probably a result of being at war with the present moment. In other words,
your anxiety is because you want the GMAT to already be over with the result already
known. But you know that this cannot happen. You must take the test before you can get the score.
This desire to skip over the actual exam and wanting to be done with the exam and know the score,
this is the source of the anxiety.
If you had told yourself that you will enjoy the experience then there would be no anxiety. If you have
tickets to a movie that you have been waiting to see you do not have anxiety but anticipation. You are
not wanting to done with the movie, you are excited for it to begin. However, if you have major
surgery scheduled, then you can understandably wish that it was already over and recovery started.
However, the GMAT is not like undergoing surgery. The only pain involved is the pain that we put on
ourselves. Nothing bad is going to happen to you in that room. You are not in danger of physical harm
or pain. The anxiety is based on the worry that you might not get the score that you want.
But here is the questiondoes it help to worry about it?
Did it help you on that last practice test to be worried about your Quant score while still taking the
verbal portion? The answer is no.
Anxiety ALWAYS comes from being focused on the result rather than the process. This is why
the fans of sports teams are so much more anxious than the players! The players are focused on
the process, they get to play the game and enjoy the game and influence the outcome. The fans are
usually only happy if the team wins and as spectators they cannot even participate, so they are focused
on the end result and that creates extreme anxiety.
It is never good in life to be focused more on the result than the process.
Here is what I would hope that you and others can say, I will do my best on the exam and I will enjoy
the challenge. I am looking forward to proving what I can do. I have no control over the result but I
have 100% control over my effort, so I will focus on giving my best effort and the score will take care
of itself.
This may sound unrealistic but people do this every day in all areas: artists, athletes, writers, chefs,
entrepreneurs, and others. And here is the secret those who are focused on the process and taking
care of the parts they can control are the happiest, least stressed, and yes, most successful.
So on test day YOU take care of
1) Being focused on the question in front of you at that time

Newland 49
2) Not getting distracted by the timer and questions about your score
3) Giving your best effort and really be there in each moment
4) Enjoying yourself!
and the COMPUTER will take care of the score. That part is not up to you.
Can you do that? If so you can have a much more enjoyable experience and the side effect will be a
higher score in the end.

Newland 50

C. LIFESTYLE & THE GMAT

1. Want to Beat the GMAT? Stop Multi-Tasking Now! (02/15/2011)
Multitasking makes you stupid. Sue Shellenbarger, Wall Street Journal
Several scientific studies have detailed the changes made to the human brain by so-called
multitasking. Multitasking is the attempt to do two (or more) things simultaneously. Texting
and driving is one infamous form of multitasking. Another one, no doubt familiar to all, is
studying and watching television or listening to music. There is of course multitasking at work
and now, portable devices have made it possible to multitask anywhere: at the movies, at a
restaurant, even on a ride at an amusement park! So whats the big deal? I think it is time to say
it: the proof is pretty clear that the habit of multitasking costs you big points on the GMAT.
First, let me acknowledge that humans are perfectly adapted to certain types of
multitasking. Think of some of the traditional activities of an agrarian culture: planting seeds,
harvesting, threshing wheat, picking berries, and walking (everywhere). These activities are
perfectly suited to the original form of multi-tasking: conversation. Add talking (or singing) to
any of the above activities and you have the perfect combination. That is because these typical
agrarian activities are low-stress and repetitive and leave the brain actually seeking out other
things to do at the same time. Modern activities are very different: fast-paced, intense, and
requiring all the brain power available.
Dr. David Meyer, Psychology Professor at the University of Michigan explains:
People who are multitasking too much experience various warning signs; short-term
memory problems can be one. Intense multitasking can induce a stress response, an adrenaline
rush that when prolonged can damage cells that form new memory. Other red flags are
changes in your ability to concentrate or gaps in your attentiveness. (Wall Street Journal,
February 27, 2003)
A recent Stanford University study highlights the damaging effects that frequent
multitasking has on a persons ability to determine what information is necessary and what is
not. (This is a primary skill on the GMAT!)
The students then completed a battery of tests. In one, designed to measure how well
they could filter out extraneous stimuli from the environment, the subjects had to look for
changes in red rectangles while ignoring blue rectangles displayed on a computer monitor. The
infrequent multitaskers scored well on the test, but the habitual multitaskers performed poorly.
The blue rectangles distracted them. (Psychology Today, August 24, 2009)
And in another test that seems, if possible, even more relevant to the GMAT, the Stanford
researchers found that multitaskers are not even good at multi-tasking!

Newland 51
You might expect, however, that frequent multitaskers proved expert at switching
between tasks. After all, they get a lot of practice! But the Stanford study proved the opposite to
be true. When asked to switch between classifying numbers as even or odd and classifying letters
as vowels or consonants, the frequent multitaskers were slower than the low-multitasking
students. The researchers suspect that the inability to filter out the previous (and now irrelevant)
task may explain the slowdown. (Psychology Today, August 24, 2009).
Research shows that multitasking makes it very difficult for a person to focus, damages
the short-term memory, makes it hard to sort the relevant from the irrelevant, and can slow down
the transition from one task or way of thinking to another. These are frightening results, but the
most damaging of all (in my opinion) is not even mentioned. I have found that tutoring students I
have worked with who are multitaskers get bored very easily while studying or taking practice
tests! Multitasking is all about being distracted and that can become addicting. I have actually
found that confirmed multitaskers find the relative silence of the test room disturbing, they find
the requirement to focus on just one thing until it is completed oppressing and they are often, in a
word, bored. Lets face it; sentence correction and coordinate geometry are not the most exciting
things in the world, especially not to a brain addicted to constant stimulation.
One final problem with the GMAT as compared to a paper test like the SAT or the LSAT
is that the computer is where you are used to doing the multitasking. Maybe you have a few
windows open with some stock quotes or sports scores streaming, maybe a news feed, perhaps
you get a link emailed to you and you immediately go to a YouTube video that your friend just
sent. All of these things happen on the computer, making the distractions even more relevant to
your ability to focus on the computer screen for 3.5 hours with no distractions during the GMAT.
When is the last time you did that?
So if you want to improve your GMAT score, stop trying to do two things at once (unless
you have some gardening to do and a friend to talk with). The good news is that studies show
that by not multitasking you will actually be much MORE productive at work and so you can
find time to study for the GMAT (and you will have the focus to study efficiently). And as a
bonus, your relationships may improve as well! As Ted Ruddock, a Newtown, Conn., chief
corporate learning officer puts it, when you are multitasking instead of focusing on the people
around you Theres so much energy and wasted time and frustration caused by not being in the
moment, and having to go back and retrace ground at the least, and repair damaged relationships
at the worst (Wall Street Journal, February 27, 2003).
When you come right down to it, multitasking is just a willingness to be distracted. One
thing the GMAT requires is focus. So if you want to beat the GMAT stop multitasking and start
focusing!

Newland 52

2. Dont Be a Charity Case on the GMAT (03/26/2011)

Quick, what does this say?
The GAMT is a tset taht rqieures dligient sutdy and exlcelent tncehiequs for cmpoelting
the qsouteins at hnad.
If you can read the above sentence you may have a problem on the GMAT!
We are all charitable readers these days. We have to be. Emails have poor grammar,
tweets have abbreviations, and texts are full of misspellings. Everywhere it has become the
responsibility of the reader to interpret what is being said. We are all so used to filling in the
blanks and paving over the rough parts that when we come to a sentence correction question we
are likely to correct the mistakes as we read, or else not notice that they are mistakes. When
confronted with the poor logic of a critical reasoning stimulus, we fill in the gaps as neatly as we
interpret the latest blog posting in a way that makes sense.
To score better on the GMAT you need to become a more critical person!

How to Become a More Critical Person

When you are reading emails notice the spelling errors; when you are browsing articles
on-line spot those huge gaps in logic; when you are perusing political commentary notice the
authors tone, the slant taken, and the clever way that words are used to imply a meaning that
may not be there (i.e. death tax to apply to a tax on money that is inherited).
Make yourself annoying to your co-workers, send back their emails with grammar
corrections; ruin your friendships by correcting your friends when they use words incorrectly;
and spoil the fun of reading novels by noticing every time the logic is faulty. You will have a lot
of apologizing to do, but that can wait until you get into the MBA program of your choice!

Practice Being Critical

As an aspiring MBA student, I think youll find this article helpful as you prepare for
the GMAT.
You may not bat an eye here, but the modifier as an aspiring MBA student needs to
modify you, not me Im the author here, not the aspiring MBA! But you knew what I meant,
and as an author I appreciate your charity; the GMAT wont be as flexible, though.
And how about this one? In recent years, a man or a woman can apply to businesses
school and they each have a reasonable chance of getting in.
Although the above sentence would be at home, even in business communications, the
pronoun they is misused. A man or a woman is a singular subject and it requires a singular
pronoun.

Newland 53
And how about this one from critical reasoning? Anything wrong with the following?
Society is obliged to bestow the privileges of adulthood upon its members once they are
mature enough to accept the corresponding responsibilities. But science has established that
physiological development is completed in most persons by age seventeen. Since this maturing
process has been completed by most seventeen-year-olds, there is no reason not to grant these
citizens all of the privileges of adulthood. (LSAT, September 1998 exam, logical reason section
1, question 15).
The above seems to make perfect sense until you realize that the terms mature and
maturing are used in two different ways. The use of mature in the first sentence means
responsible and the use of maturing in the second sentence means physical development.
Charity is great, and more and more MBAs are working in the non-profit sector. But save
that charity for after you have beaten the GMAT in the meantime be a more critical person and
improve your score!
As you practice, Ill leave you with this last oneif you can read this you might really be
in trouble!
IMHO FWIW IRL the GMAT is GR8, OMG LOL J/K, TTYL!
Translations for the examples above: The GMAT is a test that requires diligent study
and excellent techniques for completing the questions at hand.
In my humble opinion, for what it is worth, in real life, the GMAT is great, oh my goodness,
laugh out loud, just kidding, talk to you later

Newland 54

3. How Exercise Can Increase Your GMAT Score (12/10/2013)

You may not know it yet, but there are simple things that you can do right now, that will
help you to not only score higher on the GMAT but also succeed in business school and beyond.
Getting exercise should be the first change on your list!
The New York Times has written extensively recently on the connection between
exercise and brain health. It turns out that iPads, video games, smart phones, computers, even
crossword puzzlesdo not make lasting changes in your brain structure; only exercise does. So
if you want to be better at answering the questions on Jeopardy! you should turn off the TV
and go for a brisk walk.
As stated in the New York Times, For more than a decade, neuroscientists and
physiologists have been gathering evidence of the beneficial relationship between exercise and
brainpower. But the newest findings make it clear that this isnt just a relationship; it is THE
relationship.
It turns out that only through exercise do new brain cells get created and wired into
new and existing neural networks. Studying for the GMAT will not create any new brain
cells, no matter how hard you work. Only exercise will!
In an experiment involving mice, researchers found that, Animals that exercised,
whether or not they had any other enrichments in their cages, had healthier brains and performed
significantly better on cognitive tests than the other mice. Animals that didnt run, no matter how
enriched their world was otherwise, did not improve their brainpower in the complex, lasting
ways that [the] team was studying.

Exercise makes you smarter

In the year since the original New York Times that I cited above was published, more and
more research has come out detailing the link between exercise and the brain.
Another New York Times article, Getting a Brain Boost Through Exercise reports on research
showing that when you train your brain through mental exercises as many websites
claim to do you are actually only reinforcing neural networks and becoming better at certain
tasks you are not becoming smarter overall, and you are not protecting current brain cells
nor creating new ones. Only through exercise can you create new flexible brain cells and create
proteins, including one known as BDNF, that support the health of existing neurons and coax
the creation of new brain cells.
So only physical exercise particularly endurance exercise that involves elevated
pulse rates for 30 minutes or more can create and protect brain cells. In a groundbreaking
article, Exercise and the Ever-Smarter Human Brain, anthropologists new theories of human
evolution seek to explain why. The evidence indicates that endurance exercise may have
actually given rise to the larger brain that is characteristic of modern humans. In fact, the
link between brain size and endurance holds true for other species as well. Researchers found

Newland 55
that Species like dogs and rats that had a high innate endurance capacity, which presumably had
evolved over millenniums, also had large brain volumes relative to their body size. All of this
leads to the conclusion that humans, continue to require regular physical activity in order
for our brains to function optimally.

How Physical Exercise can Help Control Your GMAT Test Anxiety
Aerobic exercise is also an important component of healthy emotions and possibly even control
of test anxiety.
Numerous studies indicate that multitasking can cause people to have difficulty in
controlling their emotions. Rapidly switching from one task to another makes emotional control
difficult. Exercise works in the opposite direction. In particular exercise can help control
anxiety.
The New York Times article, How Exercise can Calm Anxiety, indicates, For some
time, scientists studying exercise have been puzzled by physical activitys two seemingly
incompatible effects on the brain. On the one hand, exercise is known to prompt the creation of
new and very excitable brain cells. At the same time, exercise can induce an overall pattern of
calm in certain parts of the brain.
What happens is that exercise helps to produce nanny-neurons which go around telling
the excitable neurons not to overreact. Rats that had exercised consistently were better able to
react at an appropriate level to stresses. In other words, rats that had a recent history of
exercise were better able to react with an appropriate level of emotion and not turn a
minor situation into a major source of stress. And the effect was not due to being tired from
having just exercised, Instead, the difference in stress response between the runners and the
sedentary animals reflected fundamental remodeling of their brains.
So exercise improves your memory, protects your brain cells, and helps you to control
emotions. But is the change permanent?

Keep Exercising or Start Now!

It turns out that the brain benefits of exercising including improved memory and
emotional control are not permanent. Like other physical changes, the positive impacts
on the brain wear off if exercise is stopped. As reported in the article, Do the Brain Benefits
of Exercise Last?, rats that had exercised frequently were able to maintain their mental and
emotional advantages over the sedentary rats for a week or two without exercise. But after three
weeks, It was as if they had never run.
The good news is that you can boost the creation of new brain cells and neural
networks very quickly. After just a week of constant exercise, rats were beginning to show
the positive effects! The challenge is that you have to keep it up. As the article states, For the
ongoing health of our minds, as well as for the plentiful other health benefits of exercise, it might
be wise to stick to those New Years exercise resolutions.

Newland 56
Study hard for the GMAT, but take time to exercise! Getting at least 30 minutes of
cardio 3 4 times per week can do much more for your GMAT score than perhaps any
other use of 2 hours of your time.

Newland 57

4. How Multi-tasking Can Hurt Your GMAT Score (02/04/2014)

Do you multitask? Probably you do. A survey showed that the top 25 percent of
Stanford students use four or more media at one time whenever theyre using any media. So
when theyre writing a paper, theyre also Facebooking, listening to music, texting, Twittering,
etc. And thats something that just couldnt happen in previous generations even if we wanted it
to.
What is the definition of multitasking?
Multitasking is originally a word associated with computers. The earliest computers
could only do one thing at a time so it was revolutionary when computers began to be able to
process two or more jobs concurrently. Now your computer can run many programs at (or
seemingly at) the same time.
In relation to humans, multitasking means to perform two or more tasks
simultaneously. This may not, in fact, be possible at all. A website on multitasking from the
University of Queensland (Australia) had this to say:
Many scientists believe the ability to multi-task is a myth Unlike computers, which
can perform tasks at lightning speed, the human brain needs to switch between tasks, depending
on which area of the brain is being used. Multi-tasking often involves goal switching and reevaluating, which experts say takes time. What appears to be human multi-tasking is more akin
to channel surfing between television stations.
Channel surfing does not sound nearly as good as multitasking but it may be
nearer to the truth! The type of multitasking that people try to accomplish in the modern world
is called foreground multitasking. This is where you try to do two or more things at the
forefront of your mind. This is the multitasking that may not even be possible. For example,
concentrating on typing an email and really listening to a person who is talking to you is very
difficult. One task or the other is likely to suffer, so we end up actually switching back and forth
since this is the only way a person can cope with these situations. We channel surf between
one task and the other.
If you think of multitasking as really a process of rapidly switching back and
forth between tasks you can see why it would be inefficient. Think about a triathlon. Even
world-class athletes with modern equipment lose some time switching between swimming and
running and biking. In those events they complete the entire swim and then transition to the bike
and then to the run. I cannot imagine that the race would be more efficient if, every few minutes,
the athletes switched back and forth between events. Too much time is lost in the transition.
As expected, research shows that multitasking is indeed less efficient. A recent article
called The Cognitive Costs of Multitasking indicated that multitaskers were found to be 40%
LESS productive at work. All of that switching back and forth takes energy. You have to reload
the information every time you switch back and forth and this can be very inefficient.

Newland 58

But thats not me.

Now I can hear you saying it, This is not me. I can focus when I need to. Even though I
multitask I can switch into GMAT-mode Right? Wrong!
Dr. Clifford Nass, Professor of Communication at Stanford has been at the forefront of
research into multitasking. Dr. Nass found that the most striking thing about multitaskers is that
they do not know they even have a problem. They say look, when I really have to concentrate, I
turn off everything and I am laser-focused. And unfortunately, theyve developed habits of mind
that make it impossible for them to be laser-focused. Theyre suckers for irrelevancy. They just
cant keep on task.
It seems the first step is to admit that you have a problem.

Multi-tasking and the GMAT

You may not think that all of this talk about decreased productivity and being distracted
would apply to the GMAT; after all there is no chance to update your Facebook status and
tweet during the test right? So this must have no impact. However, when it does come time
to concentrate on just one thing for example, the GMAT - researchers have found that
multitaskers have more trouble tuning out distractions than people who focus on one task
at a time.
Research shows that multitasking makes it very difficult for a person to focus, damages
the short-term memory, makes it hard to sort the relevant from the irrelevant, and can slow down
the transition from one task or way of thinking to another.
I have found that GMAT students who are multitaskers get bored very easily while
studying or taking practice tests! Multitasking is all about being distracted and that can become
addicting. I have actually found that confirmed multitaskers find the relative silence of the test
room disturbing, they find the requirement to focus on just one thing until it is completed
oppressing, and they are often, in a word, bored. Lets face it; sentence correction and coordinate
geometry are not the most exciting things in the world, especially not to a brain addicted to
constant stimulation.
For years, I have been interested in the problems caused of multitasking, but it was a
story on National Public Radio's "Science Friday [Talk of the Nation] that inspired me to write
this article. It seems that science has become even more emphatic about the subject over the past
few years. Dr. Clifford Nass, Professor of Communication at Stanford said this,
"The research is almost unanimous, which is very rare in social science, and it says that
people who chronically multitask show an enormous range of deficits. They're basically terrible
at all sorts of cognitive tasks, including multitasking." 5
Multi-taskers are bad at everything - including Multitasking! Imagine that. It is as if
playing tennis made you less physically fit and, indeed, a worse tennis player.

Newland 59

Even emotions are impacted

There is another impact of multitasking that surprised me, a change in emotions. Doctor
Nass said, We can look at use of the front part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. We can
look at even things like emotion management. There's evidence that high multitaskers have
difficulty with managing their emotion. So this really spans everything we do, because after all,
thinking is about everything we do. 6
That is a pretty big deal. If multi-taskers do have trouble controlling their emotions then
this might mean more anxiety on test day, more fear, and more frustration at not being able to
focus. The professor went on to say,
So we have scales that allow us to divide up people into people who multitask all the
time and people who rarely do, and the differences are remarkable. People who multitask all the
time can't filter out irrelevancy. They can't manage a working memory. They're chronically
distracted.
They initiate much larger parts of their brain that are irrelevant to the task at hand. And
even - they're even terrible at multitasking. When we ask them to multitask, they're actually
worse at it. So they're pretty much mental wrecks. 7
Wow! Mental Wrecks! And he is describing many of the working professionals in the
United States and hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It seems that you can gain an
advantage over your competition (on the GMAT and in life) by simply learning to focus on
one thing at a time.

Practical Solutions to Help You Stop Multitasking

Once you have admitted that you are a multi-tasker then you are ready to address the
problem. It may seem a bit overwhelming to just change the way that you approach your job and
your life, so here are some practical suggestions.
1) Distraction-free zone. All of your GMAT studying needs to be as distraction free as
possible. After all this is the area where you are trying to bring the most focus. Turn off
every device that you can when you are studying. Force yourself to do without the stimuli
that you are used to. Really work hard on the problems in front of you and do not allow
yourself the relief of changing the task.
The GMAT is over 3.5 hours long. You may not be able to go distraction free for 3 hours
right from the start. Why not start with 1 hour blocks? After each hour you can check
your devices. Try to increase the time until you reach 2.5 hours with a 10 minute break in
the middle. This will build your ability to focus without boredom or distraction.
2) The 20- minute rule. I am borrowing this one from Stanfords Dr. Nass (and of course it
is similar to the Pomodoro technique which requires you to stay on task for 25 minutes at

Newland 60
a time). Dr. Nass applies this to email but I apply it more universally. If you are going to
do something do it for at least 20 minutes straight.
There is something about focusing on a task for at least 20 minutes that prevents the
problems associated with multitasking. 20 minutes seems to be long enough to actually
bring some focus and to get some real work done. If you are checking email do THAT
and ONLY that for 20 minutes. If you are going to use Facebook or Twitter try to do it
all at once (20 minutes should be a whole days worth of tweeting). I know that is tough
and you might just need to use social media less frequently. The point is to stop
channel surfing with your brain.
3) Sports and Hobbies. There are times when we naturally practice focus and
concentration. A tutoring student of mine plays golf frequently. A round of golf is even
longer than the GMAT exam and can require just as much concentration. Especially if
smart phones are turned off and only emergency interruptions allowed. Other sports and
hobbies require the same focus and are great opportunities to practice NOT multitasking.
Gardening, reading, jigsaw puzzles, even just sitting at the quietly beach can help break
the cycle of constant stimulation.
4) Do one thing at a time. This last piece of advice may seem the most obvious given the
research quoted above, but it may also be the hardest thing to do. As much as you are
able to do so, structure your life and your work so that you are usually doing just one
thing at a time. Remember, you might just become 40% more efficient!
All of the above advice comes down to one thing: if you allow yourself to become distracted
most of the time in your daily life, you will not be able to suddenly focus when practicing for or
actually taking the GMAT. Use the GMAT as an excuse to change your life for the better! Stop
multitasking now!

Sources:
Note 1: http://m.npr.org/news/Science/182861382 NPR Science Friday, May 10, 2013
Note 2: http://www.multitaskingtest.net.au/the-science/what-is-multi-tasking
Note 3: http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/a/costs-of-multitasking.htm
Note 4: http://m.npr.org/news/Science/182861382 NPR Science Friday, May 10, 2013
Note 5: http://m.npr.org/news/Science/182861382 NPR Science Friday, May 10, 2013
Note 6: http://m.npr.org/news/Science/182861382 NPR Science Friday, May 10, 2013
Note 7: http://m.npr.org/news/Science/182861382 NPR Science Friday, May 10, 2013

Newland 61

5. Exercise and Brain Power: Do I Need to Run a 10k to Ace the GMAT?
(05/01/2012)
The question in the title of this article was asked of me recently. A Veritas student had
noticed that many high-scorers on the GMAT had something unusual in common: they had each
run a 10k race. I had not noticed this particular relationship, although I did know that most of the
99th percentile scorers that work as instructors and tutors at Veritas are involved in various forms
of exercise and I had heard of the scientific findings that exercise created new brain cells. I told
the student that while I knew for a certainty that exercise is very important in maintaining brain
health, I did not think that there was anything magical about running the 10k in particular.
I did some quick research and I found an article from last weeks New York Times
Magazine entitled How Exercise Could Lead to a Better Brain. This is what the article said:
For more than a decade, neuroscientists and physiologists have been gathering evidence
of the beneficial relationship between exercise and brainpower. But the newest findings make it
clear that this isnt just a relationship; it is the relationship.
For years people have sought to keep their brains nimble by using their brains doing
crossword puzzles for example (or studying for the GMAT!). Yet the researchers found,
paradoxically, that brain exercises did not improve mental function. In a series of lab tests they
found:
Animals that exercised, whether or not they had any other enrichments in their cages,
had healthier brains and performed significantly better on cognitive tests than the other mice.
Animals that didnt run, no matter how enriched their world was otherwise, did not improve their
brainpower in the complex, lasting ways that Rhodess team was studying. They loved the
toys, Rhodes says, and the mice rarely ventured into the empty, quieter portions of their cages.
But unless they also exercised, they did not become smarter.
That sounds like all of us! We also love our toys: Ipads, video games, smart phones,
computers, even crossword puzzles. But none of these will make lasting changes in our brains,
only exercise will. So if you want to be better at answering the questions on Jeopardy! you
should turn off the TV and go for a brisk walk. In fact, if you are over 25 you had better stop
reading now and go exercise! Thats because the researchers found:
Beginning in our late 20s, most of us will lose about 1 percent annually of the volume of
the hippocampus, a key portion of the brain related to memory and certain types of learning.
Exercise though seems to slow or reverse the brains physical decay, much as it does with
muscles. Although scientists thought until recently that humans were born with a certain number
of brain cells and would never generate more, they now know better.
Here is the best news for those of you starting to study for the GMAT. If you have
not been exercising on a consistent basis in recent years you can see immediate mental
improvement if you start exercising now!

Newland 62
Even more heartening, scientists found that exercise jump-starts neurogenesis. Mice and
rats that ran for a few weeks generally had about twice as many new neurons in their hippocampi
as sedentary animals. Their brains, like other muscles, were bulking up.
Brain cells were not just created; they were linked into existing neural networks. This is
something that does not happen without exercise.
Exercise, on the other hand, seems to make neurons nimble. When researchers in a
separate study had mice run, the animals brains readily wired many new neurons into the neural
network. But those neurons didnt fire later only during running. They also lighted up when the
animals practiced cognitive skills, like exploring unfamiliar environments. In the mice, running,
unlike learning, had created brain cells that could multitask.
Nimble Neurons! That is what everyone studying for the GMAT needs! But what
about the answer to my students question: Do I need to run a 10k to Ace the GMAT? Well,
the New York Times answered that question for me. Whatever the activity, though, an
emerging message from the most recent science is that exercise neednt be exhausting to be
effective for the brain.
So, running a 10k is not required in order to obtain the mental (and physical benefits) of
exercise. In fact, as I told the student, research involving humans and exercise seems to indicate
that the key is to get the pulse up with bursts of intense effort and then allow some rest in
between and then repeat this intense effort/ rest cycle for at least 30 minutes. This could be
achieved by running, but also by walking, lifting weights, riding a bicycle, playing a sport, such
as basketball or soccer, swimming, rollerblading, or any of a list of innumerable activities.
Oh, and if you have been suffering from some depression lately (perhaps even
GMAT-induced), you will want to know that an article on treating depression that appeared in
the New York Times Sunday Magazine noted that antidepressant medications work by
stimulating the growth of neurons in the hippocampus, just as exercise does. Exercise is the
natural antidepressant.
So if you want to Ace the GMAT or just cheer up a bittake a study break and get some
exercise!
Reference: How Exercise Could Lead to a Better Brain, New York Times Magazine, April 18,
2012

Newland 63

6. How Can I Improve My Focus on the GMAT? (10/28/2014)

A student recently asked, How do I learn to focus long enough to make my study sessions
worthwhile? While studying for the GMAT I can only study for about an hour at a time.
My response is, This is a clearly a problem, not just for study sessions but also for the GMAT itself
which requires 4 straight hours of focus.
Luckily, there are simple ways to improve your focus, and these techniques will not only allow you to
focus as you study for longer periods of time, but will also have other benefits throughout your life. I
have been doing a lot of research into brain science and the GMAT recently, and one thing that comes
up in even book or article that I read is meditation/mindfulness. The latest scientific research supports
the conclusion that the number one way to increase your ability to focus is to begin a simple
meditation and mindfulness practice.
Meditating is much easier than you think!
When I mention meditation people think that I am talking about sitting in an uncomfortable position
and meditating for hours at a time. They assume that it has something to do with adopting a particular
religion or belief. Nothing could be further from the truth. Meditation and mindfulness basically mean
being present wherever you are and not letting your mind wander. In other words, focusing!
In the last several years I have read many books and articles on topics like the ability to focus and how
to be more productive and happy The crazy thing is that every author researching these topics has
mentioned meditation and mindfulness. You cannot be focused, you cannot be productive, and it turns
out that you cannot even be happy if you do not learn to pay attention to where you are and what you
are doing.
How to practice mindfulness? The best-seller author Tich Naht Han talks about brushing your teeth as
a chance to focus on the ritual of brushing. Washing the dishes is a chance for you to be present and
focus on the dishes rather than basically ignoring the washing or brushing as your mind races
everywhere (this is what we normally do)!
Mindfulness really just means that you are paying attention to where you are and what you are
doing (yes, it does sound a little like Yoda from Star Wars). So if you are walking your dog that is
what you are focused on, not the things at work you failed to complete today. And if you are at work
then give your full attention there and do not worry about the fact that you need to walk the dog later!
Meditation simply means that you are taking mindfulness to another level. You are focusing
on one thing and noticing when your mind wanders. It is a simple as that. You can meditate on the
sunset and really notice the colors as they change. You can meditate on a song and really hear the
notes. And as mentioned above you can meditate on your toothbrush or your dish scrubber, too.
One of the most common meditations is to sit quietly in a comfortable chair (or walk slowly if you
prefer a walking meditation) and focus on your breathing. Simply say IN as you breathe in and
OUT as you exhale. Do not try to prevent yourself from thinking about other things. Just notice
when your mind does wander and bring it back to the breath again. So you are sitting in a chair and
softly saying IN and OUT and suddenly a thought comes into your mind I should be studying for

Newland 64
the GMAT! Just notice the thought and bring your focus back to the breathing. Then a thought pops
up I am wasting my time sitting here again just acknowledge it and bring your attention back the
breathing. Do this for just 5 minutes and believe it or not you will probably have better focus
throughout the rest of the day.
In her ground-breaking work The Willpower Instinct Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. writes of a student
who had LOTS of trouble focusing. He was concerned that meditation would be impossible for him
this is because he thought that meditation required an empty mind for long periods of time. His
meditation was really bad! He was constantly having thoughts pop up and had to keep bringing
himself back to the breathing. He felt like he was failing at meditation!
Yet this student found that just 5 minutes of what anyone would consider very bad meditation
had great results for him. The rest of the day he was much more focused. You can try five
minutes of meditating each day right? Maybe first thing in the morning?
The scientific research shows the impacts that small amounts of meditation actually have on the brain.
From The Willpower Instinct (page 25)

Just 3 total hours of meditation (so 5 minutes a day for 6 weeks) led to scientifically significant
improvements in attention and self-control!
Just 8 weeks of daily meditation led to increased self-awareness and increased gray matter in the
areas of the brain that control your ability to focus.
Just 11 hours total of meditation led to changes in the brain that were visible on brain scans.
Meditation actually increases blood-flow to the areas of the brain that help us to focus and to have
self-control!
And one more thing your happiness depends on your ability to focus on what you are doing! A
recent study by Harvard psychologists found that a wandering mind was correlated with unhappiness.
In fact, the actual activity that a person was doing had less impact on their level of happiness than did
their focus (or lack of focus) on the current activity. Lack of focus seems to lead to lack of
contentment. (Source Harvard Gazette)
So you can actually be very content studying the GMAT, if you can just cultivate your ability to focus
on it!

Newland 65

D. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF PRACTICE

1. Why the GMAT Should Be Given on iPads (06/28/2012)
Okay now dont get too excited. There are NO rumors that I have heard that even hint at
GMAC offering the GMAT on the iPad I guess it just makes too much sense.
First, I will make the case for administration of the GMAT on a tablet device, then, since
they likely will not implement my plan right away, I will make some suggestions for what to do
now.
Whenever I ask one of my Veritas Prep classes what the big disadvantages are to the way
the GMAT is administered 2 answers always come up.
1. You cannot go back to a question once you have answered it and
2. You cannot write on the test.
The adaptive nature of the test means that the first complaint is here to stay. You simply
will not be able to go back to questions on the GMAT, but what about the second complaint? Is
there no way to remedy this? Students note that you cannot mark up reading comp passages, you
have to redraw geometry figures, and you cannot cross out or circle things on sentence
correction. Transferring everything from the computer screen to the notepad takes precious time.
That is where the iPad comes in. It should be possible to develop a program, either now
or in the near future, that will allow the test taker to write on the actual test. This would allow
students to underline, cross off answer choices, and use the drawing that is already included with
geometry problems. This would eliminate the tedious back and forth between the computer
screen and the laminated sheets. Sure there would be some glitches to work out, but I hereby
volunteer to be part of the testing program to expose and then correct any errors that may come
up.

What to Do Until the GMAT is Offered on a Tablet

Until GMAC takes me up on this offer we will have to do the best we can with a
combination of computer screen, a yellow plastic note pad, and a marker. This means that you
cannot mark up any of the verbal questions or passages as you would like and you cannot write
on any of the quant questions, either. This is inconvenient for everyone, but you can gain an
advantage if you practice the right way.
Do not do anything in practice that you cannot do on test day.
1) Use your note paper when you do practice questions. You cannot write on the test on test
day so do not write in your books when you practice.

Newland 66
2) Get a book stand and keep your study guides vertical. When you are working with your
written study materials, such as the Official Guide or the Veritas Prep books you should keep the
book propped up vertically. If you can find a book stand or a cookbook stand it will be simpler to
do this. Of course it is much easier to lay a piece of paper directly on the book you are working
in. Then the geometry diagram you are redrawing is literally inches away. But on test day the
computer screen is vertical and the notepad is horizontal. So you want to get used to the process
of looking up to the screen and down to your notes. Do in practice what you must do on test day.
3) Quantitative: Dont leave anything on the screen. Bring all the numbers down to your
notepad and do the work there. Do not forget to write down what the question is asking as well.
The fact that your work is done on your note pad means that if you leave any numbers or facts on
the computer screen and rely on your memory then you might end up making a mistake or an
assumption or simply forgetting to include a fact. This is particularly problematic on Data
Sufficiency where forgetting facts can easily lead to underestimating or overestimating the
amount of information that you have.
4) Verbal: Practice focusing rather than crossing out. For the verbal section, you will
naturally want to mark up the text: cross things out in sentence correction, highlight the
conclusion in critical reasoning, underline things in reading comp. Instead you will need to
practice focusing your attention. When you are doing sentence correction, practice looking past
the prepositions and modifiers instead of crossing them out. In critical reasoning, write down the
main conclusion on your notepad or just focus on it rather than circling it. And on reading
comprehension practice going back to the text to find the information that you need, even though
you cannot underline it. Train your mind to focus on the right things on the verbal section. That
is until the GMAT is offered on the iPad!

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2. We Talkin About Practice: Getting the Most Out of Your Practice Tests
(07/11/2012)
In his now famous rant, Philadelphia 76ers player, Allen Iverson, discounts the
importance of practice:
We talkin about Practice! Not a game, not a game, not a gameWe talkin about practice!I
mean how silly is that? We talkin about practice!
(Link to the full 2 minute clip is here.)
Iverson may not take practice very seriously, but you should. You need to practice the way
that you plan to perform on test day. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your CAT
Practice Tests:
1. Take the test at the public library or some other place where people are moving
around but not making too much noise. You do not want to take the test in a silent and
controlled environment and then have people walking behind you and typing loudly on
test day. Do not take your practice test at a Starbucks, there will not likely be a
Frappuccino machine blending drinks during your actual exam. What you want is just a
few low key distractions that you have to ignore so that you can practice concentrating
on test day.
2. Try the earplugs on your practice test. If you have to put the earplugs in during your
exam you will notice that feeling in your ears that you get when you have a really bad
cold. It is tough to concentrate with your ears plugged. On the other hand it can be really
tough to ignore the person next to who keeps clearing his throat or whispering just loud
enough for you to hear every word he says. What you are looking to determine is which
thing you can tolerate better plugged ears or minor distractions. This is why you do
not want to practice in a silent environment; the earplugs will always seem unnecessary.
When you are in the library or a similar place try of a Quant section with the earplugs
and without. Do the same with the verbal.
3. Take the Entire Test including the AWA and the Integrated Reasoning. Some people
only attempt the Quantitative and Verbal sections of each practice test. This is a mistake.
It is true that adding the AWA and Integrated Reasoning section requires another hour of
your time for each practice test, but it is necessary in order to have a true test experience.
It is much easier to make it through 2.5 hours with good stamina throughout as compared
to 3.5 hours. So devote the time needed to complete the entire test as least a couple of
times and, if possible, do this for every practice test.
4. Take only the scheduled breaks. You only get two breaks during the exam, 8 minutes
each. Stick to this for you practice exams. If you do not make it back to your exam in
time (and that means fingerprinted and logged backed into the computer) the test will
resume without you. Also try to eat the same snacks that you plan to eat on test day.
Research shows that something sugary will help your brain the most.
5. Try to have the same routine as you will on the test. Make it a full-on practice run. Eat
the same thing you plan to eat the night before the exam, go to bed at the same time, and
set your alarm to wake up at the same time as you will on test day. Have the same

Newland 68
breakfast. Plan to take your exam at the same time of day. Perhaps you can even arrange
to ride the same train or park in the same area that you will on test day as you go to your
chosen practice test location. If you find some problems with your routine correct them
before test day!
6. Try out any techniques, strategies, and shortcuts that you plan to use on test day.
Never do anything on test day that you have not done many times before. If you plan to
do calculations in your head on test day you better try that out on a practice test first. You
may find that it does not work as well as you thought. The same thing goes for more
methodical techniques. If you plan to take substantial notes during reading
comprehension try it on test day, you may find that you want to do more comprehending
and write fewer words. Practice the way that you hope to perform on test day and adapt
to the feedback you get from the practice test.
7. Try your best!!!! Simulate the desire, the nervousness, the intense effort pretend
that each practice test is the real thing. Holding back on your practice tests for any
reason is not a good strategy. Maybe you do not want to do your absolute best and then
see the score you might want to hold something back so you can say I did not really
give it my all if the score is lower than you would like. Maybe it just seems like too
much work to try so hard on multiple practice tests. Whatever your reason for holding
back, it is not a good one. In order to know where you truly need to improve and to get a
full sense of the test you must pretend that it is the big day and that this is the real test. If
the score is lower than you were hoping for at least you know where you stand and that is
one of the important parts of a practice test, too. In order for the test to be honest with
you, you must be honest with it.
By the time Alan Iverson missed that famous practice that he talks about at the beginning of
this article he had already been in the NBA for a decade and taken his team to the 2001 NBA
Finals. He could afford to miss a practice or two. You on the other hand need the practice tests in
order to perfect your skills and strategies and to be ready for the big test. Practice like you want
to perform Thats why we are talkin about practice!

Newland 69

3. Think You Made a Mistake? Good Errors on the GMAT (01/15/2013)

As you are practicing for the GMAT and you miss a problem, you probably already try to
figure out why you missed it. However, you can improve the quality of your practice and
ensure that you are making progress toward test day if you will also categorize your errors. On
Test Day any scored item that you miss counts against you, but when practicing there are
actually reasons to be happy when you miss a question. In fact, the ratio is pretty good: there are
two types of good errors and only one category of bad errors.

The Good Errors

It is never fun to make a mistake. So lets not label these errors mistakes, rather lets call
them learning opportunities.

Learning the Concept This is the first of the opportunity errors. Do you remember
the first time that you saw a Problem Solving question that relied on the formula for the
measure of an arc, using an inscribed angle? If you did not know that formula or concept
then it is no shame to miss the question! It is an opportunity to learn the concept. There
are only so many so formulas, equations, grammar rules and concepts to learn. This is
one more concept down and one step closer to earning your score!
Applying Skills and Strategies The second of the opportunity errors involves what I
call recognition and application. So you have learned the rules of grammar, but do you
know how to apply the decision points technique? Do you know when to look for
parallel elements and how to apply slash and burn? How do you know that you should
use algebraic manipulation on the question stem of a Data Sufficiency question? This is
all about learning to recognize how to use your concept knowledge, when to apply that
strategy you learned, and, most importantly, how to recognize this same underlying setup
in future problems. It is the job of the test writers to try to make you think that every
problem is unique; it is your job to see that they are not.

The Bad Errors

Unlike the first two errors, which were really opportunities, this type of error can undermine
your practice, sap your confidence, and eventually severely limit your score.

Silly Mistakes Silly mistakes are those avoidable sorts of errors that result from
hurrying or lack of concentration or improper techniques. Examples from the
Quantitative section include answering the wrong question, stopping too soon on a
problem solving question, calculation errors, and making assumptions on data
sufficiency. Verbal avoidable errors include answering with a weaken answer on a
strengthen question, losing concentration when reading a passage, and using outside
knowledge.

You know that making silly mistakes on test day can be a problem, but did you know what
these errors do to the quality of your practice? Missing questions for this reason can lead to
frustration as you miss practice questions that you should get right. These silly mistakes can

Newland 70
result in your not taking your practice as seriously since it is painful to keep seeing these types of
errors come up. These bad errors can prevent you from learning from your mistakes.

Silly Mistakes and Practice Tests

These avoidable errors can have a particular effect on your practice tests. When you
make silly mistakes the Computer Adaptive Test adapts to those errors by presenting you with
less difficult questions. Meaning that the limits of your concept knowledge and your ability to
recognize and apply skills and strategies may never be tested. For example, if you are really up
to the 650-level in terms of your knowledge base and your ability to recognize and apply
particular strategies, but you make so many silly mistakes that you are always below this level,
then you will never get the opportunity for a legitimate test of your abilities. You may end the
practice test thinking that you do not have any holes in your content knowledge and that if you
can just focus on test day that you can go over 700.
However, if you can minimize the number of silly mistakes that you make, then you can
get the most out of your practice in general, and your practice tests in particular! By limiting
these avoidable errors on practice tests you will rise to the level of your knowledge and abilities
so that the concept and strategy areas that you need to work on will be quite clear. If you are that
650-level test taker then you will consistently be working on problems at or above this level:
problems that challenge and excite you.

Limiting the Bad Errors

Everyone makes some silly mistakes in practice, and most people make at least a couple
of these mistakes on the test. After all, the GMAT is in part designed to test your ability to avoid
these mistakes. However, when you see that you have made a silly mistake in practice take it at
least as seriously as you would a lack of concept knowledge. If you missed a problem for lack of
understanding of grammar you would find that grammar knowledge and try not to make the
same mistake again. When you miss a question because you got confused as to whether you
should strengthen or weaken the conclusion, or because you did not make a note that statement 1
was sufficient do not brush off these errors. Instead, adjust your techniques so as to prevent
making those mistakes in the future. You know that minimizing silly errors is crucial to your
score but it also crucial to getting the most out of your practice!

