The GMAT for dummies 5th
by Scott Hatch,J.D. and Lisa Hatch,M.A. The GMAT ® FOR DUMmIES ‰ 5TH EDITION 01_596535 ffirs.qxd 8/2/06 10:44 PM Page i The GMAT For Dummies ® , 5th Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006925889 ISBN-13: 978-0-7645-9653-7 ISBN-10: 0-7645-9653-5 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 5B/SR/QY/QW/IN 01_596535 ffirs.qxd 8/2/06 10:44 PM Page ii About the Authors Scott and Lisa Hatch have prepared students for college entrance exams for over 25 years. While in law school in the late ’70s, Scott Hatch taught LSAT preparation courses throughout Southern California to pay for his education. He was so good at it that after graduation, he went out on his own. Using materials he developed himself, he prepared thousands of anx- ious potential test-takers for the SAT, ACT, PSAT, LSAT, GRE, and GMAT. Years ago, Lisa took one of Scott’s LSAT preparation courses at the University of Colorado and improved her love life as well as her LSAT score. Lisa’s love for instructing and writing allowed her to fit right in with Scott’s lifestyle, teaching courses and preparing course materi- als. They married shortly thereafter. Since then, Scott and Lisa have taught test preparation to students worldwide. Currently over 300 universities and colleges offer their courses online and through live lectures, and the Hatches have written the curriculum for both formats. The company they have built together, the Center for Legal Studies, provides not only standardized test preparation courses but also courses for those who desire careers in the field of law, including paralegals, legal secretaries, legal investigators, victim advocates, and legal nurse consultants. Scott has presented standardized test preparation courses since 1979. He is listed in Who’s Who in California and Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities, and he was named one of the Outstanding Young Men of America by the United States Jaycees. He was a contributing editor to The Judicial Profiler (McGraw-Hill) and the Colorado Law Annotated (West/Lawyers Co-op) series, and he was editor of several award-winning publica- tions. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado and his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law. Lisa has been teaching legal certificate and standardized test preparation courses since 1987. She graduated with honors in English from the University of Puget Sound, and she received her master’s degree from California State University. She and Scott have co-authored numer- ous law and standardized test texts, including Paralegal Procedures and Practices, published by West Thomson Publishing, and SAT II U.S. History For Dummies, SAT II Biology For Dummies, SAT II Math For Dummies, and Paralegal Career For Dummies, published by Wiley Publishing. 01_596535 ffirs.qxd 8/2/06 10:44 PM Page iii Dedication We dedicate our For Dummies books to Alison, Andrew, Zachary, and Zoe Hatch. They demonstrated extreme patience, understanding, and assistance while we wrote this book, and we appreciate them beyond expression. Authors’ Acknowledgments This book would not be possible without the extensive research and writing contributions of standardized test prep experts David Newland, M.A., J.D, and Benjamin A. Saypol, M.A. Their efforts greatly enhanced our writing, editing, and organization, and we are deeply grateful to them. We’d also like to thank the staff of the Center for Legal Studies, who worked diligently to execute a smooth process in the administrative tasks necessary to bring about this book. We need to acknowledge the input of the thousands of prospective MBA students and other college applicants who have completed our test preparation courses over the last twenty-six years. The classroom and online contributions offered by these eager learners have provided us with lots of information about which areas require the greatest amount of preparation. Their input is the reason we’re able to produce accurate and up-to-date test preparation. Our meticulous scholarship and attempts at wit were greatly