Oct 2020

4 Best Practices to Help You Master the GMAT AWA Section

Posted By: Apex GMAT

Contributor: Altea Sulollari

Date: 20 October 2020

When preparing for the GMAT most people neglect the GMAT AWA section, and even though this section is scored separately, it is important that you spend some time focusing on performing well on it.

The section is specifically designed to test your ability to impartially analyze an argument and to state your ideas with precision – skills that will be invaluable in your future career.

Another reason to pay attention to this section of the GMAT is the fact that the schools you apply to will get to see your essays, and impressing them with your writing skill can only help your application.

In the upcoming sections, we’ll go over all you need to know about:

The GMAT AWA (Analytical Writing Assessment)
How the AWA is scored
Five best practices to follow when preparing for the AWA section

The GMAT AWA Explained

When it comes to the AWA, keep in mind that this section is not as important as the others as it does not contribute to the all important 800 score. That being said, your essay is sent to the schools that you are applying to and the recruiters will get to see how you structure an argument. Even though the GMAT AWA section is not the most important, it still showcases your writing skills and that is a good enough reason to put some effort into it.

The section is a timed 30-minute essay writing task. You will be presented with a passage and your task will be to analyze the author’s argument to the best of your abilities. You will be expected to provide a thorough analysis of the strong points as well as to point out the weaknesses of the argument. Similar to the critical reasoning section, you will have to speak about an argument construction using abstract language and to show how it can potentially be weakened or strengthened. Your ability to successfully express your ideas in a precise manner will be crucial in this process. A good way to do this is to constantly ask yourself the question: “What if?”, to show you the methods that an argument can be strengthened and weakened.

The GMAT AWA Scoring System

Now that you know what this section is all about, let’s focus on the scoring system for this part of the GMAT.

Your analysis will be scored separately from the other sections of the GMAT and the score you get will not count towards your final combined score, which ranges from 200 to a maximum of 800. Rather the AWA score range is from 0 to 6 in half point increments, where 6 is the maximum score for a well-structured analysis.

The second thing you’ll need to keep in mind is that your essay will be checked twice: once by a human reader and once by a computer algorithm. The scores from both are taken into consideration and your final score will be the average of those two. However, if the scores from the human reader and the computer algorithm differ from one another significantly, another human reader has to check your argument analysis.

This information is important because although you do not have an idea about how the human reader will check your essay, the computer algorithm uses certain criteria to base its final decision on, and this criteria includes keywords related to the topic, grammar, punctuation, structure, etc. This is useful insight into what is asked of you and where you should focus when preparing for the section in order to succeed.

What’s a good GMAT AWA score?

Consider the AWA to be pass/fail, where the task in question is whether you can construct a coherent argument, as compared to your peers. In this light, a passing grade would be a 4.5 or greater. While it is always good to aim high, it’s important to keep in mind that once you’ve achieved a 4.5, there’s very little use of worrying about obtaining a higher score, and you’d do better focusing on the other parts of your application to distinguish yourself.

Pro tip: There is a simpler way to improve your GMAT AWA score without putting too much effort into preparing for this specific section: master the GMAT Verbal section! Both the Verbal section and the AWA section require you to have good critical reasoning skills and for you to be able to analyze arguments impartially. As both of these sections require the same set of skills, you won’t have to work harder, only smarter!

4 Best Practices to Help You Ace the GMAT AWA Section

Now that you’re familiar with the GMAT AWA section and its scoring system, here are some best practices to follow that will assure you master this section.

1. Remember that you are dealing with an analysis!

Do what is asked of you and do not deviate from that. You’ll need to focus on analyzing the arguments that are presented to you in the passage. Concentrate on identifying the strong points as well as the weaknesses of the argument. This is not, however, an opportunity to express your own opinion on the matter or topic, so be careful not to cross that line and risk losing points. Also, try to stir away from personal views and irrelevant outside information that can potentially affect the way you structure and phrase your analysis. Instead, try to focus on the logic of the argument and stick to that.

2. Do NOT focus too much on the word count!

The number of words you use does not matter as much as the structure and quality of your work. However, there’s a catch! The computer algorithm that checks your essay is more likely to give you a higher score if you write a longer essay with more complex sentence structure. Ultimately, you’ll have to make sure that you have a clearly laid out argument in an easy-to-follow structure, and if you do so well, generally the length will be sufficient and you won’t have any problems regarding word count. Bottom line: if your essay is a bit short, there’s probably something you’ve missed, so go back and look for additional features of the argument to deconstruct.

