Kaplan GMAT 2004 with CD-ROM [Paperback]

Kaplan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Kaplan GMAT Premier Program (w/CD) | Publication Date: July 1, 2003

A strategic handbook for those MBA candidates taking the computer-based GMAT test guarantees a higher score, discussing the math, verbal, and analytical sections of the Graduate Managment Admissions Test, providing four sample GMAT CATs, along with a CD-ROM featuring practice questions, interactive

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kaplan is the educational division of The Washington Post Company, which also publishes Newsweek. Kaplan offers courses in London and at 185 centres throughout the world.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

Introduction to the GMAT

Highlights

Find out what's on the GMAT

Learn how the GMAT's format works and how it's scored

Navigate the GMAT: Computer basics

Pros and cons of the computer-adaptive test

Let's start with the basics: The GMAT is, among other things, an endurance test. The GMAT consists of 150 minutes of multiple-choice testing, plus two 30-minute Analytical Writing Assessment sections. Add in the administrative details, plus two 5-minute breaks, and you can count on being in the test center for about four hours.

It's a grueling experience, to say the least. And if you don't approach it with confidence and rigor, you'll quickly lose your composure. That's why it's so important that you take control of the test, just as you take control of the rest of your application process.

What's on the GMAT?

The GMAT begins with two Analytical Writing Assessment sections. For each of these sections, you have 30 minutes to type an essay into the computer using a simple word-processing program. The test may start with either the "Analysis of an Issue" topic or the "Analysis of an Argument" topic.

After the essay sections, there are two 75-minute multiple-choice sections -- one Quantitative and one Verbal. The Quantitative section contains 37 math questions in two formats: Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency, which are mixed together throughout the section. The Verbal section contains 41 questions in three formats: Reading Comprehension, Sentence Correction, and Critical Reasoning, which are also mixed throughout the section. Within each section, question types appear in random order, so you never know what's coming next.

This is how the sections break down:

Analytical Writing Assessment
"Analysis of an Issue" Topic
1 essay
30 minutes

Analytical Writing Assessment
"Analysis of an Argument" Topic
1 essay
30 minutes

Quantitative Section

Data Sufficiency

Problem Solving
37 questions
75 minutes

Verbal Section

Reading Comp

Sentence Correction

Critical Reasoning
41 questions
75 minutes

Some important things to note:

You'll get a five-minute break after the second essay section and another break between the two multiple-choice sections.

So-called experimental questions will be scattered through the test. They will look just like the other multiple-choice questions, but won't contribute to your score.

We'll talk more about each of the question types in later chapters. The big thing to take note of right now: You'll be answering roughly 78 multiple-choice questions in two and a half hours. That's just a little less than two minutes for each question, not counting the time required to read passages. Clearly, you're going to have to move fast. But you can't let yourself get careless. Taking control of the GMAT means increasing the speed of your work without sacrificing accuracy!

Your GMAT Scores

You'll receive four scores for the GMAT:

Overall scaled score, ranging from 200 to 800

Quantitative scaled subscore, ranging from 0 to 60

Verbal scaled subscore, ranging from 0 to 60

Analytical Writing Assessment score, ranging from 0 to 6 (this score is separate from your overall quantitative and verbal score)

Because the test is graded on a preset curve, the scaled score will correspond to a certain percentile, which will also be given on your score report. An overall score of 590, for instance, corresponds to the 80th percentile, meaning that 80 percent of test takers scored at or below this level. The percentile figure is important because it allows admissions officers at business schools to quickly get a sense of where you fall in the pool of applicants.

SOME SAMPLE PERCENTILES

Percentile Approximate Score (Range 200-800)

99th percentile 750
95th percentile 700
90th percentile 670
80th percentile 620
75th percentile 600
50th percentile 530

Although many factors play a role in admissions decisions, the GMAT score is usually an important one. And, generally speaking, being average just won't cut it. Although the median GMAT score is somewhere around 500, you need a score of at least 600 to be considered competitive by the top B-schools. According to the latest Kaplan/Newsweek careers guide, the average GMAT scores at the best business schools in the country -- such as Stanford, Sloan (MIT), Kellogg (Northwestern), and Wharton (Penn) -- are above 670. That translates to a percentile figure of 90 and up!