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4. Studying for the GMAT Is Your First Business School Class (08/13/2014)
The GMAT is a standardized test, but studying for the GMAT itself actually serves as a
curriculum. In fact, you might even consider studying for the GMAT to be your first Business
School class.
If the schools that use the GMAT for admissions wanted an intelligence test, the test makers at
GMAC could have developed that examination in a variety of ways. Specifically, they could
have made an exam that cannot be studied for, because ideally an IQ test would be something
you could not study for. According to experts in the field of intelligence, a great example of an
IQ test is stating a series of numbers to an examinee and having that examinee repeat those
numbers in reverse order. This test is not cultural or linguistically biased, and it cannot really be
studied for, so it does a better job of testing at least one facet of IQ.
Clearly, an intelligence test is not what business schools wanted. They wanted a guarantee that
the students they admitted to business school were capable of doing the required work. So
GMAC created the opposite of a pure IQ test; they created a test that can be, should be, and in
most cases must be studied for.
This is not a flaw in the design of the exam. It is the intention of the exam. Business schools do
not want to exclude people simply because they have not had any recent exposure to math, and
they do not want to deny admission to those who do not yet read or think critically. But they DO
want these weaknesses to be corrected BEFORE those students are admitted to MBA programs.
Studying for the GMAT is your first business school class and the GMAT itself is your first final
examination. Everything that the GMAT tests is also something that studying for the GMAT
teaches.
What Studying for the GMAT Teaches You
How to study. For many people, the GMAT is the most challenging exam they will ever face.
The GMAT is a test you must study for, not only based on the content, which is extensive, but
also on the skills necessary to answer challenging questions correctly in a limited amount of
time. These study skills can help a business school applicant get geared up for studying in
graduate school.

Newland 72
Logical reasoning. If there is one theme that each section of the GMAT teaches, it is logical
reasoning. Obviously the critical reasoning section and the AWA argument help you to spot the
flaws in logic, but logical reasoning also runs through each of the other sections of the test (and
becomes extremely important in B-school and beyond, too).
Quantitative skills. While you may not do too much geometry at business school, MBAs need
to be familiar with and comfortable using numbers and leveraging relationships.
Critical reading. Studying for the GMAT teaches you how to read for an understanding of a
passage as a whole and learn how to return to the passage when details are needed. This is
precisely the skill set required for success in business schoolcall it an executive summary.
English grammar and meaning. Sentence Correction is important not only because English is
regarded as the universal language of business, but also because flaws in grammar can drastically
change the meaning of a sentence. By forcing you to study Sentence Correction, the GMAT is
helping you read sentences for exactly what they meanan important skill in contracts and
negotiations to come in your future.
How to focus. The GMAT is a long testmore than four hours in totalthat requires focus
throughout. Taking practice exams and building up to this level of focus and endurance helps
prepare students for the rigors of graduate education and executive-level decision-making.
Each of these skills is something that business schools need their students to have, but the time is
not available in the MBA curriculum to offer these courses as part of the degree program. By
using the GMAT as the standard for admissions, business schools are able to ensure that the
candidates they accept into their programs are actually prepared for graduate business education.
You may not be actually enrolled in b-school yet, but enjoy studying for the GMATit is your
first business school class.

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5. Struggle to Understand the GMAT (11/12/2014)

Struggle (verb): to try very hard to do, achieve, or deal with something that is difficult
Many people equate struggling on the GMAT with not progressing. One might say, I am
struggling with sentence correction. But if they are using the word correctly, if they are indeed
trying very hard, all of that struggle may just pay off in an unexpected way.
Learning in your sleep?
You see, when you truly give your full focus and attention to something; when you really try to
work out those GMAT geometry problems, for example, your brain marks those memories with
extra ATP (a neuro-signaling coenzyme). Then, when you sleep, those things you really paid the
most attention to during the day; those things you attached emotion to; and yes, those things you
struggled with, are actually worked on by your brain.
It is a well-known phenomenon among musicians that a musician can go to sleep after a practice
session in which she never was able to play an entire piece of music and wake up the next
morning and play the piece flawlessly on the first try. Mathematicians, physicists, chemists, and
others report a similar effect applied to understanding or formulating theories. And scientists
have recently discovered that most of childrens language acquisition takes place while they are
asleep (no wonder young children sleep 18 hours per day).
The process
New memories are fragile, something that anyone studying algebra for the first time in years can
attest to. When you sleep, your thoughts and memories are strengthened and contextualized so
that those memories can be retrieved when needed and can be applied to the appropriate
situations.
There are three ways in which your memories are processed as you sleep:
1) Unitization, the combination of separate pieces of information into a unified concept. For
example, your brain might gather together everything you learned about triangles during that
geometry lesson.
2) Assimilation, when the brain binds that new information into the existing structure. When
learning new vocabulary, your brain works to construct sample sentences for you while you
sleep, working to fit the new words into what you already know.

Newland 74
3) Abstraction, or the discovery of rules and connections. This is when you really gain
ownership of the knowledge you have acquired. Mathematics and logic are two areas in
particular where the sleeping brain makes big strides.
How to make your struggles pay off
You must do certain things to maximize your learning.
1) You must try hard. The reason this article is called Struggle to Understand is that it is not
enough for you to read a few grammar rules, for example, and hope to learn the rest in your
sleep. To mark those thoughts and memories as important, so the brain knows to process them,
you must give them your full attention and really try to get them.
People sometimes ask me why many of the problems we use in the Veritas Prep lessons are well
above the average level. In other words, why are these problems such a struggle? Now you
understand that trying difficult problems and really giving them your full attention is the best
way to ensure priority processing of the memories.
2) Do not study while distracted. It turns out that if you are distracted, not only will your brain
not mark those memories as important, but you also might not be able to recall those memories at
all. A study by neuroscientists shows that when a person is watching television while studying,
the material being studied is actually assigned to the wrong part of the brain and is therefore
difficult to access when needed.
3) You have to sleep. All these wonderful processes take place while you are sleeping. In fact, it
may take several nights of sleep for a memory to be fully processed. Disruptions in sleep patterns
several days after a GMAT study session can actually inhibit your ability to process information
from that studying. So pick a single bed-time that you observe every night (including weekends),
sleep at least six hours, and preferably eight, wake up at the same time each day, and enjoy all
that free learning that took place while you were sleeping.

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6. Take a GMAT Selfie (10/01/2014)

Turn the mental camera on yourself and take a snapshot of what you are doing right and wrong
on the GMAT.
The selfie is a true phenomenon in this digital world. As opposed to a picture that is perfectly
framed and posed, a selfie is taken by the person (or one of the people) in the photo and is
therefore often quite candid. In many ways the selfie is more honest than a typical picture, as it
gives an unvarnished, close-up look at the person who took it.
Time for a GMAT Selfie?
Many test-takers study for the GMAT relentlessly yet never seem able to reach their full
potential. These students will say such things as, I need to get better at sentence correction or
I make too many mistakes on Data Sufficiency. Even those who keep an error log often do not
know how to assess their strengths and weaknesses honestly.
Begin with your techniques
Walk through the techniques you use for each problem type on the GMAT. Do this by
attempting several problems of each type and writing down what you do each time. For example,
do you begin by writing down what the question is asking? Or do you simply start at the
beginning of the problem and make equations and calculations with each number as it appears?
Do you read the question stem first or the stimulus on critical reasoning?
Take an honest look at the techniques you seem to use on each of the main problem types:
critical reasoning, reading comprehension, sentence correction, data sufficiency, problem
solving, and word problems. Do your techniques make it easier for you to be efficient, confident,
and most of all, accurate? Or do you not even have a standard approach to each problem? Be
honest. It is only by understanding what you are currently doing that you can hope to improve.
As you adjust your approach to each type of question, make sure everything you do helps you to
minimize mistakes and to use the most efficient and reliable path to the correct answer. For
example, one great idea on word problems is to jump immediately to the question mark so you
know what the question is asking (yes, you should probably even write down what it is asking).
That way not only can you nearly eliminate the possibility of answering the wrong question but
you can also set up your equations so that the variable you are solving for is the answer to the
question.

Newland 76
Tracking your errors and successes
Once you have taken a hard look at your techniques, it is time to focus on your errors as well as
on what you are doing right.
For each error, determine what type of error it is, and you will then know how to make sure it
does not happen again. The three types of errors are:
1) Lack of knowledgeif you did not know a particular formula or concept, it is no shame to
miss the question. It is an opportunity to learn the concept. There are only so many so formulas,
equations, grammar rules and concepts to learn. This is one more concept down and one step
closer to earning your score.
2) Trouble diagnosing the problemthis is all about learning to recognize how to use your
concept knowledge, when to apply the strategy you learned, and most importantly, how to
recognize this same underlying setup in future problems. It is the job of the test writers to try to
make you think that every problem is unique. It is your job to see that every problem is not.
3) Silly mistakesthese are those avoidable sorts of errors that result from hurrying, or lack of
concentration, or improper techniques. Examples include answering the wrong question,
calculation errors, making assumptions on data sufficiency, answering a strengthen question with
a weaken answer, and even simply clicking on the wrong answer on the screen.
If you find you have a lack of knowledge, learn the formula or concept. If you are making silly
mistakes, adjust your technique so you avoid these in the future. If you have difficulty
diagnosing a problem, look for clues that can help you in the future.
By definition, only you can take a selfie, and only you can take an honest, candid, close-up of
your performance on practice questions and especially practice tests. It may be time for your
GMAT Selfie.

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7. This is the Difference Between a 600 and a 700 GMAT Score (04/08/2014)
I recently responded to a student who said that he was not convinced by the official answer to an
official critical reasoning question. Here is my response:
I am glad that you brought this up! This is an official question, and the answer choice is the official
answer. I do not understand why you need to be convinced. You can trust the official answer to an
official question!
In fact, when you saw that your answer was not the correct answer you started looking for ways that
you could be right and the official answer wrong. This is not a particularly helpful mindset.
Lets compare the verbal and the quantitative sections. What do you do when you see that the official
answer to a Quant problem is 27 and you thought it was 42? Be honest. You know what you do, you
say 27, huh, I must have made a mistake. How did I end up with 42, let me see what I did wrong here
so that I do not do it again.
Right?
You do NOT you say, I bet it is really is 42 and I am going to think of reasons why it is 42 and not
27. That would seem strange right? I mean a Quant problem only has one correct answer and if you
get a different answer you made a mistake and need to figure out why you missed it right?
Okay well here is something that it takes students a long time to learn - A verbal question only has
one correct answer as well. And if you got a different answer you need to say what did I do
wrong and how can I not make this mistake in the future. Just as you would on a Quant problem.
I have had tutoring students who wanted to argue the answers on verbal questions, particularly CR and
RC, but SC sometimes as well. Eventually I say something along the lines of This is not the kind of
test where you should be debating against the answer key. If you want to get a high GMAT score you
need to focus on why you did not get the correct answer and how you can get it right next time.
Now unofficial questions can often be improved. In fact, when I write original questions of my own I
welcome it when students debate the merits of each question. I then edit it to make it better. Every edit
makes it a question better. Yet even most unofficial questions are well written and really do have just
one correct answer.
What I am saying is that your mind set should be Why did I get this wrong? What can I do better
next time? Rather than I am not convinced with this official answer to this official question.
It may seem like a slight difference, but it is the difference between a 600 and a 700.

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E. DATA SUFFICIENCY

1. Witnesses to the Crimein Data Sufficiency (01/07/2012)

In problem solving the answer that you obtain must match one of the five offered. If your
answer is not on the list, you know to go back and work until you find one that does. You are not
able to proceed with a completely incorrect answer and so this helps you to check your work.
For data sufficiency you have to use other means to check your answer before you submit
it. One of the major ways to check your answer in data sufficiency is what I call Overlap
Theory and one way to think about Overlap Theory is by viewing the statements as witnesses to
a crime.
Having enough information being sufficient in Data Sufficiency is like being able
to convict a suspect in a criminal trial. In order to convict a suspect in a trial you have to narrow
the list of suspects down to just one. You cannot convict two people for the same crime
(assuming it was committed by one person), so as long as you have two suspects you are not
sufficient.
For specific number questions the numbers are your suspects and you have to end up with
just one.
For Yes/No questions you are already down to two suspects Yes and No you just
have to narrow it down to only one of the two and then you can say that your information is
sufficient. For example, if the question is Is X an even integer? then you need to be able to say
that it is always an integer or that it is never an integer. Either of these answers is sufficient,
the one answer that is not sufficient is when you have both Yes and No.
Using the analogy comparing the statements in data sufficiency to witnesses to a crime,
you can see that in order for a witness (statement) to be sufficient it needs to give you just one
suspect (for example one integer). The one point that many people do not understand is that each
data sufficiency question is like a single crime even though you have two witnesses (Statement
1 and Statement 2) you still have only one crime. Therefore your two statements need to identify
the same suspect!
Take the following simplified example:
If N is an integer, what does N equal?
1) 6N = 30
2) 10N = 40
Statement 1 tells you that N = 5 and statement 2 tells you that N = 4. Each witness gives
you exactly one suspect (one answer for N) so it appears to be answer choice D, each statement

Newland 79
alone is sufficient. Certainly this question is too simple for the GMAT, but it has another flaw
as well; each of the two witnesses identifies a completely different suspect. This is not allowed
on the GMAT.
The reason that we cannot have the two witnesses each identifying a different suspect is
because we only have a single crime. I refer to this fact as Overlap Theory. Overlap Theory is
a way of applying one of the simple truths of data sufficiency Each Statement Must Be True
and the statements Must be True AT THE SAME TIME. In other words, the statements must
have an Overlap which means they must have at least one value in common. In the above
example the statements are giving you two completely different values for N, leaving no room
for both statements to be true at the same time.
Returning to our analogy, the one thing that you cannot have is your two witnesses
swearing to tell the truth and then identifying completely different suspects. This is a sure way to
lose your case in court and this is something that will never happen on any Official GMAT
question. In other words, if you ever find that the two statements actually give you two
completely different values with no values in common no overlap then you have made a
mistake. Every good data sufficiency question will always have at least one value or concept in
common between the two statements. This is a fundamental truth of data sufficiency on the
GMAT.
If the question above would never appear on the GMAT how can you use overlap theory
and witnesses to the crime to help you avoid incorrect answers? The answer is this: Since
every good data sufficiency question must allow for some overlap between the two statements if
you find that you have no common value between the statements then you have to return to the
drawing board and find a way for the statements to have a least one value in common.
Lets try this example from the Veritas Data Sufficiency Book:
Is x 0?
1) x^2 = 9x
2) |x| = -x
Statement number 1 can be solved by subtracting 9x from each side and then factoring an
x. When you subtract 9x from each side the statement becomes x^2-9x = 0. If you factor on x
from the left side you get x(x 9) = 0. There are two possible values, x can equal 0 or 9. So
statement one is sufficient because this question is asking you is x 0? and both values give
you the answer of yes. 9 is greater than zero and 0 is equal to zero so both are greater than or
equal to zero. So the answer must be either A or D, depending on whether statement 2 alone is
sufficient.
Statement 2 seems to point to a negative number for x. Because the absolute value sign
makes all numbers positive, if you start with a negative number for |x| you will end with a
positive number. The same is true of -x. A negative number becomes positive when multiplied

Newland 80
by -1. Try -5 as an example. -5 becomes 5 on each side of the equation, based on the
absolute on the left side and the negative sign on the right side. So we can see that all negative
numbers will work for statement 2.
Statement 2 will appear therefore to be sufficient and answer choice D seems to be the
correct answer.
But wait, there is a problem. The two statements have no overlap. Using the witnesses
to the crime analogy, our two witnesses have just identified completely different suspects for a
single crime. Statement 1 has said that 0 and 9 are the suspects and statement 2 said that all
negative numbers are suspects. Yet there is no way for them both to be right and on GMAT data
sufficiency questions there must be a way for both be right at the same time. So you have to go
back and find a way for both statements to be true at the same time.
In this case the answer is in the number zero. Statement number one allows as proven
above. Statement number 2 will also allow zero if we examine more closely since |0| = -0.
Both the absolute value of zero and negative zero are simply equal to zero. So now you do have a
way for the two statements to be true at the same time. And you find that the answer to the
question is not D, but A. Statement 2 is not sufficient because it allows for both a yes and
no. If you have a negative number, then the answer is no, x > 0 is not true. If you use the
value of zero, then the answer becomes yes, x > 0 is true.
If you solve a problem correctly from the start you will not have to use this technique.
Every Official GMAT problem allows an overlap between the two statements. It is only if you
have forgotten to consider something such as negative numbers, non-integers, or the number 0
that you will run into this scenario. But if you do find that you have two witnesses to the crime
and each one names a completely different suspect this gives you a chance to correct yourself
before you choose the wrong answer. Missing a question that you should get right now that
is a crime.

Newland 81

2. GMAT Tip of the Week: Why New York is Simply Not Sufficient (02/03/2012)
New York is Not Sufficienton the GMAT or in the Super Bowl. I am writing this from
New England Vermont to be precise so maybe you think that I am a bit biased as far as the
Super Bowl goes. But I KNOW that I am biased when it comes to my LOVE for Data
Sufficiency. That love is pure and ever-lasting.
So while I may not be able to convince you that the New York Giants are not sufficient to
win the Super Bowl on February 5th, I bet that I can give you a quick memory device to think
about for Data Sufficiency.
It is as simple as this: on a Yes/No Data Sufficiency question, if you get both a No
and Yes then you have NY which stands for New York and those of us near Boston
know that New York is Not Sufficient.
If you get just an N that is fine: it could stand for Nebraska or Norfolk, Virginia or
Nunavut. If you get just a Y that works as well: it could be Yellowstone National Park or
Yakima, Washington. I have nothing against any of these places. It is only when you get an N
and a Y that you have New York home of the hated Yankees, Giants, Jets, Nicks, Rangers,
Mets, and Islanders. So it takes both an N and a Y to be not sufficient in my book.
Here is an example:
Will the combined final score in the game be greater than 65?
(1) The combined final will be a prime number less than 70
(2) The combined final score will be greater than Eli Mannings quarterback rating,
which is 60
Answer? Lets work it out.
Start with statement number 1. We need to have a combined final score of less than 70
that is also a prime number in order to satisfy statement one.
If we play Devils advocate here we can quickly get a No. There are many prime
numbers that are less than 70 and less than 65 as well. The number 7 is a prime number that is
less than 70 and less than 65.
Once you have the No, play devils advocate and work now for a Yes. A yes here
is a prime number that is less than 70 but greater than 65. Is there such a number? Well there are
only 2 possibilities, 67 and 69. Sixty-nine is not prime, but 67 isThis gives us a Yes for
statement one.
So we have a No and a Yes that means an N and Y written on our paper on test
day and NY = New York and that is not sufficient.

Newland 82

What about statement 2? This statement is similar. In this case we can easily get a Yes
because there are many prime numbers that are greater than 60 and greater than 65. Now we
need to work for a No. It turns out that 61 is a prime number and it is larger than 60 but
smaller than 65 so that gives us a No as well. NY = New York = Not Sufficient.
Finally we can take the two statements together. The prime numbers now need to be
between 60 and 70. Actually our two examples were already between 60 and 70 so those same
numbers can still be used. We get a No with the prime number 61, which is not greater than
65, and a Yes with the prime number 67.
Say it with me one more time. No and Yes = NY = New York = Not sufficient.
The answer here is E.
My Prediction: Patriots beat the Giants by 7 and Tom Brady wins his fourth. Go Pats!

Newland 83

3. The Puzzle Equation on Data Sufficiency (07/19/2012)

A jigsaw puzzle is comprised of pieces that are each a funny shape. They are designed so
that there is only one way to put a puzzle together. It would not be very helpful if all of the
pieces were square, then they could fit together in any random fashion and the picture on the
puzzle would never come out right!
On Data Sufficiency there are certain equations that feature numbers with very specific
coefficients. Lets call these Puzzle Equations. Puzzle equations provide you with much
more information than you think that they do, because like a jigsaw puzzle, this type of
equation can only fit together in one way.
Lets look at an example (set your timer for 2 minutes and give it a try):
Brian is selling souvenirs outside of a Detroit Tigers baseball game. He is selling two different
items: T-shirts (T) are selling for $22 each and Baseball caps (C) are selling for $19 each. How
many T-shirts did Brian sell?
(1) Brian sold a total of 8 souvenirs.
(2) The total value of the souvenirs that Brian sold was $161.
This question points convincingly toward answer choice C. If you convert the two
statements to equations you get T + C = 8 and 22T + 19C = $161. With these two equations
together it is possible to solve for the answer.
Yet before you choose C, take a closer look at statement 2. This is not an ordinary
equation with negligible coefficients for the variables. This equation has coefficients of 22 and
19! These are unusual numbers and they are not easily interchangeable the way that smaller
coefficients would be. Additionally, the total value of souvenirs sold is just $161, meaning that
there is not much room to trade t-shirts for caps. When you combine this fact with the large
coefficients this means that there will be very few options for the values of T and C. And
remember you cant buy of a cap (even if your hat size is 7), so T and C must be
integers. The backdrop of this problem adds substance to the shape of these puzzle pieces.
In order to determine if statement 1 is needed or if statement 2 is sufficient on its own,
you could check to see whether or not statement 2 allows for different total numbers of
souvenirs. For example, could Brian have sold fewer than 8 souvenirs? (The reason we start with
8 souvenirs is because we took a peek at statement 1. We are not relying on statement 1, we are
just getting an idea that 8 souvenirs would be an acceptable total and we are looking for other
acceptable totals).
So, what about 7 souvenirs? Could that total work? Actually, no. Even if we choose 7 of
the more expensive souvenirs, the t-shirts, we find that 7x22= $154. This is not enough money.
We need the total value to be $161. So, we cannot have fewer than 8 total souvenirs. (The reason
we cannot have ,say, 7.5 total souvenirs is that there is a hidden fact here and that is that you

Newland 84
cannot have a portion of a T-shirt or a fraction of a cap. In other words we know that we must
have integer values for T and C and for the total number of souvenirs as well).
What about having more than 8 souvenirs? If we try having 9 of the cheaper souvenirs we
find that 9x19= $171. That is too much money. Therefore we know that it is impossible to have
more than 8 souvenirs, we must have exactly eight t-shirts and caps combined.
Statement 2 the puzzle equation provides us with a second hidden equation T + C
= 8. This is the only information that statement 1 offers, therefore, we do not need statement 1.
Statement 2 alone gives us both equations. And the correct answer is B.
If this were a problem solving question you could now use the two equations T + C = 8
and 22T + 19C = 161 to solve for the number of T-shirts that Brian sold. Since this is Data
Sufficiency we do not need to solve it, however, we just need to get to the point where we are
certain that we can solve it.
Before you choose answer choice C on a problem like this be sure to check for a puzzle
equation one that only fits together in just a single way. You might get two equations for the
price of one. And remember this Data Sufficiency problems are more often logic puzzles
featuring numbers than they are just math problems. So the jigsaw analogy works when
youre solving puzzles, pay particular attention to the way the pieces are put together!

Newland 85

4. The GMAT is SlipperySo Use the Handrails (10/11/2012)

Think about the weather for a momentWhen it is a nice day outside you take the stairs
quickly, casually, no thought of slipping. You run up to the building confidently, you might even
wonder why there is a handrail for you to grab on to. But when it is raining and the steps are wet,
or even worse, when there is snow and ice, thats when you reach for that handrail and make
your way carefully down those stairs. You no longer show off or even hurry, it is not worth it.
You simply want to navigate the stairs safely.
So it is with the GMAT. When practicing questions in the safety of your home you can
do all kinds of fun things:

You can perform complex calculations in your head and laugh when you are off by a few
hundreds,
You can look at a data sufficiency question and say that you have seen something like
this and you predict that answer choice C is going to be correct on this one (just to see
if you really do have psychic powers)
My favorite show-off is to have people read me Critical Reasoning questions out loud
and stop them at the correct answer.

But do you think that these are good ideas for test day? Of course not! On test day it is
worth a little extra time and attention to make sure that you answer correctly on the questions
that you can get right.
Many people, and even many GMAT experts, are enamored with the idea of shortcuts for
every problem and of doing the math and the verbal reasoning in their heads. They seem to think
that finishing with 20 minutes to spare and returning the notepad blank since they never had to
use it is the ideal GMAT performance.
You should know better. You are given very few resources on the test and 75 minutes of time
and the plastic notepad are two of the most important so use them! I have worked with many
students who did not want to use a systematic approach to questions. They did not want to follow
the tedious procedures of writing down the question on math problems, of identifying the main
idea of each paragraph on reading comprehension, of keeping track of their progress on Data
Sufficiency, etc.
They preferred to use a more free-flowing style that did not involve writing down much of
anything. Many of these students were very bright and could answer correctly on some very
difficult questions. But here is the problem; this style of test-taking only works when everything
is going just right and even then the results are inconsistent. If most of the work is done in your
head, if you do not take the time to do the small things like writing down the question that you
are actually trying to answer, you are much more susceptible to tricks and traps and this means
missing questions that you could have gotten right possibly even questions that are of lower
difficulty and that a less capable, but more thorough test-taker will get right.

Newland 86
What I call handrails those little checks and procedures that keep you from getting
lost and from making silly mistakes are all about helping you to get the best score that
YOU are capable of getting.
Each of us has a band of scores that we might achieve on a normal test day. Perhaps your
band of possible scores is between 650 and 720. If you do the best that you are capable of doing,
with very few unforced errors then you will rise to the highest level that you can master. In
other words if you can generally get questions right up to the 720-level and if you manage your
time and your efforts correctly and dont make too many silly mistakes you can rise to the top of
your current potential and get that 720.
However, if you do make lots of careless errors, if you rush through the problems that you
could get right and get lost in the ones that are not going well for you on that particular day, then
you will score at the bottom of your range. Most people would say that the person who scores
650 and the one that scores 720 must be very different in their capabilities. But this is not true.
They can be equally capable, with one test-taker a little more pro-active and methodical than the
other.
When you are practicing and just having fun you can afford to show off and take shortcuts,
but on the actual GMAT you have to know how to use the handrails. On Data Sufficiency there
are number of procedures that you can use to keep track of the problem and to make sure that
you are avoiding those careless errors.
1. Write out the question that you are answering and note if it is a specific number
or a yes/no question. This may seem very simple but it is one of the most important
things that you can do, especially for yes/no questions. By writing out the question in
your own words and symbols and in a way that is most meaningful to you you not only
ensure that you will not answer the wrong question, but you also get started in the right
direction by focusing on the actual question.
2. Separate the facts that you are given in the question stem from the actual question
itself. Do not write your question as What is the value of positive even integer x? It is
too easy for you to lose track of that valuable information. Instead write the question as
x = ? and then bring the facts out so that they are right there in front of you: Facts) x is
even, x is positive, x is an integer. When you bring out the facts in this way you
minimize the potential of overlooking this valuable information.
3. Write something down for each statement. Even if you only write x is positive or
some other seemingly obvious thing it is important that you write something. It keeps the
information organized. Between writing out the question, separating the facts, and now
clearly identifying the information in each statement you are ensuring that you do not get
confused as to the information that you have and where it came from. This is crucial
because many of the mistakes that occur on test day are based on a misunderstanding of
what information is there and of where it came from. And remember; when you are
writing something for each statement just as when you are writing out the question be
sure to put the information in a form that is useful to you. Write it as an equation (x +2y =
40), or write out the values that are possible (z = 4 or 7), whatever you do just make the
information work for you.

Newland 87
4. Be sure to keep track of sufficient/ not sufficient. Once you have evaluated each
statement, you will want to indicate whether that information (combined with the facts)
is sufficient to answer the question. I write S or NS next to each statement to indicate
sufficient and not sufficient. If each statement is not sufficient that means that I need
to evaluate the two statements together in order to decide between answers C and E. By
keeping track of this you will always know where you are in the problem and what the
next step is and you can avoid the common mistake of literally getting confused on which
combination of statements is sufficient. You might think that you could never make such
a mistake, but on test day it can easily happen.
5. Use mental checklists. Data sufficiency may seem endlessly devious, but there are
actually a limited number of things that come into play. For example, in the new edition
of the Veritas Data Sufficiency book we list the five number properties that you should
always consider on data sufficiency questions. We also describe the techniques used to
prove sufficiency in the data sufficiency toolkit. When organizing the information you
should have checklists of things to consider for every question, such as positive/
negative, odd/ even, integer/ non-integer and you should understand the ways that
sufficiency can be tested. A little organization goes a long way on data sufficiency.
This may seem like it is a lot of work. It may even seem tedious. But it is what it takes to
eliminate those errors that put you at the low end of your potential.

Problem Solving
Many of the techniques described above are important for problem solving as well, such
as always writing out the question that you are solving and keeping your information organized.
It is also important to do most of the calculations on the notepad (unless you do complex math in
your head on a daily basis). Look for a future article on the handrails for problem solving.

Verbal Section
The verbal section has its own handrails. These range from simply making sure that
you have A E available on sentence correction so that you can keep track of the answer
choices that you have eliminated to writing the main idea of each paragraph on reading
comprehension to writing out the conclusion and the most important premise on critical
reasoning. (For a detailed look at this process for critical reasoning see MIP: Critical Reasoning
the Tim Duncan Way)

What you do in Practice is what you will do on Test Day

It is often said that in athletics the difference between an amateur and a professional is
that the amateur practices just enough that it is possible that he will do things right on game day,
while a professional will practice until he cannot do them wrong.
That is where you need to be. The pressure can be intense during the test and most people
will resort to doing what they are most comfortable with what they have spent their time
practicing. It simply is not possible to switch on test day from a free-flowing style where

Newland 88
questions are missed due to simple mistakes to a more methodical style based on handrails.
You need to make the change now if you want to do it on test day.
I suggest the following:
1. Analyze each question type (Problem Solving, Data Sufficiency, Critical Reasoning,
Sentence Correction and Reading Comprehension).
2. Establish reliable and efficient procedures for each question type.
3. Create your handrails within your procedures. I have given you the example of data
sufficiency above.
4. Practice those procedures until you can do them every time.
5. Take simple errors very personally in terms of your score these are the worst
mistakes that you can make. If you make a silly mistake be sure to emphasize those
procedures that will prevent such a mistake in the future.
People often wonder why their actual GMAT scores are 50 or even 100 points lower than the
scores from their practice tests. The answer is often a lack of reliable procedures; procedures that
can keep you safe when the going gets tough. Add these handrails to your strategy and earn the
highest score that you are currently capable of earning. Remember, the GMAT is slipperyso
use those handrails.

Newland 89

5. When to Actually Do the Math on Data Sufficiency (12/08/2012)

I have read many variations of the statement And on Data Sufficiency you dont even
have to do the math! But when do you really get to skip the math and when do have to do the
math just to be sure?
High jumpers and weight lifters have this curious way of going about their competitions.
Top competitors will often wait several rounds before they take their first jump or make their
first lift. An Olympic high jumper might sit out many heights and wait until after 2.2 meters to
take his first jump. (Americans that is an impressive 7 feet 2.5 inches).
How does an athlete decide which rounds to sit out and when to finally jump? Basically,
the competitor will skip any height that he (or she) is certain that he can clear. The competitor
will save energy and focus by not attempting anything that he knows he can do. He will only
start jumping when the bar gets high enough that there is at least some doubt as to whether he
can clear it.
That is the standard for Data Sufficiency as well. You can skip the math only if
you are certain that you will get result that you predict. For example, if you know that you
will get a single value for the variable x then you know the statement is sufficient and you
know there is no need to do the math. But if there is any doubt as to the result then, like the
Olympic high jumper, you need to prove it.

When You Can Safely Skip the Math

You can safely skip the math when you are certain that the statement will be sufficient or
not sufficient. Here are some examples:
Example A:
Is x > 5?
1)
You can see that statement 1 here will give you a single value for the variable x. This is a
linear equation with a single variable. The only way that this will fail to yield a single value is if
you have the same coefficient for x on both sides. Since this is not the case here you are safe to
skip the math and declare that this statement is sufficient. You do not need to do the math
because the single value that you get will be either greater than 5 (Yes) or not (No): in either case
you have a consistent answer and the statement is sufficient. This statement would, of course,
also be clearly sufficient if the question asked for a single value for x. So there is no need to do
the math when you have a linear equation that will absolutely yield a single value.
Example B:

Newland 90
What is the value of x?

1)
It is again pretty clear that statement 1 will give you 2 values for x a positive and a
negative. The math here is not difficult but there is no need to do the math. You know that you
will get two values the positive root and the negative root so this is immediately not
sufficient. You can skip the math when the statement is clearly not sufficient as well as when it is
clearly sufficient.
Example C:
Is y a positive number?
1) 2x + y > 27
This is an automatic not sufficient. Statement 1 gives you two variables and no way to
fix a value for either one. Y can be a positive number, or if x is a large enough number y could be
negative or zero. There really is very little math that you could do here anyway. Not
sufficient.

When You Need to do the Math

If you are not certain that you will get the result that you expect, then you had better do
the math at least until the point where you are certain what the result will be.
Returning to the above examples, lets try statement 2 for each and see why sometimes
you need to do the math.
Example A:
Is x > 5?
1) Discussed above

2)
Statement 2 has two variables and only one equation and does not seem likely to yield a
value for x. However, if you do the math you see that the ys will actually zero out and you will
get a single value for x.

Begin by multiplying 2 across the quantity and the equation becomes

Newland 91
Since 3y is on both sides of the equation you can subtract 3y from both sides and the y
variable disappears. The coefficient of x is 2 however it is 2x on the right side of the equation and
-2x on the left side.
Simplifying the equation becomes 4x = -28 and x = -7. The last two steps are not
actually necessary since the equation has shown that it is actually a single variable linear
equation. However, it is essential to do enough math to make sure that the statement is indeed
sufficient or not sufficient. In this case it is sufficient.
Example B:
What is the value of x?
1) Discussed above
2)
Returning to example B we go to statement 2 and find a quadratic equation. This will
clearly give two different values for B right? So you can skip this one? Maybe we better just do
the math to see if we get two different values for x. In particular that 144 could be a problem
since that is a perfect square.
Subtract 5x from both sides

Add 144 to both sides

Factor

.
.

Therefore x must equal 12. Meaning that statement 2 is sufficient. It was important to just
do enough math to check to see if we would in fact get two different values for x. The GMAT
does not reward you for making assumptions on Data Sufficiency!
Example C:
Is y a positive number?
1)
Returning to example C, we now have a second statement that is also clearly not
sufficient alone. As with statement 1, there are two variables in the inequality and no way to fix a
value for either of them. Statement 2 also allows y to positive, negative and zero.

Newland 92
But what about the two statements together? It is pretty clear that you will need to do
some math here. But how much?
Begin by multiplying the second statement by - 2.
It becomes -2x + 6y > 48.
Statement 1 is 2x + y > 27
You might be tempted to stop here. The xs will zero out and you will be left with a
single-variable inequality. This would seem to be enough to answer the question of whether y is
a positive number. However, inequalities can be particularly tricky in this regard. You had better
finish the math to ensure that you get a consistent answer to this yes/no question.
Adding the two statements zeros out the xs and leaves you with 7y > -21 or y > -3. This
means that y could be -2 or -1 which is negative and of course y could be any positive
number as well. This is not sufficient since the answer is not consistent. Even with both
statements, y could still be positive or negative. Not sufficient, the answer is E.
If you want to find success in GMAT Data Sufficiency then compete like an Olympic high
jumper save your energy by not attempting anything that you are absolutely sure of, but be
sure to do the work any time there is a doubt about the outcome.

Challenge Problem
The above examples were all taken from the new Veritas Prep Data Sufficiency Book
(being used in classes now). The following challenge problem is from that book as well. You can
post your explanation in the comments section below:
The ratio of television sets to radios at an electronic store before a new shipment arrives is 12:7.
If no other televisions sets or radios leave the store, and the only television sets and radios to
arrive are in the new shipment, what is the ratio of television sets to radios after the new
shipment arrives?
1. The new shipment contains 132 television sets.
2. The new shipment contains 77 radios.

Newland 93

6. GMAT Tip of the Week: Fall in the Love with the Correct Data Sufficiency
Answer, Bachelor-Style (08/03/2012)
There is a show on ABC on Monday nights that in my opinion has almost no
redeeming qualities. However, this show does demonstrate a very important facet of data
sufficiency. The show is called The Bachelor and it features one unmarried man, the bachelor,
who claims to be tired of being single and looking to get married. The process of selecting a
bride is conducted like a game show. Dozens of women are brought out and the bachelor slowly
sifts through them eliminating them or keeping them around by giving them a rose. At the end
the bachelor proposes to the chosen woman and they live happily ever afterthat is until a few
months later surprise, surprise we learn that the relationship did not work out. What could
have gone wrong? Isnt this the way all successful relationships begin on a game show?
I admit to having seen a few episodes of this show and each bachelor does seem to
possess one talent that would make him very successful at data sufficiency, an ability to block
out his short term memory. Let me explain: The bachelor will go out on a date with one of the
women on a particular night, lets say Monday and then on Tuesday he is on a date with another
of the women.
Now here is the thing, on Monday night he seems always to say (and it does not matter
which of the seasons this is) I find myself falling for you. So on Monday he is falling in love
with woman number 1. The very next night he is on a date with woman number 2, and now he is
saying I think I am falling in love with you. There is no mention of the woman that he was just
on a date with the previous night. He seems to have forgotten all about woman 1, even though
just 24 hours ago she was all that he could think about. He has no problem erasing his short term
memory where women are concerned!
You need to be just like the Bachelor not with people that you date but with the
statements on Data Sufficiency! While you are evaluating statement 1 that should be were your
attention is focused. This usually is not a problem for test takers. This is the first statement that
you have seen on this problem so there is nothing stuck in your memory. Now when you
evaluate the second statement you need to be like the Bachelor and give it all of your attention
forget that there even was a statement 1! Fall in love with statement number 2: give that
statement your entire focus.
There is one more thing that you should learn from the Bachelor, he may forget
everything about woman 1, but the one thing he will remember is anything romantic that was
particularly successful. Did an evening walk on the beach win her over? Was it a candlelit dinner
with champagne? Did he make some little joke before he went to kiss her? Whatever it was he
will remember and might think to try the same with woman 2.
You should learn from him: when a number or concept works to satisfy statement 1 you
should try that same number or concept with statement 2. So while you need to forget the
information from statement 1, since you cannot use this when initially evaluating statement 2,
you will want to remember what worked with statement 1 so you can try that with statement 2 as
well.

Newland 94

So while I do not advocate that you choose your spouse on a game show, I do think that
you could learn from the Bachelor and develop a little short-term memory loss on Data
Sufficiency. This technique will help you to fall in love with the right answer.

Newland 95

7. How to Raise Your GMAT Score with the Data Sufficiency Mirroring
Technique (11/13/2013)
In the Veritas Prep Data Sufficiency book, we have a section called the Data Sufficiency
Toolkit. This toolkit contains a technique called Manipulate Algebraically. This technique
involves manipulating either the statement or the question stem (or both) so that they exactly
match each other.
Here is a simple example from the Veritas Prep Data Sufficiency book:
Is 2x = 3y + 2z?
Statement 1) x z = 3y / 2
Either the statement or the question can be manipulated until they are identical to
each other. For this example lets work with the statement to get it to match the question stem.
If you simply multiply the number 2 times the equation in statement 1, you get 2x 2z = 3y and
then you can add 2z to both sides and arrive at 2x = 3y + 2z. Since the statement now exactly
matches the question, statement 1 is sufficient.
Some test takers wonder if this really is sufficient. After all, is this not just repeating the
question? No it is not repeating the question. An analogy would be to ask the question, Is he
tall? and get the answer, He is tall. You can see that this is the most direct way of answering
the question and is absolutely sufficient.
I call this technique of matching the question and the statement Mirroring.
Manipulate Algebraically as it is called in the Veritas Prep book describes HOW you do
this, and Mirroring describes WHAT you are attempting to do. Taken together, these
names present the how and the why of a valuable strategy for data sufficiency.
Mirroring is Indispensable
Manipulating or mirroring is a technique that there is simply no substitute for! There is
no other way to find that a single equation with three variables is sufficient (as we did above). If
not for the mirroring technique you would be trying to find the values for x, y and z. Embrace the
inevitable and learn to manipulate the statement and the question stem so that they mirror each
other.
When to Attempt Mirroring
It is very important that you understand when you can attempt the mirroring
technique and when you should not. The rule is a simple one: If the question stem and the
statement each have the same variables and if those variables are at the same powers, you
can safely attempt to mirror.
Take the following example:

Newland 96
Is y > z?
1)

Y2 > Z2

2)

yz>0

Of these two statements, only the second one is a candidate for mirroring. Simply, add z
to both sides and you get y > z. The first statement is tempting, yet it is not a good idea to try to
match equations or inequalities if the exponents are different. In the question you have y and z as
variables. In the statement you have y squared and z squared. Simply taking the square root of
both variables in statement 1 might appear to give you the desired result, but that is without
taking positive and negative into account. Y could be smaller than z and yet y2 be larger than z2
if y is negative!
Remember the rule, if you have the same variables at the same powers in the statement
and in the question then you can attempt to mirror without fear. The worst that can happen is that
you fail to mirror and have to run through the rest of your tool box when analyzing the
question.
Learn to embrace this powerful technique: in some cases it is helpful and in others it is
essential.

Hidden Mirrors and Broken Mirrors in Data Sufficiency:

Sometimes it is not obvious that mirroring can be attempted on a particular question. I call
these questions hidden mirrors.
Try the following example from the Veritas Prep Data Sufficiency Book:
Is x y > r s?
1)

x > r and y < s

2)

y =2, s = 3, r = 5, and x = 6

Clearly statement 2 is sufficient since it gives you values for all of the variables.
Statement 1 can be approached a couple of different ways. You could plug in numbers of your
own choosing to see if statement 1 is sufficient enough to guarantee a consistent answer to the
question. But mirroring might just be the most efficient way to approach this statement.
If you have inequalities with signs pointing in the same direction those inequalities can be
added together. If you leave x > r as it is and multiply y < s by a (-1) you get y > s now
you can add these two inequalities as the signs are both greater than. On the left side of the
sign you get x y on the right side you get r s so the expression becomes x y > r s.
This exactly mirrors the question stem and so is absolutely sufficient. The correct answer is

Newland 97
therefore D: each statement alone is sufficient. Watch for hidden mirrors, remember, if you have
the same variables at the same power in a statement you can attempt to mirror without fear.
Broken Mirrors
Of course, attempt to mirror without fear does not mean that you should do so
carelessly! We all know it is bad luck to break a mirror. Be sure to watch out for broken
mirrors on the GMAT. A broken mirror is the exact opposite of a hidden mirror; it is
situation in which mirroring seems to be the obvious technique, and yet it is actually a trap.
Try the following question and statement:
Is 5a > 2b?
1)

5a/b > 2

This appears to be an obvious exercise in mirroring, right? Simply multiply both sides by
b and you get 5a > 2b. This means that statement 1 is sufficient alone. But wait! This is only true
if b is a positive number. If b is a negative number the sign changes and 5a < 2b! Statement 1 is
not sufficient alone and you would be looking to statement 2 for additional information.
Be careful when you see obvious mirroring situations. It may certainly still be the
case that you should mirror, but run through the common number properties such as
positive / negative and integer/ non integer to make sure that you are not dealing with
a broken mirror.