Pro tip: Mind your grammar and punctuation! Grammar and punctuation are just as important as structure. A well-written essay should not have grammatical mistakes or sentences that are out of place or do not make sense. Use your Sentence Correction skills!

3. Practice is key!

Practice makes perfect. Writing a few practice essays is particularly important when it comes to acing the AWA section of the GMAT as it familiarizes you with the process of writing an analysis of argument under a time constraint. Reading many arguments in different formats and on varying subjects will certainly help you improve your overall skills and make you ready for any argument presented come test day.

That being said, do not overdo it. If you graduated from University in an English speaking country with a liberal arts or social sciences degree under your belt, this should be enough for you to make the 4.5 mark in the AWA without much further preparation.

Finally, make good use of ready-made templates to structure your essay. There are plenty of templates that you can download for free so make sure to take advantage of that.

4. Don’t stress it too much!

There is nothing worse than stressing out on exam day as it can affect your overall performance on the exam. Working on the GMAT AWA section can be especially stressful and overwhelming because you have to come up with your own explanations rather than rely on provided answers. Try to take it easy and remember that the AWA’s role on the GMAT is as much about grinding down your stamina as it is about writing. You’ve practiced a lot and are prepared to ace this section and the exam as a whole, so don’t worry about it.

Now that we went over everything, you’ve got an ace up your sleeve and you’ll be able to tackle the GMAT AWA with confidence.

Good luck with your exam!

Sep 2020

How to Prepare for the GMAT: The Verbal Section

Posted by: Apex GMAT

Contributor: Ivan Minchev

How To GMAT: The Verbal Section

The business world is dominated by numbers, charts, and graphs. Thus, most business school hopefuls understandably focus on developing their analytical thinking and math skills when preparing for the GMAT exam. But it’s a mistake to neglect the verbal section. Effective test prep requires a balanced, well-rounded approach.

Here’s what you need to know about the GMAT verbal section.

What is the verbal section and what does it test for?

The verbal section primarily evaluates the test taker’s overall command of standard written English, ability to analyze and evaluate arguments, and critical reading skills. As such, the verbal section is made up of three types of problems: critical reasoning, sentence correction, and reading comprehension.

The 3 sections have a total of 36 questions, with a time limit of 65 minutes. This leaves, on average, 1 minute and 49 seconds per question.

How Is it scored

The verbal section, like the quantitative section, is evaluated on a scale of 0 to 60. A 51 is considered a perfect score on both sections.

The GMAT also ranks test takers by percentile. The percentile system uses GMAT scores from the previous three years to calculate how applicants performed compared to their peers. For example, if an applicant scores in the 80th percentile, it means he or she performed better than 80% of test takers over the last three years.

Although the scaled scores don’t change over time, the percentiles do. Business schools assess both the scaled and percentile scores to get an adequate understanding of the applicant’s strengths and weaknesses.

Language on the Verbal Section

The language in the verbal section is more sophisticated and academic than intermediate, everyday English. If you aren’t accustomed to reading formal English, your verbal prep might require some extra time and energy.

It will be easier to identify errors, main points, and bias statements once you’ve trained your ear to formal English. Practice reading formal texts efficiently and effectively, and avoid vernacular texts. Instead, choose sources that are known for using elevated writing styles, such as The New Yorker or The New York Times.

Critical Reasoning

The critical reasoning subsection consists of a brief text outlining an argument (usually less than 100 words) and five answer choices. Critical reasoning questions measure the test taker’s ability to formulate and evaluate arguments. To answer correctly, consider the argument’s logical structure. Each answer choice might strengthen the argument, weaken the argument, or explain the argument’s flaws.

Although the best tip for critical reasoning questions is to read carefully and watch out for tricky wording, it will help to keep the following questions in mind:

How is the argument structured?
What’s the conclusion?
What evidence supports the conclusion?
Which assumptions link the evidence to the conclusion?

Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension evaluates not only the candidate’s understanding of words and statements, but more importantly, the underlying logic behind them.

In this subsection, you’ll find passages of text followed by several questions about the text’s details and implications. Some passages draw from various disciplines, such as the physical, biological, or social sciences, while others refer to business-related fields.

