Geoff Martz - Cracking the GMAT

Editorial
Rob Franek, VP Test Prep Books, Publisher
Seamus Mullarkey, Editorial Director
Laura Braswell, Senior Editor
Heather Brady, Editor
Selena Coppock, Editor

Random House Publishing Team
Tom Russell, Publisher
Nicole Benhabib, Publishing Manager
Ellen L. Reed, Production Manager
Alison Stoltzfus, Associate Managing Editor

The Princeton Review, Inc.
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Copyright 2011 by The Princeton Review, Inc.

Cover design 2011 by Random House, Inc. Cover art Suprijono Suharjoto/iStock Photo.

The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University.

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

eISBN: 978-0-375-42768-8
ISSN 1549-263X

Editor: Selena Coppock
Production Editor: Michael Mazzei
Production Coordinator: Deborah A. Silvestrini
Illustrations: The Production Department of The Princeton Review

2012 Edition

v3.1

Our GMAT course is much more than clever techniques and powerful computer score reports; the reason our results are great is that our teachers care so much about their students. Thanks to all the teachers who have made the GMAT course so successful, but in particular the core group of teachers and development people who helped get it off the ground: Alicia Ernst, Tom Meltzer, Paul Foglino, John Sheehan, Mark Sawula, Nell Goddin, Teresa Connelly, and Phillip Yee.

Thanks to John Fulmer for his hard work updating this years edition.

Special thanks to Adam Robinson, who conceived of and perfected the Joe Bloggs approach to standardized tests and many of the other successful techniques used by The Princeton Review.

Im glad you bought this book.

Primarily Im glad because youve probably heard good things about The Princeton Review. Our tutors and teachers are carefully chosen and supported, and our tutoring and classroom courses continue to produce unmatched gains in GMAT scores. And we attract people like Geoff Martz, who is one of the most insightful and articulate instructors Ive met, to make sure this book reflects everything weve learned about the test and the best ways to prepare for it.

Im also glad because it means youre going to raise your GMAT score, and youre going to do it without memorizing dozens of math theorems or the complete rules of English grammar. The information needed to do well on this test is surprisingly limited, and well concentrate on a small number of crucial concepts.

Students who feel that their standardized test scores do not reflect their college grades or business acumen probably suspect that theres more to mastering one of these tests than just honing rusty math and verbal skills. At their root, these tests are trying to measure your IQ. They do so with an array of tricks, many of which lead you to wrong answers (called, fittingly, distracters). Some of our techniques address those tricks; I think youll find them fun and useful on every standardized test you take.

Despite Geoffs great skill, this book cant mold itself around your strengths and weaknesses as effectively as our instructors or online programs. For this reason, weve created supplementary online tools that you can access at PrincetonReview.com. Using the online exams, we can help you spend your time more wisely to achieve the best results possible.

So good luck on the GMAT! And if you need more help, or just want to find the right business school or the best way to pay for it, please stop by PrincetonReview.com/mba or call us at 800-2REVIEW (international students should call 1-212-874-8282).

John Katzman

Founder

Congratulations on your decision to attend business school! Preparing for the GMAT is an important part of the process, so lets get started. This chapter will provide you with a strategic plan for acing the GMAT, as well as an overview of the test itself, including question formats and information on how the test is scored.

In the next few chapters, youll find the strategies that have given our GMAT students the edge for the past 20 years.

Our courses include an extremely thorough review of the math and verbal skills our students need to ace the GMAT, and this book will give you that same review.

Important Phone
Numbers:
To register for the GMAT:
800-717-GMAT

To reach GMAC Customer
Service: 866-505-6559 or
703-245-4222

The GMAT is an interactive test, administered on computer. It quickly hones in on your level of ability and then proceeds to give you questions at or just above that level. It makes sense for you to practice on the level of problem you will actually see during the test. Cracking the GMAT is the only book out there with practice questions grouped by difficulty. Page after page of practice questions are arranged at the back of this book in difficulty binsjust like the questions on the real GMATso that you can concentrate on the question level you will have to answer on the actual test in order to get the score you need.

Take GMATs online
at PrincetonReview.
com/cracking

As you work through the book, youll want to take our online practice tests to see how youre doing. These interactive tests closely mimic the GMAT so you can become familiar with both the tests content and its format. Our practice tests can be found at PrincetonReview.com/cracking. In addition, we actively encourage students to use The Official Guide for GMAT Review, which is published by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). It contains actual test questions from previous administrations of the GMAT. You should also take at least one of the real practice tests available through the GMAT website, www.mba.com.

Using the detailed score reports from your practice exams, youll be able to zero in on problem areas and quickly achieve mastery through additional practice. And as your score rises, this book is ready with more difficult bins to keep you on track for the score you need.