GMAT

How to Write a Personal Statement that Rocks!

vivian kerr August 8, 2010

If you are like me, then you would rather take the GMAT five times in a row than write a personal statement, but the first step to writing a rockin’ statement of purpose is to see it as an opportunity, not a compulsory exercise. The statement will make you a real person to the admissions department, and is a great opportunity to show them that not only are you a strong writer, but you are a mature, intelligent and focused business professional.

Do your research. Just like you would for any research paper, gather as much information about your topic – YOU! Applying to business school is well, serious business, and you have probably been talking about it for months if not years. Sit down with your close family and friends individually and ask them why you would be an excellent candidate. What have you been saying all these months about MBA programs? What first interested you in getting an MBA? What makes you a strong candidate? They will be able to help you understand your strengths, your determination, and your passion even when hours of GMAT studying have made you forget. Prepare a list of questions and take notes!
Personalize your approach. Don’t just write one blanket statement for every program. MBA programs want to know why you want to study at their specific school. The questions they ask will differ slightly from application to application. While you can tweak a strong essay to fit almost any prompt, make sure you are including the specifics of each program in your essay. They want to accept students who really want them so work hard to avoid flippancy or glibness.
Show, don’t tell. When the admissions department reads your statement, keep in mind that they will have the rest of your application at hand, including transcripts, letters of recommendation, resume, etc. Make sure you don’t repeat any information from any other part of your application. Don’t just tell them about your accomplishments or present a recitation of your skills. Show them part of your personal story that led you to choosing their graduate school. Don’t make it cliché or saccharine, but also don’t be afraid to use the first-person “I” and be emotionally revealing. Depth is always better than breadth.
Revise! Be prepared to revise your essay a lot! You may think you know exactly what topic or story you’d like to discuss, but you may find that you run out of steam after one paragraph. Try writing a few different outlines before you begin. Expect that it will take you awhile to find the story you want to tell, and enjoy the process. Have trusted friends or family members read your essay and give you feedback. If possible, contact old faculty advisors and teachers and ask their opinions. Once you’ve finished your essay, go back and re-read the specific question of the prompt. Make sure your essay is truly on-topic.

Parallelism Challenge Part II

andrea alexander August 5, 2010

Remember our parallelism challenge cliffhanger? You’ve discussed your thoughts in the comments section; now let’s go over this question in detail.

The recent decline in bus commuter ridership has left the system underfunded, to cause the number of buses running during peak times to drop, and prompts concerns that further service cuts may lead to the collapse of the city’s entire public transportation system.

a. to cause the number of buses running during peak times to drop, and prompts
b. causing the number of buses running during peak times to drop and prompting
c. to cause reductions in the number of buses running during peak times and prompt
d. to cause the number of buses running during peak times to be reduced, and prompted
e. causing a reduction in the number of buses running during peak times and prompting

There are a couple of ways to make this parallel. First, you could look at the three main verbs as a list: “left the system underfunded” is the first one, and since it’s not underlined, it’s the one we have to match. In order to do that, we would need to put the other two verbs—cause and prompt—in the past tense. That list would be “…has left the system underfunded, caused the number of buses… and prompted concerns…” But a quick scan of the answer choices shows us that none of them begin with “caused,” so we have to try a different option: we look at the underlined portion as the beginning of a modifying phrase that describes the results of the system being underfunded. In order to introduce that kind of phrase, we need the gerund “causing,” which leaves us with only choices ‘b’ and ‘e’ to evaluate.

That’s a tougher issue, and one that isn’t governed by parallel structure. This comes down to word choice: “causing the number… to drop” doesn’t clearly show that the number was reduced in response to an underfunded system. “Causing a reduction…” tells us that the underfunded system resulted in the number of buses being reduced, with the implication that the reduction was a conscious decision, rather than an unforeseen consequence.

An issue that frequently comes into play with parallel structure is verb tense, as we saw in the previous question. Let’s look at a verb tense question; note your answers and reasoning in the comments section, and we’ll examine this question in depth in an upcoming article.

