LearningExpress ® ’s GMAT ® EXAM SUCCESS In Only 4 Steps! LearningExpress ® ’s GMAT ® EXAM SUCCESS In Only 4 Steps! Elizabeth Chesla and Colleen Schultz NEW YORK ® Copyright © 2003 LearningExpress, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Chesla, Elizabeth L. GMAT exam success in only 4 steps / Elizabeth Chesla and Colleen Schultz — 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1-57685-472-8 1. Graduate Management Admission Test — Study guides. 2. Management — Examinations, questions, etc. I. Schultz, Colleen. II. Title. HF1118.C44 2003 650'.076—dc21 2003009065 Printed in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Edition ISBN 1-57685-472-8 For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at: 55 Broadway 8th Floor New York, NY 10006 Or visit us at: www.learnatest.com About the Authors Elizabeth Chesla is the author of TOEFL Exam Success, ACT Exam Success, GED Success, Reading Compre- hension Success, Write Better Essays, and many other writing and reading guides and test preparation books. She lives in South Orange, New Jersey. Colleen Schultz is a math teacher from Binghamton, New York. She is a contributing writer for 501 Math Word Problems, 501 Quantitative Comparison Questions, and an item writer for several high-stakes math tests. PART I Preparing for the GMAT 1 Chapter 1 About the GMAT 3 Overview of the GMAT 4 Computer-Adaptive Test 6 Preparing for the Computer-Based GMAT Exam 7 How the GMAT Is Scored 9 Getting Your Scores to Schools 12 Retaking the Exam 12 GMAT Testing Center Rules and Regulations 13 Registering for the GMAT Exam 16 Paying for the GMAT 20 Chapter 2 GMAT Study Skills 21 Where Do I Start? 21 I Need a Plan 23 I Need a Place 26 The Right Tools 30 The Study Plan 31 You Are Worth It: Motivational and Relaxation Techniques that Work 34 Learning Strategies and Test-Taking Techniques 37 Testing Psychology 40 Contents vii How to De-Stress 41 Stay Healthy 43 Multiple-Choice Strategies 44 The Endgame 45 PART II The GMAT Verbal Section 49 Chapter 3 Verbal Pretest 51 Questions 52 Answer Explanations 58 Chapter 4 What to Expect on the GMAT Verbal Section 63 Reading Comprehension Questions 64 Critical Reasoning Questions 65 Sentence Correction Questions 66 Chapter 5 Reading Comprehension 69 Active Reading 69 Finding the Main Idea 72 Distinguishing between Fact and Opinion 76 Identifying Specific Facts and Details 78 Essay Types and Organizational Patterns 79 Making Inferences 83 Chapter 6 Critical Reasoning 87 Elements of an Argument 87 Complicating Arguments 89 Evaluating Arguments 93 Chapter 7 Sentence Correction 109 24 Rules for Grammar and Style 110 Sentence Structure 111 Grammar and Usage 119 Style 128 Chapter 8 Tips and Strategies for the Verbal Section 137 Reading Comprehension Questions 138 Critical Reasoning Questions 139 Sentence Correction Questions 141 –CONTENTS– viii Chapter 9 Ver b Forms 143 Regular Verbs 145 Irregular Verbs 146 Helping Verbs 150 Subjunctive Mood 150 Troublesome Verbs 151 Gerunds and Infinitives 152 Chapter 10 Prefixes, Suffixes, and Word Roots 155 Prefixes 155 Suffixes 160 Common Latin Word Roots 162 Common Greek Word Roots 164 Chapter 11 Verbal Section Practice Test 169 Questions 170 Answer Explanations 193 Chapter 12 Verbal Section Glossary 207 PART III The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment 211 Chapter 13 Pretest 213 Questions 214 Answer Explanations 218 Chapter 14 About the Analytical Writing Assessment 221 Analysis of an Issue 221 Analysis of an Argument 223 How the Essays Are Scored 225 Chapter 15 Guide to Effective Writing 231 The Writing Process 231 Seven Steps for Writing a Strong AWA Essay 236 Writing with Style 248 Writing Correctly: The Conventions of Standard Written English 252 150 Most Commonly Misspelled Words 265 –CONTENTS– ix Chapter 16 Tips and Strategies for the AWA 267 General Writing Strategies 267 Analyzing the Issue 269 Analyzing the Argument 269 Chapter 17 AWA Practice 271 Analysis of an Issue Sample Prompts 272 Analysis of an Argument Sample Prompts 282 Answers and Explanations 292 PART IV The GMAT Quantitative Section 305 Chapter 18 Quantitative Pretest 307 Problem Solving Questions 308 Data Sufficiency Questions 310 Answer Explanations 312 Chapter 19 About the Quantitative Section 317 About the Types of Questions 318 Chapter 20 Arithmetic 321 Types of Numbers 321 Properties of Numbers 322 Order of Operations 323 Special Types of Defined Operations 324 Factors, Multiples, and Divisibility 325 Prime and Composite Numbers 327 Even and Odd Numbers 327 Consecutive Integers 328 Absolute Value 328 Operations with Real Numbers 328 Chapter 21 Algebra 339 Translating Expressions and Equations 339 Combining Like Terms and Polynomials 340 Laws of Exponents 341 Solving Linear Equations of One Variable 341 Solving Literal Equations 342 Solving Inequalities 343 –CONTENTS– x . LearningExpress ® ’s GMAT ® EXAM SUCCESS In Only 4 Steps! LearningExpress ® ’s GMAT ® EXAM SUCCESS In Only 4 Steps! Elizabeth Chesla. Literal Equations 342 Solving Inequalities 343 –CONTENTS– x Multiplying and Factoring Polynomials 344 Solving Quadratic Equations 344 Rational Expressions