Here are some tips to make the process less tedious and more efficient:

Read the whole passage without taking too much time to memorize details
Analyze the logical structure of the passage
Ask yourself:

- What’s the main argument?
- What does the author state explicitly? What is implied?
- How would you describe the author’s tone and attitude?

Keep an eye out for opinionated words–for example, “clearly,” “obviously,” or “apparently”–these words hint at the author’s attitudes, and they’ll help you suss out the main point.

Sentence Correction

The sentence correction portion tests a candidate’s ability to communicate effectively. Effective communication isn’t just grammatically correct–it’s clear, direct, and concise.

In this portion, you’ll find five different versions of the same sentence. The goal is to choose the version that’s grammatically correct and expresses the idea with precision and clarity. Choose wisely!

Conclusion

Taking the quantitative section into account, there are a number of score combinations that will lead to the same overall score, which leave plenty of room to maneuver. However, given the rise in quantitative scores in recent years, total scores and percentile rankings have shifted. This gives candidates an opportunity to boost their overall scores by mastering the verbal section.

For additional tips related to the verbal section of the GMAT read: How to boost your verbal score next.

Sep 2020

How to Overcome GMAT Test Anxiety

by ApexGMAT

Contributor: Fatma Xhafa

Sept 22, 2020

Methodical test prep is a painstaking, yet necessary, process for anyone striving for a top score on the GMAT. Most elite MBA programs require a 700+ score for admission. Applicants face a lot of pressure leading up to test day. It’s normal to experience anxiety while studying.

Apex Instructors have noted that GMAT test anxiety is the most common external factor that directly affects GMAT performance. Almost everyone experiences some anxiety, and about 60% of our clients experience anxiety severe enough to affect performance if left unaddressed. Test anxiety is distracting. It negatively affects a test taker’s concentration, leading to declining comprehension, especially on word problems and the verbal section.

In extreme cases, test takers might experience a racing heart-beat, nausea, or headaches. Most importantly, anxiety draws attention away from the test. The consequences can be significant if it isn’t managed well.

Fortunately, there are many ways to overcome test anxiety.

What Causes Anxiety?

It’s normal to doubt ourselves and our abilities, but the way we channel doubt makes or breaks our performance. Knowing how to manage stress and trust our abilities is essential to navigating the treacherous waters of the GMAT.

A strong GMAT preparation plan emphasizes mastering the required skills while maintaining composure in the face of outward distractions. That annoying guy clicking his pen on the other side of the room can be a major stressor. When test takers learn to manage anxiety and resist distraction, a high score takes care of itself.

When we address personal challenges, it’s important to understand the root of the problem. Identifying the exact causes and associated triggers of the anxiety is the first step to conquering it. To pinpoint exactly what is triggering anxiety, determine if the anxiety is situational (caused by taking an unfamiliar exam) or emotional (fear of failure, the pressure to perform well, etc).

For example, if a patient’s heart races during a routine checkup at a doctor’s office, even though the patient doesn’t expect to receive any bad news, their anxiety may be situational; the anxiety comes from the clinical setting itself. However, if a patient becomes anxious waiting for serious test results, the anxiety is likely emotional. The first patient’s anxiety simply comes from being in a doctor’s office. The second patient is anxious due to the potentially life-altering consequences of the test results, rather than a particularly upsetting setting or circumstance.

Some Anxiety Will Always Exist

When it comes to the GMAT, or any other stressful situation, keep in mind that some level of anxiety will always be present. The trick is to adjust to it. For most test takers, the problem isn’t the initial anxiety, but anxiety about the anxiety.

Anyone can become anxious before getting a shot at the doctor’s office. However, most people don’t dwell on the anxiety for weeks or miss an appointment because of it. Someone who thinks about their fear of needles for a long period of time leading up to a doctor’s appointment will probably be more anxious when it’s time to get the shot. The same principle applies to the GMAT. Remind yourself, “this is going to suck, but I’ll get through it.”

Time Management

The clock is ticking and with each passing moment you become more and more worried that you won’t have enough time–an all too common experience for GMAT takers. This fear is understandable considering that the inability to allocate time can impact scores significantly. Fortunately, with proper time management training, anyone can learn to manage time and resources during the exam. When time management is addressed with strong methodologies and best practices, the decision process manages the time, not the test taker.