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8. GMAT Tip: Diagnose Your Own Data Sufficiency Difficulties (11/13/2013)

Do you need help diagnosing your own data sufficiency difficulties? Problem Solving
questions have a logical order of their own, but the consistent nature of the answer choices in
Data Sufficiency can be used to help you understand why you are missing too many of these
questions. You did not just miss a question on data sufficiency; you made a particular kind of
error you can absolutely watch for, and hopefully avoid, in the future.
The two mistakes in data sufficiency are:
1) Thinking you have enough information when you really do not.
2) Thinking you do not have enough information when you really do.
The first of these mistakes can be thought of answering too high on the Order of
Answers and the second mistake is answering too low. The Order of Answers is D then A
or B then C then E. Consider them on this chart, ranked by usefulness of the statements:
D (I can solve this problem with either piece of information)
A or B (I can solve this problem with one piece of information but only this one)
C (I can solve this problem, but only with both pieces of information)
E (I cannot solve this problem with this information)
The higher you are on the list the more you are accomplishing (or claiming that you
can accomplish) with the available information. The lower you are on the list means you are
accomplishing less with more information.
Choice D represents doing the most with the information giveneach statement is
sufficient on its ownand in this way is considered to be the highest of the answers. Choices
A and B are the next highest, since at least one of the statements is sufficient alone. Choice C
comes next, since you need both statements together, and Choice E comes last, since this
represents not being able to get a definite answer at all. So D is the highest, then A or B next
highest, then C, and finally E.
How can you use this chart to your advantage? There are several ways, which youll read
about in the next few installments of this three-part series. But most importantly, recognize
thisGMAT questions are often written with two things in mind, a trap and a rewardthe
trap there to catch those not thinking as effectively as they should, and the reward there for those
exhibiting the most effective thought processes. So when you select a Data Sufficiency answer
choice, particularly if that choice comes to you quickly or easily, its a good idea to check up
one level (could I have used less information to accomplish more?) and down one level (or is
there something Im missing that would require just a little more information to be absolutely
sure here?). At the very least, this chart can help you double-check your work to avoid the trap
and snatch the reward.
The trap-and-reward system for Data Sufficiency can be well-navigated by keeping this
hierarchy in mind. In this next section, youll learn more about how to use this chart and your

Newland 99
own results to practice questions to diagnose your Data Sufficiency difficulties and learn to
master this question type. Here are the steps to diagnosing your mistakes:
1) Gather information to make your diagnosis
Go back through all of the completed data sufficiency questions you can find, looking through
your practice tests and the practice problems you have completed. Think about all the sources of
data sufficiency problems that you have been using. (For example: problems from the Official
Guide, Verbal Review, and GMAT Prep Pack 1.)
2) Use recent data
Problems you completed before you really began studying the quantitative section will not be as
useful as problems that indicate your more recent abilities. If you missed a question a couple of
months ago because you did not know a particular number property, that question will be less
useful in diagnosing difficulties that relate specifically to data sufficiency. Once you have
completed your diagnosis, those questions that you did very early in your studies can be
attempted again, using the prescriptions below.
3) Analyze the data
Create two columns: Too High and Too Low.
The Too High column represents those questions for which you think you have more
information than you do. In other words, you mistakenly chose A or B when the answer was C,
or you chose C when the answer should be E, and so forth. Make a mark in this column for each
question for which your answer was too high.
The Too Low column represents those questions for which you thought you had less
information than you had. In other words, you marked choice E when it should have been C, or
choice C when it should have been A or B, and so forth. Place a mark in this column for each
question for which your answer was too low.
4) Diagnose your difficulties
Now count the questions in each column to see which mistake you made more frequently. In
some cases, you will not need to countone column will be noticeably more populated. Based
on the type of mistake you are prone to making, follow the prescription below. If you find large
numbers of mistakes in each column, you had better follow both prescriptions.

Prescription For Those Who Answer Too High On The Hierarchy:

Remember that if your answer is too high, this means you have overestimated the
information that you have.
What this means is that you have likely made an assumption or forgotten to consider all
of the possibilities.

Newland 100
Since the data show that you may have a tendency to forget these possibilities, you should
emphasize the list of number properties. Write this list down and think about if for EACH data
sufficiency question until it becomes automatic for you.
Number properties list:
Does it make a difference if I consider:
1) Positive values vs. Negative values?
2) Odd integers vs. Even integers?
3) Non-integers vs. Integers
4) The numbers 0 and 1
There are other ways to help catch yourself before you choose an answer that is too high
on the list. One of these ways is to understand that the statements must have at least some
agreement between them. The basic point is this: If the two statements disagree with each other
completely, then you have forgotten to consider all of the possibilities. For example, if your
analysis of statement 1 tells you x is greater than 10 but your analysis of statement 2 tells you
x is negative, youve done something wrong.
Just knowing that you have a tendency to make this kind of mistake can put you on the
path to improvement! The prescription comes down to this: If you tend to answer questions too
high, you need to slow down before you answer and consider the possibilities that might make a
statement or statements NOT SUFFICIENT.

Prescription For Those Who Answer Too Low On The Hierarchy:

Frequently answering too low means that you are not paying enough attention to the
hidden facts and other limitations that can work together with the information from the
statementsthereby making a statement sufficient. In other words, you are not fully utilizing all
of the information given as well as all of the implied limitations of the problem.

Write it Out!
Remember that if you are answering too low on Data Sufficiency questions, it is
because you are forgetting or not noticing the full value of the information you have. Make those
Hidden Facts come out into the light! If it is a geometry question asking for a distance, write out
not negative on your note board. Do not assume that you will remember this since you may
have a tendency to sometimes forget this information.
Make sure you get the most out of each fact that you are given in the question stem. It is not just
hidden facts we need to highlight. You also want to make a point of noting each fact that you are
given in the question stem!

Rephrase the question!

Newland 101
Sometimes the reason people do not feel they have enough information to answer a given
question is that they have not analyzed the question itself. Remember to rephrase the question
itself to make it as useful as possible to you!
Just knowing you have a tendency to make this kind of mistake can put you on the path to
improvement! The prescription comes down to this: If you tend to answer questions too low,
you need to slow down at the beginning of the process and make sure that you note all of the
information you have been given and that you analyze the question thats asked. Focus on that
question: How much information do you need in order to answer that particular question?

Newland 102

9. Doing the Most with the Least on Data Sufficiency (01/15/2014)

Your goal on data sufficiency is to achieve the greatest results with the information you are given.
For this reason, you should begin each data sufficiency question with the goal of choosing answer choice
DEach statement ALONE is sufficient. The answer to a data sufficiency question is not always going
to be choice D. But in order to select another answer choice, you must first have ruled out the possibility
that each statement alone is sufficient. That is because the most that you can possibly achieve on a
problem is to have each statement be sufficient ALONE.

Exercise your Data Sufficiency Muscles. Think of data sufficiency as if you were
attempting to lift a given weight. You first try to lift that weight with your right arm ALONE and
then you try to lift it with your left arm ALONE. (This is like trying each data sufficiency
statement independently to see if it is sufficient). Naturally, the best possible result is that you lift
the weight with each arm independentlychoice D. This shows the greatest strength on your
part and it is doing the most with the least.
If you successfully lift the weight with one of your arms, but fail to lift it with the other
arm, this is a great result as well. After all, you showed that you were strong enough to lift the
weight with one arm alone. In data sufficiency terms, this is choice A or B; one of the statements
was sufficient ALONE. Notice that you are not doing the most that you could, but you are still
being as efficient as you can be.
Using Both Arms. The only time that you actually try to lift the weight with both arms
(or in data sufficiency terms, try the statements TOGETHER) is if you fail to lift it with either
arm ALONE. After all, if you can lift the weight with just one arm (or you find that one
statement is sufficient by itself) why would you try both together? This simply does not make
sense. Therefore you move to try BOTH TOGETHER (choice C) only if you have already
eliminated all of the more efficient options (Choices A, B, and D).
Being data efficient is not only about the order of the answer choices, it is also about
being efficient with your time and effort. By understanding that you do not need to try both
statements together unless each of them is not sufficient alone you are being efficient. You are
doing the most with the least time and effort.
You cannot lift the weight at all. Finally, choice E means you cannot lift the weight,
even though you use both arms together. This is obviously the least-efficient option. You are
now doing the least with the most. You might consider telling a small lie at this point, not
wanting to admit that you could not lift the weight at all. However, this is where data sufficiency
on the GMAT differs from weight lifting. Finding that both statements together are still not
sufficient is no reason to be embarrassed. Choice E is a legitimate answer on data sufficiency and
is correct about 20 percent of the time. The point is that you do not start with choice E in mind;
you arrive at choice E after eliminating all of the more efficient options.
Becoming Data Efficient. How can you learn to do the most with the least on data
sufficiency? The key is to have the proper mindset. Use each piece of information fully but never
make assumptions. Here are some guiding principles:

Newland 103
Do your work early. Always analyze the facts given in the question stem to see what you can
learn, even before you move to the statements.
Bring out the hidden facts. For example, if the question mentions numbers of pets or children,
these must be integers and they cannot be negative.
Focus on the question. The same information might be not sufficient if you need to get an
exact value for x, but it could be sufficient if you only need to know whether x is greater than 5.
Never assume that a given statement (or statements) is not sufficient. Do enough diagnosis
or actual math that you are sure the statement is not sufficient. Assumptions often lead to data
inefficiency.
So exercise your data sufficiency muscles and become more data efficient.

Newland 104

10. Dont 'Bury the Lead' on Data Sufficiency (02/26/2014)

When a newspaper story does not mention the important parts until the end, and as a
consequence these facts are overlooked by most readers, this is referred to as burying the lead.
A better practice is to bring out the most important facts right away, so that readers will take note
and read on.
On Data Sufficiency, burying the lead happens whenever a test taker fails to take notice
of the facts contained in the question stem itself. When a test taker overlooks these facts, the
chances of getting the question right diminish, and the chance of falling for a trap greatly
increases.
Bring out the facts:
Try the following question taken from the Veritas Prep Data Sufficiency book. Focus on
bringing out all of the facts.
If y is a positive odd integer, and the product of x and y = 222, what is the value of x?
1) x is a prime number
2) y is a 3-digit number
Do you have your answer? Lets see how you did.
Begin with the actual question and take note of what you are attempting to answer. This
is a specific number question that simply calls for one set value for x. If we can obtain just one
value, that is sufficient.
From the question stem, we can derive several facts.
y is positive
y is integer
y is odd
xy = 222
and the deduction that x is even. (If x is an integer, that is. Notice that nowhere does it say x
must be an integer, only y).
Carefully apply the facts to the statements:
Having done the work required to have a firm understanding of the question, we are
ready to move to evaluate the statements.
Statement 1 indicates that x is a prime. This statement brings a couple of facts of its
own. Saying x is prime means x must be an integer, and it must be a positive number. This is
not something the question stem guaranteed.

Newland 105
If we combine what we learned from statement 1 with the x is even that we deduced
from the question stem, then we are looking for the only even prime number. The only possible
values are x = 2 and y = 111. Since this gives one single value for x, statement 1 is sufficient.
Statement 2 says that y is a 3-digit number. You now know that y is a positive, odd, 3digit integer. All you know about x is that xy = 222.
The temptation here is to carry over some of the information from statement 1. If you
think statement 2 requires x to be a positive integer, you are likely to judge statement 2 as
sufficient. It is OK to use x = 2 and y = 111 as values for statement 2, but it is important that you
not stop there; the common number properties positive/negative and non-integers should be
investigated. Since Y is positive and xy = 222, x must also be positive. So for this question,
negative numbers will not work.
Non-integers will still work with statement 2, however. Remember, the only reason you
knew x has to be an integer in statement 1 was that statement 1 required x to be a prime number.
All that statement 2 gives you is that y is a 3-digit number (and you know it is positive and odd).
So y could be 999, and x could be 222/999. Multiplied together, x and y will still give a result of
222. Since x can be a number of different fractional values, statement 2 fails to give just one
value and is not sufficient.
Bringing out the facts on data sufficiency is a key strategy. Taking note of what is written
can help you also to see what is not written. Noting that y is an integer can lead you to think
about x and the fact that x is not required to be an integer. This can help you avoid the trap in
statement 2.
Dont leave the most important information for last, or it might be overlooked. In other
words, dont bury the lead on data sufficiency.

Newland 106

11. Avoiding a Data Sufficiency Hangover (04/23/2014)

After a hard day of GMAT testing, you might find yourself sporting a data sufficiency
hangover. But there are ways to avoid this condition.
Data Sufficiency Hangover: When you fail to clear your mind between statements and wind up
carrying over some of the information from one statement (usually statement 1) into your
analysis of the other statement (usually statement 2).
As an example, lets use the following problem, from the Veritas Prep Data Sufficiency book:
Is Integer k a Prime Number?
(1) k = 10! + m, where 1 (2) k is a multiple of 7
Statement 1 can be daunting for some students. Even if you are comfortable with factorials, there
is still the matter of what m equals. Lets break it down into a number of logical steps.
First, understand what 10! means. This is 10 factorial, which means 10 multiplied by each
subsequent smaller number. So 10! = 10 * 9 * 8 * 7 * 6 * 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1.
Second, determine that the variable m must be an integer. You know this because k is an
integer and 10! is an integer. So m must be an integer in order for 10! + m to be an integer.
Third, now that you know that m is an integer you can list the possible values. m can equal
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7. It cannot equal 1 or 8 since the inequality excludes those values.
Fourth, use the possible values of m to determine whether k can be a prime number. Lets start
with the smallest possible value of m. If m = 2 then k will not be a prime number because
10! is already a multiple of 2 so adding 2 will maintain the cycle of multiples. (You know
that 10! Is a multiple of 2 because 2 is one of the numbers that are multiplied together to equal
10!).
The same result occurs if you have m = 3. 10! is already a multiple of 3, and if you add 3
you will still have a multiple of 3. The same is true for 4, 5, 6, and 7. 10! is already a multiple
of each of these numbers. So it does not matter which value we use for m in every case 10! +
m is NOT a prime. Therefore k is not prime and statement 1 is sufficient.
The Hangover
This is when the hangover can occur. You have just been working with 10! a really large
number. Now you come to statement 2, which is much simpler than statement 1. As you begin to
work with statement 2 you may still have a residue of statement 1 in your mind. This is probably
why the test writers tend to place the more complicated statement first, so that you will
mistakenly carry some information over to the second statement.
In this case the carry over is as simple as thinking that you are still dealing with very large
numbers. (This is something that can happen to even the most talented test-takers). Statement 2
simply says, K is a multiple of 7. If you are still thinking about large numbers then you make

Newland 107
the assumption that k is a big multiple of 7 and therefore not prime. So you might mistakenly
choose answer choice D, thinking that statement 2 was sufficient as well.
But, of course, statement 2 does not say that k has to be a large number. K could be 7, which
is a multiple of 7 and is a prime number. Or k could be 14, which is not prime. So statement 2
is not sufficient and the answer is A.
Avoiding the Hangover
It is a tragedy to do all of that work on statement 1, just to have a hangover on statement 2. There
are some things that you can do to avoid the hangover.
1) Evaluate the easier or more obvious statement first. Sometimes it is better to begin with
statement 2 when that statement is less complicated. Since I began advising students in my
classes to begin with statement 2 on this question the number of people choosing the trap answer
D has fallen.
Working with the less complicated statement first is often a good idea anyway as this can help
you to get in to the problem and help you to guess from fewer choices if that becomes necessary.
2) Clear the mechanism between statements. Take a second or two, perhaps even say, Clear the
mechanism and purge your mind of the information that is specific to the other statement.
3) Use your pen! If you keep track of where the information came from it is easier to know what
to use with each statement. Carefully note the information that comes from the question stem
and can be used with each statement and the information that is specific to a particular
statement.
A data sufficiency hangover is bad for your GMAT score, but fortunately it can be avoided if
you take the proper precautions!

Newland 108

12. Data Sufficiency: Lean Toward A, B, D, and Jump to C vs. E (05/14/2014)

Remember this: You lean toward A B D, but you jump to C vs. E.
Some question types are ones in which you can generally do more with less: In such cases, you
should approach the question by leaning a little toward A B D because those offer answers in
which one statement alone is sufficient.
On many individual questions, however, the statements themselves cause you to quickly jump
to C vs. E. This happens when each statement is clearly not sufficient, ruling out A B D right
from the start.
Lean to A B D:
Certain types of questions generally allow you to do more with less information. These are
question types that have one or more of the following:
1)

Hidden Facts (such as Geometry)

2)

Automatic and Useful Equations. (Examples are Work/Rate and Venn Diagram)

3)

Answers in a form other than an actual number of items (such as Ratio and Percentage)

4)

Yes or No format. (Yes/No questions in general are more likely A B D)

What all these question types have in common is that something about the subject matter of the
questionthe inherent limitations or the implied factstends to allow you to do more with less.
Therefore, you should lean a little in the direction of the answers that require less information,
specifically answers A, B, and D.
Two things to note here: First, this is a just a slight lean in the direction of doing more with
less. There are plenty of Geometry, Work/Rate, and Venn diagram questions that have C or E as
a correct answer. You should not automatically exclude any answers or jump to any conclusions.
(You will do your jumping in the second part of this article).
What you should realize is that logically, a ratio question, for example, simply requires less
information or a different kind of information than does a question that asks for an actual number
of items. I can know that you have a ratio of children that equals 1 boy: 1 girl, but I do not know
if you have 2, 4, 6, or even 8 children! If the question asks for the number of boys, we need more
information; if the question just asks for a ratio of boys to girls, we can answer 1: 1. So with the
ratio, we lean in the direction of more with less.
Second, this information may be most helpful on problems you cannot fully solve. If you truly
understand a problem and you are able to work that problem all the way to an answer, you do not
really need to lean in any direction. Just click on the right answer and submit. For example, if
you can show that a geometry problem does not have enough informationperhaps the area of

Newland 109
the circle could be found if only you knew that a particular chord was the diameter, but you do
not know thisthen you should certainly answer E for this question, despite the fact that
geometry is a lean toward ABD type of question.
It is when you are having just a little difficulty with a question that it helps to know which way to
lean. Lets say you are facing a different Geometry question and you are having trouble solving
this one. You can clearly see that statement 2 alone is not sufficient and that both statements
together clearly are sufficient. You are down to the choice of A versus C. Yet you cannot decide
between them.
It seems as if you might not have enough information in statement 1, but you are not really sure.
You can feel the time ticking as you try to remember exactly how to compare angles from three
different triangles. This is when knowing which way to lean can help; Geometry is full of hidden
facts and obscure formulas. So you lean toward doing more with less and you pick A. You move
your odds of being correct from 50/50 to just a little better than that by knowing the tendencies
of the test.
Knowing which way to lean can also help you be more careful when beginning one of these
types of problems. If you know that ratio and percent problems are more likely to be A B or D,
you will be more careful and not jump straight into the trap the test-maker set for you.

Jumping to C vs E:
On the other hand, on many individual questions, the statements themselves cause you to quickly
jump to C vs. E. This happens when the statements are each clearly insufficient, ruling out A,
B, and D right from the start. In this case, the answer can only be C or E.
Jumping to C vs. E is a definitive move triggered by a pair of clearly not-sufficient answer
choices. The following problem from the Veritas Data Sufficiency book is a good example:
Is y a positive number?
(1) 2x +y > 27
(2) X 3y
As you can see, there are two inequalities, one in each statement, and each inequality has two
variables. Neither of these statements is sufficient alonenot even close. These statements
would not be sufficient, even if they were equations. Even if we knew that 2x + y = 27 it
would still be possible to select any number of values for x and y. And with an inequality, we
know even less about x and y.
It is important that you learn to recognize questions featuring two statements that are clearly not
sufficient. Unlike lean ABD, there are no specific categories that cause you to jump to C vs. E;
the statements themselves are clearly not sufficient.
Here is a further example, this time from geometry:

Newland 110
(You are given a diagram of a circle with a chord AB that is clearly not the diameter and a center
point C).

In the figure above, what is the area of the circle with center C?
(1) The length of minor arc AB is one-sixth of the circumference.
(2) The length of chord AB is 8.
This is a classic example of jump to C vs. E. Statement 1 is not sufficient because in order to
calculate the area of the circle, you must have at least one length. With statement 1 alone, you
have no idea of the scale of this circle. It could be the size of a dinner plate or it could be the size
of a planet.
Statement 2 is also clearly not sufficient alone. Statement 2 provides the needed length, but it is
not in context. What does chord AB represent? Since it is clearly not the diameter, there is no
way to use the length of 8 in order to find the area.
At the very least, you will need the information from both statements together; even that may not
be enough. So jump to C vs. E and let the real work begin as you attempt to find the area. using
the information from both statements.
Jumping to C vs. E can help you when you do not completely understand a problem. If you know
that neither statement alone is sufficient, you have narrowed the choices down to a 50-50
proposition. This can be important as you face difficult questions during the exam. But jumping
to C vs. E gives you a further advantage. It allows you to work more efficiently as you focus
your attention on the real question at hand: Are both statements together sufficient? C vs. E
problems are often labor-intensive, so a quick jump can save you the time you need to roll up
your sleeves and get to work.
As you practice data sufficiency, look for opportunities to lean toward A B D and jump to C vs.
E.

Newland 111

13. Do Your Work Early on Data Sufficiency (07/16/2014)

Most people seem to want to jump right to the statements on Data Sufficiency questions. Since
the correct answer is based on the statements being sufficient or not sufficient, students
usually put their whole focus on the statements.
However, high-scoring test takers know that the question stemand even the question itself
can be an integral part of the process. If you do some work before you go to the statements, you
can become much more efficient at Data Sufficiency.
Rephrase the question.
A simple way to do your work early is to rephrase the question. Take a simple question such as:
Is the triangle equilateral? You know that an equilateral triangle has all sides and angles equal.
You could rephrase the question as: Does the triangle have three 60 degree angles?
It may seem a waste of time to do this, but I have found, in teaching the question to hundreds of
students, that if I prompt them to rephrase the question to ask, Does the triangle have three 60
degree angles? that about 50 percent more students in class get the correct answer. This is
because on the GMAT it is not enough to know something. You have to use that information in
the right way at the right time.
Here is a further example of a question stem, and this one is paired with the answer choices:
If x is an integer, is x/2 an even integer?
1) x is a multiple of 2
2) x is a multiple of 4
There are several ways to approach this question, but rephrasing the question stem is probably
the best. What does it take for x to be divided by 2 and still be an even integer? It would take a
multiple of 4 right? You need to have at least 2-squared in order to divide by 2 and still have an
even number.
So rephrase the question as Is x a multiple of 4? You can see that at this point that the question
is already answered. Statement 2 is sufficient while statement 1 is not. The correct answer is B.
Focus on the Formula.
Another way you can do your work early on DS is to focus on the formula. On questions that
require a formulasuch as geometry, venn diagram, work/rate, and percentage increasewrite
out the formula and decide which numbers are necessary. Then you can simply check to see if
the statements provide these numbers.
A simple example of this technique can be shown using a question for the Veritas Prep
Foundations of Logic book.

Newland 112
By what percent was the price of a certain candy bar increased?
(1) The price of the candy bar was increased by 5.
(2) The price of the candy bar after the increase was 45.
This question asks for a percentage increase. The formula for percentage increase is (New ValueOriginal Value)/Original Value, or state an alternate way: Increase/Original Value.
Which clues would help you to find the percentage increase? 1) New Value 2) Original Value 3)
Increase. As you can see from the formulas, you only need any two of these three clues in order
to be able to use the formula.
Statement 1 gives you one of the clues (increase), and statement 2 gives you the other clue (new
value). You need both clues in order to use the formula, so the correct answer is C.
This is a simple example, but the technique becomes even more useful with complex questions
that are likely to generate confusion. Focusing on the formula is a way to make sense of the
problem before you get caught up in the statements. Rephrasing the question and focusing on
the formula are two ways that you can do your work early on Data Sufficiency.

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14. The Most Difficult Data Sufficiency Question to Answer (07/22/2014)

Of all the Data Sufficiency questions, the simplest is most difficult to answer. By that, I mean
that it requires the most information in order to be sufficient.
The question x = ? seems so straightforward, yet it takes more information to get a definite
value for x (or any other variable) than it would to answer just about any other question.
Here is an example from the Veritas Prep Data Sufficiency book:
Is x > y?
1) x = y + 2
2) x/2 = y 1
The correct answer to this question (as it is written) is A. Statement 1 is sufficient because no
matter what value x is, it will always be larger than y. For example, if x is 10 then y equals 8.
Even if x is negative, y will be more negative. So if x is 10 y will equal 12.
Statement 2 is not sufficient because if you multiply both sides of the equation by 2 you get x =
2y 2. If x equals 1, then y equals 1.5. But if x = 10, then y equals only 6. So x could be larger
than y, but it could also be smaller than y, so this is not sufficient.
Getting a definite value
What happens if we alter this question slightly, so that it asks x =? Now you need to find a
specific value for x in order to establish that a statement is sufficient. Statement 1 is no longer
sufficient alone because an infinite number of values of x are possible. Statement 2 continues to
be insufficient, as it was with the original question.
What about both statements together? Can you determine a single value for x? Yes, you can.
Solving the system of equations (x = y + 2 and x = 2y 2), you find that x = 6 and y = 4. This is
the only set of values that satisfies both equations. So the correct answer is now C. As you can
see, it takes more information (both statements in this case) to determine a single value for x and
less information (just statement 1) to simply determine if x is always greater than y.
Here is an additional example:
What is the value of m + n?
1) jm + kn + nj + km = 36
2) j + k = 12
It is clear that neither statement alone will be sufficient for this question. Statement 1 involves
too many variables, and statement 2 does not even include m or n. However, both statements,
taken together, are sufficient. By rearranging the terms in statement 1, it is possible to factor an
m from two terms and an n from the other two. Statement 1 becomes m (j + k) + n (j + k).
Statement 2 indicates that j + k = 12, so that m + n must equal 3 because 3 * 12 = 36. Therefore,
the correct answer is C.

Newland 114
Note, however, that it is not possible to determine a distinct value for m or n; m could be 2 and n
could be 1, or m could equal 0 and n could equal 3. M and n could even be non-integers, or one
of the numbers could be negative. So if this question were to ask for a value for one of the
variables, the answer would be E.
Often, less information is required to answer what seems to be a more complex question m + n
= ? And it can take more information to answer the simpler question m = ?
When you are given a Data Sufficiency question that simply asks for the value of a single
variable, realize that it takes more information to answer this type of question than to answer any
other type. x =? may just be the most difficult Data Sufficiency question to answer.

Newland 115

15. Use the Filters on Data Sufficiency (11/05/2014)

Many Data Sufficiency questions, particularly the yes/no type, require you to rule out certain
possibilities in order to narrow down the options to a single concept. Thinking of data sufficiency
facts and statements as filters can help you to better visualize this process.
Filters: Water filters remove contaminants from water. Sometimes a single filter is powerful
enough to remove all the contaminants from a particular water source. In other cases, the water is
either dirtier to begin with or the particular filter in question is not powerful enough in itself. In
this case, a series of filters might be necessary.
The facts, hidden facts and statements on data sufficiency are like water filters. Sometimes a
single statement can provide a powerful enough filter to eliminate all other possibilities, allowing
you to conclude that, for example, y is always positive, in which case the answer is A, B, or D.
On other problems, you may need to put both filters in sequence in order to eliminate enough
possibilities to be sufficient. In this case, the answer is C.
Finally, you may find thateven with all available filters in sequencetoo many possibilities
are still live, and you cannot narrow the answer down enough to be sufficient. This is when
answer choice E is correct.
Example: Try the following problem from the Veritas Arithmetic Book:
If m is an integer, is m odd?
1) m/2 is not an even integer
2) m 3 is not an even integer
The question stem filters out anything that is not a whole number. So you are left with only
integers as possible values for m. This filter applies to both statements since it is found in the
question stem.
Statement 1 indicates that m/2 is not an even integer. Which values are filtered out by this
statement and which are allowed to flow through? The only values that are filtered out are
multiples of 4. For example, if m = 4 then 4/2 = 2 and that is an even integer, so this value is not
allowed. However, if m = 6 (not a multiple of 4) then 6/2 = 3, which is not an even integer. So m
= 6 is allowed through the filter, and that means that m could be an even number.

Newland 116
Now the question is, can m also be an odd number? Some people get confused on this point.
Remember that the question stem only tells you that m must be an integer, not m/2. And
statement 1 also does not require m/2 to be an integer, it just says that m/2 cannot be an even
integer. So if m/2 ends up being a fraction or a decimal, that is allowed by statement 1.
This mean that if m is an odd number, this is not filtered out by statement 1 since an odd number/
2 does not produce an even integer. For example, if m = 7, then 7/2 = 3.5, but 3.5 is not an
even integer, so this is not filtered out.
Only multiples of 4 yield an even integer when divided by 2, so only multiples of 4 are filtered
out by statement 1. Since there are even numbers as well as odd numbers that are not multiples
of 4, statement 1 is not a powerful enough filter, so it is not sufficient.
Statement 2 indicates that m 3 is not an even integer. This statement seems very similar to
statement 1. However addition and subtraction usually provide more limited and predictable
results than does division. In this case, statement 2 is a very powerful filter. It allows only for m
to be an even integer.
All possible odd numbers are filtered out by statement 2. For example, if m = 7, then 7 3 = 4,
which is an even integer and so is not allowed by statement 2. However, if m = 6, then 6 -3 = 3
and since this result is not an even integer, it flows through the filter. This is a basic number
property, even odd = odd.
So statement 2 allows only for m to be an even number and is therefore sufficient. The answer to
the question Is m odd? is No, m is not odd. And the correct answer choice is B, statement 2
alone is sufficient.
Think about the statements as filters and narrow down the possibilities on Data Sufficiency.
Many Data Sufficiency questions, particularly the yes/no type, require you to rule out certain
possibilities in order to narrow down the options to a single concept. Thinking of data sufficiency
facts and statements as filters can help you to better visualize this process.
Filters: Water filters remove contaminants from water. Sometimes a single filter is powerful
enough to remove all the contaminants from a particular water source. In other cases, the water is
either dirtier to begin with or the particular filter in question is not powerful enough in itself. In
this case, a series of filters might be necessary.

Newland 117

The facts, hidden facts and statements on data sufficiency are like water filters. Sometimes a
single statement can provide a powerful enough filter to eliminate all other possibilities, allowing
you to conclude that, for example, y is always positive, in which case the answer is A, B, or D.
On other problems, you may need to put both filters in sequence in order to eliminate enough
possibilities to be sufficient. In this case, the answer is C.
Finally, you may find thateven with all available filters in sequencetoo many possibilities
are still live, and you cannot narrow the answer down enough to be sufficient. This is when
answer choice E is correct.
Example: Try the following problem from the Veritas Arithmetic Book:
If m is an integer, is m odd?
1) m/2 is not an even integer
2) m 3 is not an even integer
The question stem filters out anything that is not a whole number. So you are left with only
integers as possible values for m. This filter applies to both statements since it is found in the
question stem.
Statement 1 indicates that m/2 is not an even integer. Which values are filtered out by this
statement and which are allowed to flow through? The only values that are filtered out are
multiples of 4. For example, if m = 4 then 4/2 = 2 and that is an even integer, so this value is not
allowed. However, if m = 6 (not a multiple of 4) then 6/2 = 3, which is not an even integer. So m
= 6 is allowed through the filter, and that means that m could be an even number.
Now the question is, can m also be an odd number? Some people get confused on this point.
Remember that the question stem only tells you that m must be an integer, not m/2. And
statement 1 also does not require m/2 to be an integer, it just says that m/2 cannot be an even
integer. So if m/2 ends up being a fraction or a decimal, that is allowed by statement 1.
This mean that if m is an odd number, this is not filtered out by statement 1 since an odd number/
2 does not produce an even integer. For example, if m = 7, then 7/2 = 3.5, but 3.5 is not an
even integer, so this is not filtered out.

Newland 118
Only multiples of 4 yield an even integer when divided by 2, so only multiples of 4 are filtered
out by statement 1. Since there are even numbers as well as odd numbers that are not multiples
of 4, statement 1 is not a powerful enough filter, so it is not sufficient.
Statement 2 indicates that m 3 is not an even integer. This statement seems very similar to
statement 1. However addition and subtraction usually provide more limited and predictable
results than does division. In this case, statement 2 is a very powerful filter. It allows only for m
to be an even integer.
All possible odd numbers are filtered out by statement 2. For example, if m = 7, then 7 3 = 4,
which is an even integer and so is not allowed by statement 2. However, if m = 6, then 6 -3 = 3
and since this result is not an even integer, it flows through the filter. This is a basic number
property, even odd = odd.
So statement 2 allows only for m to be an even number and is therefore sufficient. The answer to
the question Is m odd? is No, m is not odd. And the correct answer choice is B, statement 2
alone is sufficient.

Think about the statements as filters and narrow down the possibilities on Data Sufficiency.
Many Data Sufficiency questions, particularly the yes/no type, require you to rule out certain
possibilities in order to narrow down the options to a single concept. Thinking of data sufficiency
facts and statements as filters can help you to better visualize this process.
Filters: Water filters remove contaminants from water. Sometimes a single filter is powerful
enough to remove all the contaminants from a particular water source. In other cases, the water is
either dirtier to begin with or the particular filter in question is not powerful enough in itself. In
this case, a series of filters might be necessary.
The facts, hidden facts and statements on data sufficiency are like water filters. Sometimes a
single statement can provide a powerful enough filter to eliminate all other possibilities, allowing
you to conclude that, for example, y is always positive, in which case the answer is A, B, or D.
On other problems, you may need to put both filters in sequence in order to eliminate enough
possibilities to be sufficient. In this case, the answer is C.
Finally, you may find thateven with all available filters in sequencetoo many possibilities
are still live, and you cannot narrow the answer down enough to be sufficient. This is when
answer choice E is correct.

Newland 119
Example: Try the following problem from the Veritas Arithmetic Book:
If m is an integer, is m odd?
1) m/2 is not an even integer
2) m 3 is not an even integer
The question stem filters out anything that is not a whole number. So you are left with only
integers as possible values for m. This filter applies to both statements since it is found in the
question stem.
Statement 1 indicates that m/2 is not an even integer. Which values are filtered out by this
statement and which are allowed to flow through? The only values that are filtered out are
multiples of 4. For example, if m = 4 then 4/2 = 2 and that is an even integer, so this value is not
allowed. However, if m = 6 (not a multiple of 4) then 6/2 = 3, which is not an even integer. So m
= 6 is allowed through the filter, and that means that m could be an even number.
Now the question is, can m also be an odd number? Some people get confused on this point.
Remember that the question stem only tells you that m must be an integer, not m/2. And
statement 1 also does not require m/2 to be an integer, it just says that m/2 cannot be an even
integer. So if m/2 ends up being a fraction or a decimal, that is allowed by statement 1.
This mean that if m is an odd number, this is not filtered out by statement 1 since an odd number/
2 does not produce an even integer. For example, if m = 7, then 7/2 = 3.5, but 3.5 is not an
even integer, so this is not filtered out.
Only multiples of 4 yield an even integer when divided by 2, so only multiples of 4 are filtered
out by statement 1. Since there are even numbers as well as odd numbers that are not multiples
of 4, statement 1 is not a powerful enough filter, so it is not sufficient.
Statement 2 indicates that m 3 is not an even integer. This statement seems very similar to
statement 1. However addition and subtraction usually provide more limited and predictable
results than does division. In this case, statement 2 is a very powerful filter. It allows only for m
to be an even integer.
All possible odd numbers are filtered out by statement 2. For example, if m = 7, then 7 3 = 4,
which is an even integer and so is not allowed by statement 2. However, if m = 6, then 6 -3 = 3

Newland 120
and since this result is not an even integer, it flows through the filter. This is a basic number
property, even odd = odd.
So statement 2 allows only for m to be an even number and is therefore sufficient. The answer to
the question Is m odd? is No, m is not odd. And the correct answer choice is B, statement 2
alone is sufficient.
Think about the statements as filters and narrow down the possibilities on Data Sufficiency.

Newland 121

F. PROBLEM SOLVING
1. Rebel or Embrace? How to Ace Permutation with Restrictions (12/20/2012)
How do you get a teenager to do something? Just tell them they cant! If parents were to
forbid their teenagers from eating broccoli then it would be sold by black market broccoli
pushers.
There is one type of Quant question that teenagers would excel at the permutation with
restrictions question. Why? Because teenagers cant stand to be told what not to do! The first
thing that they do with a restriction is violate it.

Never Too Old to Rebel

You are not a teenager anymore, but try this GMAT problem and see how violating
the restrictions might work for you, too.
Donald is going to the Opera. He is going with six friends. Donald is a little
claustrophobic and cannot have more than one person between him and the aisle. If the row is
exactly six seats wide, how many different ways can Donald and his friends be seated if they are
all seated in the same row?
One way to solve for a permutation with restriction is to find the number of possibilities
without the restriction and then subtract the number of arrangements that are prohibited by the
restriction.
In other words, quickly solve for 6!the number of possible ways for 6 people to sit in a
row of 6 chairs. That equals 720. Now as for that restriction on Donalds choice of seat act like
a teenager and violate it! If you are told that he cannot sit in the middle then put him there and
see what happens!
According to the restriction Donald can sit in the two seats on each end of the group. So
he can sit in seats 1 and 2 or seats 5 and 6; each of these seats is either on the aisle or with just
one person between Donald and the aisle. The two seats he cannot sit in are 3 and 4. So put him
there!
If Donald is in seat 3, his other 5 friends can still be arranged in the other 5 seats in 5!
ways. So that is 120 different arrangements if Donald is in seat 3. The same would be true in seat
4: 120 different arrangements there, too. So that is a total of 240 seating arrangements that are
forbidden by the restriction. We found that number by violating the restriction to see what would
happen.
To complete the problem we subtract 240 from 720 and get 480 different ways that
Donald and his friends can sit down at the Opera if we respect his wish to be near the aisle.

Newland 122

Not the Rebellious Type? Embrace the Restrictions!

Of course maybe you were that rare teenager who loved broccoli, was at home by 9PM
every night, and never disobeyed your parents. If so, then take comfort, you do not have to rebel
against restrictions, you can embrace them instead!
To embrace the restrictions simply do as you are told. In other words, only calculate
those arrangements that are consistent with the restriction. For the problem above that would
mean that you would only calculate the possible arrangements that featured Donald sitting in the
acceptable locations seats 1, 2, 5 or 6.
As you learned above, when you fix Donald in a particular seat then the other 5 people
are allowed to sit in any of the remaining seats, so that, for example, if Donald is in seat 1, there
are 5! arrangements possible. The same is true if he is in seats 2, 5 or 6 as well. So that there
are 4(5!) or 4 *120 of 480 different arrangements that respect the restriction.

Rebel or Embrace?
It is your choice as to which technique to use rebel or embrace when you face a
permutation with restriction. Just remember that rebelling has its own special challenge: you are
not solving for the answer directly but must subtract to get the final answer. The truth is that on
the GMAT, as in life, sometimes it is better to rebel and sometimes it is better to just embrace the
restrictions, so you should know how to do both.

Challenge: You can Rebel or Embrace Combinations, too!

The same thing works with combinations. The test writers like to tell you that two people
cannot work togetherperhaps this is because they seem to hate each other but are secretly in
love, we will never know. What I do know is that you can use the same rebel and embrace
method for combinations that you did for permutations.
Try the following program using both approaches:
The NBA will be selecting an All-Star team of 5 players from a total of 9 potential players. If
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant cannot both be on the team (there is only one basketball after
all) how many possible teams of five players can be created?

Newland 123

2. The Most Important Moment in a Problem-Solving Question

Most of what you do during a problem-solving question is dictated by the problem itself
and by the rules of math. There are certain ways to combine exponents, a right triangle has
certain features, and an equation is solved according to set rules, with no real choices for you to
make. Data-sufficiency problems may allow you more options (such as evaluating statement 1 or
statement 2 first) but with problem-solving questions, the proper course is often not really a
matter of choice.
However, there are momentsoften just one but occasionally two, or even morewhen
you have to make a decision that is not dictated by the problem or by the rules of math. This is
when you have to slow down and think about how to proceed. This is the moment that can
make this question work for you or can send you off in the wrong direction.
Try this ratio problem from the Veritas Arithmetic book and see if you can recognize the
moment:
The number of hours it took three truck drivers to drive a certain distance was in the ratio of 3 to
4 to 7. If they drove a combined total of 420 hours, how many hours did the trucker who drove
the slowest drive?
A) 280
B) 210
C) 180
D) 90
E) 70
If are you looking for it, the moment is very clear on this problem. Your big decision is
deciding what the numerator in your ratio will be. The rest of the problem is automatic. You
know that 14 hours is the total hours in the ratio and that 420 is the total miles. Your big decision
is what number to choose to represent the slowest driver. You automatically have 14 as the
denominator in the ratio S/ 14, where S represents the slowest trucker. This means that the
proportion is S/ 14 = x/ 420. With x as the solution to the question.
You may think that the answer is obvious, and it should be. Yet many people who think
that the answer is obvious have actually set it up incorrectly. Overall, more than 1/3 of students
miss this question despite knowing how to work with ratios. Essentially, those students all miss
this question for the same reason: They set up this ratio incorrectly.
An extra five seconds to 10 seconds can eliminate any regrettable simple mistakes on
this one. As you are deciding how to represent the slowest driver, you must slow down yourself
and recognize that you are making one of those rare decisions that is not dictated by the problem.
Ask would the slower driver be represented by a 3 in this ratio or by a 7? If it is DISTANCE,
the slower driver will have the lower number. But since this question is about TIME, the slowest
driver takes the most time to cover the same distance. So the proper equation is 7/ 14 = x/ 420.