The benefits of the teacher’s new academic achievement reward program are evident in the student’s grades, which increased by a full point this semester after it fell last semester.

a. which increased by a full point this semester after it fell
b. which had increased by a full point this semester after it had fallen
c. which have increased by a full point this semester after falling
d. with an increase of a full point this semester after falling
e. with an increase of a full point this semester after having fallen

Parallelism Challenge Part I

andrea alexander August 4, 2010

How do your Sentence Correction skills stack up when it comes to parallel structure? As this article explains, items in a list must be in parallel form, as must items being compared. “Parallel” means that nouns go with nouns and verbs go with verbs. Verbs must be in the same tense or form, and prepositions or other “helping” words must be parallel as well. Take this GMAT-style question, for example:

The restaurant’s manager reported an increase in customers during the month of June, as much because of its business of the month before being so slow as that more tourists travel through the area in the summer.

a. of its business of the month before being so slow as that
b. of its business the month before having been slow as because
c. of its business the month before being as slow as because
d. its business the month before had been so slow as because
e. its business of the month before was as slow as that

In terms of parallelism, if you choose to say “because of its business…” you will need to use the parallel phrase “as because of more tourists travel…” And “because of more tourists travel” doesn’t make sense; therefore, we can eliminate all the choices that begin with “of,” which leaves us with only the final two choices. The “because” immediately before the underlined portion of the sentence leaves us with no choice but to use a “because” before “more tourists.” Choosing ‘d’ as the correct answer, we end up with a parallel phrase: “as much because x as because y.”

A more common parallelism issue is verb form. Gerunds need to be paired with gerunds, past tense verbs with other past tense verbs, and so on. Let’s look at an example of that issue:

a. to cause the number of buses running during peak times to drop, and prompts
b. causing the number of buses running during peak times to drop and prompting
c. to cause reductions in the number of buses running during peak times and prompt
d. to cause the number of buses running during peak times to be reduced, and prompted
e. causing a reduction in the number of buses running during peak times and prompting

So what do you think, Grockit readers? Note your choice in the comments section, as well as your reasoning, and we’ll post the correct answer, as well as an explanation, in an upcoming article.

Don’t Lose that Great Idea: Keep a Notebook During Spring and Summer

stacy blackman August 2, 2010

Jack Kerouac kept a notebook before he went On the Road. Larry David’s notebook of wry observations and embryonic comedy routines was lost and then found on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Now, your notebook should play a big part of your business school admissions process. This is as simple as carrying around a notebook during the spring and summer months to scratch down your thoughts about your applications. Some of these might be random ideas that come to you while you’re working at your desk, sitting on a plane, or braving the morning commute. But you should also plan to spend, say, half an hour of scheduled quality time per week with your notebook for a couple of months.

If you are starting to think about applications before most essay questions have been published, know that most of the themes are universal from year to year and should not come as a surprise to applicants. Take time to write down your preliminary ideas relating to:

Your main career accomplishments to date
Examples of your leadership abilities
Outside interests, passions, and main achievements in your “extracurricular” life
People and events that have influenced you
Your career goals after business school…and your broader life goals
Areas in which you need improvement or personal development
How business school will benefit you

Don’t settle for writing down your general thoughts. Be specific. As a matter of fact, be incredibly specific. I encourage my clients to employ what I call “micro-examples” to bring their essays to life. That means finding those discrete moments that encapsulate major experiences in your life. Your notes will be an incredibly valuable resource, whether you’re tackling the admissions process by yourself or working with an applications advisor.

Some other things to scratch on your pad:

Your thoughts on what schools are right for you
Who will your best recommenders be – and what do you want them to say?
Comments from your friends and family, and colleagues if appropriate

Founded in 2001, Stacy Blackman Consulting has helped thousands of MBA applicants gain admission to the most selective business schools in the world. The Stacy Blackman team, comprised of MBA graduates, former admissions officers and expert writers, editors and marketers, helps clients develop and implement a winning marketing strategy. Stacy Blackman clients have a significantly increased probability of admission to top schools and are frequent recipients of merit scholarships. The company is regularly featured in publications such as BusinessWeek, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist. Visit the Stacy Blackman blog for daily news updates and admissions tips, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school by school guidance.

Speed and Accuracy: Divisor Tests

jordan schonig July 30, 2010

For those of you who didn’t know, you can’t use a calculator on the GMAT. The following quick tips well help you figure out what a certain number is divisible by. Remember, calculators are not allowed on the test, so these tips may very well help your speed and accuracy.