Apex’s curriculum utilizes a proprietary methodology that manages time for test takers. Following this process removes the need to think about timing, takes the pressure off, alleviates anxiety, and allows applicants to focus on the problems at hand.

Computer Adaptive Test

The GMAT uses Computer Adaptive Testing to evaluate applicants’ readiness for business school. Simply put, answering a question correctly leads to more challenging questions, and getting a question wrong leads to less challenging ones.

This creates pressure to answer each question correctly or risk getting easier questions, which affects the overall score. CAT can heighten anxiety levels in general during the test, but especially when test takers focus on difficulty level. It may be tempting to keep track, but it’s ultimately a waste of valuable time and energy to focus on the scoring system rather than the test itself.

If a question seems easy, it doesn’t mean it actually is. Many high scorers stress themselves out because they don’t internalize how skilled they are.

In reality, it’s almost impossible to get every question right, even for strong test takers. Strong and weak test takers get about the same number of questions wrong. The difference in score comes from the level of the questions answered correctly.

The GMAT tests for decision making and time allocation skills. Anxiety disrupts these; that’s why it’s so insidious. For most people, the challenge is combating the low-level anxiety from the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which can be annoying and distracting.

Here are some useful methods that alleviate score-related anxiety:

Forget about the score altogether. When studying and taking the test, shift your focus towards the most important thing: individual question performance. Shift away from thinking about the score. The only way to get a good score is to focus on individual questions.
Become familiar with the CAT scoring system, especially for GMAT. Understanding the underlying mechanism for scoring can make test takers less nervous and more confident in their performance. Mike Diamond, the Head of Curriculum at ApexGMAT, has provided a detailed explanation HERE.

Past Poor Performance or Low Scores

Some test takers lose confidence due to negative experiences with the GMAT, such as lower-than-expected results on previous tests or practice tests. This can cause anxiety, insecurity, and even panic.

It’s best to frame practice tests, or official tests that don’t go as planned, as tools to assess timing calibration, strengths and weaknesses, and to develop efficient study plans. After all, falling short is the first step in any meaningful learning experience. When we excel right off the bat, it’s usually because we’re using skills we’ve already mastered in a new way. Otherwise, we should expect to fail at new things. Failure provides an opportunity to isolate challenges and accelerate improvement. Overcoming obstacles means we’ll know what to expect, and with hard work, we’ll be better prepared for the next test.

Consider the following strategies:

Put yourself in scenarios that mimic test day (situational) stressors. Taking practice tests or timed tests will not only help you adjust to the scoring system, but will also help with time management. Try taking practice tests in a coffee shop, common study room, or library, where distractions are minimal, but beyond your control. This will provide a greater sense of what to expect, and as a result, help alleviate environmentally induced anxiety.
Go to the testing center for a dry run. This helps reduce anxiety because it familiarizes you with the testing environment and ensures that there will be no surprises when you take the exam. If the environmental stress is holding you back, the best way to address it is to get used to the environment.

Pressure from Friends and Family

Parents, professors, and friends want to see us thrive, and while they can be a great source of support, they can also contribute to our stress. Some test takers feel like a weak performance is a betrayal of the people who have invested time, care, and even money, in their success.

More likely, the pressure comes from an internal desire to live up to what we perceive as others’ expectations. It’s easy to misinterpret enthusiastic support for a personal, emotional investment in our goals. A score that doesn’t reach the goal can feel like a blow to the ego, especially if our initial expectations for success weren’t in line with the amount or type of preparation we performed.

It can help to simply avoid the topic of scores in conversation. Focus on updating loved ones on the process of preparation rather than scores. It’s highly important to prioritize yourself because ultimately, you’re what matters most!

How to Reduce the Anxiety and Enhance Performance

Everyone has their own way of preparing for an important exam, and there is no “right” way to go about it.

However, there are some best practices that can make the process smoother:

Practice, practice, practice!

Everyone has heard the phrase: “practice makes perfect.” This is just as true of the GMAT.

It’s very important to practice using sample GMAT questions. Knowing what to expect on the exam can alleviate a lot of anxiety.

Get 8 Hours of Sleep Consistently

Getting a good night’s sleep not only helps us absorb new information during the studying process, but also prepares the brain to retain more detail in the future. When it comes to the learning process, sleep is essential.