Newland 124
Now you can go back to autopilot since the simple math is automatic. 7/ 14 = 1/2, so x =
210, and the answer is B.
Recognizing the moment where you actually need to make a choice, and slowing down
to make the right choice can help prevent simple mistakes. It can also help you to get started
correctly on a problem. If you are working with a problem involving fractions and you are
choosing your own numbers, do not simply use 10 or 100. Recognize this moment as one in
which you are making the choices and slow down. Choose numbers that make the problem
simpler and that work with the fractions or other limitations of the problem.
Other examples of important moments in problem-solving questions include: choosing
your own numbers for a problem that has variables in the answer choices; setting up equations
that require some interpretation on your partsuch as equations on age problems (in 5 years,
Bob will by twice as old as Jill); and working with percentages derived from ratios.
While most of what you do in problem solving is dictated by the question and the rules of
math on nearly every problem, you will get your moment to shine.

Newland 125

3. Give Yourself the Benefit of the Doubt on Problem Solving (06/18/2014)

Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency require many of the same mathematical tools and
techniques. Problem Solving, however, is different from Data Sufficiency in one big respect.
Data Sufficiency has answer choice E: Statement (1) and (2) together are not sufficient to
answer the question asked, and additional data are needed.
This means there is always the chance that a Data Sufficiency question simply lacks the
information needed to answer the question. Saying this cant be answered with the information
given is a legitimate answer to a Data Sufficiency questionafter all, choice E is correct about
20 percent of the time.
For this reason you should never make any assumptions on data sufficiency. Always check such
things as nonintegers, positive vs. negative, and the numbers zero and 1. If you do make an
assumption on Data Sufficiency, theres an excellent chance you will fall into a trap and choose
the incorrect answer.
Problem Solving Is Different
On problem solving, The answer cannot be determined from the information given or even
none of the above is rarely an option. Instead, you are typically given five answers involving
numbers and/or variables. This means your only choices are either to come up with an answer to
the question, using the information that you are given, or simply to guess at the problem. Saying
it cannot be solved is not a legitimate choice on Problem Solving.
In other words, Problem Solving questions can be answeredmaybe not by you at that very
momentbut the information is there to solve the problem. It is for this reason that you may
need to give yourself the benefit of the doubt on Problem Solving.
When in Doubt, Make the Necessary Choice
On a problem-solving question, if you have a choice of assuming, for example, that you have
similar triangles on a problem, and if having similar triangles seems to be the only way to solve
that problem, you better proceed as if you know that those triangles are similar.
There is no harm in making an assumption on Problem Solving if the choice is between making
that assumption and being unable to solve the problem at all. When in doubt, read the problem in
the way that is going to allow you to get an answer.
For example, what if you knew that a particular answer had to be 5333, and none of the answer
choices gave you that exact answer, yet, one answer choice was 153? You cannot remember if
you can combine bases with the same exponent, but it is the only answer choice that is not
clearly wrong. So make the necessary choice. Combine those exponents.
What if you have a triangle perfectly inscribed in a circle? The longest side of the triangle is the
diameter of the circle. If you could only remember whether that diameter was the hypotenuse of
the triangle. Is that angle 90 degrees? If there is no other way to solve the problem, make that
angle 90 degrees and go. Geometry has many special properties, and you are likely to forget one

Newland 126
occasionally. It is better to take the only possible route if it looks as if you can get a solution
quickly. Your only other option is to guess. And if you trust your instincts, youre more likely
not only to be correct (you probably do remember that principle correctly even if youre not
certain) but also to save time and maintain a positive level of confidence, which will help you on
future questions.
Many people say that Data Sufficiency has an advantage over Problem Solving in that you do not
always have to do all the math. But Problem Solving has an advantage of its own. In Data
Sufficiency, if you forget whether a certain property applies to the problem in front of you, you
are in trouble. The answer could always be choice E, not enough information. With Problem
Solving, you can give yourself the benefit of the doubt.

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4. Use the Translator to Master Triple Ratios (07/10/2014)

Ratio problems are common on the GMAT. But one type of ratio problem seems to present a
difficulty for many test-takers: the triple ratio.
A triple ratio is when three items are in ratio to each other, such as flour, water, and sugar, or
men, women, and children. To solve a triple ratio, you need to find the translator.
The translator is the term that is found in all ratios. For example, if you are told that in a
particular animal shelter the ratio of cats to dogs is 7:3 and the ratio of dogs to rabbits is 2:5, you
should focus on dogs as the translator.
To use the translator, you need to set the number of dogs equal in both ratios. If the number of
dogs is equal, then you will be able to directly compare all three categories. If the number of
dogs is not equal, then there is no way to compare the number of cats to the number of rabbits.
Lowest Common Multiple Is the Key
Find the lowest common multiple for the two different numbers of dogs in the two ratios. In one
ratio, there are 3 dogs (for every 7 cats). In the other ratio, there are 2 dogs (for every 5 rabbits).
The lowest common multiple for dogs is 6 (3 x 2).
Now adjust the number of dogs in each ratio to six and adjust the other animals as well. If the
ratio of cats to dogs is 7:3, then with 6 dogs the ratio becomes 14:6. If the number of dogs to
rabbits is 2:5, then with 6 dogs the ratio is 6:15.
Since the number of dogs is now the same, the two ratios can be joined using dogs as the
translator. The ratio of cats to dogs to rabbits is 14:6:15.
Find the Exchange Rate
Currency exchange rates are one important kind of real-world ratio. Try the following problem
from the Veritas Prep Arithmetic book (be sure to use the translator!).
The ratio of the U.S. dollar to the euro is 5:7 and the ratio of the peso to the U.S. dollar is 3:11.
What is the ratio of the euro to the peso?
A) 15:77
B) 21:55
C) 55:21
D) 77:15
E) 12:1
This question features a common setup where the question asks for a ratio that does not include
the translator. However, to solve the problem you will still need the translator! The only way that
you can compare the euro and the peso is if each of them is compared to the same number of
dollars.

Newland 128
The numbers of dollars given in the two ratios are 5 (for every 7 euros) and 11 (for every 3
pesos). The lowest common multiple of 5 and 11 is 55. Adjust each ratio for 55 dollars and you
get U.S. dollars to euros = 55:77 and pesos to U.S. dollars = 15:55.
The triple ratio then becomes pesos to dollars to euros = 15:55:77. The question asks for the ratio
of euros to pesos, and the correct answer is 77:15. Answer choice D is correct.
It may seem like the dollar was not important since it was not part of the answer choices. But the
dollar was the most important element of the question. It was the translator. Focus on the
translator and master triple ratio questions! (But if youre traveling internationally this week, use
a more current exchange rate; this sample problem is for practice purposes only!)

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5. Double Difficulty on GMAT Problem Solving (12/23/2014)

Some problem-solving questions are so well-written that even experts can be trapped by a
particularly alluring answer choice. These problems accomplish this with misdirection, much the
way a magician does: by capturing your attention with one fairly obvious point of difficulty
while a more subtle trap lurks behind the scenes.
This double trap is necessary because high scorers are already on the lookout for traps and can
usually spot a single trap. In order to challenge the upper levels of test-takers, an additional trick
is required.
Try the following problem from the free Veritas Prep Question Bank and see if you can spot the
subtle trap involved.
On a partly cloudy day, Derek decides to walk back from work. When it is sunny, he walks at a
speed of s miles/hr (s is an integer) and when it gets cloudy, he increases his speed to (s + 1)
miles/hr. If his average speed for the entire distance is 2.8 miles/hr, what fraction of the total
distance did he cover while the sun was shining on him?
A)

1/4

B)
C)
D)
E)

4/5
1/5
1/6
1/7

If you spotted only one trap, you probably fell into the second one.
Begin your analysis by determining the ratio of time spent walking in the sun to time spent
walking in the shade. This turns out to be a weighted-average question, and the ratio can be
determined simply by taking the inverse of the distance of each of the two speeds from the
average.
The crucial step on this question is to understand that s = 2 and s + 1 = 3. The key information is
that s is an integer. Since the average is 2.8 and the average must always be between the larger
and the smaller number, 2.8 must be between s and s + 1. The only possible values are 2 and 3.

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Once you know those values, you can use the mapping strategy (which we cover in the Veritas
Prep Word Problems lesson) to determine the ratio of time spent walking in the sun to time spent
walking when it is cloudy. Since the distance from s (2.0) to the overall average (2.8) is .8 and
the distance from s+ 1 (3.0) to the average (2.8) is .2, the ratio of s to s + 1 has to be 1 to 4.
Simply put, because 3.0 is 4 times closer to 2.8, that speed has had 4 times as much influence on
the average. Derek must have spent 4 times as long walking at 3.0. So the ratio of s : s+1 = 1 : 4.
Most people spot the first trap here. This trap answer is A: 1/4. Remember that a ratio is not a
percentage. If the ratio is 1: 4, this means that Derek spent 1/5 of his time walking in the sun.
Because the fraction is time walking in the sun/ total time walking the denominator is 5, not 4.
The satisfaction of spotting that first trap, after having expertly used the mapping strategy, leads
most people to let down their guard and fall into the second trap. Answer choice C: 1/5 is the
real trap answer on this question. In fact, out of 4,600 people who have answered this question in
the Veritas Prep Question Bank, over 1,800 chose answer C. This is more than twice the number
of people who answered correctly. Less than 20 percent of people have chosen the correct
answer to this question. Thats about the equivalent of what could be expected from random
guessing.
The correct answer is actually E: 1/7. The reason for this is that the question is not asking for
the time spent walking in the sun but is asking for the fraction of the total distance covered. This
means that a final step is required to answer the question. Let 5 hours be the total time that Derek
walkedwith 1 hour in the sun and 4 hours not in the sun. Multiply these times by the rates to
get the distances. For the sunshine, 1 hour @ 2 miles per hour = 2 miles and for the clouds 4
hours @ 3 mph = 12 miles.
So 2 hours in the sun and 12 hours not in the sun. One more trap to avoid. Choice D gives the
answer 1/6 just to give you one more chance to forget to convert from a ratio to a fraction. The
correct answer is 1/7 because he covered 2 miles in the sun out of 14 miles total. And lest you
think it was a dirty trick that trapped so many test-takers: answer the wrong question may well
be the single most frequent GMAT trap of all; youre that much more susceptible to it when you
feel that youve already identified and overcome a major challenge.
Truly difficult problem-solving preys on all your weaknesses, including vanity. Dont get too
proud of yourself for spotting the first trick because you might just fall into a second, more subtle
trap while youre patting yourself on the back.

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6. Batting Average vs. Number of Hits on the GMAT (10/15/2014)

In the U.S., the baseball playoffs are in full swing. As teams strive to win the World Series, it is a
great time to look back at the individual performances of players during the past season. Perhaps
the most quoted statistic for each hitter is the batting average.
The batting average is simply the number of hits / the number of at bats. Basically the batting
average is what is the probability that this player will get a hit on any given at bat? This
statistic is simple, yet powerful in that it allows players to be compared with each other in a
meaningful way.
Batting average vs. # of hits
If I told you that a particular player got 100 hits during the baseball season while his teammate
got 150 hits, you might be tempted to say that the player with 150 hits was more successful. But
what if you learned that the 100 hits came in just 300 at bats (a 1/3 success rate), while it took
600 at bats for the teammate to get his 150 hits (just a 1/4 success rate)?
This is where batting average comes in. Because a batting average is a percentage, it brings its
own context, and for this reason batting averages can always be compared. If instead of the
number of hits for each player, you were told that their respective batting averages were .333 and
.250, you could reasonably conclude that the player with the higher average was generally more
likely to get a hit.
Batting average on the GMAT
The GMAT often plays on the difference between an average and an actual number. Take the
following example of an official data sufficiency question from the GMATPrep practice tests:

Warehouse Ws revenue from the sale of sofas was what percent greater this year than it was
last year?
(1) Warehouse W sold 10 percent more sofas this year than it did last year.
(2) Warehouse Ws selling price per sofa was $30 greater this year than last year.
The question asks for a percentage increase in revenue. Since revenue = price per unit x number
of units, it is clear that neither statement 1 nor statement 2 is sufficient alone. Statement 1 gives
information about the number of units sold, and statement 2 addresses the price per unit. This
question requires you to take both statements together to see if you can determine the percentage

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increase in revenue. The correct answer will therefore be C, both together are sufficient, or E,
the statements together are not sufficient to answer the question.
These two statements provide the two different kinds of information discussed above. Statement
1 provides you with a percentage (like the batting average), while statement 2 provides you with
the raw number (like the number of hits).
In most cases, the percentage information is more directly useful for a comparison, while the raw
number can be compared only if the appropriate context is provided. For this particular problem,
statement 1 allows for a direct comparison between this year and last year, while statement 2
requires a starting number to truly compare the selling price.
Because statement 1 gives you a percentage, the actual number of sofas does not matter for this
question. If Warehouse W sold 10 percent more sofas this year than last year, no additional
information is needed for the comparison.
Statement 2, however, indicates that the selling price was $30 more this year than last year. To
know how this effected the revenue for Warehouse W, you would need to know the actual
selling price. A $30 increase on a $100 sofa is quite different from a $30 increase on a $1,000
sofa. For this reason the correct answer is E. You cannot determine the percentage increase in
revenue from the information given.
If you want to hit a home run on the GMAT, remember that percentages, like batting averages,
are comparable, whereas numbers require context.

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7. The Winning Strategy for Weighted Average Problems (09/10/2014)

The single, most efficient shortcut in all of GMAT math may well be a strategy for weighted
averages. With this shortcut, you can solve high difficulty questions in a short amount of time,
using very little math. However, there is a problem with the way this shortcut is usually taught:
Many people cannot apply it properly to GMAT questions.
The Winning Strategy is a version of this technique that is easier to understand and easier to
apply when the pressure is on.
This technique is most often used with a mixture type of problem. The problem might give you
two different solutions that are each a certain percentage salt and are then combined into a new
solution, with the salt content of the combined solution given. From this information, you can
determine the relative amounts of each of the two solutions.
Three Data Points
The key to knowing that you can apply the Winning Strategy is three data points that measure
the same thing. If you have information about each of the individual components, as well as the
overall average, you can apply this strategy.
Examples are:
You are given the height of the men at a school and the height of the women at that school, as
well as the average height of all students. Since the students are all either men or women, you
can use these three points to determine the ratio of men to women at the school.
You are given the speed of a car for a certain unknown period of time (x hours) and the speed
of that car for the remainder of the journey (y hours), and you are given the overall speed for the
journey. You can use these points to determine the ratio of x to y and if you know how many
hours the journey totaled, you can even determine an actual value for x and y.
Set up a Tug-of-War
In order to implement this strategy, begin with a tug-of-war wherein two different groups are
pulling on the overall average, each trying to bring the average closer to their side.
Here is an example:

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Group x is consists of all the people under 40 and group y consists of all the people 40 and over.
The percentage of group x that have life insurance policies is 35%, the percentage of group y
with such policies is 50%, and the percentage for the total population is 40%. What is the ratio of
people 40 and over to that of people under 40?
A) 1:2
B) 3:5
C) 2:3
D) 3:2
E) 2:1
Essentially this question is asking you for the ratio of y:x. Set this up as a linear contest with one
of the two groups at each end and the overall average in the middle.
Group x (35%)____distance of 5________Average (40%)_____distance of 10_____group y
(50%)
Calculate the distance: Subtract each of the component averages from the overall average to
obtain the distance. For the problem above, the distance from group x to the average is 5 (40%
35%) and the distance group y to the average is 10 (50% 40%).
Declare a Winner: This is the crucial step in the Winning Strategy. By declaring a winner, you
can avoid the biggest mistake that test-takers makereading the ratio backwards.
With the tug-of-war diagram, you can see that the average is closer to the under 40 group X.
That means that this group must be more numerous. There have to be more under 40s in order
to have a greater influence on the overall average. This means that the under 40s are the
winner,
Take a moment to eliminate any answer choices that have X as smaller than Y. For this question,
you can eliminate choices D, and E, since Y:X cannot be 3:2 or 2:1.
Create an Equation: Finally, create an equation by taking the distance from each group to the
average and multiply that by the variable. So 5x = 10y. Now simplify the equation and solve
for the ratio of y/x.

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5x = 10y becomes 1X = 2y and this becomes 1/2 = y/x This is the answer to the question.
The ratio is 1:2, which is answer choice A.
If you have three data points, all measuring the same thing, you can diagram a tug of war,
declare a winner, and create an equation. This is quick, easy, and involves very little math. In
short, it is a winning strategy for weighted average problems.

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8. Two Simple Rules for Conquering Conversion Problems (09/03/2014)

One of the easiest tools the GMAT has to convert an easy problem into a more challenging one
involves making you do a conversion of units. While the process of multiplying or dividing may
come natural to you, the process of deciding what to do in which cases is often a challenge: when
feet are converted to miles and hours to minutes it is difficult to know what to multiply and what
to divide. Two simple rules will help to keep everything straight.
Rule 1
When going from larger units to smaller units simply multiply on the same side of the fraction
line.
For example, if you have the current rate of 10 miles per hour and you wanted to state this is
terms of feet per minute then you would multiply the numerator by 5280 (the number of feet in a
mile ) and multiply the denominator by 60 (the number of minutes in an hour).
10 miles/1 hour = 10 * 5280 feet/ 1 * 60 minutes = 52,800 feet/60 minutes, or 880 feet/minute.
The reason that we multiplied each number on the same side of the fraction line is because we
INCREASED each of the units. There are more feet than miles so the numerator should certainly
be larger. You would expect to go farther in terms of feet than in terms of miles! This is why you
want to multiply when going from miles to feet.

And when you convert from an hour to a minute you would expect to go a SHORTER distance
and therefore you would have a larger denominator to divide the numerator by. There are more
minutes than hours so you want to multiply the denominator when going from hours to minutes
or from minutes to seconds.
Rule 2
But what about converting from smaller to larger units? What do you do then? This is where
people are more likely to get confused, but the rule is simple. It is just the reverse of the first
rule.
When going from smaller units to larger units just cross the fraction line and then multiply.

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Lets start with the result of the above equation and apply rule 2. If everything works correctly
we should be back to 10 miles per hour when finished.
At a rate of 880 feet/ minute how many miles can a car travel in one hour?
Lets do this in two stages. We will go from feet to miles and then from minutes to hours.
When converting from feet to miles it is clear that we should have many fewer miles than feet.
So we want to divide by 5280. This is accomplished by crossing the fraction line and multiplying
the denominator by 5280. So our rate now becomes: 880/5280 = miles per minute.
Rather than do the division go ahead and convert from minutes to hours and then simplify the
fraction all at once, taking advantage of a common theme on the GMAT: the GMAT rewards
you for factoring out numerators and denominators. When converting from minutes to miles,
clearly the car should drive much further, so you want to increase the numerator of the fraction.
Rule 2, tells us that when we are going from a smaller unit (minutes) to a larger one (hours) that
we simply cross the fraction line and multiply. So you can multiply the numerator by 60.
The converted rate is now ready to be simplified. 880 * 60/5280 = miles per hour becomes
52,800 / 5280 which equals 10 miles/ hour.
The final step is the one that is most difficult for many test takers. It is easier to understand that
dividing the numerator means to multiply the denominator, so that going from feet to miles
requires that you divide by 528010,560 feet = two miles.
However, knowing how to divide the denominator is more conceptually challenging. That is
where rule 2 helps. In order to move from a smaller unit in the denominator (such as minutes) to
a larger unit (such as hours) you need to multiply the numerator. Multiplying the numerator is
effectively dividing the denominator. So that if a bug can crawl 2 feet in a minute it can crawl
2*60 feet in an hour.
That is why it works, but on test day you do not need to worry about that. Simply apply these
two rules and you will easily keep track of conversion problems!

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9. Find Out How Algebra Could Be Your Key to Success on the GMAT Quant
Section (07/30/2014)
If you want to bring your A Game on the Quant section you need to be very comfortable with
Algebra.
There is one mathematical discipline that dominates the Quant section of the GMAT: Algebra. The
majority of the math questions that you will see on test day involve algebra.
Many questions involve pure algebra, such as expressions and equations involving variables, roots,
and exponents. Another large group of questions is word problems, most of which are best addressed
using algebraic equations. Geometry is another significant subject on the GMAT; and geometry is
simply a delivery mechanism for algebra. Even things like ratios can often best be addressed by using
equations with x as the multiplier.
It seems that the A in A Game really does stand for Algebra! Its a good thing that there are
topics, such as statistics, that involve real numbers instead of algebra. Yet even these questions can
often best be solved using Algebra.
Here is a statistics question that can be addressed several ways. Try to solve this question using
algebra.
The average of the five numbers is 6.8. If one of the numbers is multiplied by 3, the average of the
numbers increases to 9.2. Which of the five numbers is multiplied by 3?
(A) 1.5
(B) 3.0
(C) 3.9
(D) 4.0
(E) 6.0
You can do this problem in a few different ways, but perhaps the best way is Algebra! No matter how
you choose the address the question you will need to determine the magnitude of the increase. Since
sum (total) = average * # of terms You can take the average of 6.8 times the five terms and get a
beginning total of 34. The new total is 9.2 times 5 which equals 46. So the increase is 12.
In order to create an equation you need to ask yourself what happened to cause that increase of 12?
The question stem tells you that one of the numbers was multiplied by 3. So when one of the numbers
(we can call that number x) was multiplied by 3 the total increased by 12.
The equation formed from this information is simply 3x = x + 12. The 3x is because the number
is multiplied by 3 and the x + 12 is because you had the x to start with (there were five numbers
right? and x was one of them) and you added 12 because of the increase to the sum.
So if 3x = x + 12 then x = 6. So the correct answer is E.

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This question can be done based on knowledge of number properties and can even be done by
working directly with the answer choices. However, neither of these methods is as reliable for most
students as the algebra is. I have worked with the question for years and I can tell you that more
people choose D than choose the correct answer. Yet very few of the people who get this wrong used
algebra. Those who use algebra generally seem to get this question right.
Make sure that you are very comfortable with algebra, after all, bringing your A Game is essential
to your success on the Quant section!

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10. The Most Efficient Way to Study Least Common Multiples on the GMAT
(03/25/2014)
I recently had a student write in to ask me, Can you explain to me the reasoning behind the Least
Common Multiple? I understand that you take the prime factors from each number but I have no idea
why. I think if I understood why I would be better at this technique.
Let me see if I can make this concept more approachable for you. Think about calculating the Least
Common Multiple as if you were a builder getting ready to build a house. The problem is you do not
know which house you are going to build. So when you show up on the job site you need to have all
of the materials for each of the possible houses. The houses are the numbers and the materials that
you need are the prime factors.
Try this example (lets use three numbers to make it more challenging):
What is the Least Common Multiple of 9, 20, and 42?
First you need to get the prime factors of each of the numbers. The prime factors of 9 are 3 * 3 the
prime factors of 20 are 2 * 2 * 5 and the prime factors of 42 are 2 * 3 * 7.
Next you need to take each prime factor at the highest power. This is because you need to have all of
the materials (prime factors) necessary to build any of the three houses (numbers). So your materials
list is 2 * 2 * 3 * 3 * 5 * 7 or in other words 22 * 32 * 5 * 7. If you have these prime factors you can
build any of the three numbers. For example, if you are asked to build the 20 you have the necessary
2*2*5.
Now you are also a very efficient builder so you do not want to bring more materials than you need.
So you have to show up at the job site with the exactly the smallest load of materials with which you
can build any of the houses. So that means that you do not want any extra prime factors. That is why
the least common multiple on our example is 2 * 2 * 3 * 3 * 5 * 7. There is not a second 5 or another 7
because this is not needed.
You will not be asked to build more than one of the houses at any time. So even though if you list out
the prime factors you will see three 2s (there are two of them in the 20 and one in the 42) and three 3s
(two in the 9 and one in the 42) you do not need to bring all of these materials. You only need two 3s
because you will only need to build the 9 or the 42 and not both. You only need two 2s because you
will be asked to build the 20 or the 42 but not both.
I hope this helps to explain why you take each prime factor at its highest power. Understanding the
reasoning behind the Least Common Multiple can help you to build a higher GMAT score.

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G. QUANTITAVE STRATEGY
1. Are You a Top Chef or a Worst Cook on the Quant Section? (06/07/2011)
Chefs are all the rage these days and there are cooking shows all over television. Two
of these shows can help you to better understand your performance on the quantitative section of
the GMAT!
The first show, Top Chef, features some of the best young chefs in America. These chefs
compete to create the best cuisine possible. The second show is called The Worst Cooks in
America. On this show 12 people are selected based on the fact that they cannot reheat a frozen
meal without burning it.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the top chefs and the worst cooks is that the
worst cooks jump into a recipe with no idea of where they are going or what is coming next.
The results are truly inedible. One of the first things these worst cooks are taught is mise en
place and after a few weeks of training they are not the worst cooks anymore!
You might think that you are a worst cook on the Quantitative section. But if you
embrace the organizing principle of mise en place you will put yourself in a position to become a
quantitative top chef.
Mise en place (pronounced [miz on plas]) is a French phrase meaning everything in
place, or all set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the
ingredients such as spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components that a cook will
require in order to complete the recipe.
Before starting, chefs review THE ENTIRE RECIPE to check for necessary ingredients
and equipment. Ingredients are measured out, washed, and chopped, equipment is prepared for
use, and ovens are preheated. Preparing the mise en place ahead of time allows the chef to cook
without having to stop and assemble items. Mise en place makes professional cooking possible.
A top chef would never ever begin to cook without reading the entire recipe and
completing their mise en place. If a top chef were to take the GMAT, she would NEVER begin
a quantitative problem without reading the entire problem, writing down the question that is
asked, and assembling all the ingredients (numbers, equations, variables, etc.)
What about you? On the GMAT are you a top chef or a worst cook? Do you
start to write down equations before you have even read the entire question? Do you find that
sometimes you are halfway through a problem before you notice that you do not even know what
you are solving for? If so you could learn from the professionals.
Quantitative Mise En Place:

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1) Always read through the entire recipe (question) first! Yes, the timer is running and you
want to get started but it is just not professional to begin solving a question you have not even
read. What are you solving for? Are there any twists in the problem? Any deductions that might
help you? How will you know if you begin solving before you have read the question? Dont be
like the worst cook who starts cooking before reading the recipe only to find out that he has
ruined the dinner.
2) Assemble your ingredients! Now that you have read the problem all the way through it is
time to assemble your numbers, equations, etc. The first and most important thing is to
understand what the question is actually asking. You should write down the question every time
for both data sufficiency and problem solving questions. Next, bring down every number in the
problem and write it in a meaningful way. Equations are very helpful, as are inequalities, ratios,
etc. Make sure that you have all variables written down and identified as well. Anything that you
leave on the computer screen can be misread or forgotten; a top chef assembles her
ingredients where she can use them on the notepad.
3) Prepare your equipment for use! Now that you have the numbers written down and the
question identified you need to take a big picture look and decide what techniques you are
going to use. Just as chefs have certain equipment that they rely on such as knives, pots, pans,
etc. you have equipment that you rely on as well formulas, equations, rules, and so
forth. After you decide on what equipment you need for the ingredients you have then you
are ready to complete the recipe, in other words solve the problem. A quantitative top chef is
always aware of what tools she has and looks at a problem with those possible tools in mind. She
does not view each problem as different from anything she has seen before, rather she looks at
the problem and notices the similarities to past problems and thinks about the equipment she
can use.
At Veritas we often say that the first 30 to 45 seconds can be the most important part of a
quantitative problem. With a thorough understand of mis en place you can start each problem off
right. The mis en place is what separates a professional quality top chef from a worst cook.
And it may be the one ingredient necessary to complete your high scoring GMAT recipe.

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2. Think Like a DoctorAnd Diagnose Your Way to GMAT Success

(04/04/2012)
Weve all seen those medical shows on television where patients are rushed into the
Emergency Room in critical condition and the doctors and nurses have a limited amount of
time to save the patients life. The GMAT may not be life-threatening but the score can be lifechanging and the pressure is intense. In my GMAT classes I talk to students about the
diagnosis and the surgery required on GMAT problems.
To score well on the GMAT you may want to watch some reruns of ER or even
Greys Anatomy and pay attention to what the doctors do. Some things you will notice:
1) Your skills must be completely reliable.
Even the youngest doctors, by the time they are working in the emergency room, have all
of the necessary skills down cold. They cannot stop to figure out how to perform a particular
procedure, but must know how to do each surgical task without a flaw, almost without thinking
about it.
When you take the GMAT you must also have the skills and techniques down without a
flaw, almost without thinking about them. You dont handle a scalpel or administer medication,
but you must be able to work with exponents, formulas, premises, and modifiers. If you are
concerned, for example, that you might not be able to factor a quadratic equation then your
thinking will be distorted and you may even be forced to abandon the question and guess. The
basic skills are not enough to guarantee that you score well, but they must be there in order for
you to have a chance at successful GMAT surgery.
2) Your hands must not be shaking.
Doctors have to be calm to the work with patients. They must display confidence even if
they do not always feel it. The doctor cannot shy away from any task and cannot hesitate to
perform it. Imagine if the surgeon looked at your injured leg and said, Oh my, I am not sure that
I can do this. There are so many things that could go wrong. You would not trust that doctor to
help you! Even if the doctor has a few small doubts she must appear confident not only for you,
but for herself.
The same must be true for you on the GMAT. You do not want to be the doctor with the
shaking hands. You must approach each new problem focused on what you DO know and on
what you CAN do. If you have studied and if your skills are reliable then you will be able to do
just about everything that the GMAT requires.
If you see a complicated critical reasoning question, for example, you can start by
identifying the conclusion. That is a skill you should have perfected before test day. From there
you can analyze the argument and understand what is really being said. Or perhaps you are
confronted with a tough geometry problem involving a circle. On the GMAT you are going to
have to use the area formula or the circumference formula on just about every circle problem so

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you can start there. Be confident and focus on what you can do, not on all of the bad things that
might happen.
3) Its all about the Diagnosis.
Once a doctor has the skills and the confidence the one thing that is needed every time is
the proper diagnosis. Many episodes of ER (and nearly every episode of HOUSE) focused on
the doctors trying to diagnose the patients condition. Once the condition is diagnosed the doctor
can confidently implement the techniques and strategies that are so well rehearsed. On the
GMAT this should be where your battle is fought the diagnosis! You should not be
struggling to execute at the skill level (combing exponents for example) and you should not be
fighting battles with your confidence and mindset, if you are then you will never Beat the
GMAT. Once your skills and your outlook are in place then each question becomes another
patient to diagnose.
4) Just remember that you cannot take the surgery itself for granted!
Turning your emphasis to diagnosis means that you have advanced as a test taker. You
are beyond the stage of hoping that you can get questions right. Once you have diagnosed the
problem and you have the strategy in place, you should be able to confidently take the question
all the way to completion.
But remember this: doctors still give their full attention to the actual surgery. Just because
you correctly understand what the problem requires you to do does not mean that you can now
rush through the steps in solving. Even someone with strong math skills or terrific grammar
skills can make a mistake when they are rushing. On both the Quantitative and the Verbal
sections, do not rush through the problem, but work carefully and efficiently. After all you would
not want your doctor, or even your dentist, rushing through routine surgery.
Sometimes it is actually better to do a little more work if you have a particular method that is
reliable for you. Sure you might save a few seconds if you can find the most efficient way to
solve a problem. But if you have methods that you are comfortable with and that yield a reliable
result do not waste too much time or energy looking for a better way. High scoring test-takers
often resort to actually listing out the numbers for certain problems and some people use sets of
equations even when a quicker shortcut is theoretically available. Reliability is a key concern
on the GMAT.

Putting it all together

Lets take a look at how you can enhance your practice using the concepts of diagnosis
and surgery.
One key to timing on the quantitative section is that you may need to let go of questions
that you have very little chance of getting right OR that are going to take more than three
minutes.

Newland 145
Of course you have to know that the questions are going to take that long before you have
invested 3 minutes! In fact, the best strategy is to guess and go on any problem that you do not
know how to solve after one minute or ninety-seconds. If you do have a strategy to solve the
question after one minute you will usually be done in less than three minutes. It is the questions
that you spend too long trying to simply understand that undermine your timing on the test. Try
the following technique in practice:

Select a set of problems from the Official Guide, Veritas Books or other sources. If
youre using the Official Guide you might want to choose every tenth problem, ensuring
that the questions cover a range of difficulty levels (i.e. problems 3, 13, 23, 33, etc.).

Improve your diagnosis abilities: Use a countdown timer to give yourself one minute
for each problem. Use this one minute to figure out how to attack the problem. At the end
of the one minute you can write down a note about how you want to work the problem.
Do not actually do the problem now, but move on to the next problem. This will help you
get a feel both for what one minute is and for the need to understand the problem before
attempting to solve it.

Any problems that you cannot devise a strategy for within the one minute are those that
on test day you might choose to guess and go. Of course, you should come back to
these later and try to understand them with more time (or the with answer explanations)
since this is just practice. But on your practice tests and the real test you would probably
not want to devote additional time to these problems as these are the problems that end up
taking more than three minutes too long!

Practice calm, careful surgery: Now go back to the problems that you were able to
understand within one minute. Use a count up timer now and simply solve the problems.
Do not try to rush as this leads to careless errors. Take your time, be methodical and get
the question right. You will notice that solving the problem will usually take less than an
additional two minutes, meaning that you can solve these problems in less than three
minutes and in some cases much less. If a particular problem takes a long time to
actually solve even though you understood it, now you know that you need to work on
that type of calculation or find ways to get the answer without the calculations.

By breaking the problem down into the two steps understand and then solving or
Diagnosis and Surgery you will be able to maximize what you learn from each practice and
will be ready to face the time pressure on test day.

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3. Are You Headed For a Quantitative Car Crash? (02/21/2014)

When I see students who jump straight into quantitative problems and start making
calculations that may or may not lead anywhere, I start thinking about what happens in winter in
those parts of the world where it snows (it snows a lot in Vermont where I liveit is snowing as
I write this).
When it is time to go somewhere and my car is covered with snow, or the windows are
thick with frost, I always take the time to clean the entire front windshield, the rear window, and
all of the side windows. I also clean the snow from the hood of the car and let the engine warm
up a little before I go anywhere.

Ice Missiles
It never fails that as I drive down the road at a reasonable speed, a car will come from the
other direction with one small hole scraped clean on the front windshield, the driver leaning
forward, nose almost touching the windshield, trying desperately to see where he or she is going.
This car will, inevitably, be speeding and trailing a plume of snow. It is impossible to tell if there
are other people in the car, since the side and rear windows are covered with snow and ice. (By
the way this has recently been outlawed in the state of Connecticut where an unsafe car like the
one I describe is known as an ice missile. Maybe I should move to Connecticut?).
If you were able to confront this personI normally just get well out of the waythis
type of driver would no doubt say that he has no time to waste in getting the car cleaned off
completely, that he is so good at what he does that he can drive safely when others could not,
and that he drives on instinct.
Does some of this sound familiar in terms of how you approach the quantitative section on
the GMAT?

You have no time to waste in finding out what the question is actually asking before
you jump in and start multiplying or dividing.
You are so good at what you do that you do not need to take the time to write down the
facts given in the question stem.
You can approach data sufficiency questions on instinct without setting up the problem
on your note board.

If this sounds like you, then you are headed for a quantitative car crash. You may not realize
it, but you are that unprepared driver who can barely see out the windshield and hopes that he or
she is still on the road.

Begin Each Problem Correctly

If I were to give you one piece of advice it would be to know how to begin a problem safely
and efficiently and to use that technique on every problem that you face. Each problem is
different and that means that each problem should end differently but they should all begin in the

Newland 147
same safe, organized way. Just as you are much safer if you actually clean the snow off of the car
before you begin driving. Here are my recommended steps. (Feel free to adapt them to your style
of problem solving. Just be sure to create a technique that eliminates silly errors and produces
positive results).
1. Read the problem slowly and write down precisely what the question is asking. Do this
first, before you begin making diagrams or equations. On word problems, I skip to the
question mark and write down what the question is asking before I read the whole long
question stem. Feel free to state the question in a way that is most relevant to you. For
example, if the question is asking for a ratio or percentage, go ahead and set it up that
way from the start.
2. Bring down all of the numbers from the computer screen to your note board. If possible,
put the numbers directly into relevant equations, diagrams, or charts. Remember that
anything you just read on the computer screen could be misread or forgotten, but not if
you write it on your note board.
3. Take a few seconds to check the numbers you have written down against the ones on the
computer screen. Any transcription errors can mean big trouble! This is a common
mistake that students make and one that can easily be corrected.
4. If you are about to do any complicated math you should first glance at the answer
choices. (For very simple math that can be completed in 30 seconds do not bother with
this step, simply complete the math!) You are looking for three things:
5. The spread of the answer choicesif the choices are spread far enough apart you may be
able to select an answer immediately.
6. The form of the answer choicesfractions vs. decimals, pi, radical, etc.
7. Clues as to how to begin addressing the problem. (Sometimes the form of the answers
will point to a common denominator, factoring, etc.)
8. Answer the question in the most efficient way possible. Typically this will mean solving
the problem, but it could also mean using a shortcut or plugging in numbers.
At first, it may appear that following such a process will take longer, just as it seems to take
longer to scrape the ice from your windows before you get started down the road. But you soon
realize that you can reach your destination quicker if you take the time to prepare your vehicle
first, and you can be more efficient on the quantitative section if you take a few simple steps
before you jump into the calculations!

Newland 148

4. Use a Pilots Checklist to Soar on Quantitative (05/28/2014)

Some people find it difficult to know when they can safely hit submit on a Quantitative
problem and make the answer final.
Can you be confident in your answer on problem solving if you find that your answer is one of
the five choices? On data sufficiency, what do you need to consider to be sure you have not
neglected some important concept?
It can seem risky to finalize your answer and go to the next question, so how can you be sure?
Take your cue from pilots. Deciding to take off in a plane is certainly an important decision.
Midair is no time to realize that you have no fuel or you have a mechanical issue. It is important
to be sure that everything is in order before takeoff.
Pilots deal with this need to be absolutely sure every day. A pilot needs to be cautious and
confident at the same time. You need to be the same way on the GMAT Quantitative section. Be
cautious right up until you are sure you have done all you can do and then be confident as you
finalize your answer.
The Pilots Checklist
How does a pilot ever achieve confidence before takeoff that all systems are go and no minorbut-crucial details have been overlooked? The magic is in the pretakeoff checklist. The checklist
indicates what the gauges should say and which parts of the plane to inspect visually so the pilot
can be sure that nothing is overlooked and she can proceed with confidence.
You should develop simple checklists for problem-solving data sufficiency to prevent the
avoidable errors that can crash-land your GMAT score.
Develop a Routine
The checklist is crucial for both you and pilots to remember crucial details, but so is developing a
routine. It would be much more difficult for a pilot to remember the important details if she did
things in a random order each time. A routine allows her to implement the checklist in a reliable,
repeatable fashion.
Develop a checklist and implement it every time so that your routine is second nature, even
under intense pressure. A good routine can work wonders for your GMAT score.
Here are checklists you can to follow on Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency. Practice often
enough, and this will become your routine.
Problem Solving Checklist:
1. Read the problem slowly and write down precisely what the question is askingbefore you
start to make equations or do calculations.

Newland 149
2. Bring down all the numbers from the computer screen to your note board. If possible, put the
numbers directly into relevant equations.
3. Now glance at the answer choices before doing any complicated math. You are looking for
three things:
a. The spread of the answer choicesif the choices are spread far enough apart, you may be able
to select an answer using logic alone.
b. The form of the answer choicesfractions vs. decimals, variables included, presence or
absence of a denominator, etc. This will tell you what form your answer should take.
c. Clues how to begin addressing the problem. (Sometimes the form of the answers will point to
a common denominator, factoring, etc.)
4. Solve the problem in the most efficient way you are comfortable with. Be sure you have
answered what the question is asking.
Data Sufficiency Checklist
1. Write out the question that you are answering and note if it is a specific number or a
yes/no question. This may seem simple, but it is one of the most important things you can do,
especially for yes/no questions.
2. Separate the facts you are given in the question stem from the actual question itself. If x is
an integer or a positive number, note this on your note board.
3. Write something down for each statement. Even if you write only x is positive, or some
other seemingly obvious note, it is important that you write something. It keeps you organized
and ensures that youre digesting each fact youre given.
4. Be sure to keep track of sufficient and not sufficient. Once you have evaluated each statement,
you will want to indicate whether the information (combined with the facts) is sufficient to
answer the question.
5. Check common number properties. Data sufficiency may seem endlessly devious, but a
limited number of things actually come into play. For example, positive/negative and
integer/non-integer.
To a pilot a safety check is second nature; it is a preflight routine before every flight. Make your
checklists into routines and watch your Quant score soar.

Newland 150

5. The Three Questions That Ruin Your GMAT Score (12/12/2014)

Think back to your most recent GMAT practice test: Which three quantitative questions took you
the longest to answer? For one student it may be an obtuse geometry question and two difficult
word problems. For another it may be an impossible algebra problem and two truly puzzling data
sufficiency questions. But no matter the exact types, these are the three questions that ruin your
GMAT score.
Which three questions took the longest to complete?
When working with tutoring students who scored lower than anticipated on the quantitative
section of their practice exams, I always ask, Which three questions took the longest to
complete? Not all practice tests have this information, but some exams, including the Veritas
Prep practice tests, give time per question results for every question on the exam.
Once you have identified the three questions, add up the time taken. These three questions
usually account for at least 10 minutes and often longer, perhaps 15 minutes or more. At 15
minutes for three questions, a student will have used 20 percent of the allotted time on just 8
percent of the questions. In that 10-to-15-minute time frame, the student should have completed
between five and eight questions instead of just three.
This of course means that the test-taker will likely have to rush to catch up or guess at questions
toward the end of the exam. Either way, this timing problem will usually result in either careless
mistakes or outright guessing.
More time and the wrong answer?
These timing issues would be a problem even if test-takers usually got all three correct.
Surprisingly, students tend to do very poorly on the questions they spend the most time on.
The Veritas Prep practice tests include a new feature that may help students to analyze further
the relationship between time spent on a question and the probability of answering correctly.
This is a graph that shows the time spent per question for those questions the test-taker got right
compared with the time-per-question for those she answered incorrectly. The results are given
for each of the five question types: Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency on the Quant portion
and Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comp on the Verbal side.