Divisible by 2: Any number divisible by 2 ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8. (even numbers)

Divisible by 3: To determine if a number is divisible by 3, just add up the digits; if the sum of the digits is divisible by 3, then your number is divisible by 3 also. Hint: If your number is so large that the sum of its digits is also too large, just add the digits of the sum and see if this new sum is divisible by 3.

Example: Is 1636668 divisible by 3?

1+6+3+6+6+6+8= 36

3+6=9, which is divisible by 3

Divisible by 4: If the final two digits of the number form a number divisible by 4 OR form a double zero, then the number is divisible by 4. (Hint: Memorize this pattern of two-digit numbers that are divisible by 4: even0, even4, even8, odd2, odd6. By this pattern, I instantly know that numbers like 60, 80, 88, 52, 96, 124, 348, 556, etc, are divisible by 4)

Example: Is 141424 divisible by 4?

Is 24 divisible by 4? Yes, so the number is divisible by 4.

Example: Is 535892800 divisible by 4? Yes, the last two digits are zero.

Divisible by 5: All numbers divisible by 5 or 0

Divisible by 6: All numbers divisible by both 3 and 2. In other words, all even numbers divisible by 3.

Example: Is 20712 divisible by 6?

Is it even? Yes
2+0+7+1+2=12, which is divisible by 3; yes, it’s divisible by 6.

Divisible by 7: Much too complicated, in my opinion. I am fairly certain that you are better off just dividing by 7.

Divisible by 8: The last three digits are divisible by 8. Sorry guys, this might not be the most helpful tip, but if you find yourself having to work with a very large number, it will certainly save you time. If anybody else has a divisor test for 8, please post!

Example: Is 7953408 divisible by 8?

Is 408 divisible by 8?

408 / 8 = 51. Yes, the number is divisible by 8.

Divisible by 9: Just like the 3 rule. Add the digits; if the sum is divisible by 9, then the number is also.

Example: Is 207 divisible by 9?

2+0+7= 9. Yes, it is.

Divisible by 10: Ends in 0

Divisible by 11: This one is pretty awesome. Add up the odd-numbered digits (the 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc) and add up the even-numbered digits (the 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc) and subtract them. If the difference is 0, or if it is divisible by 11, then your number is divisible by 11. (Hint: You can also just alternate signs: e.g. with 352, I can do 3 – 5 + 2 = 0, or with 7458, I can do 7 – 4 + 5 -8 = 0.

Example: Is 5027 divisible by 11?

(5+2) – (0 + 7) = 0; yes, it’s divisible by 11.

While these divisor tests may seem like superfluous information since nearly all of us can perform these operations the old fashioned way, they will save us precious time on the exam. Oh, and after you learn these, don’t be afraid to astonish your friends with your amazing mental math abilities.

Improve Your Candidacy, Then Improve Your Application

stacy blackman July 29, 2010

For people applying to major business schools, October, November, and December will inevitably be months filled with typing, spell-checking, typing, editing, typing, proofreading…and then some more typing. But (depending on your deadline) July, August and even September can be very fruitful months both for your professional development and for improving your business school application – or, more precisely, for improving your business school candidacy. While many b-school aspirants see the spring and summer solely as a time to take a GMAT prep course, it can actually be the best time to begin planning for the application – and more importantly, to identify the elements of your candidacy that you wish to improve. Two easy ways to bolster your overall candidacy (before the final rush of the fall and winter when you are immersed in writing essays and compiling application materials) are to seek new responsibilities at work, and use travel to expand your personal and professional horizons. In the coming weeks we will tackle the many ways to bolster candidacy; below we discuss work and travel.

Seek Out New Responsibilities at Work

Applicants who take stock of their professional accomplishments in the months ahead of their application process may just end up seeing some holes. Scratch that: they will always see holes. Filling holes is what getting an MBA is all about. But we want to make sure we have demonstrated some skill and capability for growth in the areas we have targeted for our future careers. Sometimes, it makes sense to make progress in these areas before business school. Even just a couple of assignments in a new area can confirm that you are indeed interested and that you have the capacity to achieve at a high level in the future.