facilitated by the editing profes- sionals at Wiley Publishing. Our thanks go out to Tim Gallan and Natalie Harris for their patience and support throughout the process, David Herzog and Laura Nussbaum for their attention to detail during the editing process, and Kathy Cox for getting the project up and running. Finally, we wish to acknowledge our literary agent, Margo Maley Hutchinson at Waterside Productions in Cardiff, for her assistance and for introducing us to the innovative For Dummies series. We thrive on feedback from our students and encourage our readers to pro- vide comments and critiques at feedback@legalstudies.com. 01_596535 ffirs.qxd 8/2/06 10:44 PM Page v Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editors: Tim Gallan, Natalie Faye Harris (Previous Edition: Sherri Fugit) Acquisitions Editor: Kathy Cox (Previous Edition: Karen Hansen) Copy Editors: Laura Peterson Nussbaum, Danielle Voirol (Previous Edition: Donna Frederick) Editorial Program Coordinator: Hanna K. Scott Technical Editor: David Herzog Editorial Manager: Christine Beck Editorial Assistants: Erin Calligan, Nadine Bell, David Lutton Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Jennifer Theriot Layout and Graphics: Carrie A. Foster, Lauren Goddard, Denny Hager, Joyce Haughey, Stephanie D. Jumper Lynsey Osborn, Heather Ryan Proofreaders: Debbye Butler, Jessica Kramer, Charles Spencer Indexer: Julie Kawabata Special Help Sara Westfall Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 01_596535 ffirs.qxd 8/2/06 10:44 PM Page vi Contents at a Glance Introduction 1 Part I: Putting the GMAT into Perspective 5 Chapter 1: Getting the Lowdown on the GMAT 7 Chapter 2: Maximizing Your Score on the GMAT 15 Part II: Vanquishing the Verbal Section 25 Chapter 3: Applying What You Learned (We Hope) in Grammar Class: Sentence Correction 27 Chapter 4: Not as Enticing as a Bestseller: Reading Comprehension 45 Chapter 5: Getting Logical: Critical Reasoning 63 Chapter 6: Bringing It Together: A Practice Mini Verbal Section 81 Part III: Acing the Analytical Writing Section 93 Chapter 7: Analyze This: What to Expect from the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) 95 Chapter 8: Present Perfect Paragraphs: How to Write a GMAT Essay 101 Chapter 9: Deconstructing Sample GMAT Essays 107 Part IV: Conquering the Quantitative Section 113 Chapter 10: Getting Back to Basics: Numbers and Operations 115 Chapter 11: Considering All the Variables: Algebra 137 Chapter 12: Getting the Angle on Geometry: Planes and Solids 163 Chapter 13: Keeping in Step: Coordinate Geometry 183 Chapter 14: Manipulating Numbers: Statistics and Sets 197 Chapter 15: It’s All in the Presentation: GMAT Quantitative Question Types 215 Chapter 16: All Together Now: A Practice Mini Quantitative Section 225 Part V: Practice Makes Perfect 239 Chapter 17: Putting the GMAT into Practice: Test #1 241 Chapter 18: Explaining the Answers to Practice Test #1 267 Chapter 19: Putting the GMAT into Practice: Test #2 293 Chapter 20: Explaining the Answers to Practice Test #2 323 Part VI: The Part of Tens 345 Chapter 21: Ten Questions You’ve Got a Good Shot At 347 Chapter 22: Ten Writing Errors to Avoid 349 Chapter 23: Ten Formulas You Need to Know on Test Day 351 Index 355 02_596535 ftoc.qxd 8/2/06 10:48 PM Page vii Table of Contents Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 2 How This Book Is Organized 2 Part I: Putting the GMAT into Perspective 2 Part II: Vanquishing the Verbal Section 3 Part III: Acing the Analytical Writing Section 3 Part IV: Conquering the Quantitative Section 3 Part V: Practice Makes Perfect 3 Part VI: The Part of Tens 3 Icons Used in This Book 3 Where to Go from Here 4 Part I: Putting the GMAT into Perspective 5 Chapter 1: Getting the Lowdown on the GMAT 7 Knowing Why the GMAT’s Important 7 Timing It Perfectly: When to Take the GMAT (and What to Bring) 8 When to register for and take the GMAT 8 Things to take to the GMAT (and things to leave at home) 9 Forming First Impressions: The Format of the GMAT 10 Getting familiar with what the GMAT tests 10 Understanding the computerized