Newland 151
The conventional wisdom is that the longer a test-taker spends on a quantitative question, the
more likely she is to answer correctly, but the results are often just the opposite. For many
students, time spent per incorrect question exceeds the time per correct answer.
Why would this be the case? Why would spending longer on a question make a test-taker more
likely to miss that question? Because even difficult quantitative GMAT questions are not
designed to take more than three minutes to complete. In most cases, spending a long time on a
question indicates that the test-taker did not know how to approach the question. And of course,
not knowing how to approach a problem properly is also a prime reason for missing the question.
So how do you prevent these three questions from ruining your score?
1) Use Time Wisely. You need to identify those questions you are having difficulty with on that
day. The question may be one you could normally answer, but if you do not have a good
approach to the question during the exam, you need to have the discipline to guess within the
first one to two minutes rather than stubbornly continuing to struggle, only to end up guessing
after four or five minutes.
2) Do not rush on easier questions. The keys to timing are to work efficiently and to know
when to guess at a question so you can move on. You need to be accurate as well as quick.
Telling yourself to rush will result in more avoidable errors, so calmly answer the questions you
should get right and be willing to guess on the ones that would only waste your time.
3) After each practice test look for the three quantitative questions that you spent the most
time on. Ask yourself a few questions: How long did you spend on just three questions? How
many did you get right? How can you identify these questions in the future so you can avoid
spending so much time? And can you improve your timing on these, or should you lean toward
moving on from them if you see them on test day?
Dont let just a few questions determine your fate on the GMAT. Follow these techniques to
make sure that these three questions do not ruin your GMAT score.

Newland 152

H. QUANTITATIVE MARTIAL ARTS

1. If the GMAT Were in the Olympics Which Event Would It Be? (07/31/2012)
The Games of the XXX Olympiad are in London this year and I have sad news to report:
Despite the prominence of London as a financial center and the continued excellence of London
Business School, the GMAT is still conspicuously absent from the Olympic Games. This
unfortunate oversight may be remedied by the time the games moves to Rio de Janeiro in 2016,
but in the meantime the pressing question is To which current Olympic Event, is the GMAT
most similar?
Take a moment to think about itand then lets explore some possible answers:

We can rule out soccer, basketball, volleyball, and all of the other team sports. The
GMAT is a solo endeavor with no chance to rely on your teammates should you fail to
bring your A game.

Similarly, we can eliminate the equestrian and sailing events from our comparison since
the horse or the wind does most of the work during these events. On the GMAT your
trusty side kick is not a noble steed or a beloved racing vessel but two used markers and
some laminated notepaper.

How about tennis? Tennis is psychological, lasts for hours, and as is true of the GMAT
your coach is not allowed to assist you during the actual event (believe me if I could be
there to help you I would) Tennis is a great analogy for GMAT: I have already written
about it (Why Federer Would Beat Nadal on the GMAT). So I will have to disqualify
tennis from consideration.

The Olympic event that I believe is most similar to the GMAT is wrestling. I am talking
about true Olympic wrestling that takes place on a mat, not the kind that takes place in a cage
(MMA) or is scripted (WWE). Let me say that I am not a wrestler so I apologize for any
simplifications that I might make to what is undoubtedly a complex sport.
How is wrestling similar to the GMAT and how can this help you in your strategy?
1. Wrestling is divided into periods of intense activity that each last two minutes. The
opponents furiously grapple for two minutes while the timer ticks down, each trying to
get a secure hold on the other. Does that not sound like a quantitative word problem or a
critical reasoning assumption question?
2. Each two minute period is a separate event. If your opponent just won the last round
by decisively defeating you, you must put that result out of your mind and concentrate on
the next round. Fortunately on the GMAT you at least get to guess at the question, so
there is a chance that a little luck may have turned defeat into victory.
3. Wrestling and the GMAT are both adaptive. Of all the Olympic events, wrestling is
the most adaptive. The competition is divided up into weight categories so that each

Newland 153
competitor should be within about 5 pounds of each of his or her opponents. Unlike
basketball or soccer where a competitor may be a foot taller than his opponents, in
wrestling the most important factor, weight, is kept essentially equal. The GMAT does the
same thing; it continues to refine the level of questions that it gives you to make sure that
you have a fair opponent every time. You will not be like Puerto Rico valiantly playing
basketball against the United States yet outmatched at every position.
4. In wrestling and on the GMAT your opponent uses your momentum against
you. This is the true reason for my analogy and the big strategy take away from this
article.
In wrestling, because of the evenness of the competitors weights, it is very difficult for one
competitor to simply push the other one around (especially at the Olympic level). It is possible to
snatch a leg and throw the opponent or to simply over-power the opponent for some type of
takedown or fall. But perhaps the best strategy is to wait for the opponent to make a move
and to become unbalanced and use the momentum against him.
This is precisely what the GMAT does to you. The GMAT problems are written in such
a way as to use your own momentum against you pushing and pulling you toward the
incorrect answer.
Here is a classic example:
A and B are nonzero integers, is A<5B?

1)

<5

2) B > 3
The momentum is all toward answer choice A. Statement one can be rephrased as A <
5B which mirrors the question stem and seems to be sufficient. Statement 2 does not seem
particularly relevant. Who cares if B > 3? Well you should actually. Statement 1 can only be
rephrased as A < 5B provided that B is a positive number. If B is a negative number then the
inequality gets flipped and the statement becomes A > 5B .
The GMAT uses your desire to try to be clever against you. Mirroring the question stem
is a great strategy on test day and statement 1 appears to be perfect for this technique. Statement
2 is also very carefully crafted. If the statement had said B > 0 it would be too obvious that
positive and negative number property is in play on this question. So instead they use the
seemingly random B > 3 but of course if B is greater than 3 it must be positive as well. So we
know that B cannot be negative and therefore it is safe to rephrase statement 1 as A < 5B. Since
we relied on statement 2 the correct answer is C rather than A. In my experience at least twice as
many students choose answer choice A than choose C.

What to Do About It

Newland 154

To avoid being pinned by the GMAT, quite simply, dont become unbalanced.
On the question above the GMAT is counting on you to overreach on statement 1 and as
a result virtually ignore statement 2. The test writers know that your goal is to make at
least one of the statements work on its own before you even consider them together. By
making statement 1 seem so obvious the GMAT is able to use a test takers momentum
and just nudge him right along into the wrong answer. Most people that miss a question
like this on test day never even know that they missed it.
It is also easier for the GMAT to score a takedown against you whenever you are
in a hurry. If you are rushing you will have a tendency to look for shortcuts and to
embrace the obvious answer that is actually a trap. If you took the time to think you
would remember that it is important to consider positive and negative properties when
working with inequalities.
Remember there are no easy questions on the GMAT. Look before you leap and be
sure to consider all of the possibilities. The GMAT uses the same momentum tactics for
Sentence Correction steering you toward answer choices that you expect and that seem
familiar but that are actually flawed. On Critical Reasoning the test writers often
convince you to take that little extra step toward an answer that seems obvious but is
not quite supported by the stimulus.
In wrestling a neutral position is one that is not overcommitted and allows the
wrestler to react to whatever move his opponent makes. You should adopt such a
position on the GMAT. As you work through a problem do not become rushed or
impatient, do not become overly attached to a particular answer choice or way of saying
something, and do not fall for the easy or obvious answer. Stay neutral, stay
balanced, and you will have overcome perhaps the best trick that the test writers have to
offer. In other words you will not provide all the momentum necessary for your own
down fall.

Newland 155

2. QMA Data Sufficiency Jujitsu Bad Subjects (01/16/2013)

Data Sufficiency is different from problem solving in that there are certain things that you
can do to eliminate answer choices or to work your way into a problem even if you are having
trouble understanding it. I call this Data Sufficiency Jujitsu.

Do More with Less

There are certain subjects on Data Sufficiency that lend to your being able to Do More
with Less Information. The classic example of this is Geometry. Some time ago I observed that
in Geometry you can (as we say at Veritas Prep) leverage your assets so that you are usually
provided with enough information to solve each Geometry question on the Data Sufficiency
portion of the GMAT. This led to my now famous rhyme Take the E out of Geometry on
Data Sufficiency.
Now let me explain this rhyme a little more obviously there will be times when E is the
correct answer to a Data Sufficiency Geometry question and if you can see that there is
information missing of course you should pick choice E! What I mean is that when you are
having trouble working through a geometry problem and you come down, for example to C
versus E just remember that when in doubt there probably is a way to get that answer since
you can do more with less on geometry. So if you are stuck and if you need to choose between
the remaining possible answers, that is when you should take the E out of geometry.
But it actually means more than this, being able to do more with less means that if you
are forced to guess or if you are simply stuck on a geometry problem you should really work to
see if you can solve the problem with the least possible amount of information. So if you are
deciding between BOTH statements TOGETHER (choice C) and a single statement ALONE
(Choice A or B) really try to make the problem work using the single statement. And if you are
forced to guess, you might want to consider the remaining possible choice that does the most
with the least in this case A or B instead of C.
Remember that this is just the general tendency. The ideal situation is for you work the
problem correctly, from the beginning, and move quickly to the correct answer. However,
knowing what to expect on the GMAT can be very helpful in guiding you toward the correct
answer.

The BAD Subjects

The subjects on the GMAT that lend themselves to doing more with less are the B-A-D
subjects. I call them this because you can often get the answer to these questions with one (or
each) of the statements ALONE and that means answers D, A, or B. A partial list of the BAD
subjects includes Geometry, Venn Diagrams, and any problems involving percents or
ratios. These are subjects that tend to require less information than you might think.

Example: Percentage Problem

Newland 156
The following is a question from the Veritas Prep Word Problems book:
At a certain company, 40% of the women are over 50 years old and 50% of the men are over 50
years old. What percentage of the company are men?
(1) 42% of all employees are over 50 years old.
(2) There are 500 employees at the company.
Do you have the answer?

JUJITSU
The question stem should catch your attention here. This is a percentage problem and it is
one of the B-A-D subjects so you should immediately be thinking about doing more with
less information. Percentage problems can often be solved with relationships between categories
without knowing how many people or items are actually in those categories.
On this question if you take a quick glance at statement 2) you will see that it is not
sufficient. You are looking to discover what percentage of the company is men and just learning
that there are 500 people working for the company does not indicate how many of these people
are men. So you can eliminate choices B and D since statement 2 is not clearly sufficient alone.
However, using a little Data Sufficiency Jujitsu, you can eliminate choice C as well.
Statement 2 is not sufficient but it also is not particularly helpful. When looking for the
percentage, the only way that knowing the total number could help you is if the question stem
provided actual numbers of men and women, but in this case the question stem provides
percentages of men and women over 50, so the total number of workers is simply not helpful!
That means that the answer to this question has to be either A or E. Either statement
number 1 will be sufficient ALONE, or the statements will not be sufficient at all. Since
percentages are one of the BAD subjects you expect to be able to do more with less and so A
will likely be the correct choice. In this case choice A is correct as the explanation will show. But
the point is that with a little Jujitsu you can move through the answer choices, clearly
eliminating some and playing the odds on others, so that even on a question that you do not fully
understand you do not need to blindly guess as you might on Problem Solving.

Explanation
Statement 1 indicates that 42% of all employees are over 50 years old. Given the
information from the question stem this is enough to solve this weighted average problem.
You can simply compute the difference between the overall average (42%) and the stated
averages for each of the groups: men (50%) and women (40%). The distance from the average is
8 for men (50 42) and 2 for women (42 40); so the ratio is M:W = 8:2. You then reduce that
ratio to M:W = 4:1 and finally INVERT the ratio so that the final answer is M:W = 1:4.

Newland 157
(The reason for inverting the ratio is that the weight of a group is exactly inverse to
the distance that group is from the average. You can logically see that there must be more
women since the overall average of 42% is much closer to the womens average of 40% and
therefore the women must make up a greater portion of the group in order to have influenced the
average so much).
Now since this is a Data Sufficiency question you would not need to actually compute the
difference or invert, right? In other words you would not need to actually solve, you would just
need to know that you could! (See my article When to Actually Do the Math on Data
Sufficiency).
But if this were problem solving we would have one final step. This question asks you
What percentage of the company are men? So you have to convert that ratio of M:W = 1:4 into
a percentage. Remember that a ratio of 1:4 actually means that only 1 of every 5 people in the
room is a man. So that means 20% not 25%.

How to Use Jujitsu

Obviously if you are able to work a problem through perfectly right from the start then
you should do that. But just remember that a little Data Sufficiency Jujitsu such as recognizing
B-A-D Subjects can help you with your approach to the problems, can help you catch any
little errors you might have made, and can be very useful in eliminating answer choices on a
problem that you do not fully understand. As you are practicing Data Sufficiency take note of
the BAD subjects and try to Do More with Less!

Newland 158

I. CRITICAL REASONING
1. MIP: Critical Reasoning the Tim Duncan Way (02/07/2011)
Tim Duncan led the San Antonio Spurs to 4 NBA Championships (5 if you count the one
they are going to win this year). Twice he was the MVP of the NBA regular season and 3 times
he was the MVP of the NBA Finals. But more importantly every year since he joined the league
in 1997, he has been the MIP of the Spurs. In the case of Tim Duncan, MIP means Most
Important Player, the one that you cannot do without. On the GMAT, MIP is a term that I use in
critical reasoning to mean Most Important Premise.
In most critical reasoning questions there is one main conclusion, one MIP, and the rest is
usually background information. Each of these three components deserves varying levels of
attention. The conclusion is the key to strengthen, weaken, assumption, method, mimic and boldfaced reasoning questions (basically every question type that features a conclusion in the
stimulus). So you should give the conclusion the highest level of focus and attention. One
specific word within the conclusion can change what you are looking for in a correct answer so
you really need to pay attention to every aspect of the conclusion.
Background information on the other hand is not something to focus too closely on,
rather the background information should simply leave you with an impression, such as sleep
deprivation is not a good thing, or some people argue in favor of Daylight Savings Time.
Questions usually do NOT turn on specifics in the background information.
The MIP is between the twoit is essential to the argument and requires much more
focus than does the background information but every single word is not as vital as the
conclusion. It is okay to paraphrase the MIP, it is not okay to paraphrase the conclusion. It is the
MIP that you pair with the conclusion to understand the reasoning of the argument.
Consider the following stimulus from the Veritas Critical Reasoning 1 book:
Dr. Larson: Sleep deprivation is the cause of many social ills, ranging from irritability to
potentially dangerous instances of impaired decision making. Most people today suffer from
sleep deprivation to some degree. Therefore we should restructure the workday to allow people
flexibility in scheduling their work hours.
I have not included the question stem for this problem because we are going to begin
addressing this one the same way whether it is turns out to be a strengthen, weaken, assumption,
method of reasoning, or other type.
First, identify the conclusion in the stimulus. As we can see there are some signal words
here (therefore and should) and the conclusion is Therefore we should restructure the
workday to allow people flexibility in scheduling their work hours.

Newland 159
Lets write down the conclusion. A rule of thumb is thisthe conclusion you can
abbreviate but not paraphrase because every word is important. The MIP you can paraphrase as
long as you capture the essence. So abbreviating (not paraphrasing) the conclusion: We should
restructure the workday to allow flexibility.
Having started with the conclusion we work backwards to find the MIP. A great way to
do this is to ask WHY (and the insert the conclusion)? So in this case we would say Why
should we restructure the workday to all flexibility? The answer to this question should be the
MIP. In this case the MIP is Most people suffer from sleep deprivation to some degree. Or to
paraphrase most people suffer from sleep dep.
What about the first sentence of the stimulus? This sentence has lots of specifics arent
these important? The answer is not really. Here is that first sentence Sleep deprivation is the
cause of many social ills, ranging from irritability to potentially dangerous instances of impaired
decision making. This is background information. All that you really need to take from this is
that suffering sleep deprivation is a bad thing (if the words suffer and deprivation do not
already convey the message).
So why is this not the MIP and how do we tell the difference? The MIP is the thing that
leads directly to the conclusion; it is the answer to the question why? To answer Why should
we restructure the workday to allow flexibility? with sleep deprivation causes irritability is to
miss the point. As long as you know that sleep deprivation is bad the specific reasons are not
important it is the fact that most people suffer from sleep deprivation that drives the
argument.
At this point you have the MIP and the conclusion and you are in a position to answer
any type of question that comes along. To strengthen the argument we look for an answer that
tells us because most people suffer from sleep dep. therefore we should restructure the workday
to allow flexibility. Looking at the answer choices we basically need something that indicates
that more flexibility would lead to less sleep deprivation. That is the way to strengthen this
argument. To weaken the argument you would want the opposite an answer choice that
indicated that even with more flexibility there would not be less sleep deprivation.
No matter what the question stem turns out to be you are prepared to answer it as long as
you remember the MIP. Follow Tim Duncans example, focus on the fundamentals, and you can
be the MVP of critical reasoning

Newland 160

2. Who Needs a Stimulus? Self-Proving Answer Choices on Inference Questions

(01/05/2012)
On certain inference questions in Critical Reasoning, the correct answer will be written in
such a way that the actual stimulus is almost unnecessary. I call these Self-proving answer
choices.

When is a Prediction Not a Prediction?

I find it helpful to discuss categories of answers that you can eliminate because they
could be false. Remember that the correct answer to an inference question is one that must be
true so any answer choice that has the potential to be false can be eliminated. One category of
answer choices that could be false is predictions statements that are future oriented are
not usually things that must be true. Take this example:
If I flip this coin it will land with the heads side up.
Now obviously this prediction is not guaranteed. The coin could just as easily land with
the tails side up. It is not must be true so we can eliminate this as an answer choice on an
inference question. But what if we have a self-proving statement?
If I flip this coin it will either land heads up or tails up or on the edge or it will not land at all.
This is a self-proving statement that does not even require a stimulus because it covers
all the bases. This statement must be true because it lists all the possibilities and so whatever
happens, it cannot be false. It may sound like a prediction, but it is not. It is a statement that
must be true and so it is automatically the correct answer.
Now you may think that this is too good to be true on the GMAT. Are there really correct
answers to inference questions that you could select simply because they cannot be false? The
answer is Yes.
We will do an Official GMAT question in a moment, but lets start with an LSAT
question. I will not provide the stimulus, only the answer choices and you choose the one
that covers all the bases and therefore is self-proving.
(A) Zebra mussels arrived in the Great Lakes on transatlantic freighters and, since they have no
natural enemies there, are rapidly displacing the native species of clams.
(B) If the mussels spread to areas of the Mississippi River where native clams provide the basis
for a cultured-pearl industry, that industry will collapse, since the mussels are unsuitable for such
use and would displace the clams.
(C) There is no mechanical means available for clearing intake pipes by scraping the mussels
from them.
(D) The algae on which the mussels feed would, if not consumed by the mussels, themselves
clog the intake pipes of nuclear power plants and water plants.

Newland 161
(E) Any hazardous waste the mussels remove from chemical-plant discharge will remain in the
mussels, if they do not transform it, and they then must be regarded as hazardous waste.
(February 1997 LSAT Logical Reasoning Section 2, question #16).
Did you find the self-proving answer choice? Now this one can be a little bit tricky so
lets go through the answer choices. A) is not it because it requires you to know how the zebra
mussels arrived in the Great Lakes. This may turn out to be the correct answer but it is not selfproving. B) is a prediction that if the zebra mussels spread to the Mississippi River the cultured
pearl industry will collapse. This does not cover all of the bases. C) depends entirely on the
stimulus. If the stimulus says that the mussels cannot be scraped from the pipes this could be the
answer but it is not self-proving. D) also requires specific language from the stimulus in this
case language indicating that the algae would clog the pipes.
It is answer choice E that is self-proving. Look at how it covers all of the bases. Choice E
allows for three possibilities. The first possibility is that the zebra mussels do not actually remove
any hazardous waste from the discharge. If this is true then there is nothing else to say. This is
like in the above example with flipping the coin. One option is that I do not flip the coin at all, in
which case the discussion is over. The second possibility is that the mussels do remove some
hazardous waste and then they transform that waste into something that is not hazardous. If this
happens then the case is closed. Finally, the third option is that the mussels do consume the
hazardous waste and they do not transform that waste, in which case the mussels would
themselves be considered hazardous. These are really the only three options to consider. Because
choice E lists the options it will likely be true no matter what the stimulus says.
By the way, here is the stimulus to that question:
Zebra mussels, a nuisance when they clog the intake pipes of nuclear power plants and water
plants along the Great Lakes, have some redeeming qualities. Since the mussels feed voraciously
on algae that they filter from the water that passes by them, bags of zebra mussels suspended in
the discharge streams of chemical plants significantly improve water quality, even removing
some hazardous wastes.
Which one of the following is most strongly supported on the basis of the statements
above, if they are true?
You can see that for this particular question the stimulus is more useful in eliminating
answer choices A through D than it is in proving choice E. This limited stimulus does not
support any of the answer choices that are dependent on the stimulus, but since E is self-proving
it does not really rely on the stimulus. The only really applicable phrase in the stimulus is even
removing some hazardous wastes. This does not provide much help, but luckily the correct
answer choice does not need it.

An Official GMAT Question

Newland 162
How about an official GMAT question with a self-proving answer choice? Sort through
these choices and find the one that covers all of the bases.
(A) Although the advance of technology has made expensive medical procedures available to the
wealthy, such procedures are out of the reach of low-income patients.
(B) If hospitals do not find ways of raising additional income for unreimbursed care, they must
either deny some of that care or suffer losses if they give it.
(C) Some patients have incomes too high for eligibility for governmental health insurance but are
unable to afford private insurance for hospital care.
(D) If the hospitals reduce their costs in providing care, insurance companies will maintain the
current level of reimbursement, thereby providing more funds for unreimbursed care.
(E) Even though philanthropic donations have traditionally provided some support for the
hospitals, such donations are at present declining.
(Verbal Review, 2nd Edition, # 75)
So which answer choice was it? Lets start at the bottom this time and work out way up.
Choice E) requires specific information as to whether the philanthropic donations are declining.
D) is a straight prediction. It predicts that if hospitals reduce costs insurance companies will not
reduce payments. C) requires specific information about the incomes of patients and their
eligibility for government and private health insurance. Finally choice A) seems very logical,
but it does rely on specific information about the availability of expensive medical procedures
for low-income patients. It may turn out that these low-income patients have government
assistance, so this answer choice could be false.
Choice B is the self-proving answer: it simply lists the possibilities. The first
possibility is that hospitals DO find ways to raise additional income for unreimbursed care. If
they do then the problem is over and we can move on to solve the next of the worlds difficulties.
The second possibility is that the hospitals do not find the additional income and they decide to
deny unreimbursed care. In this case the problem is again solved. Finally, the hospitals might not
find the income and yet might still provide the unreimbursed care, in which case they would lose
money. Those are all of the possibilities, so this answer choice is self-proving.

So Why Even Read the Stimulus?

As I mentioned with the zebra mussels question the stimulus can help you to clearly
eliminate answer choices on inference questions because they could be false. Process of
Elimination should be your primary tactic on inference questions. Eliminating the four
incorrect answers can be simpler than proving the correct answer. In addition, the
stimulus provides the necessary context to help you to better understand even a self-proving
answer choice. Below is the stimulus for the question we are discussing. Doesnt the stimulus
help to set the table for answer choice B?
United States Hospitals have traditionally relied primarily on revenues from paying
patients to offset losses from unreimbursed care. Almost all paying patients now rely on
governmental or private health insurance to pay hospital bills. Recently, insurers have been

Newland 163
strictly limiting what they pay hospitals for the care of insured patients to amounts at or below
actual costs.
Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the information above?
This helps to show the reason why hospitals are in position where they need to raise additional
funds or deny care or they will lose money. So you should not neglect the stimulus, especially
not on an inference question.
Be on the lookout for the self-proving answer choice. It may look like a prediction and
therefore be tempting for you to eliminate, but if it simply lists the possibilities if it covers all
the bases then it must be true!

Newland 164

3. The OG 13 and the Future of Critical Reasoning (03/29/2012)

Never is the Official Guide for GMAT Review more in synch with the actual GMAT
exam than when a new edition of the OG comes out. With the 13th edition of the Official Guide
just published now is a great time to look at the future of critical reasoning.
Over the past few months most people have been distracted by the introduction of the
new integrated reasoning section that comes online in June and by the clarification of the
importance of meaning to sentence correction. To me the real excitement is in critical
reasoning!
The previous edition OG 12 was published back in 2009, so there has been plenty of
time for the GMAT itself to evolve. Has the 13th edition evolved as well? What do the changes
tell us about the future of critical reasoning?

Most Logically Completes the Passage

The first thing you should know is that, like the rest of the GMAT, the critical reasoning
section is evolving. Out of 124 total critical reasoning questions, 25 are new to the OG 13. With
these 25 new questions, the big change is seven more Most Logically Completes questions (14
questions total in OG 13 compared to 7 questions in OG 12). These are the questions that do the
best job of disguising the question type.
We will return to the bigger picture at the end of the article, but first, lets look at an
example of a brand new Most Logically Completes question from the Official Guide for
GMAT Review 13th Edition*:
Which of the following most logically completes the argument?
The attribution of the choral work Lacrimae to the composer Pescard (1400-1474) has been
regarded as tentative, since it was based on a single treatise from the early 1500s that named
Pescard as the composer. Recently, several musical treatises from the late 1500s have come to
light, all of which name Pescard as the composer of Lacrimae. Unfortunately, these newly
discovered treatises lend no support to the attribution of Lacrimae to Pescard, since ________
A) the treatise from the early 1500s misidentifies the composers of some of the musical works it
considers.
B) the author of the treatise from the early 1500s had no very strong evidence on which to base
the identification of Pescard as the composer of Lacrimae.
C) there are works that can conclusively be attributed to Pescard that are not even mentioned in
the treatise from the early 1500s.
D) the later treatises probably had no source for their attribution other than the earlier treatise.
E) no known treatises from the 1600s identify Pescard as the composer of Lacrimae.

Newland 165

Focus on the Words Leading Up to the Blank

You do not need to be too worried about this increase in Most Logically Completes
questions. It is true that they do not have much of a question stem, but that does not mean that
you cant categorize the type of question. Look to the wording that introduces the answer
choices. In other words, focus on the words leading up to the blank.
For the question above, the word immediately preceding the blank is since. Since is a
signal word that is used to introduce a premise. Therefore the correct answer will be a
premise. If you look at the rest of the sentence with the blank in it you will see that before the
word since we have a conclusion. This means that your answer choice will be a premise that
supports the conclusion. In other words, this is a strengthen question.
If you usually look at the question stem first so that you know what you are looking for in
the stimulus, then you can even start off a Most Logically Completes question by first looking at
the sentence that includes the blank. That way you will know what to look for when reading the
entire stimulus. In this case as soon as we know that we have a strengthen question we know that
we our first duty is to identify the conclusion.

Conclusion is King
We have a saying at Veritas that the Conclusion is King. This means not only that you
should begin your analysis by properly identifying the conclusion, but also that every word in the
conclusion matters. You cannot paraphrase a conclusion or state it in your own words, but must
pay attention to exactly what is written.
I explained in a previous article MIP: Critical Reasoning the Tim Duncan Way that
each part of the argument requires a certain level of attention from you. The background
information is simply there to set the stage of the argument and to convey general ideas. The
Most Important Premise or MIP is essential to the argument and the link between the MIP
and the conclusion is what we are looking for in the correct answer. And the conclusion should
not be paraphrased, only abbreviated, because each word matters.
For the above problem the conclusion is these newly discovered treatises lend no
support to the attribution of Lacrimae to Pescard. Notice the key phrase here lend no support.
Maybe you would have paraphrased this to say the new treatises do not prove that Pescard
composed Lacrimae. But that is not what the conclusion says. The conclusion says lend no
support to the attribution
If you combine this with the MIP, which indicates that the treatises in question are from
the late 1500s and the background information that before the new treatises were found a single
treatise from the early 1500s was the only evidence, then the question becomes, How can the
newly discovered treatises lend no support at all? Or put another way, Why has the level of
proof not changed from when we had only one treatise as evidence? The answer to that question
will be the correct answer for this problem.

Newland 166
You do not have to perfectly predict the answer choice in order to have an advantage on a
strengthen question like this one. You simply need to be willing to ask the right question. So lets
see which of these answer choices provides us with the reason Why the level of proof has not
changed from when we had only one treatise as evidence.
Choices A, B, and C only mention the treatise from the early 1500s and do not even
address the several treatises from the late 1500s that have recently come to light. These choices
cannot possibly explain why the new treatises lend no support.Answer Choice E indicates that
there are no known treatises from the 1600s that support Pescard as the composer of Lacrimae.
Again this does not address the specific conclusion at hand and does not answer our question.
Choice D is clearly the correct answer. It is the only answer choice that addresses both
the MIP and the Conclusion. It answers our question Why has the level of proof not changed
from when we had only one treatise as evidence? by indicating that the early 1500s treatise is
still the only evidence since the later treatises rely on it completely.

Evolution, Not Revolution

As you can see, the changes to critical reasoning are evolutionary and not
revolutionary. The Most Logically Completes questions do not make the question type as
obvious. This continues the trend on the entire GMAT of test-takers being penalized for lack of
flexibility in their thinking. The increase in the Most Logically Completes category, as well as
the continuing emphasis on the diverse family of Evaluate the Plan questions, indicates that
GMAC wants to credit students who actually understand the arguments and penalize those who
cannot adapt to unfamiliar question types or unexpected answer choices.
This evolution of critical reasoning falls in line with other changes to the GMAT, such as,
continued emphasis on logic as opposed to memorization in sentence correction and the
increased emphasis on data sufficiency questions in the quantitative section. Even more than ever
the GMAT is a test of good solid logical thinking and not tricks or gimmicks.
*Question courtesy of GMAC, Official Guide for GMAT Review, 13th Edition.

Newland 167

4. Approaching Assumption Questions Like an Expert (06/27/2012)

Advertising and Assumption Questions
Quick, what do the Sham Wow! OxyClean, the Snuggie, and pet insurance all have
in common? They are all things that you did not know you needed until somebody told you
about them. Advertisements are designed first to create a sense of need in the viewer and then to
satisfy that need. This is exactly what the correct answer on an assumption question does as well.
I am always looking for new ways to help students understand assumption questions.
This is probably the toughest critical reasoning question type for most students. Assumption
questions require students to think in a way that is unexpected. For other critical reasoning
questions the test taker must analyze what happens when you ADD the answer choice to the
argument. Does this one strengthen when added? Does this one weaken when added? With
assumption questions the student has to find a reliable way to think about what happens when the
answer choice is taken away and this is not necessarily a natural thing to do. Typically this is
done by the Assumption Negation Technique (also called various things like Answer
negation or The Denial Test).
The Assumption Negation Technique is a powerful tool and one that we certainly teach at
Veritas. However, negating all five answer choices is not recommended as it takes time and can
actually be quite confusing. It is better to first eliminate answer choices that cannot be the correct
answer and to save the Assumption Negation Technique for its true purpose: helping you to
make that crucial final choice between two difficult answer choices. A true understanding of
assumption questions will allow you to start with something more efficient and save the
Assumption Negation Technique for emergencies.
One of the best ways that I have found to help students truly understand assumption
questions is to explain that the correct answer to an assumption question is like a
commercial. Think about what a commercial is designed to do, a commercial is meant to instill a
desire in the mind of the person watching and then to offer the product that fulfills that desire.
Did you know that you had a need for a blanket with arms sewn into it called a Snuggie? Not
until you saw the commercial! There are entire 30-minute long television shows called
infomercials that are designed to make you feel like something is missing in your life and at
the same time offer you the very product that can fill that gap.
The original infomercial was probably for the Ginsu knives. The ideal viewer reaction
was Wow I did not know that they even made a knife that sharp, can my set of knives cut
through an aluminum can? First the viewer starts to doubt things that he or she never even
worried about before, for example, Are my knives sharp enough?, Are my clothes bright
enough? and Why do I not have medical insurance for my cat or dog? Then, conveniently the
product offers to solve the problem. This is precisely what the correct answer to an
assumption question does. It brings up a potential flaw in the argument that you never
even considered and then tells you not to worry, that flaw is eliminated by the answer
choice.

Newland 168

The Infomercial Test

The argument made in the stimulus of a higher-level assumption question often seems
very convincing, with no obvious flaws. By contrast, a tough strengthen or weaken question
often allows you to see right from the start that additional information is needed. Maybe the
argument tells you that because something worked in Italy, it will also work in France. Likely,
you can see the gap in the logic: you need to know if Italy is like France. In fact this argument
would work well for a strengthen question, but also for a weaken question, where the correct
answer would let us know that Italy and France are very different.
This spotting the gap in the logic is what people often recommend for assumption
questions as well and it can work, especially on easier questions. But on more difficult
questions it is far more likely that the GMAT will offer you a correct answer choice that is based
on the infomercial model the correct answer will point out a potential problem that you never
expected, and then immediately tell you not to worry, the answer choice can solve that problem.
Lets look at an example to see how this works.
Here is an example, just the stimulus and question first, answer choices later:
In North America there has been an explosion of public interest in, and enjoyment of, opera over
the last three decades. The evidence of this explosion is that of the 70 or so professional opera
companies currently active in North America, 45 were founded over the course of the last 30
years.
The reasoning above assumes which one of the following?
Okay, so what is the gap? Not so simple right? To me this seems to be a well-constructed
argument. In other words, the evidence leads to the conclusion. The conclusion is that there is an
explosion of interest in opera over the last 30 years and the evidence is that 45 Opera companies
have been founded over that time (out of just 70 total). That is pretty good evidence. If you told
me that out of 70 football clubs in England 45 were founded in the last 30 years I would
conclude that football (a.ka. soccer) is doing pretty well in England.
So what could the assumption be? Instead of trying to guess ahead of time what the
assumption is, try looking for the answer choice that presents a problem that you did not
anticipate and (like and good commercial) also gives you the solution.
Remember the argument is that there is an explosion of interest in opera over the last 30
years and the evidence is that 45 Opera companies have been founded over that time (out of just
70 total). Okay here are the answer choices, see what you can do.
A. All of the 70 professional opera companies are commercially viable options.
B. There were fewer than 45 professional opera companies that had been active 30 years ago
and that ceased operations during the last 30 years.
C. There has been a corresponding increase in the number of professional companies devoted to
other performing arts.

Newland 169
D. The size of the average audience at performances by professional opera companies has
increased over the past three decades.
E. The 45 most recently founded opera companies were all established as a result of enthusiasm
on the part of a potential audience.
What did you come up with? Remember that the correct answer to an assumption
question very much like the correct answer to an inference question cannot provide you with
completely new information. This means that choice A is eliminated right off the bat. It would
certainly strengthen our argument to know that ALL if the professional opera companies are
commercially viable, but this not necessary and it is new information. We are relying on the fact
that 45 companies were established not that they all made money.
Choice C is also completely new information and is also not necessary. Why would an
increase in interest in the other performing arts mean that there cannot be an explosion of interest
in Opera? Choice D is tempting and is a very nice strengthen answer. But is also does not point
out an unexpected flaw in our logic. Choice D brings new information that the average size of
the audience is increasing. It would be great to know this but the argument is relying on the
evidence of 45 companies being founded and that is where the unexpected flaw needs to come
from. So choice D is out.
That leaves choices B and E. At this point you can certainly decide to use the Assumption
Negation Technique to negate these two answers, both of which mention the 45 companies that
were recently founded. The founding of those companies is our evidence so either of these
answer choices might be correct.
However, before you negate these choices why not apply the infomercial test?
Which of these answer choices points out a legitimate, if unexpected, flaw in the argument and
then immediately corrects it? The answer is choice B. When reading this argument you likely did
not say to yourself 45 opera companies were founded over the last 30 years but what if more
than 45 went out of business? It is like the Sham Wow! or the Snuggie you were not looking
for choice B, but now that you have seen it you know you cant live without it.
You see, in somewhat complicated language, choice B points out the possibility that 45
or more opera companies ceased operations in the last 30 years. If this were true then the
evidence that 45 companies were founded in the last 30 years suddenly becomes very weak. Is
there really an explosion of interest in opera if more companies went out of business than were
founded? So choice B gets you very worried that you do not have a good argument here. But like
any good infomercial it then reassures you. It states that There were fewer than 45
companies that ceased operations. So, no need to worry. The flaw that you were not
thinking of, the possibility that more than 45 companies went out of business was
mentioned and then protected against. This is the way that the correct answers to
assumption questions operate.
Why is choice E not correct? Simple, this argument does not rely on the 45 companies
being founded for any particular reason. It simply relies on the fact that they were founded. In
other words the evidence is about an increased number of opera companies not about enthusiasm

Newland 170
on the part of the audience. This answer choice actually provides new information and not an
unexpected flaw in this argument. It fails the infomercial test.

Official Guide Questions

If you have the 12th or 13th edition of the Official Guide here are some problems you might want
to try this technique on.
1. Question 77 (13th edition) 78 (12th edition)
2. Question 93 (12th and 13th edition)
3. Question 106 (13th edition) new to 13th.
Compare these to question 21 (13th edition)/ 20 (12th edition) which is an easier assumption
and where the correct answer can be much more easily anticipated.

A Challenge
Let me leave you with this example that I sometimes use in class: Can you think of the
three actual assumptions that I am relying on for my conclusion? Conclusion My friend will
pick me up at the Boston airport. That seems straight-forward but what there are problems
that you have likely never even considered. How might my conclusion go wrong? It is your job
to be the infomercial, point out the possible flaws in my argument, but state them in such a way
that you actually take away the flaw even as you name it. I have found three actual assumptions
that the above conclusion relies on, can you name them?

Newland 171

5. Ask Dr. David: Critical Reasoning in the Eyes of an Expert (02/21/2013)

Rather than focus on particular question types, lets discuss how you can see critical
reasoning the way an expert does. This ability can help you to perform well on all of the critical
reasoning question types!
1) Narrow your focus. Critical reasoning (and, in fact, the whole verbal section) is about
narrowing your focus. You are given lots of information but not all of it is at the same level of
importance.
The Veritas Prep Critical Reasoning book demonstrates how to break the argument down
into context, evidence, and conclusion.
Clearly your attention should be focused on the evidence and the conclusion. This is
where the path to the correct answer lies. But what role does the context play? Why is the
context there if it is not something to focus on?
There are actually two roles that the context plays:

Fairness - the context is there to ensure that the critical reasoning section is not a
vocabulary test. It ensures cultural and linguistic fairness so that everyone has a chance to
answer correctly if they apply the right logic.
Distraction - the context is also there for a not so generous reason, many of the incorrect
answer choices are based on focusing too much on the context.

By narrowing your focus, you can avoid most of the trap answers that catch so many test
takers. Obviously you should not bring in outside information, but you also should not give too
much of your focus to the background information either. It is the evidence that must lead to the
conclusion.
2) Stop and gather yourself and notice anything that is not quite what was expected. Many
people just push through a critical reasoning stimulus and fail to really take advantage of what is
there. An expert gathers himself after each phrase or each sentence just the way you should on
Reading Comprehension after each paragraph!
An argument generally is constructed with the context first, then the evidence and the
conclusion is often the last part of the argument. By stopping and gathering yourself you are able
to see the argument form in front of you.
There are two big things to look for as you read, each of these will be easier to spot if you
pause and gather yourself.

Shifts in language. You will often hear experts talking about shifts in language. These
can be from one noun to another, for example, from physical growth to maturity.
Clearly these are not the same thing a person can be fully grown physically without yet
being mature and you can see that the Flaw, Assumption, Weakness, or Strengthen

Newland 172

answer would likely be something to do with the difference between being fully grown
physically and being mature.
Unnecessary and unexpected wording. This often involves adjectives and adverbs. For
example, maybe the argument is doing a fine job of telling you that one cause of a
recession is that wealth is too concentrated in a society. Yet the conclusion in the
argument says the ONLY cause of recession is that wealth is too concentrated Now
you know that the Flaw or Assumption or Weakness, etc. has to do with this use of
only a use which is not supported by the evidence.

If you can internalize these things you will be doing most of your work on Critical Reasoning
as you read the argument itself and as you analyze it. You will know what to focus on and may
even have a very strong idea of what the answer must be before you even move to the answer
choices. That is seeing critical reasoning the way an expert does.

Newland 173

6. Automatic Conclusion on Plan Questions (01/08/2014)

One of the major types of Critical Reasoning Questions on the GMAT is the Plan
Question. A Plan question features a PLAN and a GOAL, rather than the premises and
conclusion found in most critical reasoning questions.
Test takers are rightfully taught to seek out the conclusion in the stimulus, and this
technique usually pays off, but in the case of the plan type of question this can leave students
wondering, Why is there no conclusion? The reason that there is no conclusion is you bring the
conclusion with you.
The automatic conclusion to apply to any plan question is: The plan will achieve the
goal. Simply fill in what the PLAN is and what the GOAL is and you are ready for the answer
choices.
For a strengthen question, use the conclusion just as written above; for a weaken
question, the automatic conclusion becomes: The plan will NOT achieve the goal. For an
inference plan question in which you are asked to choose the plan, the conclusion becomes the
plan [the correct answer choice] will achieve the goal. If you focus on the PLAN and the
GOAL, these questions become much more understandable.
Try the following question from the Official Guide to the GMAT Verbal Review. Be sure
to identify the plan and the goal and use the automatic conclusion on this question.
Vitacorp, a manufacturer, wishes to make its information booth at an industry convention more
productive in terms of boosting sales. The booth offers information introducing the companys
new products and services. To achieve the desired result, Vitacorps marketing department will
attempt to attract more people to the booth. The marketing directors first measure was to instruct
each salesperson to call his or her five best customers and personally invite them to visit the
booth.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the prediction that the marketing
directors first measure will contribute to meeting the goal of boosting sales?
(A) Vitacorps salespeople routinely inform each important customer about new products and
services as soon as the decision to launch them has been made.
(B) Many of Vitacorps competitors have made plans for making their own information booths
more productive in increasing sales.
(C) An information booth that is well-attended tends to attract visitors who would not otherwise
have attended the booth.
(D) Most of Vitacorps best customers also have business dealings with Vitacorps competitors.
(E) Vitacorp has fewer new products and services available this year than it had in previous
years.
The GOAL is to make the information booth more productive in boosting sales; the
PLAN is for each salesperson to invite his or her five best customers to the booth.