Fortunately, there are strategies that can give you an advantage on the computer-adaptive GMAT. You can learn to exploit the way that the computer-adaptive test (CAT) generates a score. We'll explain how in the next section.

How Does the Computer-Adaptive Test Format Work?

The computer-adaptive format takes some getting used to -- in fact, it's pretty weird at first. Here's how it works. You will see only one question at a time. Instead of having a predetermined mixture of basic, medium, and hard questions, the computer will select questions for you based on how well you are doing.

The first question will be of medium difficulty. If you get it right, the second question will be selected from a large pool of questions that are a little harder; if you get the first question wrong, the second will be a little more basic.

If you keep getting questions right, the test will get harder and harder; if you slip and make some mistakes, the test will adjust and start giving you easier problems, but if you answer them correctly, it will go back to the hard ones. Ideally, the test gives you enough questions to ensure that scores are not based on luck. If you get one hard question right, you might just have been lucky, but if you get ten hard questions right, then luck has little to do with it. So the test is self-adjusting and self-correcting.

Because of this format, the computer-adaptive GMAT is structurally very different from a paper-based test. After the first problem, every problem that you see is based on how you answered the prior problem. That means you cannot return to a question once you've answered it, because that would throw off the sequence. Once you answer a question, it's part of your score, for better or worse. That means you can't skip around within a section and do questions in the order that you like.

Another major consequence of the GMAT format is that hard problems count more than easy ones. It has to be this way, because the very purpose of this adaptive format is to find out at what level you reliably get about half the questions right; that's your scoring level.

Imagine two students -- one who does ten basic questions, half of which she gets right and half of which she gets wrong, and one who does ten very difficult questions, half of which she gets right and half of which she gets wrong. The same number of questions have been answered correctly in each case, but this does not reflect an equal ability on the part of the two students.

In fact, the student who answered five out of ten very difficult questions incorrectly could still get a very high score on the GMAT. But in order to get to these hard questions, she first had to get medium-difficulty questions right.

What this means for you is that no matter how much more comfortable you might be sticking to the basic questions, you definitely want to get to the hard questions if you can, because that means your score will be higher.

Section Management Techniques

In the chapters that follow, we'll cover techniques for answering various types of questions that you can expect to see on the GMAT. But you'll also need strategies for managing a section as a whole. Here are some strategies for attacking a section of the GMAT.

Be Systematic

Because it's so important to get to the hard questions as early as possible, work systematically at the beginning of a GMAT section. Use scratch paper to organize your thinking. If you eliminate choices, cross them off and guess intelligently. The first 10-15 questions of a section are crucial in determining your ability estimate, so invest the necessary time to try to answer these questions correctly. You must, however, leave enough time to mark an answer for every question in the section. You will be penalized for questions you don't reach.

Draw a Grid

If crossing off answer choices on paper tests really helps to clarify your thinking (using a process of elimination), you may want to consider making a grid on your scratch paper before you begin the GMAT. Use it to mark off answer choices that you have eliminated, as shown below. That way you can tell at a glance which answer choices are still in the running. If you end up using it often, it'll be worth the 10 seconds it takes to draw a simple grid.

What this means for you is that no matter how much more comfortable you might be sticking to the basic questions, you definitely want to get to the hard questions if you can, because that means your score will be higher.

Pace Yourself

Of course, the last thing you want to happen is to have time called before you've done half the questions. It's essential, therefore, that you pace yourself, keeping in mind the general guidelines for how long to spend on any individual question or passage.

No one is saying that you should spend, for instance, exactly 90 seconds on every Critical Reasoning question. But you should have a sense of how long you have to do each question, so you know when you're exceeding the limit and should start to move faster. You'll develop this sense if you time yourself while working on practice GMAT questions.