format 11 Honing your computer skills for the GMAT 12 Knowing Where You Stand: Scoring Considerations 12 How the GMAT testers figure your score 12 How the GMAT testers report your score 13 Why you should (almost) never cancel your GMAT score 13 Repeating the Process: Retaking the GMAT 14 Chapter 2: Maximizing Your Score on the GMAT 15 Knowing How to Choose: Strategies for Successful Guessing 15 The computer made me do it: Forced guessing 15 It’s not over ’til it’s over: The importance of completing each question 16 Winning the Race Against the Clock: Wise Time Management 16 Giving each question equal treatment 17 Making time for the last ten questions 17 Keeping track of your pace 18 Getting Rid of Wrong Answers 18 Keeping track of eliminated answer choices in the CAT format 18 Recognizing wrong answers 19 Playing It Smart: A Few Things You Shouldn’t Do When Taking the Test 23 Don’t lose your focus 23 Don’t read questions at lightning speed 23 Don’t waste all your time on the hardest questions 23 Don’t cheat 24 Tackling a Case of Nerves: Relaxation Techniques 24 02_596535 ftoc.qxd 8/2/06 10:48 PM Page ix x The GMAT For Dummies, 5th Edition Part II: Vanquishing the Verbal Section 25 Chapter 3: Applying What You Learned (We Hope) in Grammar Class: Sentence Correction 27 Building a Solid Foundation: Grammar Basics 27 Getting wordy: The parts of speech 28 Pulling together: The parts of a sentence 30 Pointing Out Mistakes: Common Sentence Correction Errors 32 Can’t we all just get along? Errors in subject-verb and pronoun agreement 33 Building code violations: Faulty construction 34 Follow the idiom: Correct use of standard expressions 38 Implementing an Approach to Sentence Correction Questions 40 Spotting the error 41 Eliminating answers that don’t correct errors 41 Eliminating choices that create new errors 42 Rereading the sentence 42 Reviewing the process and guessing on sentence corrections 43 Chapter 4: Not as Enticing as a Bestseller: Reading Comprehension 45 Judging by Appearances: What Reading Comprehension Questions Look Like 45 Approaching Reading Passages 46 Mastering the message: The main point 46 Absorbing the ambiance: Author’s tone 47 Finding the framework: The passage’s outline 47 Sticking to the Subject: Types of Passages 48 Experimenting with natural science passages 48 Gathering in social circles: Social science and humanities passages 49 Getting down to business passages 50 Approaching Reading Questions 51 Identifying the question type 51 Eliminating answer choices 54 Putting it all together: Answering sample reading questions 55 Dealing with exception questions 59 Chapter 5: Getting Logical: Critical Reasoning 63 Keying In on “Critical” Concepts: An Overview 63 The structure of the questions 64 The basics of how to answer the questions 64 Thinking It Through: Essentials of Informal Logic 65 Fighting fair: The elements of an argument 65 Getting from point A to point B: Types of reasoning 65 Thinking inside the Box: Question Types 67 Stalking Your Prey: How to Approach Each Question Type 68 Muscling through questions that ask you to strengthen or weaken arguments 68 Delving into drawing conclusions 73 Spotting those sneaky assumptions 75 Using your noggin to make inferences 77 Making your way through method-of-reasoning questions 78 Chapter 6: Bringing It Together: A Practice Mini Verbal Section 81 The GMAT For Dummies, 5th Edition 02_596535 ftoc.qxd 8/2/06 10:48 PM Page x xi Table of Contents Part III: Acing the Analytical Writing Section 93 Chapter 7: Analyze This: What to Expect from the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) 95 Fitting in the AWA with the Rest of the GMAT 95 Calling 411: How the AWA is Laid Out 96 Two’s Company? The Two Essay Question Types 96 You’re entitled to an opinion: Analysis of an issue 97 Everyone’s a critic: Analysis of an argument 97 Racking Up the Points: How the GMAT Scores Your Essays 98 Getting to know your readers 98 Interpreting the scores 99 Chapter 8: Present Perfect Paragraphs: How to Write a GMAT Essay 101 Avoiding Grammar, Punctuation, and Mechanics Errors 101 Punctuation errors 101 Sentence structure problems 102 Faltering in forming possessives? 