Newland 174
Your job is to show that the PLAN will achieve the GOAL. In other words, which answer
choice indicates that taking this action will achieve this goal?
In this case, the action of inviting the best customers will result in a well-visited booth.
Since the people invited are already the best customers, they may not necessarily buy more from
Vitacorp, but answer choice C connects this to the GOAL. Choice C states An information
booth that is well attended tends to attract visitors who would not otherwise have attended the
booth. So a well-populated booth results in more attention and (presumably) more sales. By
using the framework of the plan and the conclusion, this question becomes more accessible. The
other answer choices are quickly eliminated as they do not show that the PLAN will achieve the
GOAL of boosting sales.
Focus on the Plan and the Goal and use the automatic conclusion to reach your goal of
answering plan questions correctly!

Newland 175

7. Turning an Assumption Question into an Inference (02/19/2014)

A better way to ace assumption questions is to accept the conclusion and the premises as
true and then see which answer choices must be true based on those. In other words turn the
assumption question into an inference question.
Although assumption questions are often categorized as a type of strengthen question,
they actually have much more in common with inference questions. Inference questions require
answers that must be true and most incorrect answer are out-of-scope. The same is true of
assumption questions. Since an assumption is required by the argument it essentially must be
true.
Lets take the simple example of a conclusion, this car is green. What are we
assuming? Are we assuming that all cars are green? No. That would be more appropriate as a
strengthen answer and is certainly not required as an assumption should be.
To find out what we are assuming we can treat this assumption as an inference. First we
accept the truth of the conclusion that this car is green. Then we look for the answer that must
be true. If this car is green it must be true that some cars are green. By accepting the premises
and the conclusion we can then simplify the process by looking for the answer choice that must
be true. This is the same technique that we use for an inference question!
Try this problem from Official Guide to the GMAT 13th edition (be sure to turn the
assumption into an inference):
Because no employee wants to be associated with bad news in the eyes of a superior,
information about serious problems at lower levels is progressively softened and distorted as it
goes up each step in the management hierarchy. The chief executive is, therefore, less well
informed about problems at lower levels than are his or her subordinates at those levels.
The conclusion drawn above is based on the assumption that
(A) problems should be solved at the level in the management hierarchy at which they occur
(B) employees should be rewarded for accurately reporting problems to their superiors
(C) problem-solving ability is more important at higher levels than it is at lower levels of the
management hierarchy
(D) chief executives obtain information about problems at lower levels from no source other than
their subordinates
(E) some employees are more concerned about truth than about the way they are perceived by
their superiors
Now treat the premises and the conclusion as true and find the answer choice that must be
true. Remember that like inference questions, most answers that you eliminate will be something
that is slightly out-of-scope of the stimulus.

Newland 176
Treating everything in the stimulus as a fact we find that 1) information about serious
problems is softened and distorted as it moves up in the management hierarchy and 2) the chief
executive is less well informed about serious problems at lower levels than are the people at
those levels. Now which answer must be true based on this information?
Choice A indicates where problems should be solved and is out-of-the scope of this
argument. The argument does not talk about what should happen but rather than the upper
management is less well informed. Choice B also talks about what should happen and while it
seems like a fine suggestion this is not something that must be true based on the argument.
Choice C is out-of-scope of this argument. You do not know where problem-solving is
most important based on this stimulus. Choice E seems reasonable but is also not something that
must be true. While it is likely that some employees are more concerned about truth, that is not
something that must be true based on these facts.
Choice D is the correct answer. If chief executives are less-well informed because
information is softened on the way to them, then it must be true that they do not have other ways
of obtaining more accurate information. If they did have other ways of obtaining this information
they would not be less-well informed.
Treat assumption questions like inference questions and you can quickly eliminate these
answer choices that seem reasonable, but are actually out-of-scope. Look for the answer that
must be true and you will be on your way to acing assumption questions.

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8. Putting Critical Reasoning in Context (04/29/2014)

The Veritas Prep Critical Reasoning book describes how each argument can be divided into three
portions: the conclusion, the evidence, and the context. The amount varies from question to
question, but there is no doubt that the contextor background informationis an important
part of critical reasoning. But why is it there?
We know that the conclusion is what the argument is designed to supporta particular action to
be taken or an opinion to be adopted. The evidence is the reason or reasons given in support of
the conclusion. But what about the context? What role does the context play?
Finding the Context
Try separating the following argument into the context, evidence, and conclusion. (This question
comes from the Official Guide for the GMAT Review, 13th edition; it is problem 122 on page
537.)
Outsourcing is the practice of obtaining from an independent supplier a product or service that a
company has previously provided for itself. Since a companys chief objective is to realize the
highest possible year-end profits, any product or service that can be obtained from an
independent supplier for less than it would cost the company to provide the product or service on
its own should be outsourced.
Conclusion: Always start by identifying the conclusion (for those question types that have a
conclusion).
The conclusion here is any product or service that can be obtained from an independent supplier
for less than it would cost the company to provide the product or service on its own should be
outsourced.
Evidence: Pay careful attention to the evidence, as this is the reasoning given in favor of the
conclusion.
The evidence in this argument is a companys chief objective is to realize the highest possible
year-end profits
Context: The context is neither evidence nor conclusion it is a statement that introduces the
argument.
The context here is the first sentence: Outsourcing is the practice of obtaining from an
independent supplier a product or service that a company has previously provided for itself.
What role does the context play?
Clearly your attention should be focused on the evidence and the conclusion. This is where the
path to the correct answer lies. But what role does the context play? Why is the context there if it
is not something to focus on?

Newland 178
The context plays two roles:
1) Fairness. The context is there to ensure that the critical reasoning section is not a vocabulary
test. It ensures cultural and linguistic fairness so everyone has a chance to answer correctly if
they apply the right logic. This is a good thing.
In the example above, outsourcing may not be defined clearly enough in the evidence and
conclusion. The context makes it absolutely clear what outsourcing refers to.
2) Distraction. The context is also there for a not-so-generous reason: Many of the incorrect
answer choices are based on focusing too much on the context. The context can also just
generally distract those test takers who do not know exactly what to focus on. Some people may
find that they are taking notes on the context or just giving it too much time and attention.
The key, therefore, is to treat the context appropriately. The context is to be absorbed in order to
set the tone for the evidence and the conclusion, as well as to ensure that you understand the
topic being discussed. Too much focus on the context, however, can lead you to waste time and
even select the wrong answer.
Focus on the conclusion and the evidence and allow the context to introduce and clarify the
argumentbut not to dominate your thinking. You may find you are more successful when you
put critical reasoning in context!

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9. Shift the Burden on Inference Questions (06/25/2014)

The correct answer to an inference question is the answer that must be true based on the facts
given in the stimulus. This is an imposing standard for an answer choice to try to meet.
Yet there are times when the way the answer choice is worded actually shifts the balance so that
the answer is presumed to be true unless it is disproven. It is in your best interests to look closely
at such an answer choice, because there is a good chance that it is the correct answer.
Take the following: Atmospheric waves might not be the only factor that effects the formation
of hurricanes. This answer choice effectively shifts the burden so that the only way might not
be the only factor would be untrue is if it can be shown that atmospheric waves ARE the only
factor that effects the formation of hurricanes.
This is a complete reversal. Instead of presuming that the answer could be false and looking for
information that would make it true, you can presume that the answer is true and only eliminate
if definite information shows it is false.
Take the following two statements: I will win the lottery. I might win the lottery. The first
statement takes an incredibly high level of proof. Basically the lottery has to be rigged for you
to know for sure that you will win. But for the second statement to be true, you just need to have
an lottery ticket. Sure, the odds are against your winning, but until you actually lose, you still
might win. The second statement would be the correct answer if the stimulus merely indicates
that you hold a lottery ticket.
A word like might is a great way to shift the burden, but even without it, an answer choice can
still shift the burden. Lets reword our previous example about hurricanes: Atmospheric waves
cannot be the only factor that affects the formation of hurricanes. This statement is no longer
just a possibility; it is a definite statement and seems to be harder to prove. In fact, all that is
needed to make this the correct answer is one example in the stimulus of a hurricanes formation
being influenced by something other than the atmospheric waves. Cannot be the only is
another great way to shift the burden.
Try the following question from the Veritas Prep Critical Reasoning book. Be sure to look for
the answer choice that shifts the burden.
In a recent study, a group of subjects had their normal daily caloric intake increased by 25
percent. This increase was entirely in the form of alcohol. Another group of similar subjects had
alcohol replace nonalcoholic sources of 25 percent of their normal daily caloric intake. All
subjects gained body fat over the course of study, and the amount of body fat gained was the
same for both groups.
Which one of following is most strongly supported by the information above?
(A) Alcohol is metabolized more quickly by the body than are other food and drinks.
(B) In [the] general population, alcohol is the primary cause of gains in body fat.

Newland 180
(C) An increased amount of body fat does not necessarily imply a weight gain.
(D) Body-fat gain is not dependent solely on the number of calories one consumes.
(E) The proportion of calories from alcohol in a diet is more significant for body fat gain than are
the total calories from alcohol.
Did you see which one shifts the burden? Answer Choice D. The statement, Body fat gain is not
dependent solely on the number of calories one consumes, requires only that some other factor
also affects body-fat gain. The stimulus gives you that factor in the form of alcohol consumption.
The stimulus also indicates that one group increased its calorie intake and the other group did
not, yet both groups gained the same amount of body fat. Clearly calories are not the only factor
in body fat gain, and Choice D is correct.
When you find an answer choice that shifts the burden on an inference question, pay close
attention, because that answer choice just might be correct.

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10. Watch for Negations in Critical Reasoning (12/03/2014)

There are many types of signal words in critical reasoning, and each is very useful. One type of
signal word that is often overlooked may be the most helpful of all: the negative transition, often
called a contradiction or a negation. Examples of negation signal words include but, yet,
however, on the other hand, and on the contrary.
A negation helps you break down the argument. A negation indicates strong disagreement
with the proceeding text. This can allow you to quickly see the organization of the argument.
Here is an example from the GMATPrep Practice Exam: A museum has been offered an
undocumented statue, supposedly Greek and from the sixth century B.C. Possibly the statue is
genuine but undocumented because it was recently unearthed or because it has been privately
owned. However, an ancient surface usually has uneven weathering, whereas the surface of this
statue has the uniform quality characteristically produced by a chemical bath used by forgers to
imitate a weathered surface. Therefore, the statue is probably a forgery.
The negation in this stimulus is the word however. Everything that comes before however is
part of the context of the argument. Those first two sentences are simply designed to set the stage
and get you ready for the evidence and the conclusion. The context lets you know that the
argument is about a statue that may be a genuine antique.
After the negation, we find the evidence and the conclusion of this argument. This is always true.
The evidence for the conclusion, as well as the conclusion itself, cannot come before the
negation word. Both the evidence and the conclusion must come after the negation. So when you
find a negation word, you know that the organization of the argument is: first, context that is at
least partially contradicted, then the negation, and finally the evidence and the conclusion.
The logic is this: If the evidence or the conclusion were placed before the negation, the author
would then be negating the evidence, or worse yet, the authors conclusion. For example, a
GMAT expert will never give you a strategy for Critical Reasoning and then follow it with but
this cannot be true.
For this argument, the evidence is the uniform nature of the weathering on the statue. The
conclusion is that the statue is probably a forgery. If this is a strengthen question, you can

Newland 182
strengthen the argument with new information solidifying the link between the use of a chemical
bath and the production of a forgery.
If this is a weaken question, you can weaken it by breaking that same link. You could show, for
example, that a chemical bath is used in some way not connected to forgeries. In fact, on
GMATPrep, this is a weaken question and the correct answer is The chemical bath that forgers
use was at one time used by dealers and collectors to remove the splotchy surface appearance of
genuinely ancient sculptures.
Sometimes the negation is the conclusion. In certain cases, the negation signal word actually
gives you the conclusion. This happens whenever the author states another persons conclusion
and then promptly negates it, as in the following example: Some people argue that reading
articles online is distracting, but this cannot be true because you are reading this article now and
you are not distracted.
In the above sentence, the negation but this cannot be true not only contradicts the preceding
text but serves as the conclusion of the argument. The conclusion is it cannot be true that
reading articles online is distracting. The portion after the negation serves as the evidence for
the argument. In this case, the evidence is the example of a person reading online and not being
distracted.
Negation signal words are some of the most useful words in all of critical reasoning. They help
you to quickly and accurately break down an argument and can even establish the main
conclusion. Sure, youll still want to read every word in the stimulus. However, some words
such as negationsare significantly more important than others and are worthy of extra
attention. Watch for negations and improve your critical reasoning.

Newland 183

11. Mastering Critical Reasoning 'Evaluate' Questions (10/29/2014)

If you are planning to score well on the critical reasoning portion of the GMAT, you should
master a lesser-known type of question. This type, Most Useful to Know in Order to Evaluate
(or just Evaluate, for brevity) is one of questions most frequently encountered by high-scoring
test-takers.
How to identify evaluate questions
Most people preparing for the GMAT quickly become familiar with three main types of
conclusion-based questionsnamely, strengthen, weaken, and assumption. These are called
conclusion-based because each of these types focuses specifically on a conclusion in the
stimulus.
Evaluate questions are the fourth type of conclusion-based questions. To answer these
questions, you supply the question, statistic, or other information that would be the most useful
information in evaluating the strength (or weakness) of the conclusion.
Examples of question stems for evaluate questions are:
In evaluating the argument, which of the following would it be most useful to establish?
Which of the following must be studied in order to evaluate the argument presented above?
One reason the strength of the experts claim cannot be properly evaluated is that
How to address evaluate questions
Once you have identified the question as an evaluate question, read the stimulus as you would
for strengthen or weaken questions: Meaning, read carefully and be sure to identify the evidence
and the conclusion. Remember that this is a conclusion-based type of question; it is the
conclusion in the stimulus that you hope to evaluate with the information from the correct
answer choice.
Once you have the conclusion and the evidence, look for the logical gap between them. This is
the same technique you would use for strengthen, weaken, or assumption questions. The
difference is in what you want the answer choice to do. You are looking for the answer choice
that asks a question or points to a statistic that would either strengthen or weaken, depending on
the information given.
Try the following example from the Official Guide for GMAT Review 2015:

Newland 184
In the past the country of Malvernia has relied heavily on imported oil. Malvernia recently
implemented a program to convert heating systems from oil to natural gas. Malvernia currently
produces more natural gas each year than it uses, and oil production in Malvernian oil fields is
increasing at a steady pace. If these trends in fuel production and usage continue, therefore,
Malvernian reliance on foreign sources [of] fuel is likely to decline soon.
Which of the following would be most useful to establish in evaluating the argument?
(A) When, if ever, will production of oil in Malvernia outstrip production of natural gas?
(B) Is Malvernia among the countries that rely most on imported oil?
(C) What proportion of Malvernias total energy needs is met by hydroelectric, solar, and nuclear
power?
(D) Is the amount of oil used each year in Malvernia for generating electricity and fuel for
transportation increasing?
(E) Have any existing oil-burning heating systems in Malvernia already been converted to
natural-gas-burning heating systems?
The conclusion to this argument is, Malvernian reliance on foreign sources for fuel is likely to
decline soon, and the evidence is that Malvernia has plenty of natural gas and will be using
natural gas for heating. Additionally, Malvernia is increasing oil production.
The correct answer to this question is the one that, when answered one way, will strengthen the
argument and, when answered the other way, will weaken it. That answer choice is D, Is the
amount of oil used each year in Malvernia for generating electricity and fuel for transportation
increasing?
If the answer is no, the conclusion is definitely strengthened. With more domestic oil
production and with natural gas used for heat, if the oil used for electricity and transportation is
not increasing, Malvernias reliance on foreign sources of fuel is likely to decrease. And if the
answer is yes, more oil will be required in the future, and even with more domestic oil
production, it is unlikely that the reliance on foreign oil will decrease. This is the answer that is

Newland 185
balanced between strengthening and weakening. None of the other answer choices asks questions
that could either strengthen or weaken the conclusion.
If you want to master evaluate questions and maximize your critical reasoning score, look for
that answer choice that does not strengthen or weaken but is balanced between the two.

Newland 186

12. Use the AWA to Study for Critical Reasoning (11/18/2014)

Many students wait to study the Analytical Writing Assessment section until the last moment.
After all, this essay is not part of the 200 to 800 score, so why begin studying this section early?
There is one fact, however, that is often overlooked: Studying for the AWA can train you to
better analyze the stimulus on critical reasoning.
The prompt for an AWA essay is essentially a critical reasoning argument complete with
premises and a conclusion. Your task is to break down the argument looking for flaws in the
reasoning and gaps in the logic. Because you have 30 minutes to analyze this single prompt, you
can give this argument a particularly focused examination.
Being Critical on Critical Reasoning
The focus required to thoroughly assess an AWA prompt can carry over to the critical reasoning
questions on the verbal section of the exam. Many students find that after studying for the AWA
they are better able to take a more critical approach to critical reasoning. The AWA essay is all
about the flaws in the argument, so practice in this area can help you focus on gaps in the logic
of critical reasoning arguments.
Try the following AWA prompt. Treat it as if its a flawed argument in critical reasoning. What
flaws, assumptions, and other gaps in logic do you see?
The following appeared in a speech delivered by a member of the city council:
Twenty years ago, only half of the students who graduated from Einstein High School went on
to attend a college or university. Today, two-thirds of the students who graduate from Einstein
do so. Clearly, Einstein has improved its educational effectiveness over the past two decades.
This improvement has occurred despite the fact that the schools funding, when adjusted for
inflation, is about the same as it was 20 years ago. Therefore we do not need any substantial
increase in the schools funding at this time.
Analyze the Prompt
Begin by identifying the conclusion of this argument. The conclusion: Therefore we do not
need any substantial increase in the schools funding at this time. Next, find the primary
evidence for this conclusion. The only actual evidence for this conclusion is that 20 years ago
one-half of graduates from Einstein High School went to college and today that proportion is

Newland 187
two-thirds. The argument also mentions that this has occurred despite no actual increases in the
schools funding.
Find the Flaws
The measure of success used in this argument is flawed. There are many possible reasons why
graduates of Einstein High School may be going to college in higher numbers. It is possible that
college is now easier to get into than it was 20 years ago. There may also be more of an
expectation that everyone will go to college. The evidence also fails to indicate what level of
success the Einstein graduates have at college now compared with 20 years ago.
Even if the graduates of Einstein do have more success in college now (something that has not
been proven), this may not be a result of increased effectiveness of the high school. Perhaps
students arrive at Einstein better prepared now, or perhaps they come from families that are more
intent on educational achievement. And of course nothing in this argument justifies the
conclusion that additional funding is not needed. Even if Einstein has increased its educational
effectiveness over the past 20 years, the school may still be in desperate need of funds.
Such a detailed analysis of an argument can help you spot assumptions (such as the assumption
that college admissions today can be meaningful compared with admissions 20 years ago) or
flaws or gaps in reasoning (such as the gap between educational effectiveness and levels of
funding). These are precisely the things you need to identify to become more proficient at critical
reasoning.
If you want to get better at critical reasoning, it just might be time for you to stop putting off that
AWA and start breaking down these arguments.

Newland 188

J. SENTENCE CORRECTION
1. Watch Out for Zombiesin Sentence Correction (01/29/2011)
A few years ago, vampires were big in popular culture. A certain teen vampire series sold
millions of copies and had people of all ages worked up about the virtues of vampires. But now
people seem to be moving away from vampires in the direction of another, more sinister type of
monster zombies! Several new movies and even a new television show featuring these
creatures have appeared recently. Perhaps these screenwriters are trying to help you improve
your sentence correction?
What precisely is a zombie and what does it have to do with sentence correction?
According to West African tradition, a zombie is a person that has come back from the dead to
walk again. In that tradition a zombie is usually controlled by a powerful sorcerer. In the last
several decades, the zombie concept has been appropriated by American culture and has been
used in a variety of different stories. But one thing remains the same in all zombie stories
zombies are always up to no good! Zombies never come back to clean your house or do a little
gardening. They always want to harm you and they are always dangerous!
A Zombie in sentence correction is an answer choice that you have eliminated for a
good reason, but that you bring back to life later on as you are working through the question. For
example, you will notice that a particular answer choice uses a singular verb when a plural verb
is necessary and so you correctly eliminate that choice. Then as you evaluate the remaining
choices, you find that none of them sounds good to you and so, in desperation, you return to a
choice that you have already eliminated. In the best case scenario you simply wasted some of
you valuable time re-evaluating this choice and you conclude, again, that it is incorrect. In the
worst case, you convince yourself that this is the best choice and you answer incorrectly. But
whatever happens, these sentence correction zombies are here to do great harm to your GMAT
score!
Try this question that I adapted from the Veritas Prep Sentence Correction 2 book:
Featured in circuses for more than a century, trapeze artists perform acrobatic maneuvers while
hanging by the ankles from swings, rebalancing so frequently that spectators see only his
continuous fluid movement.
(A) trapeze artists perform acrobatic maneuvers while hanging by their ankles from swings,
rebalancing so frequently
(B) trapeze artists perform acrobatic maneuvers while hanging by their ankles from swings,
rebalancing frequently enough
(C) trapeze artists use their ankles to hang from swings, perform acrobatic maneuvers, and
rebalance so frequently

Newland 189
(D) the trapeze artist hangs from swings by the ankles, performing acrobatic maneuvers and
rebalancing so frequently
(E) the trapeze artist hangs from swings by his ankles, performs acrobatic maneuvers, and he
rebalances frequently enough
The first the thing that you might notice is the 3/2 split between trapeze artists in
choices A, B, and C and the trapeze artist in choices D and E. This is a classic singular versus
plural decision point. Now that we have identified a decision point we look to see if there are
clues in the sentence that will help to make the choice. In this case we have his continuous fluid
movement at the end of the sentence. The pronoun his is part of the sentence that does not
change. Therefore we know that the antecedent to this singular pronoun must also be singular. So
the trapeze artist is correct. Answer choices A, B, and C are eliminated.
Evaluating Choices D and E we find that the list in choice E in not parallel. The trapeze
artist hangs, performs, and he rebalances The he ruins the parallelism of the list.
Choice E also uses the unidiomatic phrase he rebalances frequently enough that spectators see
only however, idioms can be tricky and if another option is available it is often better to leave
the idioms for last.
What about Answer Choice D? Is this a sentence you would have written? Featured in
circuses for more than a century, the trapeze artist hangs from swings by the ankles, performing
acrobatic maneuvers and rebalancing so frequently that spectators see only his continuous fluid
movement. Many students find this sentence to be awkward, even mildly unpleasant.
Something about a sentence that sounds this strange makes students doubt themselves and return
to the other choices. Suddenly Choice A does not seem so bad. There is even the subtle
difference between Choices A and B, where B has rebalancing frequently enough that we
know is unidiomatic. It would not be difficult for a test taker to be convinced to go with Choice
A and to think that he or she was clever for choosing the proper idiom, forgetting that a minute
ago Choice A was conclusively eliminated due to a solid singular-plural decision point.
This is why it is so important not to reconsider answer choices once you eliminated them.
NO ZOMBIES! When a choice is gone, it should stay gone. Here is a process to help you with
that:

Process of Elimination
Sentence Correction is a process of elimination and you have to be able to trust that the
answers you have eliminated are indeed incorrect. This is the key to efficient and accurate work
in sentence correction. It does not matter how you eliminate choices, whether you know that
something is a relative clause that does not modify the noun immediately preceding it or whether
you simply know that this word used in this location does not sound right. Whatever method you
use you need to be confident and not second guess yourself.
The best way to be confident in your decision to eliminate an answer choice is to make
your first eliminations based on your best decision point first. Great decision points have a

Newland 190
definite right and wrong answer: Singular/ plural, verb tense, and misplaced modifier, are
examples of decision points that have a right answer and, more importantly, a wrong answer. A
Great decision point is also one that you are confident in using. It may be the case that a
particular idiom is right and another wrong, but it does not help if you do not know which is
which.

Avoid Zombies
1. Use your best decision point first. There are often multiple differences between the
answer choices on a single sentence correction problem. Because you are not going to reevaluate an answer choice once you have eliminated it, it is important that you use your
best decision point first. This means a decision point that is a choice between two
alternatives where one is right and the other is wrong and you are confident that you
know which is correct.
2. Always keep track of your eliminations. On sentence correction a simple A E on your
scratch paper can help you know which choices are eliminated so that you never bring
them back as Zombies.
3. NO Zombies! Once you are used to the fact that answer choices that have been
eliminated stay eliminated you can avoid those troublesome Zombies. And if you really
do not like the way an answer choice sounds you can quickly remind yourself of the
reasons you eliminated the other choices.
Vampires might be teen heartthrobs and they can even help you with your sentence
correction, but Zombies are never attractive and never helpful. Luckily, if you stay alert you can
avoid Zombies on the GMAT if not at the movie theater.

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2. Split the Pair in Sentence Correction (04/12/2011)

If the option is there, split the pair
In the game of Black Jack the odds are tilted in favor of the dealer. One of the things that
the player can do to try to improve her odds is to split the pair. For example, if the player is
dealt two aces not a very promising hand in Black Jack- she can split the pair and get dealt a
second a card for each ace thereby greatly improving her odds of winning the hand. No
experienced Black Jack player would fail to take advantage of the opportunity to split a pair of
aces. As an experienced GMAT test-taker you should follow their lead and remember to split the
pair to improve your odds on sentence correction.
In sentence correction, you are sometimes presented with a pair of nouns, usually the
names of people, followed by a modifier. For example, Susan and Stacey, whose hair is blonde,
own 17 acres of farmland. The question is: whose hair is blonde? Clearly Staceys hair is
blonde, but is Susans hair also blonde? The sentence is ambiguous.
What if one or more of the answer choices offers you another option? Stacey, whose
hair is blonde, and Susan own 17 acres of farmland. This sentence may sound a little choppy,
but it has the virtue of specificity. It is clear that Staceys hair is blonde. The modifier is
specifically applied to one of the two people. On the GMAT this is preferred. But what if they
both, in fact, have blonde hair? That is not your concern; specificity is. They will not give you the
option to split the pair if it is not accurate.
Consider the following example from the Veritas Prep Sentence Correction Book 2:
Originally called Back Rub, the founders of Google were two Stanford PhD students, Sergey
Brin and Larry Page, whose father Dr. Carl Victor Page earned his doctorate in computer science
from the University of Michigan.
A) Originally called Back Rub, the founders of Google were two Stanford PHD students,
Sergey Brin and Larry Page, whose father Dr. Carl Victor Page earned his doctorate in computer
science from the University of Michigan.
B) Originally called Back Rub, two Stanford PhD students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, whose
father Dr. Carl Victor Page earned his doctorate in computer science from the University of
Michigan, were the founders of Google.
C) Originally called Back Rub, Google was founded by two Stanford PHD students, Larry
Page, whose father Dr. Carl Victor Page earned his doctorate in computer science from the
University of Michigan, and Sergey Brin.
D) Google was founded by two Stanford PHD students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, whose
father Dr. Carl Victor Page earned his doctorate in computer science from the University of
Michigan, and was originally called Back Rub.

Newland 192
E) The founders being two Stanford PHD students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, whose father
Dr. Carl Victor Page earned his doctorate in computer science from the University of Michigan,
Google was originally called BackRub.
The question is similar to one in the Official Guide 12th Edition. It illustrates the logic of
splitting the pair. The first modifier Originally called Back Rub is misplaced in answer choices
A and B. This is the modifier error that draws the attention of most test takers. However, the
modifier that I want to focus on is whose father Dr. Carl Victor Page earned his doctorate in
computer science from the University of Michigan. In answer choices A, B, D, and E this
modifier might be applied to both Sergey Brin and Larry Page or it might be applied to Larry
Page only. (Before you tell me that Carl Victor Page cannot be the father of both of these men
because they have different last names think of Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen look it up).
Only in answer choice C do they split the pair. In this choice it is clear that the modifier
applies only to Larry Page. This is the preferred form on the GMAT and, when it is offered, you
should look to profit from splitting the pair of nouns in the same way that a Black Jack player
profits from splitting her pair of aces. When youre playing against a mammoth organization
with all the advantages the house, in Black Jack, or GMAC on the GMAT you need to take
advantage of any rules or techniques that shift the odds in your favor.
Take advantage of the split the pair technique and let the chips fall where they
mayprobably right into your hand.

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3. No Relatives, No Problems on Sentence Correction (05/17/2012)

We love our relatives most of the time. What would holidays be without relatives?
Sometimes we even need them (Dad can I borrow some money?). But chances are that you
have had a relative who has stayed too long on a visitor perhaps you are that relative! One
thing is clear: in certain circumstances, when the relatives are gone so are the problems.

Moving Out the Relatives on Sentence Correction

A relative clause is a type of modifier that is used to modify a noun. The most common
relative pronouns are who, whose, whom, which, that, and where. An example is The man
who mows our lawn recently won the lottery. The relative clause who mows our lawn
modifies the noun man and makes it clear which man we are talking about.
The clause can be set off by commas if the information is not necessary for a clear
identification. For example, My car, which has recently been repaired, is a sedan. You can see
that the relative clause which has recently been repaired is not necessary for identification
since most of us only have one car.

Relative Clauses Are the Source of Many Errors on the GMAT

The rules for relative clauses are very restrictive. They must modify a noun; they cannot
modify action. And they must modify the nearest noun preceding the clause.
Here is an example from the Veritas Prep Sentence Correction 2 book:
It rained yesterday, which forced the organizers to cancel the event.
This example has an error the relative clause is modifying the action. It was the fact that
it was raining that forced the organizers to cancel the event. Since yesterday is the nearest
preceding noun the relative clause it is supposed to be modifying yesterday, but that would
simply be illogical.
It is, of course, possible to fix a problem with a relative clause by modifying the sentence
in order to keep the clause.
Yesterdays rain, which forced the organizers to cancel the event, was unexpected.
However, as you can see we have really manipulated the sentence to make this work.
Perhaps this is why official GMAT questions seem to rarely do this. By far the most commonly
correct way to eliminate a relative clause error on sentence correction is simply to eliminate
the relative clause altogether!
It rained yesterday and as a result the organizers cancelled the event.

Newland 194
As you can see it is actually much easier to eliminate the relative clause altogether. No
relatives, no problems!
Here is another example:
The deposit that I put on the house, which is nonrefundable, is in jeopardy if I cannot close this
month.
The error here is that the second relative clause which is nonrefundable logically
modifies the word deposit not the nearest preceding noun, house. Note that the other relative
clause that I put on the house is not misplaced since it properly modifies the adjacent noun
deposit.
The nonrefundable deposit that I put on the house
Again, the corrected versions simply eliminate the misplaced relative clause.
Now lets look at a problem from the Official Guide 13th Edition:
Unlike the original National Museum of Science and Technology in Italy, where the models are
encased in glass or operated only by staff members, the Virtual Leonardo Project, an online
version of the museum, encourages visitors to touch each exhibit, which thereby activates the
animated functions of the piece.
A. exhibit, which thereby activates
B. exhibit, in turn an activation of
C. exhibit, and it will activate
D. exhibit and thereby activate
E. exhibit which, as a result, activates
As you can see the original sentence has a relative clause error. The relative clause
which thereby activates does not logically modify exhibit, and yet, according to the rules of
grammar that is the noun that it must modify. In informal English modifying phrases are often
misplaced, but on the GMAT this is just the sort of error that is tested!
So answer choice A is eliminated due to the misplaced relative clause. Answer choice B
is extremely awkward; this is a signal from the test writers that we should eliminate it. It also
appears to be a new clause without a verb. Answer choice C has the pronoun it but it has no
antecedent so that there is nothing to do the activating. Finally, like choice A, answer choice E
features the misplaced relative pronoun which.
Answer Choice D is the correct answer. In this choice the relative clause is simply
eliminated. The new sentence clearly indicates who it is that is activating the animated
functionsthe answer choice reads: encourages visitors to touch each exhibit and thereby
activate the animated functions of the piece. The infinitive verb form touch is used and the
parallel infinitive activate is also used.

Newland 195
As you can see from these examples, when it comes to misplaced relative clauses the
easiest remedy is to remove the clause all together. No relativesno problems! (and no, Mom, I
didnt mean you!)
*Question courtesy of GMAC, Official Guide for GMAT Review, 13th Edition.

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4. The Five Criteria of Sentence Correction (01/03/2013)

You probably already know that sentence correction is pure process of elimination. There
is no such thing as the Best answer in sentence correction, only one that is better than the
others. You will often find that you select as the correct answer a sentence that you never would
have written. As discussed in the Veritas Prep Advanced Verbal lesson, the incorrect answer is
often made to look better by the use of an expected phrase and the correct answer is often hidden
behind a strangely-worded yet still correct option.
But what are the standards for eliminating sentences?
In the Official Guide GMAT Review the test writers mention several reasons for
eliminating answer choices: Grammar, of course, in all of its forms (think of the errors in
IMPACTS); Meaning that is not logical (this is actually the I in IMPACTS Illogical
Meaning); Wordiness; Awkwardness; Confusion; and Lack of Clarity.
The Five Criteria
I have distilled these official reasons for eliminating answer choices down into five criteria.
These criteria should be applied in the following order:

Grammar and Logic These two categories together form your initial standard for
eliminating answer choices. Errors in Grammar and Logic are captured in the IMPACTS
acronym.Of the IMPACTS errors, Illogical Meaning, Misplaced Modifiers, and Verb
Tense or Timeline Errors are all primarily based on logic. When a modifier is said to be
misplaced it is because that modifier does not logically modify what it seems to modify.
Tense of Timeline errors occur because it is not logical for things to happen in a certain
order. For someone to seemingly write a book before he was born is an error in logic
after all the grammar could be perfectly acceptable.
Clarity and Specificity If the sentence appears not to have any errors in grammar and
logic then you move to the next two criteria: the answer choice must be clear and
specific. GMAC has made it plain: they prefer a sentence that can only be interpreted in
only one way and that reads clearly.
Brevity If all else is equal if the remaining choices have no errors in grammar or
logic that you can see, if the choices are equally clear and specific then GMAC has
made it clear that wordiness if not correct and that brevity is. This criterion cannot be
applied too early however, since a longer, wordy answer choice that provides clarity is
preferred to a short choice that is illogical or vague.

Use the five criteria of sentence correction along with Veritas techniques such as IMPACTS,
Decision Points, and Slash and Burn and you will be on your way to sentence correction
perfection!

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5. End Verb-on-Verb Violence (08/02/2013)

Some sentence correction questions have answer choices that commit the GMAT
felony that I call verb-on-verb violence. If you encounter such an answer choice you
should not hesitate to eliminate!
Verbs are interesting elements of the GMAT. They are like the younger members of a
large family. When joined in lists and pairs they must be parallel, just as brothers and sisters
often have a strong resemblance to one another. However, just as brothers and sisters are known
to quarrel if they are kept in close proximity for example having to share one bedroom growing
up, or having to ride in the back seat of a car on a long trip verbs need their own space, too.
You cannot simply place two verbs together without expecting some bad results. Take the
sentence, I ran home, called her on the phone. You can see that the verbs are not separated by a
conjunction, so this will not work. The comma is not sufficient separation. However, if these are
two of the items on a list, it could work. As in, I ran home, called her on the phone, and then
drove to see her. If there are just two items you will need something more than a comma to
separate the verbs.
Try this example from the Veritas Prep Advanced Verbal Strategy Book:
An extract of the plant Decalepis hamiltonii, which has proved helpful in protecting brain cells
from the damaging effects of alcohol, is grown across India, where it has been used in traditional
folk medicine for centuries.
(A) An extract of the plant Decalepis hamiltonii, which has proved helpful in protecting brain
cells from the damaging effects of alcohol,
(B) An extract, which has proved helpful in protecting brain cells from the damaging effects of
alcohol, comes from the plant Decalepis hamiltonii,
(C) A Decalepis hamiltonii extract, which has proved helpful in protecting brain cells from the
damaging effects of alcohol,
(D) The Decalepis hamiltonii plant has an extract, which has proved helpful in protecting brain
cells from the damaging effects of alcohol,
(E) The Decalepis hamiltonii plant, an extract of which has proved helpful in protecting brain
cells from the damaging effects of alcohol,
Please direct your attention to answer choices B and D. If you reduce choice B to its
essentials it becomes An extractcomes from the plantis grown across India As you can
see, the two verbs comes from and is grown - are parallel in form and tense but with no
separation this is an example of verb-on-verb violence.

Newland 198
Just a little separation is all that is needed! If this answer choice simply read An
extractcomes from the plantAND is grown across India this would provide a buffer and
prevent this GMAT felony from occurring. Of course, this would not necessarily become the
correct answer, but it would solve the verb-on-verb violence issue.
Choice D commits the same crime. D reads The Decalepis hamiltonii plant has an
extractis grown across India Once again the verbs have no buffer. Has and is grown
are parallel but they need some separation. And would work here, as it worked for choice B:
The plant has an extract AND is grown across India.
The remaining choices can be addressed based on logical meaning. Answer choice A
illogically states that the extract is grown across India. This can be clearly seen when the
modifier is ignored. The choice then reads An extract of the plant Decalepis hamiltoniiis
grown across India. Choice C makes the same error, A Decalepis hamiltonii extractis grown
across India.
Answer choice E is the correct answer. The modifier is properly placed and the meaning
is logical. And most importantly for our discussion, it avoids any GMAT felonies based on the
crime of verb-on-verb violence.

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6. What Do Relatives and Sentence Correction Have in Common on the GMAT?

(11/26/2013)
The holiday season is upon us in much of the world, and in the U.S. there is a special
holiday this year called Thanksgivikkah! This is a combination of the words Thanksgiving
and Hanukkah (The first full day of Hanukkah happens to be on November 28th this year the
same day as Thanksgiving in the U.S. This has never happened before and will not happen again
in any of our lifetimes).
Of course the holidays also include Christmas, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, New
Years and many other special times and that means one thing: RELATIVES. Lots and lots of
RELATIVES.
You know that your relatives have some special requirements, Aunt Judith cannot eat
onions and Grandpa will not sit at the table but must eat while in his recliner in front of the
television. The kids dont like green beans and if there is no pumpkin pie Uncle Dan will actually
boycott dinner. (I am sure that in other parts of the world the relatives are just as weird as here in
the U.S.).
Add to that the fact that your house only has two bathrooms for 15 people and sometimes
suddenly it seems like the only way to restore sanity is for the relatives to be GONE!
The same is true on sentence correction. RELATIVE Clauses are modifiers that
have some very special requirements and sometimes the best way to make the sentence
work is to remove the relative clause altogether. That is what I wrote about in an article called
No relatives, no problems on Sentence Correction.
The main point of that article is that sometimes relatives and relative clauses are
just too much and it might be easier to get along without them for a little while. For
sentence correction this means that relative clauses are very easily misplaced and that
switching the relative clause for some other modifier can often fix the problem.

Thanksgivukkah!
But today I am here to CELEBRATE relatives as we approach Thanksgivukkah and all of
the other holidays. Sometimes relatives and relative clauses bring something special that
nothing else can bring. And a Holiday or a sentence would not be complete without them.
Specifically, relative clauses are very specific, so if they are not misplaced (which as
I mentioned above is an easy thing to do) then the relative clause is likely to be the correct
answer! Sometimes switching the relative clause for another modifier is not an
improvement.
Try this example from the Official Guide 13th edition (it is about a family!):

Newland 200
The 32 species that make up the dolphin family are closely related to whales and in fact include
the animal known as the killer whale, which can grow to be 30 feet long and is famous for its
aggressive hunting pods.
A. include the animal known as the killer whale, which can grow to be 30 feet long and is
B. include the animal known as the killer whale, growing as big as 30 feet long and
C. include the animal known as the killer whale, growing up to 30 feet long and being
D. includes the animal known as the killer whale, which can grow as big as 30 feet long and is
E. includes the animal known as the killer whale, which can grow to be 30 feet long and it is
The first difference (or decision point as we call it in the Veritas Prep Sentence
Correction Book) is at the very beginning of the answer choices: it is the plural include versus
the singular includes. In this case you can see two clues that point in the right direction. If you
were to strip the early part of this sentence of unnecessary modifiers the sentence becomes, The
32 speciesare closely related andinclude
The subject is 32 species and The 32 speciesinclude not includes. Also, the verb
includes must be parallel in number to the verb phrase are closely related, which is clearly
plural.
So answer choices D and E are out. Leaving you with A, B, and C. The first portion of
the answer choice is identical for each of these three, but each has a different modifier after the
word whale. Only answer choice A has the relative pronoun which. The other two answers
have the participial phrase beginning with growing.
As indicated in the official GMAC explanation, the participial is ambiguous in that
growing could refer to the 32 species as well as to the Killer Whale. This is a time when
you want the clarity of a relative clause. Because the relative clause specifically applies to
the closest prior noun Killer Whales there is no ambiguity.
There are times, like Thanksgivukkah, and the holidays in general, when you want your
relatives around! They have specific idiosyncrasies, but you are used to their ways, after all they
are your family. Relative Clauses have very specific requirements as well and they are easy to
misplace. But when they are not misplaced, relative clauses are clear and specific and can be a
strong choice. Happy Holiday season!

Newland 201

7. You Are Not the Decision-Maker on Sentence Correction (12/24/2013)

The Winter Olympics are coming in February, and that means judges will be making
difficult decisions in choosing the winners. The good news on sentence correction is that you are
not like an Olympic judge; you do not have to choose the winner. The correct answer has already
been chosen by the test makers; you just have to recognize it.
The true decision-maker in sentence correction is not you. It is the portion of the sentence
that controls the decision point. As described in the Veritas Prep Sentence Correction book, a
decision point is a difference in the answer choices that is used to help eliminate one or more
answers. The decision-maker is a term that means the portion of the sentence that controls the
decision point. Essentially, sentence correction can be described as the process of bringing
together the decision point and the decision maker.
Take a look at this question and focus on the decision points and the decision makers:
The demand for professors in highly vocational fields like business, law, and the applied
sciences remain strong despite a difficult job market for most Ph.D. graduates seeking to teach in
academia.
fields like business, law, and the applied sciences remain
fields like those of business, law, and the applied sciences remain
fields such as business, law, and the applied sciences remains
fields such as business, law, and the applied sciences remain
fields, like the fields of business, law, and the applied sciences remains
This question features two prominent decision points: first, the choice between like and
such as introducing the list of examples of highly vocational fields and second, the option of
remain versus remains as the main verb of the sentence.
Either decision point offers a good, clear choice to begin your elimination. They each
have one correct option and one option that is clearly incorrect. For this analysis, we begin with
the decision between remain and remains. This particular decision point is found at the end
of the answer choices, an excellent location for spotting potential decision points.
The verb remain is the plural form, as in they remain the most popular stars in
Hollywood. The other option for this decision point is remains, the singular form of the verb,
as in He remains a good friend. Singular versus plural is probably the most popular decision
point offered on the GMAT, so you will want to be on the lookout for this.
In order to make this decision, you need to identify the decision-maker. In the case of the
main verb, this will be the subject of the sentence. The subject will control the singular-vs.plural-verb decision point. The subject is the demand. This is a singular noun that requires the
singular verb remains. The simplified sentence reads: The demand remains strong.
Therefore, choices A, B, and D can be eliminated.