Stop the Clock

The timer in the corner can work to your advantage, but if you find yourself looking at it so frequently that it becomes a distraction, you should turn it off for 10 or 15 minutes and try to refocus your attention on the test, even if you lose track of time somewhat. The GMAT rewards focus and accuracy much more than it does speed.

Don't Waste Time on Questions You Can't Do

We know that foregoing a possibly tough question is easier said than done; we all have the natural instinct to plow through test sections, answering every question as it appears. But it just doesn't pay off on the GMAT. If you dig in your heels on a tough question, refusing to move on until you've cracked it, you're letting your test macho get in the way of your test score. Like life itself, a test section is too short to waste on lost causes.

Remain Calm

It's imperative that you remain calm and composed while working through a section. You can't allow yourself to be rattled by one hard question or Reading Comp passage to the degree that it throws off your performance on the rest of the Verbal section. Expect to find some difficult questions, but remember, you won't be the only one encountering difficult problems. The test is designed to challenge everyone who takes it. Having trouble with a difficult question isn't going to ruin your score, but getting upset about it and letting it throw you off track will. When you understand that part of the test maker's goal is to reward those who keep their composure, you'll recognize the importance of not panicking when you run into challenging material.

Analytical Writing Assessment -- GMAT Style

The GMAT begins with two 30-minute essay topics. You not only have to analyze the given topic and plan your attack, but you must also type your essays into a simple word processing program. If you aren't comfortable with complex word processing programs, don't worry. The only commands you'll use are cut, paste, and undo. There's nothing fancy here, not even a spell-check. If you're worried about having to type your essays, you should spend some time practicing typing and getting comfortable with a keyboard between now and the day of the test. A slow typing speed could lower your score.

Your essays will be graded by a human grader as well as a computerized essay grader, called the e-rater. But don't be thrown by this high-tech twist. The e-rater was designed to make the same judgments that a good human grader would make. Even though you don't have to reinvent your writing style to suit the e-rater, there are some steps you can take to improve your chances of getting a good score for the e-rater.

Good organization always counted, and now it's more important than ever. Outline your essay before you begin to write.

Keep in mind that the length of your essay is not a factor; the computer doesn't count the number of words in your response.

Use transitional phrases like first, therefore, because, and for example so that the computer can recognize the structured argument your essay contains.

Avoid spelling and grammar errors. Although the e-rater doesn't grade spelling per se, if it can't tell what word you were trying to use or thinks you used the wrong words, it could give you a lower score.

Strategically, assuming your typing skills are adequate, you don't have to do much of anything differently on the computer-adaptive test than you would when writing an essay on paper. You can write an outline on your scratch paper. You should spend about five minutes developing, 20 minutes composing, and the last five minutes proofreading each essay. For more tips on dealing with the GMAT AWA, take a look at chapter 11.

Navigating the GMAT: Computer Basics

Let's preview the primary computer functions that you will use to move around on the GMAT. ETS calls them "testing tools," but they're basically just boxes that you can click with your mouse.

Here's what the various buttons do.

The Time Button
Clicking on this button turns the time display at the top of the screen on and off. When you have five minutes left in a section, the clock flashes and the display changes from Hours/Minutes to Hours/Minutes/Seconds.

The Exit Button
This allows you to exit the section before the time is up. If you budget your time wisely you should never have to use this button -- time will run out just as you are finishing the section.

The Help Button
This one leads to directions and other stuff from the tutorial. You should know all this already, and besides, the test clock won't pause just because you click on Help.

The Quit Button
Hitting this button ends the test.

The Next Button
Hit this when you want to move on to the next question. After you press Next, you must hit Confirm.

The Confirm Button
This button tells the computer you are happy with your answer and are really ready to move to the next question. You cannot proceed until you have hit this button.