103 Spelling out spelling issues 103 More dos and don’ts 103 Practice makes perfect! 104 Building a Better Essay: Ten Steps to a Higher Score 104 Chapter 9: Deconstructing Sample GMAT Essays 107 Defining GMAT AWA scores 107 You’ve Got Issues: Deconstructing the Analysis of an Issue Essay 108 Sample essay #1 109 Discussion of sample essay #1 109 Sample essay #2 109 Discussion of sample essay #2 110 You’ve Got Your Reasons: Deconstructing the Analysis of an Argument Essay 111 Sample essay #3 111 Discussion of sample essay #3 112 Part IV: Conquering the Quantitative Section 113 Chapter 10: Getting Back to Basics: Numbers and Operations 115 Just Your Type: Kinds of Numbers 115 Counting on it: Natural numbers 116 Taking the negative with the positive: Integers 116 Digging the division: Rational numbers 116 Keeping it real: Real numbers 116 Getting primed for success: Prime numbers 117 Using your head: Irrational and imaginary numbers 117 It’s Not Brain Surgery: Basic Operations 118 Figuring with the fabulous four: Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing 118 Checking out the real estate: Properties of real numbers 120 Using Little Numbers for Big Values: Bases and Exponents 122 Adding and subtracting exponents 123 Multiplying and dividing exponents 123 Figuring out the powers of zero and one 123 Dealing with fractional exponents 124 Working with negative exponents 124 02_596535 ftoc.qxd 8/2/06 10:48 PM Page xi Checking Out the Ancestry: Roots 125 Splitting Up: Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages 127 Defining numerators, denominators, and other stuff you need to know about fractions 128 Trading places: Reciprocals 129 Adding and subtracting fractions 130 Multiplying and dividing fractions 130 Calculating percent change 132 Taking it further: Repeated percent change 133 Making Comparisons: Ratios and Proportions 134 Playing the Numbers: Scientific Notation 135 Chapter 11: Considering All the Variables: Algebra 137 Defining the Elements: Algebraic Terms 137 Braving the unknowns: Variables and constants 137 Coming together: Terms and expressions 138 Knowing the nomials: Kinds of expressions 138 Maintaining an Orderly Fashion: Algebraic Operations 139 Adding to and taking away 139 Multiplying and dividing expressions 141 Extracting Information: Factoring Polynomials 144 Something in common: Finding common factors 144 Two by two: Factoring quadratic polynomials 145 Putting On Your Thinking Cap: Problem Solving 146 Reading between the lines: Word problems 146 Isolating the variable: Linear equations 147 Bringing in the substitution: Simultaneous equations 149 Not playing fair: Inequalities 150 Burning the midnight oil: Work problems 153 Going the distance: Distance problems 154 Solving quadratic equations 156 Minding Your Ps and Qs: Functions 158 Standing in: Understanding the symbols used for functions 158 Taking it to the limit: Domain and range of functions 160 Chapter 12: Getting the Angle on Geometry: Planes and Solids 163 Fishing for the Answers: Lines and Angles 163 Trusting Triangles 166 Triple treat: Properties of triangles 166 The area of a triangle 167 The Pythagorean theorem and other cool stuff about right triangles 168 A striking resemblance: Similar triangles 171 Playing Four Square: Quadrilaterals 172 Drawing parallels: Parallelograms 172 Raising the roof: Trapezoids 173 Showing Their Good Sides: Other Polygons 174 Eating Up Pieces of Pi: Circles 175 Ring measurements: Radius, diameter, and circumference 175 Blueprints for Noah: All about arcs 176 Line ’em up: Chords, inscribed and circumscribed figures, and tangents 177 Getting a Little Depth Perception: Three-Dimensional Geometry 179 Chipping off the old block: Rectangular solids 180 Sipping from soda cans and other cylinders 181 xii The GMAT For Dummies, 5th Edition The GMAT For Dummies, 5th Edition 02_596535 ftoc.qxd 8/2/06 10:48 PM Page xii [...]