Travel

You’ve worked hard the last several years. You’re going to spend a ton of hours cooped up studying for that pesky GMAT, and in the fall you’re going to spend 50 to 100 hours in front of your computer writing and editing essays. You deserve a vacation. But instead of just making a quick jaunt to Vegas for golf and gambling, consider planning a vacation with a dual agenda of fun and personal enrichment. Injecting a bit of a learning agenda into your trip can expand your personal horizons, help more fully define your career objectives, and provide you more material for essays and interviews.

B-School news updates and admissions tips from Stacy Blackman

crystal schmelzer July 29, 2010

We all know that a great GMAT score isn’t the only thing you need to get into a top MBA program, and fortunately, Stacy Blackman Consulting is here to help . Founded in 2001, Stacy Blackman Consulting has helped thousands of MBA applicants gain admission to the most selective business schools in the world. The Stacy Blackman team, comprised of MBA graduates, former admissions officers, and expert writers, editors, and marketers, helps clients develop and implement a winning marketing strategy. Grockit is excited to announce that we will be hosting weekly guest blogs from Stacy Blackman Consulting, so be sure to check out Grockit’s GMAT blog each week for news updates and admissions tips!

SC Spotlight: All-In-One Question 2 (Test Yourself)

jim jacobson July 27, 2010

Think The last installment in this series got a good response, so a good response deserves another good question! This one is a little harder, I think, but relies on the same principle: namely, if a question testing some of the Sentence Correction issues listed in the Official Guide is a good addition to your practice arsenal, then a question testing all of them could be welcome variation and challenge. As a reminder, the stylistic, grammatical, and syntactical issue in question are:

Agreement
Diction
Grammatical construction
Idiom
Logical Predication
Parallelism
Rhetorical construction
Verb form

As always, we urge you to consult your physician before undertaking strenuous Sentence Correction exercises. This one has been made more challenging by making the wrong answers appear less obviously wrong, and the right answers appear less obviously right. Yes, you read that correctly — right answers (plural). In an effort to illustrate the variability and flexibility of sentences with heavy modification, I’ve let two correct answers creep in.

The storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned from a prison, by angry protesters on July 14, 1789 was the first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution, following the dramatic formation of the National Assembly and beginning a long period of turmoil within France and throughout Europe.

A. The storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned from a prison, by angry protesters on July 14, 1789 was the first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution, following the dramatic formation of the National Assembly and the inception of a long period of much turmoil within France and throughout Europe.

B. After the revolutionary formation of the National Assembly by angry protesters, then a long period of much turmoil within France and throughout Europe were begun by the storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned into a prison, on July 14, 1789, the first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution.

C. Angry protesters stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned into a prison, the first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution, the dramatic formation of the National Assembly, and the beginning of a long period of much turmoil with France and throughout Europe on July 14, 1789.

D. A long period of much turmoil within France and throughout Europe began on July 14th, 1789 along with the first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution, when angry protesters stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned into a prison following the dramatic formation of the National Assembly.

E. After the revolutionary formation of the National Assembly, a long period of many turmoil within France and throughout Europe were begun by the storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned into a prison by angry protesters on July 14, 1789, the first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution.

F. A long period of much turmoil within France and throughout Europe had been begun July 14th, 1789 with the first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution, when angry protesters stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned into a prison, an event after the dramatic formation of the National Assembly.

G. The storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned into a prison by angry protesters on July 14, 1789, was the first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution, following the dramatic formation of the National Assembly and likewise beginning a long period of much turmoil not only within France and throughout Europe.

H. The first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution was the storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned into a prison, by angry protesters on July14, 1789, following the dramatic formation of the National Assembly and beginning a long period of much turmoil within France and throughout Europe.

I. A long period of much turmoil within France and throughout Europe began July 14th, 1789 with the first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution when, following the dramatic formation of the National Assembly, angry protesters stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned into a prison.

J. The first violent event of the opening stage of the French Revolution was the storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress turned into a prison, by angry protesters on July14, 1789, following the dramatic formation of the National Assembly, also a beginning of a long period of many turmoil within France and throughout Europe.

As before, answers and explanations in Part Two!

GMAT – Issue Essay Examples

vivian kerr July 23, 2010

If you haven’t already, you can download the Analysis of an Issue essay topic pool on MBA.com here.