Experts say that on average, adults need about 8 hours of sleep a night to maintain a healthy sleep cycle. We all perform better when we prioritize our health and wellbeing. A healthy lifestyle, including a regular and consistent sleep schedule, is key when it comes to taking the GMAT and achieving our long-term goals.

Have a cup o’ Joe

Drinking coffee during test prep and before taking the exam enhances mental acuity due to blood and oxygen flow to the brain. Coffee makes us alert, focused, and ready to crush the GMAT.

But it’s important to keep in mind just how much coffee is too much coffee. Drinking too much will only make you more anxious and jittery, which is the last thing you want. It’s all about finding the perfect balance that works for you.

How Can Private GMAT Tutoring Help with GMAT Test Anxiety?

At Apex, we focus not only on the fundamentals of the exam, but also on test anxiety, time management, alternative solution paths, and test reading to use the test’s structure to our clients’ advantage.

We take pride in our GMAT Curriculum, which is unmatched in the industry. We take the time to cover the widest possible range of methods and develop strategies that work best for individual clients.

When it comes to private GMAT tutoring, personalized attention is the key to 700+ GMAT scores. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. We understand that the same strategy does not work for every client.

Private tutoring can be a gateway to the amazing scores that get applicants into their dream school. A good score on the GMAT is the first step towards career advancement.

Eventually, it all comes down to vigorous prep and feeling confident in yourself and your abilities.

At Apex, we focus on the learning process, not just the final score. With the right process, the score will take care of itself.

Key Takeaways

Hopefully, these tips and strategies have brought you a step closer to identifying and confronting the source of your test anxiety.

Some things to keep in mind:

Practice, practice, practice! Practice will do no harm. It familiarizes us with what to expect, and helps us perform better and feel more confident.

Try private tutoring Personalized instruction is one of the best ways to guarantee GMAT success. To schedule a complimentary phone call with one of our 770+ scoring instructors, click HERE.

Good luck!

Sep 2020

How to Boost Your GMAT Verbal Score

By Apex GMAT

Contributor: Irena Georgieva

8th September

The GMAT is notorious for its grueling quantitative section, but many test takers also struggle with the verbal section–especially non-native English speakers. A high verbal score will boost your overall score and enhance your critical thinking skills, bringing you one step closer to your dream job.

So how can you improve your score? Don’t worry. We’re here to help.

1. Start with the basics

To avoid running into difficulties in the GMAT verbal section, familiarize yourself with English grammar and style. If you aren’t confident in your grammar skills, start by reviewing English grammar from the beginning to master the basics–and don’t forget to practice! Try solving a few grammar questions to see if you can apply the skills you learned. If you need more time, take it. Study diligently. This first step is paramount to verbal prep.

2. Learn to distinguish between different writing styles

The verbal section isn’t just about grammar. To get a high score, you’ll also need to take writing style into account. Consider the sentences the woman ran here and she darted over. The meanings are similar, but elements such as context, tone, and word choice may be different. Think in terms of the most appropriate answer given the surrounding text. And be sure to read carefully!

3. Read, read, read. And did we mention read again?

In addition to the official GMAT guide, we advise clients to read on a daily basis to strengthen vocabulary and comprehension skills. Explore news sources like The Economist, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal–these publications often cover topics that you’re likely to encounter on the GMAT, and you can keep tabs on current events while you study. News sources provide good examples of the kind of writing style, vocabulary, and tone you’ll find on the GMAT, as well as unfamiliar idioms and phrasal verbs.

4. Make flashcards

Speaking of idioms and phrasal verbs, flashcards can be great tools for learning new vocabulary. GMAT flashcards are available for purchase, or you can make your own cards at home. Keep track of the words you’re struggling with and review them daily. With hard work and repetition, you’ll improve your verbal score and expand your vocabulary.

5. Try private tutoring

If you’re still having trouble with the verbal section, consider hiring a private tutor. It’s OK to be picky–it’s important to work with an instructor who meets your needs. A good tutor will consider your history with the GMAT, address your concerns, and develop a personalized study plan to maximize your strengths and address your weaknesses. With effective test prep, your score will improve before you know it.

We recommend 5 takeaways from a successful GMAT journey and GMAT scoring explained next.

May 2020

Percentage GMAT Problem

Mike is here with your Apex GMAT problem of the day. Today we are going to look at a percentage problem and we are going to break it down based upon a few characteristics. This is a very typical GMAT percentage problem.