Newland 202
Note that the subject of the sentence is not found in the prepositional phrases beginning
with for and in. These modifiers help to disguise the subject of the sentence. Your job is to
look past the disguise and see the true decision-maker.
Choices C and E are left as options. The additional decision point can be used to choose
between these answers. Choice C uses the proper phrase such as to introduce the list of
examples. Choice E uses the ungrammatical like, which should never be used to introduce
examples. The proper phrasing is I like fruits, such as bananas, oranges, and pineapples.
Choice E is also redundant, with the unnecessary repetition of fields. For these reasons, choice
C is the correct answer.
It was not up to you to choose which answer is correct; you merely had to recognize the
decision that had already been made. When you get the decision point together with the decisionmaker, sentence correction becomes much less intimidating. Take the pressure off your
shoulders. After all, you are not the decision-maker on sentence correction.

Newland 203

8. Word Order Does Not Matter on Sentence Correction (02/12/2014)

Word order often does not matter on sentence correction. To put it another way, On
Sentence Correction, the order of the words often does not matter!
In the Veritas Prep Advanced Verbal Lesson we learn that the test maker has many tools
available to make sentence correction more difficult. One of those tools is to hide the right
answer. Hiding the right answer can be as simple as using a phrase that you are not looking for,
He was so slow as to take twice as long to get there when you are looking for He was so slow
that he took twice as long to get there. The first sentence might sound strange to you but that is
no reason to eliminate it. It could be the correct answer depending on what the rest of the
sentence says. The second option might contain an actual error in grammar or logic!
Word order is another way that the test maker can hide the correct answer; giving you an
answer in a way that you are not expecting. Instead of using an unfamiliar phrase such as, as to
take the test maker simply rearranges the sentence in order to make a perfectly ordinary
sentence seem unfamiliar.
What do you think of this sentence?
Marketing accounts for twice as much of the industry budget as does research.
That sentence was identified by Microsoft Word as having a grammar error, yet it is the
correct answer to a GMAT question! When I change the sentence to Marketing accounts for
twice as much of the industry budget as research does Microsoft Word is quite satisfied, but the
GMAT test writers do not really care; either sentence works just as well on the GMAT.
Try the following problem from the Veritas Prep Sentence Correction book:
Out of a growing pride in the region's pre-automotive achievements have developed a committee
for the preservation of Detroit's landmarks and artifacts that are creating monuments and
museums across the city.
a) have developed a committee for the preservation of Detroit's landmarks and artifacts that are
creating
b) has developed a committee for the preservation of Detroit's landmarks and artifacts that is
creating
c) has developed a committee for the preservation of Detroit's landmarks and artifacts that create
d) have developed a committee for the preservation of Detroit's landmarks and artifacts that is
creating
e) have developed a committee for the preservation of Detroit's landmarks and artifacts that
create

Newland 204

This problem is a great example of subject-verb inversion. Knowing that the subject of
the sentence cannot be within a prepositional phrase we can look past out of a growing pride
and in the regions pre-automotive achievements. The sentence then begins has/have
developed a committee for the preservation
This is subject-verb inversion. The verb appears before the subject and makes the
sentence seem very awkward. However, since word order often does not matter on the GMAT
you can not only accept this sentence, but you can rearrange the sentence as you work toward the
correct answer.
In other words, as you evaluate the answer choices simply read them with the subject
first, a committee has/have developed for the preservation By rearranging the sentence it
becomes clear that the subject a committee is singular and requires the singular verb has
developed. This eliminates choices A, D, and E all of which use the plural have developed.
Reading choices B and C with the subject first also makes it clear that it is a committee that
is creating monuments and museums across the city. Choice B is the correct answer as it
features the singular is creating while choice C uses the plural create.
For this question word order was a disguise for what would otherwise be a straightforward choice between singular and plural verbs. In cases like this word order does not matter.
Of course I am not saying that word order never matters, but be careful using word order to
eliminate an answer choice. Make sure that the answer is truly wrong and not just unexpected.
You can boost your GMAT score by knowing when to not take word order too seriously!

Newland 205

9. The Verbs Do and Does as Stand-Ins on Sentence Correction

(03/05/2014)
The words do and does sometimes function much like pronouns for verbs, as when
they refer back to a previous word in the sentence and allow for a variation in grammar. With a
pronoun, you can say, My instructor enjoys critical reasoning, and she is good at it. Not only is
the word she an acceptable alternative to repeating my instructor, but the use of this word
creates a much better sentence. My instructor enjoys critical reasoning, and my instructor is
good at it sounds strange indeed. It sounds as if you are talking about two different people.
The word do in its various forms can function in the same way a pronoun does. It can
be used in a sentence to stand in for another verb so long as the implied word is the same number
(singular vs plural) and tense (past/present/future) as the word it stands in for.
For an example, look at the first sentence of the previous paragraph. I used the word
does at the end of the sentence to stand for functions. The sentence means, The word do
in its various forms can functions in the same way a pronoun functions. Just as with the pronoun
she, use of the word does is not only acceptable but also makes for a better sentence.
Repeating the word functions is not as elegant a construction.

Using Do and Does Properly

Try this question from the Veritas Prep Question Bank:
Vinegar, an ingredient of many marinades, acts like a preservative, just like olive oil.
A) Vinegar, an ingredient of many marinades, acts like a preservative, just like olive oil.
B) Like olive oil, many marinades have vinegar as a preservative.
C) An ingredient of many marinades, vinegar acts like a preservative, as does olive oil.
D) Vinegar, an ingredient in many marinades, acts as a preservative, as does olive oil.
E) As olive oil, vinegar, an ingredient in many marinades, acts as a preservative.
The first answer choices to eliminate on this question are choices B and E. These choices
are each very awkward. Choice B seems to imply that olive oil is like many marinades andhas
vinegar in it. Choice E seems certainly to mean that vinegar is olive oil.
The remaining choices have a few decision points we can focus on. The first is the
difference between like and as. Choice A has the word like repeated. If we ignore the
modifier an ingredient of many marinades, choice A reads, Vinegar acts like a
preservative, just like olive oil. The second use of like in this case is not correct. Look at
choice C for a comparison. If vinegar is acting like a preservative and olive oil is acting like a
preservative, you would need to use as instead of like.
As is the proper wording for a comparison of action. I walk every day, as do you
means that we each go for a walk each day. The sentence, I walk every day like you means

Newland 206
that I am imitating you as I walk. If we are both doing the same thing or performing the same
action, we use as. Choice A is eliminated.
Choices C and D each properly use the present tense singular does to stand for acts
as. Choice D says, Vinegar, an ingredient in many marinades, acts as a preservative, as does
olive oil. It is clear that does means acts as. Vinegar acts as a preservative and olive oil acts
as a preservative.
The only important difference between these answer choices is that choice C uses like
in place of the first as. Vinegar acts like a preservative, as does olive oil. The problem
with choice C is not the word does, which is properly used, but the fact that C seems to imply
that vinegar has something in common with a preservative; that it is like a preservative. When
it is clear from the context that the vinegar acts as a preservative (and so does olive oil).
Do not be afraid of do and does in sentence correction. So long as the word is
referring back to a verb that is the same number and tense, it is not only acceptable; it can also
make for a better sentence. In fact, it usually does.

Newland 207

10. How to Check for Parallelism in Sentence Correction (04/09/2014)

One of the most common (and confusing) parallelism decisions on the GMAT involves
correlative conjunctions. Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions used in pairs to join single
words or groups of words of equal weight in the sentence. The list or correlative conjunctions
includes:
Either or
Neither nor
Both and
Not only but also
Whether or
The Basics
The most important aspect of correlative conjunctions is that the pairs or groups of words linked
together must be parallel.
Here is an example of the proper use of the correlative conjunction either or (note the
parallelism): He will go to either the movies this afternoon or the store this evening.
The rule for correlative conjunctions is that any word or phrase placed prior to the first word of
the conjunction (in this case the word either) is shared by both parallel phrases and does not
need to be repeated. This means that since the go to comes before the either it is
automatically applied to both parts. So it is not necessary to say go to the movies or go to the
store since we said go to either.
How would this same sentence look if the go to did not precede the conjunction?
He will either go to the movies this afternoon or go to the store this evening. Note the
repetition of the phrase go to in go to the movies or go to the store. Any word or phrase
that comes after the first word of the conjunction is not shared and must be repeated to achieve
parallelism.
An Easier Way
There must be an easier way to handle this, right? In fact there is a great way to check for
parallelism on either or, not only but also, and other correlative conjunctions.
Cover up the text beginning with the first word of the conjunction and ending with the last word
of the conjunction. In our example above, the conjunction is either or. So we cover up
everything from the either to the or. When that text is covered up, you get a direct read on
the second of the joined portions. This will allow you to see if it is parallel.
Applying this to each of the example sentences, you get, He will go to either the movies this
afternoon or the store this evening. And, He will either go to the movies this afternoon or go to
the store this evening.

Newland 208
The same technique will work for any of correlative conjunctions. Use the technique on this
high-level problem from the Veritas Advanced Verbal Strategy book:
Mutual funds, though helpful for personal investors who wish to diversify their portfolios,
expose shareholders to additional taxation: Not only are taxes on shareholders eventual sales of
the securities collected by the IRS, but also on reinvested dividend stakes earned by the securities
held by the fund itself.
(A) not only are taxes on shareholders eventual sales of the securities collected by the IRS, but
also on
(B) collected by the IRS are taxes not only on shareholders eventual sales of the securities, but
also on
(C) taxes not only on shareholders eventual sales of the securities are collected by the IRS but
also
(D) not only taxes on shareholders eventual sales of the securities are collected by the IRS, but
also on
(E) taxes are collected by the IRS not only on shareholders eventual sales of the securities but
also
First, eliminate the clutter. When you see the colon after the word taxation, you know that you
basically have two independent clauses. After the initial read-through, you can ignore the first
clause and begin your analysis with the portion after the colon.
Apply the technique to each answer choice (by covering up from not only to but also):
(A) not only are taxes on shareholders eventual sales of the securities collected by the IRS, but
also on
(B) collected by the IRS are taxes not only on shareholders eventual sales of the securities, but
also on
(C) taxes not only on shareholders eventual sales of the securities are collected by the IRS but
also
(D) not only taxes on shareholders eventual sales of the securities are collected by the IRS, but
also on
(E) taxes are collected by the IRS not only on shareholders eventual sales of the securities but
also
The first thing you should notice is that choices A and D give you nothing to work with. The
second part (after the but also) just says on reinvested dividend stakes and there is nothing
before the not only to help out. Choice C is not any better, it just says taxes reinvested
dividend stakes.

Newland 209
Choice B and D each have a considerable amount of text before the not only. Choice E sounds
better, but you can see that the word on is essential for parallelism. So while Choice B sounds
awkward, you can clearly see that only choice B works. Covering up the text makes checking for
parallelism much easier.

Newland 210

11. The Simple Equation for Success on Sentence Correction (06/04/2014)

If you are better at algebra than you are at sentence correction, it may be that you are using the
proper approach for one and not the other.
Consider the following question: If 35x + 50 (13 * 2) + 5x 13y = 9x + 112 27x 30 13y,
what does x equal?
That is a long, seemingly complicated equation. How did you begin to address this problem? I
bet you combined the variables and the numbers to get a simplified picture of this equation.
What is written above simplifies to 58x = 58. When you simplify, the problem becomes easier.
Without this first step, you do not even have a clear idea of what you have to work with. In the
original equation, you appear to have two variables, but the -13y on each side cancel each
other out, and you are left with just one variable. In algebra, the first step is to simplify.
Simplify Sentence Correction, Too
Why would you treat sentence correction differently? The long, scary-looking equation above is
like a long convoluted sentence. If you dont answer algebra questions without simplifying, why
would you attempt sentence correction without eliminating the clutter?
Take the following item from the Veritas Prep Sentence Correction book as an example:
Sulfur Dioxide, which smells like rotten eggs, is formed in smokestacks from sulfur and
oxygen, two of the major elements consumed in coal smelting, react with each other.
(A) is formed in smokestacks from
(B) is formed in smokestacks when
(C) is formed in smokestacks, and when
(D) formed in smokestacks when
(E) formed in smokestacks from
Before you begin to analyze this sentence, simplify it as you would an equation.
To eliminate the clutter, you want to ignore (since you cannot cross things out on the computer
on test day) such things as:
Modifiers that are not underlined and not touching the underlined (in this case, two of the major
elements consumed in coal smelting is a modifier that is modifies sulfur and oxygen. Since this
modifier is not underlined, it cannot be changed, so it must be correct, and it can be ignored).

Newland 211
Modifiers that are underlined or touching the underlined but are not misplaced (in this case,
which smells like rotten eggs is touching the underlined, but since it properly modifies Sulfur
Dioxide, this modifier can also be ignored.
Prepositional phrases, even if they are underlined, can usually be safely ignored as well (In the
above sentence, in smokestacks can be ignored).
Simple Results
The simplified sentence reads:
Sulfur Dioxide is formed from sulfur and oxygen react with each other.
Do you see how much clearer that is? Much as the equation 58x = 58 is quite easy to work
with, this sentence is clearly not correct. We cannot say is formed from react with each
other. A quick scan of the answer choices shows that the other option is when.
Replace from with when, and you get Sulfur Dioxide is formed when sulfur and
oxygen react with each other. This is answer choice B, the correct answer.
While answers C and D also have the word when, neither is correct. In choice C, an
unnecessary and is added, which makes the sentence read Sulfur Dioxide is formed and
when sulfur and oxygen react with each other. With the addition of and, the sentence
becomes incomplete.
Choice D does not have the word is, as in is formed, so that choice reads Sulfur Dioxide
formed when sulfur and oxygen react with each other. You can see that this sentence now
lacks the main verb and is clearly incorrect.
By simplifying the sentence, you have made the correct answer easy to spot. The errors in the
other choices, which would have been masked by modifiers (like this one), become very
apparent when you eliminate the clutter. Give sentence correction the same treatment that you
give algebra: It is the simple equation for success.

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12. Avoid Outside Information on Sentence Correction (06/11/2014)

A common mistake students make on critical reasoning especially, but also on reading
comprehension, is bringing in outside information or opinions. It is important to work
exclusively with the information provided in the argument or passage and not bring in anything
additional. On sentence correction, there is no outside information as such, but there is an
equivalentand understanding how it is used can dramatically increase your score.
At Veritas Prep, we often speak of how the test writers will sell the wrong answer on a
sentence correction question. They dress it up in language students find irresistible. They appeal
to the outside knowledge that students think they have.
Typically this test makers trick involves an idiom that students have memorizedand are very
comfortable withthat is included in the trap answer and another idiom that is also correct, but
less well-known, that is included in the correct answer.
Students embrace the phrasing they want to see and miss the fundamental error in the answer
choice. In effect, they have used outside knowledge to select the incorrect answer. That
outside knowledge is the preference for a certain idiom and the incorrect idea that there is only
one way to write a particular phrase.
Try the following example from the Veritas Prep Advanced Verbal book:
Immanuel Kants writings, while praised by many philosophers for their brilliance and
consistency, are characterized by sentences so dense and convoluted as to pose a significant
hurdle for many readers interested in his works.
A) so dense and convoluted as to pose
B) so dense and convoluted they posed
C) so dense and convoluted that they posed
D) dense and convoluted enough that they posed
E) dense and convoluted enough as they pose
Answer choice C features the idiom preferred by most test takers: so x that y. Because they
know this idiom and are comfortable with it, they want to use this as a primary decision point.
These test takers allow outside informationtheir preference for a certain phraseto prevent
them from seeing the more useful decision point later in the sentence.
The choice between pose and posed is a better decision point to use first. This is because it
has a clear right answer. Unlike an idiom that might have multiple correct versions, either the
past tense or the present tense is correct here, but not both.
The present tense pose is correct in this instance because Immanuel Kants writings are
characterized by sentences , meaning that the entire sentence is present tense. The sentences
currently pose a significant hurdle for many readers. Eliminate all three choices that use
posed. Only choices A and E remain.

Newland 213
Once you have made this deduction, the final choice is a simple one. Choice E is not worded
correctly. Dense and convoluted enough as they pose is poor grammar.
What about choice A? Is so dense and convoluted as to pose acceptable? Students may not like
the phrasing so x as to y, but in fact this idiom is also correct and choice A is the correct
answer.
In sentence correction, the equivalent of outside information is believing that there is only one
way to word a phrase and using this mistaken knowledge as a primary means of evaluating a
sentence. Remember that sentence correction is a process of elimination, and one preferred
phrase does not make an answer choice correct. It is better first to use more reliable decision
points, such singular/plural, verb tense, and parallelism. Stylistic considerations, such as the
preferred way to word a phrase, can be evaluated later if no other more substantial choices are
left.
On sentence correction, dont bring in outside knowledge: after all, what you think you know can
hurt you.

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13. Use Logic to Make Quick Work of Difficult Sentence Correction Problems
(12/17/2014)
Perhaps more than any other question type, Sentence Correction offers the best opportunity to
save time without sacrificing accuracy to be spent on future questions. Top scorers usually
take around 1 minute and 15 seconds per sentence correction question, leaving them with about 2
minutes for each Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension question.
One of the keys to becoming efficient at sentence correction is to effectively utilize multiple
decision points within a sentence. To do this you must not only know and apply the rules of
grammar but you must also understand the role that logic plays in sentence correction.
Read the following sentence from the GMATPrep official practice tests. After reading the
sentence look through the answer choices for differences in the answers (called decision
points.)
The list of animals that exhibits a preference of either using the right or the left hand (i.e., claw,
paw, or foot) has been expanded to include the lower vertebrates.
(A) exhibits a preference of either using the right or the left hand (i.e., claw, paw, or foot) has
been expanded to include
(B) exhibits the preference to use either the right or the left hand (i.e., claw, paw, or foot) has
been expanded and includes
(C) exhibit a preference in either using the right or the left hand (i.e., claw, paw, or foot) has
been expanded to include
(D) exhibit a preference for using either the right or the left hand (i.e., claw, paw, or foot) has
been expanded to include
(E) exhibit the preference as to either using the right or the left hand (i.e., claw, paw, or foot) has
been expanded and includes
Did you notice the decision point at the very beginning of the answer choices? Choices A and B
use the singular verb exhibits, while the other choices use the plural verb exhibit.
This is a great place to begin eliminating incorrect answers! A strong decision point is one that
requires one answer to be incorrect. A noun cannot be both singular and plural at the same time
so subject-verb agreement usually makes for an excellent decision point.

Newland 215
The difficulty with this decision point is that grammatically-speaking, the relative clause
beginning with that can modify either list or animals. If list is modified then you need
the singular verb exhibits. If animals is modified then the plural exhibit is required.
There is no need for guesswork, simply look at the modifying phrase and see which noun it must
logically modify. The relative clauses indicates something about having a preference for using
the right or left hand. Can a list have a preference for using a right or left hand? Lists do not have
hands (or paws or claws). Therefore, logically, it must be animals that is modified by the
relative clause. This allows you to eliminate choices A and B.
This decision point is a great example of the important role that logic plays in sentence
correction. Often both options on a decision point will be grammatically acceptable, but only one
option will be logical.
Now you are left with choices C, D, and E. Choice E has several problems in both logic and
grammar. At the end of choice E it is not logical to say that the list has been expanded and
includes the logical meaning of the sentence is that the list has been expanded to include new
groups of animals. It is also incorrect to show animals that show the preference. There is more
than one possible preference, so animals show a preference.
Deciding between choices C and D can involve either parallelism or idioms. In either case choice
D is correct. The correct idiom is a preference for not a preference in. A preference in as a
single phrase would never be correct.
Choice C also lacks proper parallelism. Since the word either is located in front of using
parallelism requires that the second half of the eitheror statement also have the word
using. As in, either using the right or using the left. Choice D uses the correct idiom and
with either located after using is also parallel.
Answering this question requires the proper application of some grammatical rules, but logic is
the key to making quick work of this this difficult sentence correction question.

Newland 216

14. Think Better, Not Best, on Sentence Correction (08/20/2014)

One of the big mistakes that students make on sentence correction is looking for the best
answer. These test-takers will read through the answer choices looking for the one that they
would have written or that they think sounds great in all respects. In short, they will compare
the five answer choices to each other, looking for the best of the five.
The problem with this approach is that the test writers know this is a natural tendency, and they
do not want to reward its use. The test-makers want you to use a logical approach to sentence
correction, and they set traps for students who simply go through all five answers looking for the
best one. At Veritas Prep we have identified these traps as hiding the right answer and selling
the wrong answer.
You make yourself vulnerable to falling into these traps when you do either of two things:
1) Try to evaluate the entire answer choiceor even the entire sentenceat one time
2) Compare all five answer choices in search of the best one.
A Better Approach
A much more effective approach is to make a series of small decisions. Rather than trying to take
in the entire answer choice, make your decision by focusing on the smallest number of words
that you can. Often you can focus on a single word.
And instead of taking on all five answer choices and looking for the best one, just compare two
different options for a word or phrase. Ask the question, Which of these two options is better?
Then ask this question repeatedly until only one answer choice remains.
If you have ever gotten glasses or contact lenses, you are familiar with this procedure. The
optometrist does not lay a bunch of lenses in front of you and ask you to pick the best
prescription for you. That would be absurd.
Instead you are asked, Which lens makes the letters clearer, No. 1 or No. 2?And then, Which
is better, No. 3 or No. 4? And so on. By making a series of choices as to which of two options is
better, you end up with the best prescription for your eyes. This is the essence of sentence
correction. If you are making more than one choice at a time, you are attempting to do too much.

Newland 217
Answer choices may vary in several respects, but you should focus on only one of those
differences at a time.
When you have multiple decision points (differences in answer choices), it can be difficult to
decide which of these decisions to make first. It is important to use the decision point first
because you will be using it to make the initial elimination of answer choices.
When you have multiple decision points, follow three rules:
1) Use decision points that have a concrete right answer and a concrete wrong answer. Examples
of great decision points to use are:
singular vs. plural verb, noun, or pronoun
verb tense (past vs. present vs. future)
different placements of a modifier
parallel elements in a pair or list
2) Decisions to avoid making (unless no other differences remain) are those that are based
merely on style or preference. Test-takers overestimate their ability to recognize answers that are
incorrect, as opposed to just unusual. The GMAT is known for crafting sentences that that sound
wrong but are grammatically and logically correct: hiding the right answer behind a
structure that is valid but that youd probably never think to use yourself.
3) Use decision points that you are quickly comfortable with. If you have more than one good
decision point, choose the one that you feel surer of. Dont let common reading techniqueleft
to right, top to bottomforce you into a primary decision that you dont feel great about. Be
choosy and do first what you know you can do well.
Begin looking for the small, clear differences between answers, allowing you to choose the better
option and making your sentence correction technique more logical and efficient.

Newland 218
By making a series of choices and continually selecting the better option, you arrive at the best
possible answer choice. It may not be the answer you would have written yourself, but it will be
the best option according to the rules of grammar and logic.
Lets take the following example from The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2015:
The root systems of most flowering perennials either become too crowded, which results in loss
in vigor, and spread too far outward, producing a bare center.
(A) which results in loss in vigor, and spread
(B) resulting in loss in vigor, or spreading
(C) with the result of loss of vigor, or spreading
(D) resulting in loss of vigor, or spread
(E) with a resulting loss of vigor, and spread
A Series of Choices
There are several errors in the original sentence. This abundance of errors can actually become
confusing and lead many people to want to go choice by choice looking for the best answer
the one thats free from all errors. This, however, is neither the most efficient nor the most
accurate way.
Instead, look at this as a series of choices. There are several differences between answer choices,
which can be used to eliminate incorrect answers. Here are some of the decisions to be made:
and vs. or; spread vs. spreading; in vigor vs. of vigor; and the choice of word to
begin the answer (which, resulting, with). Of course, you will not need to utilizeor even
recognizeall of these differences. But the better you are at seeing these choices, the better you
will be at sentence correction, because seeing the various differences allows you to choose which
decision to make first. Remember that you are looking to begin with decision points that have a
clear right and wrong answer, ones that you are comfortable using.
For this question, I might start with the and vs. or decision. I chose this one because it is a
clear right/wrong decision point that I can comfortably use. Earlier in the sentence we have an
either, which should be paired with or, not and. The phrase is either x or y. This
eliminates choices A and E. Answer choice E has been eliminated without any additional work.
The remaining choicesB, C, and Dfeature several additional decision points. I would next
move to the choice between spread and spreading. With the either or construction, you
need parallel elements. If we return to the fixed portion of the sentence we find either become

Newland 219
too crowded, so we need the parallel verb spread, not spreading. This eliminates B and C,
and we are left with D as the correct answer.
One Decision at a Time
Making one decision at a time can be especially critical toward the end of the test, when your
mind has already made hundreds of calculations and decisions. Just as the optometrist knows that
it will be difficult for you to differentiate between 10 different options for lenses at one time, you
should recognize that youll likely struggle to make multiple concurrent decisions within a
sentence thats designed to be extra verbose and descriptive.
Making one definitive decision at a time is an efficient way to manage your time, energy, and
focus on these problems to quickly, accurately, and confidently answer them. Use Better not
Best, and you will be better at sentence correction.

Newland 220

15. Because GMAT (08/06/2014)

There is a conspiracy out there. Modern forms of communication are conspiring to make the
sentence correction and analytical writing portions of the GMAT more difficult for you.
E-mail was already a more informal means of communication than those used in the past. Now
texting, Facebooking, (FB) and tweeting (TWTR) are even more informal. This would not
be important if the grammatical innovations inspired by these forms of communication would
stay confined to their origins.
However, linguists have discovered that the new forms of grammar are crossing over from new
media into peoples speechand their writing. This can mean struggles for those who hone their
English language skills in the real world and then try to apply that knowledge to the GMAT.
Because GMAT
The latest example of the drift away from proper grammar goes something like this:
Question: Why have I not see you lately?
Answer: Because GMAT.
What this means in proper English is You have not seen me lately because I have been so busy
with the GMAT.
This ungrammatical use of because is known as the because preposition since the word
because is being used as a preposition. This usage is also known as because reasons, with
reasons meaning whatever reason you have for a given outcome or behavior. So the reason I
have not seen you lately is GMAT.
GMAT Grammar Fact: Because is not, in fact a preposition and should not be used this way.
Because is actually a subordinating conjunction that should be followed either by a clause or a
preposition. For example, We have to complete the AWA on the GMAT because schools want
a writing sample.
Because Reasons
Here are some other sentences that I found, with each featuring the because preposition. (All
examples come from the article, English Has a New Preposition, Because Internet, by Megan
Garber of the Atlantic).

Newland 221
I am late because YouTube.
I am reading this because procrastination
And here is the response that I will be using to any question posed by my GMAT students that
happens to concern geometry: Because Math.
Admit it: The because preposition is fun. It is succinct and a little ironic. It not only describes a
specific situation but seems to indicate a whole category as well. This is particularly seen in the
often used phrase Because politics. Many other nouns have been used with because, including
science, people, art, school, and comedy.
However, nouns are not the only recipients of the because treatment. Verbs and adjective are
also being tied to because.
Examples include: Cant talk now because cooking. And Making up examples because lazy.
Not on the GMAT
This is an extreme example of the informal English used by people on a daily basisespecially
in electronic communicationbeing at odds with the formal English required on sentence
correction and the AWA essay.
A more common examplealso unacceptable on the GMATis the incorrect use of which. In
everyday discussions, the following sentence would seem acceptable to most people: It rained
yesterday, which caused us to postpone the picnic.
If you have been studying relative clauses, you know that this use of which is incorrect. That is
why it is strange to hear your colleaguesand even your bossuse this construction. When
used as a relative clause, which should modify only a noun, not an action. In the above sentence,
the which clause is incorrectly attempting to modify the action of raining yesterday.
These are just two examplesone fun (because new), the other old and widely used (which is to
be expected)of the uses of English you should guard against if you are getting ready to take
the GMAT. You need to be familiar with formal, correct, English grammar. Why? Because
GMAT!

Newland 222

16. Boost Your GMAT Score by Mastering Sentence Correction (11/26/2014)

Modifiers are key to mastering sentence correction. Quickly identifying, analyzing, applying,
and discarding modifiers is essential to peak performance.
At Veritas Prep we have a rule called Use it or Lose it: Modifiers. Essentially, this rule means
that when you see a modifier you should either use that modifier to eliminate an answer choice
(because the modifier is misplaced and therefore makes the sentence illogical) or you should
lose the modifier by ignoring it.
If a modifier is used correctly and therefore does not allow you to eliminate an answer choice,
then you should almost always ignore the modifier and concentrate on the rest of the sentence.
One type of modifier, prepositions, almost never helps you to eliminate an answer choice
because, as a general rule, prepositions are not misplaced on the GMAT. What prepositions are
really good at is cluttering up a sentence. Prepositions are especially good at obscuring the true
subject of the sentence and creating problems with subject-verb agreement. For these reasons,
you should learn to identify and ignore prepositions.
Identifying Prepositions: In the vast majority of uses, prepositions are the glue that attaches a
noun, pronoun, or gerund to a sentence. Prepositions are usually considered relational because
they place the sentence in a particular place or time.
Examples (prepositions in italics):
Josh drove his mother to the grocery store.
At midnight, the party was just getting started.
During the race, he thought he might win.
He will finish his MBA applications after the holidays.
The most commonly used prepositions in the English language are:
As, at, above, by, below, between, during, for, from, in, into, of, on, out, over, to, and with.
Ignore Prepositions. The main reason to identify prepositions is to ignore them. Sentence
correction should be a process of elimination, with each incorrect answer eliminated for a
particular reason. Because prepositions are almost never misplaced and cannot help you
eliminate answer choices, they should initially be ignored.
Notice how the prepositions (in italics) clutter up the sentence in this example from the Official
Guide for GMAT Review 13th edition.
Fossils of the arm of a sloth, found in Puerto Rico in 1991, have been dated at 34 million years
old, making the sloth the earliest known mammal on the Greater Antilles Islands.
Without the prepositions the sentence becomes, Fossils found in Puerto Rico have been
dated making the sloth the earliest known mammal.

Newland 223

You can see that without the prepositions, the subject of the sentence, fossils, is clearly paired
with the correct verb have been dated. Ignoring the prepositions does not change the grammar
or logic of the sentence, but it does make it easier to spot any errors.
Prepositions are even ignored by test-makers when they create sentences. Normally, two types of
modifiers, the relative clause and the appositive phrase, have a very specific rule that they must
touch the nouns they modify. But even this grammar rule ignores prepositions, which can be
disregarded when these modifiers are placed. Here are two examples of sentences with
modifying phrases that ignore the preposition (in italics).
1) A Union general during the Civil War, Abner Doubleday, is credited with having invented the
modern game of baseball.
2) An extract of the plant, which is used in treating many illnesses, is grown in Africa.
In the first example, A Union general is modified by the appositive Abner Doubleday.
Normally the modifier would need to touch what it modifies, but the preposition during the
Civil War is simply ignored. The modifier reaches back across the preposition and modifies a
Union general. In the second example the relative clause, which is used in treating many
illnesses, also ignores the preposition and instead modifies an extract.
Prepositions serve to give you more information about the circumstances of an event. They place
the sentence in a context of place and time. Inn terms of grammar and logic, however, they are
rarely necessary and can initially be disregarded. If you can learn to identify and ignore
prepositions you will be on your way to eliminating the clutter and mastering the art of sentence
correction.

Newland 224

17. The GMAT is Like a Murder Mystery (10/22/2014)

In life there are mysteries that never get solved and questions that never get answered. Real life
does not follow a script, and the evidence can point in different directions, leaving several
suspects that are equally likely.
Compare this with murder mysteries, whether on television or in books. These manufactured
mysteries always seem to get solved in an hour on TV or in 300 pages of a book. They are
solved because there are always clues for the investigator to follow. Some clues are designed to
put the reader off course. In the end, the investigator always focuses on the right clues and
ignores the deceptive ones.
Mysteries are written by authors who make sure that the main character solves the crime every
time. Whether it is Sherlock Holmes or CSI, people love a murder mystery because they can
follow the clues and they know the mystery will be solved.
Dont forget that GMAT questions are also written by authors who guarantee that the mystery
can be solved. Nowhere is the murder mystery theme more applicable than in sentence
correction. To the novice, sentence correction appears to feature a collection of five answer
choices, any which could be the correct answer. To the expert, each sentence features clues
pointing to the one correct answer.
Just as Sherlock Holmes follows the evidence to the find the killer, you, as sentence correction
investigator, must follow real clues and ignore false ones as you track down the correct answer
choice. Remember, the authors of each question have left a trail of evidence for you to follow.
Look for the clues in this official GMAT sentence correction problem from the GMATPrep
practice test:
Analyzing campaign expenditures, the media has had as a focus the high costs and low
ethics of campaign finance, but they have generally overlooked the cost of actually
administering elections, which includes facilities, transport, printing, staffing, and
technology.
A. Analyzing campaign expenditures, the media has had as a focus
B. Analyses of campaign expenditures by the media has been focused on
C. In analyzing campaign expenditures, the media have focused on

Newland 225
D. Media analyses of campaign expenditures have had as a focus
E. In their analysis of campaign expenditures, the media has been focusing on
One difference in the answer choices that many test-takers gravitate to is the media has versus
the media have. This is a singular/ plural issue and it can be difficult to know whether various
nouns such as audience, crowd, data, and media are singular or plural. Luckily the rest of the
sentence provides ample clues to solve this mystery.
To begin with, eliminate choice B. Analyses are plural and so Analyses has been focused
is incorrect. You can also eliminate choice D. Analyses do not have a focus, they are
focused by some person, and analyses cannot overlook things. Media is meant to be the
subject of the sentence, not analyses.
Next you can eliminate choice E. It is clear in this answer choice that media is plural. You can
tell this from the beginning of the sentence, which says, In their analysis. Since their is
plural, it is incorrect to say, the media has been focusing on.
Answer choices A and C have similar structures, with choice A using the singular the media has
had as a focus and choice C the plural the media have focused on. In real life, you would have
to know that media is a Latin-derived word that is the plural of medium. Books are a
medium of communication, as is television, radio, newspapers, etc. Together they are the
media.
But this is not real life, it is a manufactured mystery, so you know there will be clues. Look
further into the sentence in the non-underlined portion and you will find that the media is
referred to as they in the phrase but they have generally overlooked. This means that
media needs to be plural in this sentence to match the plural pronoun they. Mystery solved.
The correct answer is C.
When you find yourself puzzling among answer choices on the exam, remember that, like any
good mystery writers, the authors of the GMAT have left you the clues needed to track down the
suspect.

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18. Get Out of Jail Free on Sentence Correction (09/24/2014)

Brevity is the soul of wit
William Shakespeare
If I had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter
Blaise Pascal
In Jail on Sentence Correction
Being in jail on sentence correction refers to being trapped for several minutes, usually
between two answer choices. First, one answer choice will appear to be a little better then the
other. A test-taker will not only waste precious time endlessly debating these choices, but will
also use up valuable mental energy in the struggle.
How to get out of this situation? Having it down to just two choices can make it seem even
worse to guess. Isnt it better to continue to examine the choices in hopes that one of them will
suddenly be clearly the better choice?
Get Out of Jail Free card
All other things being equal, the GMAT prefers the shorter, more direct answer. That is why you
can consider brevity as the Get Out of Jail Free card. If you have worked through the sentence
correction process properly, if you have first examined logic and grammar and then clarity
and specificity, and if the two answers have indeed each passed these tests, then you have only
three steps left before you are finished with this question and free to move on to the next
question.
What to do when down to just two answer choices?
When you are down to two answer choices that have no obvious errors in grammar or logic:
1) Scan the answer for differences. You may yet find that one of the choices has a problem with
grammar or logic. If it does, you can eliminate that choice and choose the other. Likewise, if one
of the choices is more ambiguous while the other is clear and specific, choose the clearer answer
and move on.
2) Read each answer choice in context. This is what many test-takers need to do, right from the
beginning. It is not appropriate to begin a sentence correction problem by reading all five choices

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to see which sounds best, but if you are down to two choices and each appears to be
acceptable, choose the one that sounds clearly better.
3) Choose the shorter answer choice. If each answer choice is acceptable and neither of them
sounds clearly better than the other, it is time to use your Get Out of Jail Free card. Rather than
spending additional time and energy debating answer choices that you have thoroughly analyzed,
simply pick the shorter one and confidently move to the next question.
Remember you want to play this card only as your last resort. Sentence correction is primarily
about logic and grammar. It is rare to have two answer choices that are too close to call. If
grammar and logic do not break the tie, usually one will be clearer and less ambiguous. If both
choices are viable, it is still probable that one will simply sound much better than the other. If
not, pick the shorter choice when you have exhausted your other criteria.
Why the shorter choice?
The Official Guide for GMAT Review 13th edition (written by the test-makers at GMAC)
approvingly refers to many correct answers as concise and says that many incorrect answers
are unnecessarily wordy and awkward.
A longer answer choice is more likely to be the passive formulation, which usually requires more
words. The active voice is often preferred when two options are otherwise equal. Also, the
additional words in the longer answer choice give additional opportunities to make the sentence
awkward or unclear.
Just remember that you need to be in jail in order to use the Get Out of Jail Free card. Dont
fall in love with the shorter answer choice too early. Run through the full progression of criteria,
beginning with logic and grammar. Rely on brevity only when you have exhausted everything.
Still, it is nice to know that you will never have to spend minutes debating two answer choices
again. After all, you now know how to break out of jail on Sentence Correction.

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19. Listen for the Echo in Sentence Correction (09/17/2014)

Part of your sentence-correction strategy should involve looking for echoes in the sentences
you read. There are three basic types of echoes and you are already very familiar with one of
these.
Pronouns: This is the echo that you are probably already familiar with. A pronoun is used to
stand for a noun so that the noun does not need to be continually repeated.
For example, you would say, Before Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, he was the
junior senator from Illinois. Without the pronoun he you would have to repeat the noun again
and it would sound redundant and awkward: Before Barack Obama was elected president in
2008, Barack Obama was the junior senator from Illinois.
So pronouns are used to echo nouns in a way that facilitates both the style of the sentence and
the clarity of the meaning. The sentence with the word he in it is easier to comprehend than the
one that repeats the proper name in an unnecessary way.
That/those: A second type of echo on the GMAT frequently comes in the context of
comparisons. One of the GMATs favorite tricks is to set up faulty comparisons. One way to
correct a flawed comparison is by adding an echo.
The following is a sentence found in the Official Guide for GMAT Review, 13th edition.
Ranked as one of the most important of Europes young playwrights, Franz Xaver Kroetz has
written 40 plays; his workstranslated into more than 30 languagesare produced more often
than any contemporary German dramatist. If you examine the comparison closely, you can see
the error. This sentence is comparing his works to any other contemporary German
dramatist. Since you cannot change the non-underlined portion, his works will have to stay as
written and you will need to alter the underlined portion to make a proper comparison. Perhaps
the best way to correct this sentence is by adding an echo using the word that or those.
These words function like a pronoun in that they refer back to a noun in the sentence. In this case
they are necessary in order to have a proper comparison. Since his works is plural, we need the
plural those in this sentence. The correct answer is his workstranslated into more than 30
languagesare produced more often than those of any other contemporary German dramatist.
The word those refers back to works so that this sentence means: His works are

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produced more often than the works of any other contemporary German dramatist. The word
those is an echo that makes for a proper comparison. (When the word referred back to is
singular, that is used instead.)
Do/Does: So far both of our echoes have referred back to nouns. The pronoun has a noun as its
antecedent and that/those is used to make a proper comparison between nouns. But there is
also an echo for verbs. The words do and does are like pronouns for verbs. Instead of
repeating a verb or verb phrase, the proper form of do/does is used.
Here is an example from the Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th edition. Dirt roads may
evoke the bucolic simplicity of another century, but financially strained townships point out that
dirt roads cost twice as much as maintaining paved roads. You can see that this is not a proper
comparison; dirt roads are being compared to maintaining paved roads. In order to correct
the comparison we need to either compare creating dirt roads to creating paved roads or
maintaining dirt roads to maintaining paved roads. The corrected sentence reads: financially
strained townships point out that dirt roads cost twice as much to maintain as paved roads do.
In this sentence, the word do echoes cost to maintain so that the meaning of this sentence is
dirt roads cost twice as much to maintain as paved roads cost to maintain. Notice that do is
the same number and tense as cost. They are both present tense and plural. When using the
do/does echo, be sure to use the proper tense and number.
Do This with Echoes: The GMAT loves to use complicated sentences with several moving
parts, so echoes occur frequently as sections of sentences relate to one another. To use echo
words to your advantage:
When you see different pronouns (he vs. they; its vs. their) in the answer choices, look for the
word being echoed and select the proper pronoun.
When some answer choices include a pronoun and others do not, find the relevant nouns and
make sure that pronoun echoes are being used appropriately.
When answer choices contain that of or those of, know that youre most likely dealing with
a comparison. Use the echo to help you track down which items are being compared.

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Similarly, when answer choices contain do or does, ask yourself whether there is a verb
that needs to be echoed. Turn the GMAT testing center into your own personal echo chamber,
and youll be proud to scream your score from the mountaintops, waiting to hear it proudly echo
back.