... use your GMAT score ᮣ Knowing when to take the GMAT and what to bring ᮣ Figuring out the format of the GMAT ᮣ Skimming through the way they score the GMAT ᮣ Considering whether you should retake the GMAT C ongratulations on deciding to take a significant step in your business career! More than one hundred countries offer the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) , and it’s used by over 1,800 graduate... you should think about days of the week as well For some people Saturday may still be a good day for a test — just maybe not at 8 a.m.! For others, the weekend is the wrong time for that type of concentrated academic activity If you’re used to taking the weekends off, it may make more sense for you to schedule the test during the week Choosing the time and day to take the GMAT is primarily up to you Be... attention to the wording of the question helps you eliminate one more The question asks you to strengthen the argument that Americans quickly forget their New Year’s resolutions Choice B seriously weakens the argument by indicating that instead of forgetting their resolutions, Americans are haunted by failed resolutions for the rest of the year Because this answer weakens the argument instead of strengthening... highlights really important information that you should remember even after you close the book 3 03_596535 intro.qxd 4 8/2/06 10:59 PM Page 4 The GMAT For Dummies, 5th Edition Throughout the book, we give you insights into how you can enhance your performance on the GMAT The tips give you juicy timesavers and point out especially relevant concepts to keep in mind for the test Your world won’t fall... need for the test are far less than those you’ll need while pursuing an MBA! Because you have to type your essays, you need basic word-processing skills For the multiple-choice sections, you need to know how to select answers using either the mouse or the keyboard That’s it for the computer skills you need to take the GMAT Knowing Where You Stand: Scoring Considerations Okay, you know the GMAT s format... 351 The Slope-Intercept Formula 352 The Formula for Slope 352 Special Right Triangles 352 Equation for Average Mean 352 Formula for Groups 352 Finding the Probability of One Event 353 Finding the Probability of Multiple Events 353 Index .355 xv 02_596535 ftoc.qxd xvi 8/2/06 10:48 PM Page xvi The GMAT For Dummies, ... aren’t essential to your performance on the GMAT If you’re trying to save time, you can skip the sidebars The book highlights information you should remember in several ways Lists are bulleted and marked with a solid bar to the left of the list Icons appear in the margins to emphasize particularly significant information in the text You can use these highlighting tools to focus on the most important elements... scores Repeating the Process: Retaking the GMAT Because most programs consider only your top scores, it may be in your best interest to retake the GMAT if you aren’t happy with your first score The GMAT administrators let you take the test quite a few times if you want (that’s pretty big of them, considering you have to pay for it every time) If you do retake the GMAT, make sure you take the process and... available in the bank of questions At the end of each section, the computer scores you based on your level of ability Answering in an orderly fashion With the CAT format, the question order in the verbal and quantitative sections is different from the order on paper exams that have a test booklet and answer sheet On the CAT, the first ten questions of the test are preselected for you, and the order of... take the GMAT Almost all MBA programs require that you submit a GMAT score for the admissions process Your GMAT score gives the admissions committee another tool to use to assess your skills and compare you with other applicants The GMAT doesn’t attempt to asses any particular subject area that you might’ve studied, but instead it gives admissions officers a reliable idea of how you’d likely perform . Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies. com. off the old block: Rectangular solids 180 Sipping from soda cans and other cylinders 181 xii The GMAT For Dummies, 5th Edition The GMAT For Dummies, 5th