While there is no way to predict which topic from these 22 pages you’ll see on test day, by following the same process and using the same template for each practice essay you write, you’ll be well-prepared. The topics may change, but your approach never will. Let’s look at one of the official GMAT topics:

Portrayals of violence have proven commercially successful in television programs, movies, songs, and other forms of popular entertainment. Therefore, those who create popular entertainment should continue to incorporate violence into their products.

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

The first step towards strong essay examples is to understand the two sides of the issue. You must either strongly agree or strongly disagree with the presented issue. Unlike real life where most of your opinions are probably a mix of gray, the GMAT Issue essay requires you to take a strong stand on one side of the issue. You won’t be able to adequately argue a middle-of-the-road approach in 30 minutes, and you risk appearing indecisive and muddling your essay.

First state the two sides of the issue in your own words:

TRUE: More violence should be incorporated into entertainment.
FALSE: More violence should NOT be incorporated into entertainment.

Now you can begin to brainstorm examples for both sides. Look at the language of the prompt. It mentions “television programs, movies, songs and other forms….” Those are big clues to some of the areas from which you can draw examples!

Examples of successful popular culture entertainment that incorporate violence:

TV: WWF programs, MXC on SpikeTV, Gordon Ramsey on Hell’s Kitchen (he throws plates!)
Movies: Kill Bill series, adaptations of graphic novels like Sin City, the Saw franchise
Songs: rappers like Eminem, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, etc.
Other forms: videogames like Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil, etc.

Remember that you won’t use every single one of these examples, but making a list and expanding upon the topic will help you brainstorm what points you’d ultimately like to make. Now it’s time to decide how you’d like to use these examples. Do you want to say that Saw and Grand Theft Auto are detrimental to society or do you prefer to argue that they represent harmless escapism? Don’t simply choose the side with which you agree. Let the examples and your own knowledge and background dictate which side you support.

For example, someone with a lot of knowledge about psychology may argue persuasively that exposure to violence leads to increased violent behavior in children, whereas a history buff may put forth that violence as entertainment has historically always been a normal part of human expression. You will not be scored on your opinion, but on how clearly and forcefully you make and defend your argument. Choose one or two main points based on your own knowledge, and then choose specific examples from your brainstorm list to support your conclusions.

For more GMAT essay help, check out the Grockit forums.

Fractions, Decimals, Percents

amanda chen July 21, 2010

Fractions, decimals and percents are different ways of expressing the same value. Here’s how to convert them from one form to another.

Converting decimals to fractions

For any decimal, you should be able to figure what the last place in your decimal is. For example, .125 has digits in the tenths’, hundredths’ and thousandths’ place. Thus, .125 is essentially 125 thousandths which translates to 125/1000.

Converting decimals to percentages

Percent literally means “over 100”. i.e. x% = x/100.

So if you want to find what percent 12.5 is, you are trying to find x in this equation

If you rearrange the equation to isolate x on one side, you’ll see that to find x, you just need to multiply your decimal by 100. Thus, in this case, 12.5 = 1250%

Converting fractions to decimals

Converting any fraction to a decimal involves long division. A fraction is essentially the numerator divided by the denominator. Thus 3/5 is simply 3 divided by 5, which you can work out by long division to be 0.6

Of course the GMAT is not going to use such as fractions, so be sure to know how to do long division!

Converting fractions to percents

As mentioned earlier, x% is x/100 – meaning that it is a fraction with 100 as the denominator. So to find out what percent a fraction is, you need to manipulate the fraction you have to have 100 in the denominator and the numerator will be the percentage.

Suppose we need to convert into its percentage form. You need to convert it to an equivalent fraction with 100 as the denominator and find the numerator.

Thus, you are solving . (Solve this on your own and see if you get 37.5%)

Converting percents to fractions

This one is very easy and you should know by now that x% is x/100. Thus if you wanted to convert 320% to a fraction, it would be which you can simplify to be

Converting percents to decimals

From earlier, we learned that to convert decimals to percents, we multiplied the decimal by 100. To do the reverse (i.e. convert percents to decimals) we do the opposite – divide by 100.

This table summarizes what you need to do when you’re trying to convert something in the left column to a form in the top row.

Now practice fractions, decimals, and percents on Grockit!