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20. 5 Errors to Look For in Sentence Correction Questions on the GMAT

(07/23/2014)
I recently received the following question from a student. I often get into trouble with
ambiguous pronouns. If it is not clear what they or it refers to I eliminate the answer choice.
I like to do this because it seems easy, but I keep getting burned using this technique. So my
question is, if it is not clear what a pronoun refers to is that answer choice wrong?
I replied to the student by discussing the Process Pyramid for Sentence Correction. Here is what
the pyramid looks like.
Brevity
Clarity Specificity
Logic
Grammar
Logic and Grammar Come First
You can see that the bottom level the foundation of sentence correction is logic and grammar,
(including proper comparisons and parallelism). This is where your analysis should begin. If the
answer choice has a flaw in grammar, such as subject-verb agreement or an error in logic, such
as an illogical modifier then that answer choice should be eliminated.
This type of error is less subjective than something like an ambiguous modifier. That is why you
should begin with logic and grammar, these errors are not a matter of judgment and the rules are
easier to master. In particular students get a tremendous return on investment from mastering the
rules of the common modifiers, including participial phrases, prepositions, appositives, and
relative clauses.
Next Clarity and Specificity
The initial level of analysis should eliminate most answer choices based on flaws in grammar
and logic. However, sometimes there will be more than one answer choice that has (or seems to
have) no errors in grammar or logic. At this point you can move to clarity and specificity as a
way to distinguish between answers. This is when it is appropriate to eliminate answer choices
that have pronouns that are not clearly matched to antecedents.
The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 13th Edition (written by the people who make the GMAT
exam) states that a correct answer should avoid being awkward, wordy, redundant, imprecise,
or unclear and that an answer that is any of these things can be eliminated even if it is free of
grammatical errors. This group of secondary errors is referred to as problems with rhetorical
construction.
The following answer choice is from question #44 of the sentence correction portion of the
Official Guide 13th Edition:
The plot of the Bostonians centers on the active feminist, Olive Chancellor, and the rivalry with
the charming and cynical cousin Basil Ransom, when they find themselves drawn to the same
radiant young woman whose talent for public speaking has won her an ardent following.

Newland 232
This answer choice is eliminated not for a grammatical flaw, but because it is lacks clarity and
specificity. It is unclear in this particular answer choice that Olive Chancellor is a party to the
rivalry with Basil Ransom.
Finally, Brevity
At the top of the Process Pyramid is Brevity. Most sentence correction questions do not require
you to climb so high on the pyramid. It is only when two or more answers are logically and
grammatically acceptable AND are each clear and specific that you need to bring brevity into the
equation. However, the Official Guide describes many answer choices as unnecessarily
wordy. So if you do find that you have two or more answer choices that satisfy the first two
levels of the process pyramid only then do you eliminate the one that is wordy.
Looking for an error such as an ambiguous pronoun is fine; just make sure that you do so at the
proper time. Use the process pyramid to organize errors and address those errors in the proper
order: Grammar and logic, clarity and specificity, and finally, brevity.

Newland 233

K. READING COMPREHENSION
1. Dial the Right Area Code for Reading Comprehension (08/07/2012)
With the ease of looking up numbers on Google you may have forgotten what a phone
book is
A phone book is a thick book made out of paper and it lists all the phone numbers for a
particular area, for example, the City of Boston or the entire state of WyomingIf you know
what city, town, or suburb the business or individual that you are looking for is in you can
choose the right phone book and simply look the number up. These days it is easy to forget that
you need to know which actual paper phone book to look insince your computer is the only
phone book you currently need. For example, if the business is in Paris you would not want to
look for the phone number in a London phone directory.
Once you have identified the correct directory, looking for a number in the phone book is
much easier than trying to memorize all the numbers that you might possibly need to know or
making lists of the numbers on your own sheets of paper. If you do try to memorize the numbers
you might forget them and if you do write down lots of numbers you might write some down
wrong and in either case it is simply impossible to anticipate every phone number that you will
eventually need. In other words, dont try to memorize or write down the numbers just get the
right area code and rely on the phone book.
Specific detail questions on Reading Comprehension work the same way. If you can
get the right area code (in this case that means the correct paragraph) then you can go
back to the passage and find the information that you need.
The same procedures that are extremely inefficient when looking for a phone number also
make for poor approaches to reading comprehension.

Trying to memorize each and every detail in a reading comprehension passage may
not be as fool-hardy as trying to memorize the phone book, but it is still a bad idea
for everyone except those with photographic memories. Students are so used to closed
book tests throughout high school and college that they fail to take advantage of the fact
that the reading comprehension passage is always there available for you to look back
at in order to answer any detail questions that come up. Why memorize when you can
simply return to the passage and find the detail that you need? When a students primary
strategy for answering detail questions is based on process of elimination using only his
or her memory I know that we have a problem.

Rewriting each of the details from the passage onto your scratch paper is also a
futile endeavor. It would take way too long to note down each and every detail, and
more importantly, unless you literally copy down the exact article onto your scratch paper
(and why would you?) you will necessarily be altering the text: paraphrasing and
abbreviating. Since the correct answer to the detail question is often itself a paraphrase of

Newland 234
the text you could very easily find that your paraphrase does not match that of the correct
answer and the result of all of your hard work in note taking will be lots of incorrect
answers. For this reason, when one of my students starts writing notes as they are
reading the paragraph I know that we have a problem.

Approaching Passages
So how should a test taker approach a reading comprehension passage in order to best
handle the detail questions that will inevitably come up?
1. Stop. Stop is a word that we use a lot at Veritas Prep when talking about Reading
Comprehension. It is an acronym that helps students to organize their thoughts about a passage.
But today I am using the word in a literal sense. Stop at the end of each paragraph and determine
the main idea of that paragraph.
2. Create an area code. Write down the main idea of each paragraph (I would say no more than
6 to 12 words). This is your area code. If the paragraph is really long (and the GMAT has been
offering some monster paragraphs lately) then you will need to break it into two area codes. It is
much more helpful to know that the information you need is within a 15-line portion of the text
rather than a giant 30-line paragraph.

Do not take notes as you are reading. Write nothing until you have read the entire
paragraph and then only write the main idea of the paragraph. Your goal is only to
identify the main idea of the paragraph; among other things this will really help you to
answer detail questions.

Fly at the right altitude. Coming up with the main idea in an effective and efficient way
is a skill that requires practice. You are trying to distill an entire paragraph into a few
words. When you are reading you want to be at the right altitude meaning not so
close to the passage that you get lost in details and not so far away that your idea of a
main idea of a paragraph is astronomy. Check the comments at the end of the article
for links to passages where you can practice this technique.

3. Dial the area code. If the test then asks you a detail question you will know which paragraph
to return to. It is not very efficient to scan the entire passage looking for a particular detail, but if
you can narrow your search to a single paragraph you can work accurately and efficiently.
4. Look up the number. Once you have the right phone book or on the GMAT the right
paragraph it is time to look up the number (or detail) that you need. First, think about looking
up an actual phone number. The number is actually the output. We say that we are looking up a
number when in fact, we are looking up a name (the input) and then the phone book supplies
us with the number (the output).
On the GMAT it would be inaccurate to say that you are looking up the correct answer
to a detail question. In fact, what you are doing is using the question stem (the input) to guide
you to the proper portion of the text so that you can re-read that portion. Obviously the correct

Newland 235
answer will not repeat the question stem! Instead the adjacent portion of the text will provide the
information in the correct answer (the output).
I call this the Two Way Paraphrase Technique. The first paraphrase is the question
stem, which paraphrases a portion of the text. This is how you find the portion to re-read. You
look in the correct paragraph for key words, phrases, and concepts from the question stem. When
you find the correct portion of the text you should re-read before and after that portion in order to
make sure that you have the full information that answers the question. Once you have re-read
the full thought then you are ready to answer the question.
5. Find the paraphrase in the answer choices. The second paraphrase in the Two Way
Paraphrase Technique is the correct answer choice, which will very likely be a paraphrase of the
text that you just read. Again, look for key words, phrases, and concepts. You should be able to
very quickly identify the correct answer. This is not really a process of elimination at this point
since you actually know what the answer is from the text of the passage.

Passages for you to try

I have selected some passages for you to try this technique on in the comments
section at the end of this article I will post the links to the Reading Comprehension
passages. As soon as this article is published I will post the passages in the Reading
Comprehension forum and will put the links to those passages in the comments below.
For each passage, your task is to Read the passage, Stop and the end of each paragraph,
and Write the main idea for that paragraph (this is how you create your area code). So in short
Read, Stop, and Write. If you are not sure of the main idea of any of the paragraphs go ahead and
re-read that paragraph. The worst thing you can do is to push through a passage that you do not
understand. Better to spend a few extra seconds reading again. Good luck on the passages!
Remember, if you want to connect with a great score on Reading
ComprehensionYou have to Dial the Right Area Code!

Newland 236

2. Five Ways to Find the Primary Purpose in Reading Comprehension

(12/31/2013)
Most reading comprehension passages have one thing in common: They feature a
question that asks you about the primary purpose of the passage. The GMAT has different ways
of wording these questions, but each of these questions asks you to choose the answer choice that
best indicates the primary purpose of the passage, and each of these questions can be approached
with the following technique:
Begin by reading the passage correctly. Answering a universal questiona question that
is based on the entire passagedepends on reading the passage at the proper level. The Veritas
Prep STOP technique teaches test takers to read at the appropriate level. You should not get lost
in the details of names and dates and difficult vocabulary, but it is also not appropriate to skim
a GMAT reading comprehension passage. What you should do is to read for the main idea of
each paragraph and the Scope, Tone, Organization, and Purpose (STOP) of the passage.
You may find that it is helpful to stop at the end of each paragraph and sum up the main
idea of that paragraph in a few words. If you cannot state the main idea of the paragraph, you
will want to reread the paragraph before moving on. It is important that you not push forward if
you do not understand what you are reading. It is not each detail that matters, but understanding
the essentials of the passage. When you have finished reading the passage, review each element
of S-T-O-P.
Now you are ready for the questions. Remember that, unlike specific detail questions,
primary purpose questions are best approached with process of elimination. When you encounter
a question that asks you what the passage is primarily concerned with use the following five
ways (in this order) to eliminate the incorrect answers as you work to identify the primary
purpose.
Verb (tone). One trait of primary purpose questions that can be very helpful is that the answer
choices usually begin with a verb such as describe, defend, or criticize. These verbs need
to match the tone of the passage; if not, the answer choice can be eliminated. For example, a
passage that is merely descriptive in nature and not opinionated is very likely to criticize or
support.
Scope. The answer choice must match the scope of the passage. An answer that is focused on
one detail of the passage is not the correct answer to a primary purpose question, even if it
accurately identifies one of the themes of the passage. Likewise, an answer that is too broad in
scope cannot be the correct answer, either. So watch for overly ambitious answers as well.
Must be true. The heart of a strong approach to reading comprehension is to realize that
nearly every question type you will face shares an essential characteristic of critical reasoning
inference questions. The correct answer must be true, based on what is written in the passage. An
answer cannot be the main idea (or the function or the inference) if it is not true.

Newland 237
Return to the Last Paragraph. If you have more than one answer left at this point, you can
return to the text for guidance. The last paragraph is the best place to go for this. An author is
most likely to reveal opinion in the final paragraph, and this is where any broader conclusions
are made, too.
Why did the author take the time to write? Finally, when you are left with two answer
choices that appear to be of the right tone and scopeeach must be true and is not eliminated
by anything in the textask yourself, Why did the author take the time to write this? Test your
remaining answer choices and see which is more likely to have inspired the author to write. The
answer to this question is the authors primary purpose.
This technique, combined with the focus you should bring to all GMAT questions, will
serve your primary purpose of earning a higher GMAT score.

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3. The Most Important Moment in Reading Comprehension (05/07/2014)

A reading comprehension passage is not just one entity to be read at the same level of
attention and focus throughout. A passage is quite varied, and an active reader will give different
levels of focus to different parts of the passage.
For example, it is crucial that you begin reading a passage slowly. Understanding the first
several sentences can be vital to your ability to connect with the reading as a whole. If you begin
too quickly and force yourself to keep pushing on, you will likely become disconnected and feel
you are not engaged by the passage.
On the other hand, if you begin more slowly and interact with the passage, you are likely
to become much more engaged and have a far better understanding of the reading. After all, this
is reading comprehension, with an emphasis on comprehension.
Try this technique as you begin a reading comprehension passage: First, read slower than
you normally would. Make sure your attention is focused on the passage and stop after each
sentence to integrate the information you have been given.
Next, try to anticipate where the passage is going. If the passage is describing a theory
that normally applies, you might anticipate next reading an example of where the theory does
not apply. It does not matter if your anticipation turns out to be correct; just by trying to see
where the passage is headed, you are necessarily engaging with it.
Finally, stop after each paragraph and integrate it into the passage as a whole. Think of
paragraphs on reading comprehension as sentences in critical reasoning. For a very long
paragraph, you may want to stop halfway through, as if it were two paragraphs.
The Most Important Moment: At some point during your reading, you will probably
arrive at the most important moment in the passage. This is the moment when the issue,
theory, or problem is explained or resolved. The rest of the passage builds to and then flows from
this particular portion.
Typically, a problem is set up in the first paragraph. Then details about the process or the
theory are developed in response to the problem. Next comes the aha moment, when the
passage uses the theory to address the problem or issue that was set up in the beginning. I call
this the aha moment because everything in the passage should have been leading in that
direction. Finally, the remainder of the passage explains the implications of what you have just
learned.
For example, the passage on page 392 of the Official Guide for GMAT Review, 13th
edition, begins with a discussion of how variations in the Earths orbit may be correlated to ice
ages, but it states that this theory was considered untestable because it would require a way to
determine levels of land ice in the distant past. A new theory seems to make this possible. The
theory is based on the fact that two different oxygen isotopes are in the oceans: oxygen 16 and
oxygen 18.

Newland 239
Now comes the aha moment: Oxygen 18 is heavier, so it does not evaporate as readily
as Oxygen 16. Normally this does not matter because the evaporated water falls as rain or snow
and flows back to the ocean. But during an ice age, more of the precipitation falls as snow, and it
does not melt. So an ice age means more Oxygen 18 in the water. And since marine organisms
with shells use water drawn from the ocean, an examination of ocean sediments provides a
record of the ice ages.
Aha: That is the crucial moment. So much has built to this point and is finally resolved
when the new technique is applied to the problem and you learn that the theory of the link
between variations in the Earths orbit and ice ages can be tested. It is not enough simply to
know that more oxygen 18 in sediments equals an ice age. You must understand why. That is the
crucial moment in this passage, and it requires you to slow down and focus.
Facts are easy to look up: Names, dates, numbers, and lists all seem to jump off of the
page when you are looking for them. But the theory is not easy to reconstruct. It is important that
you understand the why of the passage. When the problem and the theory come together, that
is the most important moment in reading comprehension.

Newland 240

L. AWA
1. Easter Egg HuntOn the GMAT? (04/24/2011)
Spring is here and today is the Easter Holiday. In North America that means the tradition
of the Easter Egg Hunt. Throughout the United States, adults will be hiding plastic eggs filled
with candy and toys. Children will then race around trying to find the eggs hidden in the flower
beds, in bushes, inside the mailbox just about anywhere!
Easter Egg has another meaning as well, one that applies to the Analysis of an
Argument task on the GMAT. This meaning of Easter Egg is from the computer programming
world. An Easter Egg is something that a programmer deliberately hides in a program for others
to find. This is where the Analysis of an Argument comes in; Easter Eggs are intentional flaws
hidden in the Analysis of an Argument prompt for you to find.
Not every argument has an Easter Egg, but many do. The key to identifying an Easter
Egg is to look for mistakes made in an argument specifically mistakes or changes in language
that did not have to be made. In one example the evidence for the argument (the premise) talks
about the amount of sales, but then the conclusion jumps to profits as if the two were the
same. This is not a simple typographical error, there are no typos on the GMAT.
Take a look at this example of one of the official prompts released by GMAC, can you
spot any of the several Easter Eggs?
The following appeared in a newspaper story giving advice about investments.
As overall life expectancy continues to rise, the population of our country is growing
increasingly older. For example, over twenty percent of the residents of one of our more
populated regions are now at least 65 years old, and occupancy rates at resort hotels in that
region declined significantly during the past six months. Because of these two related trends, a
prudent investor would be well advised to sell interest in hotels and invest in hospitals and
nursing homes instead.
Did you find any?
Remember that the Easter Egg is an intentional flaw that you can recognize because it
makes a leap that did not have to be made. Most people focus on the fact that the two trends do
not have to be related the fact that 20% of the population of the region is over 65 and the fact
that occupancy rates at resort hotels are down. But they miss the biggest business point of all.
Even if these trends are related and even if there will be more demand for nursing homes and
hospitals in the future is this really enough information to advise the transfer of investment
money from the hotel sector to hospitals and nursing homes?
Overlooking all of the other flaws in the argument and reading it in the best possible
light, it still does not make sense to give investment advice based on so little information. Even if

Newland 241
the hospital and nursing home sectors are performing well, the stocks in those sectors might be
overpriced. What is the price to earnings ratio for the companies involved? How well managed
are the companies in these sectors? What about hotels, even if it were true based on this slim
evidence that the hotel sector was suffering, is it not possible that the stocks might still be
undervalued? If true, the general information given in this article would be only one
consideration in the decision to move investments. So that is first common type of Easter Egg,
the rash decision based on too little information.
Another is the unnecessary (but intentional) switch of terminology. This is another type
of error that the test writers have hidden for you to find. Look at evidence given in this prompt:
and occupancy rates at resort hotels in that region declined significantly notice the resort
hotels. Now look at the conclusion: a prudent investor would be well advised to sell interest in
hotels This is not a typo, they really have switched from resort hotels to all hotels! So fewer
people are staying on the beach in Florida and we are advised to sell our interest not just in those
hotels but also in business hotels in London and New York City. This is a fun Easter Egg to write
about!
I have saved what might be the most powerful type of Easter Egg for last. Lets call this
one the intentionally insufficient evidence Easter Egg. In this prompt the evidence is that
occupancy rates at resort hotels in [one of our more populated regions] declined significantly
during the past six months. Do you see the way that the evidence is designed to be insufficient?
First the time frame, six months. A decline in the occupancy rates of resort hotels over the
course of six months is said to be caused by long-term aging of the population! It is very
amusing. Of course the likely explanation is that it is the off-season or that there was a storm
or the economy was poor during that period, really anything other than the long-term
demographic trends. The test writers did not have to say six months; that was a choice and that
makes it an Easter Egg. There is also the fact that the evidence mentions only one region, which
further weakens the conclusion that makes no mention of a region but seems to apply to all
hotels and hospitals and nursing homes everywhere.
It is not that the test writers require you to find these flaws. It is just that you can write
such powerful essays if you point out these flaws. Instead of trying to explain one more point
about demographic trends you can talk about something very concrete and effective, namely the
lack of information about these two companies. So while not required, finding an Easter Egg can
help give your essay direction.
The Easter Eggs that are hidden in the argument prompts are most often related to the
action that the argument wants you to take and they are most often related directly to business
concepts. The Easter Eggs can be based on unneeded word changes, as when the evidence for an
argument says resort hotels and then the conclusion talks about all hotels. The key is that
Easter Eggs are flaws that are intentionally made so that you can find them.
Next year at this time we will be talking about the new integrated reasoning section,
which will likely reduce the AWA to one task. But by that time you will selecting which Bschool offer to accept, so do your best on the AWA now and look out for those Easter Eggs
while they still exist.

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2. Critical Reasoning on the AWA Section of the GMAT (04/04/2013)

Have you taken the time to really read the Directions for AWA Analysis of an
Argument? The directions read like a list of critical reasoning question types! Anything that you
can do in critical reasoning you are seemingly encouraged to do on the AWA.
Here are the directions. Can you spot the references to various critical reasoning question
types?
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the
line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to
consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations
or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence
would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more
logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
Here are the critical reasoning question types followed by the reference found in the directions:
Assumption: you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking
Weaken: what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion
Strengthen: You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen the argument
Flaw: what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound
Most Useful to Know: what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion
Plan: While not mentioned in the directions, many arguments involve a plan of some kind, such
as transferring investments or raising the price of college residential units.
About the only critical reasoning question types not really covered by the AWA are
inference and paradox. This is interesting since the inference and the paradox questions are the
two types of questions that are based on a set of facts rather than an argument. An inference
question, for example, may be a list of premises and not have a conclusion at all. A paradox also
does not feature a conclusion but rather consists of two facts that do not appear to be compatible.
This points the way to a strong position from which to approach the Analysis of an
Argument. Approach it like an Argument! In critical reasoning you identify the evidence
and the main conclusion so that you can analyze the argument. Do the same on the AWA. You
will find that the evidence always falls short of fully supporting the conclusion and that is why
you have so many options when writing your AWA essay. You can simply expose the
Assumptions in the argument. You can offer examples that would Weaken the argument. You
can choose to give advice for how to Strengthen it. You can simply point out the existing

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Flaws. You can indicate the evidence that would be Most Useful to Know. And you can
demonstrate how the Plan falls short of the goals.
In sum, you can do anything that you would be asked to do with an argument in the
critical reasoning section. The great thing about the AWA is that the choice is yours! Have fun!

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3. A Universal Template for the GMAT Essay (01/21/2014)

The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) comes first on the GMAT exam, but it is
often the last section a student studies. If are new to the AWA section or just looking for an
efficient way to structure your essay, you will find this template useful.
During the 30 minute AWA section, each student must write an essay analyzing an
argument. The essay is designed to measure the quality of a students writing. The emphasis is
on the quality of the writing and the quality of analysis. Having an organized outline and strong
points to write about can result in better grammar, spelling, sentence construction, and
organization, as well as a better analysis of the argument.
On the GMAT, every argument is flawed.
You should begin the AWA section with the understanding that the argument you will be
analyzing is intentionally flawed. (That is what makes the AWA interesting.) If the argument had
no deficiencies, it would be hard for you to point out the flaws and offer solutions. So whether
you plan to simply expose the flaws and conclude that the argument is lacking in evidence and
reasoning or you prefer to indicate what is needed in order to strengthen the argument,
identifying the assumptions and other weaknesses is always the first step.
Analyze the argument as you would an assumption question.
The assumption question is the critical reasoning question type that is perhaps closest to an
AWA prompt. The assumption question has premises and a conclusion and there is some gap in
logic between them. The AWA prompt generally has more premises and more assumptions, but
the gaps in logic are similar.
Here is the procedure to follow as you begin the AWA section:
Identify the main conclusion of the argument. Begin your analysis by reading the entire
prompt and identifying the conclusion. As is true of most critical reasoning questions, the
conclusion is likely to be at the end of the AWA argument. If you have been practicing critical
reasoning, the conclusion should be easy to identify.
Isolate the basic evidence used in the argument. AWA arguments are usually big on
assertions but short on good hard evidence. While it may seem impressive at first, an entire
argument is often based on a few facts or statistics, such as the fact that an airline had the highest
on-time rate, or more graduates of a particular high school are going to college. You can see that
evidence such as this is not likely to support a very broad conclusion.
Pinpoint any sub-conclusions or extended assumptions that the argument makes. The
AWA argument differs from the typical critical reasoning prompt by often having intermediate
conclusions or having an extension of the evidence that requires an additional assumption, such
as the assumption that the higher college-attendance rate of high school graduates is a sign of
improved education at the school.

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The Template
The evidence, subordinate conclusion (or assumption), and main conclusion now become the
three body paragraphs for your essay. Add an introduction and a conclusion and your essay will
look like this:
Paragraph 1: Introduction stating the source of the argument, summarizing the argument, and
stating that it is flawed.
Paragraph 2: Body paragraph indicating assumptions and other flaws in the basic evidence.
Do not allow the author to simply give you a fact or statistic without questioning the source and
the context.
Paragraph 3: Body paragraph indicating the gap between the basic evidence and the
subordinate conclusion, or pointing out the additional assumption that is required to extend the
basic evidence.
Paragraph 4: Body paragraph showing the flaws in the main conclusion. Indicate that even if
all the evidence is taken in the best wayand even granting all of the assumptionsthe main
conclusion is still not supported.
Paragraph 5: Conclusion summing up the argument and restating that the conclusion is
flawed.
Optional: You may choose to follow your descriptions of the flaws in the argument with
suggestions for improvement. This is not required because a great essay can be written merely
describing the flaws in the argument, but some students find it natural to include suggestions for
improvement.
Now we can use this template to create an outline of an essay using an official GMAT
AWA prompt.

Analyze the Prompt.

Use the template to create an outline for an essay about this prompt: The following
appeared in an article in a travel magazine.
After the airline industry began requiring airlines to report their on-time rates, Speedee
Airlines achieved the number one on-time rate, with over 89 percent of its flights arriving on
time each month. And now Speedee is offering more flights to more destinations than ever
before. Clearly, Speedee is the best choice for todays business traveler.
When analyzing an argument, begin by identifying the main conclusion, then isolate the
actual evidence given, and finally, pinpoint any subordinate conclusions or extended
assumptions.
Now plug this information into the template.

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For the introductory paragraph, be sure to mention that the article came from a travel
magazine and briefly state the evidence and the conclusion. Then mention that the article is
flawed. For this you can use a prepared sentencegiven that all AWA prompts are flawed. My
prepared sentence is: The article is flawed because it relies on unfounded assumptions to reach
a conclusion that is not supported by the evidence.

Question the Evidence

For the second paragraph, you can mention some possible problems with the factual or
statistical evidence given. Many people are inclined to simply accept the basic evidence, but you
can choose to write a paragraph questioning the source and the context of the evidence. In this
argument, the evidence is: After the airline industry began requiring airlines to report their ontime rates, Speedee Airlines achieved the number one on-time rate, with over 89 percent of its
flights arriving on time each month.
The ambiguity of this evidence provides you with the opportunity to ask several
questions. Are the on-time rate standards the same for each airline, or does, for example, one
airline count 30 minutes late as on-time while another airline considers that a late arrival?
Does anyone verify the statistics that the airlines report? After all, airlines would have an
incentive to inflate their numbers in order to achieve a higher rank. What is the context of this
No. 1 ranking? Do the other airlines each have an 88.5 percent arrival rate (in which case the
difference is small) or is Speedee No. 1 by a large margin?

Point out the Assumptions.

In the third paragraph, point out the weaknesses in the extended assumptions or
subordinate conclusions that the argument makes. This argument states, And now Speedee is
offering more flights to more destinations than ever before. This may appear to be evidence, but
it is actually an assumption based on the prior sentence. Speedees 89 percent on-time rate is the
only reason given for the conclusion that Speedee is the best choice for the business traveler.
Clearly, the argument assumes that, even with the additional destinations, Speedee will
still have the top on-time rate. Is this assumption supported? The new destinations might be
busier locations with more delays. The increased number of flights might cause more delays in
the Speedee hub. The new destinations might bring more weather delays. In fact, there is no
guarantee Speedee would maintain the on-time rate. Perhaps the period surveyed is the summer
season and Speedees delays mainly occur in the winter. You need only to ask the questions; the
argument needs to provide the answers.

Show that the Main Conclusion is Not Supported.

In the fourth paragraph, show that the main conclusion is not supported by the evidence.
The main conclusions tend to be too broad and too ambitious for the evidence given. In this case,
the main conclusion is Speedee is the best choice for todays business traveler. This conclusion
is intentionally flawed and gives you the opportunity to point out additional considerations (other
than on-time arrival) that a business traveler might use as criteria, for example: safety record,

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cost, comfort, location of airports, frequent flier program, and availability of non-stop flights.
The main conclusion is always flawedusually in a big way.
Finally, wrap up the essay with a two or three sentence conclusion paragraph that
summarize the points and reiterates that the conclusion is flawed. Frequently, test-takers take a
moment here to indicate evidence that would improve the argument.
Treat the AWA as a flawed critical reasoning prompt. Analyze the evidence, the
assumptions, and the main conclusion. Add strong transitions and pay attention to your grammar,
and you will be on your way to a good AWA score and a strong start to your test!

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4. Shortcut for AWA: Pick Out the Intentional Flaws (07/30/2014)

It may be common knowledge that each AWA argument has some flaws, but they are also
intentionally flawed beyond what would happen naturally.
Why is this true? Rather than stopping at the natural conclusion of the argument, the prompts go
too far. For example, they name specific companies when these have not been mentioned in the
evidence, or they take a big leap and say that a small fact makes this the best airline for business
travelers. In other words, the writers of these prompts want to give you some very easy things to
write about; equally important, the graders of these essays will expect you to find flaws with
these particularly weak arguments.
Here are two examples of official GMAT AWA prompts, chosen randomly from among the list
of currently active AWA prompts on the official GMAT. Focus on the way these arguments offer
conclusions that go beyond what can naturally be concluded.
Example 1: Stronger laws are needed to protect new kinds of home security systems from
being copied and sold by imitators. With such protection, manufacturers will naturally invest in
the development of new home-security products and production technologies. Without stronger
laws, therefore, manufacturers will cut back on investment. From this will follow a
corresponding decline not only in product quality and marketability, but also in production
efficiency, and thus ultimately a loss of manufacturing jobs in the industry.
Do you see where the conclusion goes beyond what a normal conclusion would state? Even if it
is true that without stronger laws against copying of security systems, investment in the
development of new technologies will be cut back, does it follow that products will decline in
quality? Why would they decline in quality? There has been no innovation in the design of the
standard yellow pencil, but I cannot say that the quality of the product has declined. (Sometimes
the eraser is a little cheaper these days.)
And why would there be a loss of production efficiency? Is this tied to innovation in the actual
systems? This is going too far. As you can see, it does not follow that a lack of new kinds of
security systems means that production will become less efficient.
And here is the really flawed conclusion. The argument says that this decline in production
efficiency will ultimately result in a loss of manufacturing jobs in the industry. More efficient
production is usually responsible for a decline in jobs, not less efficient production.

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Notice that with so many glaring holes in the argument, you have nothing to fear when it comes
to fodder for critiquing it; the only concern you should have is that youd better go into attack
mode on such an intentionally weak argument.
Example 2: Magic Hat Brewery recently released the results of a survey of visitors to its tasting
room last year. Magic Hat reports that the majority of visitors asked to taste its low-calorie beers.
To boost sales, other small breweries should brew low-calorie beers as well.
Again, notice how the prompt takes a relatively modest premise, that most visitors to the tasting
room asked to taste low-calorie beers, and draws an intentionally flawed conclusion: that other
breweries can boost sales by offering low-calorie beers.
That people tasted these products doesnt necessarily mean they want to buy them. Perhaps they
are using the tasting room to try beers they do not regularly purchase, meaning that the lowcalorie versions of the Magic Hat beers do not sell very well. We are also not told whether
visitors to the tasting room enjoyed the low-calorie beers or whether they plan to buy them in the
future.
The lack of evidence is made more startling by the enormity of the conclusion. If the conclusion
were to say that Magic Hat was boosting sales by having a low-calorie beer, that alone would be
an assumption. To say that the way for other small breweries to boost sales is with low-calorie
brews is an intentional overstatement.
When you begin to break down the AWA argument prompt on test day, dont forget that the test
makers have tried to make your job easier by giving you something that you can really criticize:
an intentionally flawed conclusion.

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M. INTEGRATED REASONING
1. What Integrated Reasoning Really Tests on the GMAT (03/19/2014)
The entire GMAT requires focus, but integrated reasoning in particular is not about mathematical
equations or English grammar; it is about your ability to focus on the question in front of you in
order to find the proper information. It is also about the ability to focus on relevant information
and ignore irrelevant information.
In other words, integrated reasoning is really testing whether you can focus and concentrate or
whether you will become confused and frustrated.
Creating a more relevant test
The authors of the GMAT would readily admit that subjects such as geometry and sentence
correction are really on the test in order to have appropriate subject matter so the exam can test
what it really wants to test: your reasoning abilities. After all, the sections are called Verbal
Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning, not Grammar and Math. Quantitative ability is
important, but what business schools really want to know is how well you can reason.
In fact, because of such subjects as permutations and sentence correction, for years people have
complained that much of what the GMAT tests has no relevance to their business careers. They
have even tempted fate by asking for a more relevant test. Those people should have been careful
as to what they wished for. Now GMAC has figured out a way to take the sort of tasks you might
perform on a daily basis in a business environment and use them as the basis for the Integrated
Reasoning (IR) section.
A post to the official GMAT blog, said this: Simply put, the IR section tests you on the skills
you use every day to analyze information. You use IR skills, for example, when you conduct an
Internet search to find an affordable apartment within walking distance of a subway station; or
plan an itinerary for a two-week trip to Barcelona, Madrid, and Casablanca; or schedule your
course load for the coming two semestersor do all three tasks at once.
What does IR measure?
So what can IR test? On IR, there are no formulas to remember and no grammar to correct. The
tasks themselves are quite ordinary. (For example, you are required to use multiple sources to
answer questions; you must find information from a table; or you have to correctly interpret a
graph). You are even allowed to use a calculator throughout this section. So what are they
testing?
When the Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections were created, reasoning
was thought to be the crucial ability necessary for success in an MBA program. It is still at the
top of the list. (After all, its called Integrated Reasoning.)
Now there is a further ability business schools wish to know that you have: the ability to focus on
the relevant information and exclude the irrelevant. This is the ability to sift through way too

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much information and find the small portion that directly answers the question. The IR section is
the GMATs way of testing this ability. It is like reading comprehension (find the relevant detail
in the passage)but on a much broader scale, with charts, graphs, and tables.
The Value of Learning to Focus
You might ask, Why do they need this new section? Oliver Ashby, senior manager of
recruitment and admissions at London Business School, is quoted in the GMAC blog as saying,
Integrated Reasoning very closely matches the skill sets that we require for people to succeed in
a modern business school classroom. It is a very good benchmark to test the kind of less tangible
skills that have been quite difficult to test for [in] the past
The official GMAC blog also says: It [Integrated Reasoning] measures an emerging set of skills
that faculty have indicated are pre-requisites to hit the ground running on Day 1 of an MBA or
other graduate management program.
What could this set of skills be? What are these less tangible skills being tested? Didnt
GMAC describe IR as being the equivalent of planning a trip to Madrid? Clearly the skills
referred to are simply the ability to sift through information to find the relevant stuff. In other
words the skills tested concern your ability to focusan ability business schools find truly
valuable.
Now that you know what the IR section is testing, lets look at how to cultivate your focus on the
IR section.

GETTING STARTED WITH INTEGRATED REASONING

For the unprepared, Integrated Reasoning can be quite painful.
The difference between Integrated Reasoning (IR) and the other sections of the exam is the sheer
volume of information on each IR question, most of which is irrelevant. For example, a problemsolving problem does not give you more information than you need to solve the problem. In
some cases, a data-sufficiency question does not even give you enough information to solve.
This means that during the Quantitative section you are not bombarded by an avalanche of
numbers the way you are on the IR section.
For many test-takers, it can be painful to be confronted with so much information and then be
asked to answer a very specific question about one small part of that data. It is as if a geometry
question on the Quantitative section had six triangles and you first had to decide which triangle
to focus on before you could begin working out your answer.
The Verbal section does give you more information than you need and is therefore a little closer
to the IR section in that respect. On most critical reasoning and sentence correction questions,
about one-half of the sentence or argument is important to focus on and the other half is less
important, if it even matters at all. Even then, the argument or sentence is at least building to
something. On the IR section you may have a table with 50 numbers, only one of which applies
to the current question.

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Studying for the IR section
Integrated Reasoning is certainly something that you can and should study for directly. Later, in
part three of this article, you will find tips for improving your ability to focus for long periods of
time, as well as ways to hone the skill of ruling out irrelevant information. However, your first
steps on the IR section should be to get familiar with the types of questions you will be asked.
You can try free practice questions, using the GMATPrep software available at www.mba.com.
You can also try IR questions free on the Veritas Prep Question Bank.
Becoming familiar with the types of tables, graphs, charts, and reading passages used on IR is a
must. Practicing these question types until you are very comfortable with them is the next step.
Do not allow yourself to become frustrated and give up. With IR questions the answers are
literally right there in front of you. You just need to be able to quickly and efficiently determine
which data is appropriate and use that data to answer the question.
Make sure that you are ready and able to sort the tables, segment the graphs, and do the kind of
quick relative math required on this section. But understand that even when you are very familiar
with the kinds of things you will be asked, the actual subject of the charts, graphs and tables will
be unfamiliar. And it will require you to focus.
Do not be afraid to use your scratch paper (better yet, a note board like the one you will have on
test day). Many people attempt to complete the IR section without writing anything down. If the
information is confusing you should go slowly so that you can keep it straight in your head and
not get overwhelmed. Remember that if you miss any part of a two or three-part question, you
get no credit for the entire question. If you find that you cannot keep up the pace of 12 questions
in 30 minutes, it may be better to attempt 10 out of the 12 questions, rather than rush through.
You must be careful and thorough during the exam. The only way to do that is to be careful and
thorough in practice.
Now that you know why Integrated Reasoning is difficult for many people, and you know how
to begin studying for it, lets take a look at what may interfere with your ability to focus.

FOCUSING ON INTEGRATIVE REASONING

Since Integrated Reasoning (IR) is a test of your ability to focus, it is important for you to work
deliberately to cultivate this ability. There are two things you are looking to strengthen in
particular: 1) your ability to pay close attention to unfamiliar, detailed material for 30 long
minutes; and 2) your ability to focus on the right portion of a large, complicated data set while
ignoring the irrelevant information.
Interfering with your ability to focus
Two things known to interfere with the ability to focus are chronic distraction and highly
processed foods.
Distracted thinking

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In order to do well on the IR section, you need a few tools. One is called filtering, which
Stanford Professor Clifford Nass defines as the ability to ignore irrelevant information and
focus on relevant information. This may be the No. 1 tool needed to succeed at IR.
The second tool is what Dr. Nass describes as the ability to manage your working memory,
keep it neatly organized, and be able to retrieve things immediately when needed. This is
another must-have trait for Integrated Reasoning.
The final tool needed for the IR section is the ability to quickly switch from one task to another,
such as immediately making the transition from sorting a table to reading a graph. This is what is
commonly called multitaskingrapidly switching from one task to another.
Those people who are chronically distractedfor example, always checking their phone for
texts, trying to do several things on the computer at once, having a conversation while typing an
e-mailare severely lacking in all three of these necessary tools.
People who commonly do one thing at a time and give that task full attention have much better
filtering, working memories, and multitasking abilities. This is how Nass describes chronic
multitaskers: suckers for distraction and suckers for the irrelevant, and so the more irrelevant
information they see, the more theyre attracted to it. Thats a recipe for disaster on the IR
section. You might do all right on the Quant section, which contains no irrelevant information.
On the IR, a chronically distracted person will be in trouble.
Sugar and other highly processed foods
In general, carbohydrates can be useful to fuel your brain. But while your brain depends on
glucose, the Franklin Institute warns: Too much sugar or refined carbohydrates at one time,
however, can actually deprive your brain of glucosedepleting its energy supply and
compromising your brains power to concentrate, remember, and learn. Mental activity requires
a lot of energy.
A sugary snack or soft drink that quickly raises your blood sugar level gives you a boost (and
any caffeine adds to the lift), but its short-lived. When you eat something with a high sugar
content your pancreas starts to secrete insulin. Insulin triggers cells throughout your body to pull
the excess glucose out of your bloodstream and store it for later use.
Soon, the glucose available to your brain has dropped. Neurons, unable to store glucose,
experience an energy crisis. Hours later, you feel spaced-out, weak, confused, and/or nervous.
Your ability to focus and think suffers.
This can affect your performance on the entire GMAT exam, especially the IR section.
While emphasizing the two items above can significantly increase your ability to focus, the next
portion of this article will offer ways to improve how you focus on the IR section.

EXERCISE & SLEEP

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Two things that are known to improve your ability to focus on the relevant information (for long
periods of time) are exercise and sleep. Together, these two lifestyle choices, along with healthy
nutrition, are responsible for your ability to learn and to focus.
Exercise
You have always heard that exercise is important to your health, but did you know how
important it is to your mental functioning? Here are some aspects of exercise that you might not
know:
First, believe it or not, exercise is the only way to build new brain cells. Endurance exercise has
been cited by evolutionary anthropologists as the reason for the extraordinary size and
complexity of the human brain. At least 30 minutes of brisk exercise four times a week not only
creates new brain cellsit also protects the ones you have. Its the only thing that does this.
Second, exercise strengthens nanny neurons that help you to not overreact to situations. People
who exercise regularly have demonstrably better levels of emotional control.
Third, exercise helps your body deal with the stress hormone cortisol. Only sleep and exercise
allow the body to eliminate the stress hormone from the blood stream.
Finally, exercise can lessen test anxiety. Exercise makes your brain more resilient, allows you to
deal with your emotions, and reduces stress levels throughout the body. In fact, regular exercise
engenders a feeling of confidence and general well-being.
Sleep
Sleep is essential to proper mental functioning for several reasons:
First, sleep helps gently wash away the cares and concerns from the previous day. If you dont
believe me, try to remember what you had for lunch three days ago. Unless that lunch was a
particularly memorable occasion for you, you probably have no idea. Thats because during the
intervening periods of sleep, slow waves in your brain came through and washed away all the
trivial details of life so that you could wake up the next day ready for another heavy dose of daily
details.
Second, sleep and exercise are the two ways the body has of dealing with stress hormones. So
when you sleep, not only is your brain gently washing away the details that are causing you to
worry, but your body is also dealing with the stress hormones. And thats why you can go to bed
sad and angry and wake up ready for a new day.
Third, sleep is necessary to proper cell creation and function. When you do not get enough sleep,
the proteins in your cells do not fold properly. This means that the cells themselves do not
function properly. Sleep scientists attribute some of the negative aspects of lack of sleepsuch
as impaired brain functionto the presence of clusters of poorly functioning abnormal cells in
your body. The only way to feel better? You guessed it: Get some extra sleep.

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How do you know if youre not getting enough sleep? While it is normal to be a little less
energetic in the afternoon, its not OK to actually be tired, and if youre having trouble staying
awake, thats a sign of sleep deprivation. No matter what those commercials tell you, an energy
drink or shot will not help. Sure, caffeine and other stimulants can keep you awake for a short
time, but they cannot repair your cells, deal with stress hormones, or help you learn (by washing
away the trivial details). Only sleep can do these things.
If you feel like you might not be getting enough sleep, try this advice from Prevention magazine:
Take a week or so to experiment. Keep your rising time the same, but move your bedtime back
an hour for three or four dayssay, from midnight to 11 p.m. If youre still waking up tired and
lurching to Starbucks in midafternoon, move your bedtime another 45 minutes to an hour earlier.
Staring at the ceiling for 30 minutes before you drift off? Shift your new bedtime later in 15minute increments until you hit your magic hour.
How will you know if this works? Youll wake up refreshed, youll feel in top form at work, and
decaf will do.
The Bottom Line
Exercise creates new adaptive brain cells and protects existing cells, while sleep makes the brain
more flexible and is the key component in the learning process. If you are lacking in either area,
you will not be able to focus as well during your practice or on the exam. And we know that
focus is what Integrated Reasoning is really testing.