Approximately

So, first things first, the thing that you should hone in on immediately in this problem is this term “approximately”. Whenever you see the term you know that they’re not going to give you a precise answer, and so you are not on a hook for the precise answer. It should scream estimation to you!

Questions Tricks

If you take a look at the problem itself you see that they offer you two numbers that you will be comparing. But one of the interesting features is that they give you the more complicated, more ugly number, less round number, first and the other number, the 28,000, second. And this is designed to focus you towards the more exacting approach. When in fact, your optimal solution path is recognizing that the 28,000 is your base and instead of computing the differential, super math style, of you know 36,700 minus 28,000 and then putting it over the 28,000, the original number.

What If?

Instead we want to play a “What If” and say okay, 28,000 is my base so what if I took 10% of it? That’s going to be 2,800. What if I took 20% of it? 5,600. What if I took 30% of it? And there’s your number right there. So, what we can see if it’s not immediately apparent from a scale perspective is that this big ugly number here is 30% higher. Even if we had that from the scale perspective. Even if we’ve recognized it’s about a one-third higher.

Notice there are two answer choices that are tightly clustered around that 30 percent. There is the 30% that’s our correct answer. Because the real number is somewhere around 31 percent and change. But there’s also that 28%, and so we need to get to some exacting level. And we do this by playing that “What If?” and saying: Okay, we can fit three blocks of 2,800 in and that gets us just below the target number that they give us in the problem.

Clustered Answers

This is a great problem to problem form. And you can play around with your mental map as well on it. Also, there’s a signal. It’s more of a subtle one and a little less reliable in the answer choices. On the one hand, you have the cluster of 28 and 30. And so, you can reasonably suggest that because these two numbers are close together and because we’re looking at estimation as a solution path.

The GMAT is testing our differentiation and our estimation skills. And that hones us into, or narrows us down to a B vs. C situation. Other clusters that are here, that are less meaningful is the difference between A and C which is a factor of ten. But given that, and given our B vs. C once again, we are pointed towards a C answer. Now we have two different clusters that share C in common.

The GMAT does this a lot more often than you might think. And while it’s not always 100% reliable, it can be a very valuable tool. Especially when you’re short on time or need to make a decision on a problem where you don’t have a lot of uncertainty.

So, thanks for watching guys! Check out the links for other GMAT Quant & Verbal problems below and I’ll see you guys again soon.

If you enjoyed this Percentage GMAT Problem, try out others: Combinatorics Problem

Jul 2019

Quant Versus Verbal

It’s time for quant versus verbal, one of the most common questions we get. Where should I start?

Quant

It won’t surprise our lovely viewers that it all depends on the person, but let’s talk in some generalizations. One thing you might be surprised by, maybe not so surprised to learn, is that a distinct majority of the people we work with come to us for quantitative help versus verbal help.

At least that’s what they state upfront. Many of them end up only getting quant anyhow but a lot of people state that they only need quant and then they end up needing verbal help as well. Once your quant outstrips your verbal you want to bring them up to parity because that’s highly rewarded by the scoring algorithm.

We talk, we read, we write, we live, we’re immersed in a world of language, a verbal world. Where even math professors only math a few hours a day. Okay yeah there is a verb – to math! This is not a GMAT word but it’s an Apex word because we math frequently. Yes!

Fluency

So the issue there is fluency. If you’re already fluent in English, all the lessons you need to learn are much more easily attainable. Whereas with quantitative concepts even ones you think you know, often there’s more context. So you need a longer time period and more contact density with them in order to absorb all the stuff you need to then be flexible with them the same way you’re likely already flexible with the English language.

Verbal

A big part of that is that the verbal section is the verbal section but the math section is math in English. They’re not just equations. They’re not just giving you specific mathematics problems per se. They are giving you math problems wrapped up in words.

That goes both ways, there are quantitative problems particularly on the critical reasoning and a lot of times these aren’t: here are some numbers; figure it out. Rather, the cost-of-living index is growing more quickly than inflation, more than pensions or something like that. Where you have some sort of abstract inequality buried in a property – they require mathematical reasoning.

That’s how it goes, so anyway there’s a lot of overlap on the GMAT but especially on the quantitative side, a lot of the difficulty is puzzling out what you need to answer, not doing the equation but you’re saying: what that hell is this asking me for?

Non-Native English Speakers

This is something else that we feel like a lot of the other test prep factories don’t really do a good enough job in my opinion. Emphasizing what many of you may be thinking right now which is verbal help and mathematical help with verbal for non-native English speakers. There are plenty of students who come to us who are actually very good mathematicians as it were and it’s the English that they need a little bit of help with. Not as it pertains to the verbal section but actually it’s the English on the quant section that’s difficult.

Absolutely, there’s vocabulary, there’s context, but what’s really important here is that native speakers and non-native speakers pick up language differently. Even the way you learned English if you’re a non-native speaker affects how we approach working with you on the verbal. So if you’re a non-English speaker don’t be too concerned that that’s a disadvantage.

Something I’d like to point out to my students quite often is that the GMAT is actually created specifically for native English speakers and a lot of the test itself is meant to trick native English speakers. So coming at it actually from a non-native speaking background can actually help you kind of skip over all of the little traps that are set up for native speakers. So don’t despair, it’s not that you’re at a distinct disadvantage, you just have some different kind of work to do to prepare.

Yeah, different advantages, having access to secondary grammars whether it’s your native language or whether you took say, Spanish in high school.

If you enjoyed this video, watch GMAT Confidence

May 2019

GMAT SEMINAR – LOS ANGELES

GMAT SEMINAR - LOS ANGELES

Home

GMAT Seminar in Los Angeles

Receive everything you need to overcome the GMAT in one intensive GMAT filled weekend.

Comprehensive GMAT content
Includes a Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning and Admissions Consulting Workshop.
Furthermore, get 6 months access to the Apex online learning platform which includes 5500+ GMAT questions and 5 CATs.

Course Descriptions

Verbal Course:

A full day of prep for the verbal section of the GMAT. Providing you with the necessary skills to tackle Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction with elevated techniques.

Quantitative Course:

An entire day of prep for the quantitative section of the GMAT will equip you with higher level solution paths, necessary to tackle both Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency questions.

Full Course:

In addition to both the verbal and quantitative days, the full course also includes Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing Assessment prep.

Full Course Plus :

This course gives you access to a personal tutor for 2 hours and comes at a value of $500. You can choose to have a private tutoring session with a 770+ scoring GMAT instructor. Alternatively, you can use this time to work with an experienced Apex admissions consultant.

Agenda

Day 1: 12pm-6pm	Day 2: 9am-6pm	Day 3: 9am-6pm
Structure Of The Test	Quantitative Fundamentals	Sentence Correction
AWA – Analytical Writing Assessment	Quantitative Skills & Algebra	Reading Comprehension
IR – Integrated Reasoning	Geometry & Advanced Quant	Critical Reasoning

Resources

GMAT Seminar in Los Angeles

We want you to gain the most from your experience with APEX, therefore we offer the following with any sign up to our seminar events:

- All learning materials from the seminar – our full curriculum
- 6 months access to APEX’s online GMAT learning platform
- 5 CATs

Full Course Plus Additional Resource:

- 2 hours of private GMAT assistance or Admissions Consulting assistance (Valued at $500).

Contact Us

Natalie Mathews

Director of Marketing

P: +1 267 575 7737

E: [email protected]

To arrange a brief complimentary consultation with an instructor before the seminar please feel free to reach out to me.

May 2019

GMAT SEMINAR – BERLIN

GMAT SEMINAR - Berlin

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GMAT Seminar in Berlin

Get everything you need to overcome the GMAT in one intensive GMAT filled weekend.

Receive our comprehensive GMAT content
Benefit from a Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning & Admissions Consulting Workshop.
Get 6 months access to the Apex online learning platform which includes 5500+ GMAT questions and 5 CATs.

Course Descriptions

Verbal Course:

A full day of prep for the verbal section of the GMAT. Provides you with the necessary skills to tackle Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction with elevated techniques.

Quantitative Course:

A full day of prep for the quantitative section of the GMAT. Equips you with higher level solution paths, necessary to tackle both Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency questions.

Full Course:

In addition to both the verbal and quantitative days, the full course also includes Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing Assessment prep.

Full Course Plus :

This course gives you access to a personal tutor for 2 hours and comes at a value of €500. You can choose to have a private tutoring session with a 770+ scoring GMAT instructor or use this time to work with an experienced Apex admissions consultant on your B-School applications.