The Scroll Bar
Similar to the scroll bar on a Windows-style computer display, the scroll bar is a thin, vertical column with up and down arrows at the top and bottom. Clicking on the arrows moves you up or down the page you're reading.

Pros and Cons of the Computer-Adaptive Format

There are both good and annoying things about the GMAT's computer-adaptive format. The following are a few things you should be thankful for/watch out for as you prepare to try your luck on the test.

Eight Good Things about the Computer-Adaptive Test

There is a little timer at the top of the computer screen to help you pace yourself (you can hide it if it distracts you).

There will be only a few other test takers in the room with you -- it won't be like taking it in one of those massive lecture halls with distractions everywhere.

You get a pause of five minutes between each section. The pause is optional, but you should always use it to relax and stretch.

The computer-adaptive test is much more convenient for your schedule than the pencil-and-paper exam was. It's offered at more than 175 centers three to six days a week (depending on the center) all year long.

Registering to take the computer-adaptive test is very easy, and sometimes you can sign up only days before the test. However, depending upon the time of the year and the availability of testing centers in your area, you may have to register several weeks in advance for a desired test date.

The computer-adaptive test gives you more time to spend on each question than you got on the paper-based test.

You can see your scores before you decide which schools you want to send them to.

Perhaps the computer-adaptive test's best feature is that it gives you your scores immediately and will send them to schools just 10 to 15 days later.

Seven Annoying Things about the Computer-Adaptive Test

You cannot skip around on this test; you must answer the questions one at a time in the order the computer gives them to you.

If you realize later that you answered a question incorrectly, you can't go back and change your answer.

If the person next to you is noisy or distracting, the proctor cannot move you or the person, since your test is on the computer.

You can't cross off an answer choice and never look at it again, so you have to be disciplined about not reconsidering choices you've already eliminated.

You have to scroll through Reading Comprehension passages, which means you won't be able to see the whole thing on the screen at once.

You can't write on your computer screen the way you can on the paper test (though some have tried), so you have to use scratch paper they give you, which will be inconveniently located away from the computer screen.

Lastly, many people find that computer screens tire them and cause eyestrain -- especially after four hours.

The following chapters of this book provide an overview of the different sections you'll encounter on the GMAT exam. But before you move on to them, take note of the GMAT Registration Checklist opposite. This checklist will serve as a useful resource for you when it's time to sign up for the test.

Copyright © 2002, by Kaplan, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan; Bk&CD-Rom edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743241401
• ISBN-13: 978-0743241403
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,215,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Important, but not the best study guide, March 4, 2004

By 

"scsweeney" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaplan GMAT 2004 with CD-ROM (Paperback)

Background - I am 13 years out of college. My test taking and math skills were pretty rusty. I want to get into a top 20 MBA program to make it worth the investment. Consequently a great score was very important. I was shooting for 700.

I bought the Princeton book / CD, the Kaplan book / CD, and the Official Guide from ETS. I also downloaded the PowerPrep software from ETS for free. I completely exhausted the Princeton and Kaplan material - test strategies, exercises, practice tests. I did all the practice tests in PowerPrep. Moreover, I did the last third of the questions from the Official Guide (the harder questions are in the back).

I did not take a training class. I took a Kaplan class 14 years ago for the LSAT and was not happy with the investment. Better would be to find a study partner in your area.

My assessment:
1. The Princeton book by far has the better explanations of test taking strategies, as compared to Kaplan.
2. The Princeton questions are much more similar in structure to the real GMAT questions, as compared to Kaplan.
3. The verbal sections of Princeton practice tests are pretty similar in terms of difficulty to the real GMAT verbal section, as compared to Kaplan.
4. The quantitative section of the real GMAT is far more difficult than Princeton practice tests.
5. The Kaplan practice tests are much harder than the real GMAT.
6. The free online tests that come with the Princeton book / CD are a great added bonus.
7. The PowerPrep software is identical in look and feel to the real GMAT, but the quant questions are definitely easier.
8. The Princeton book has the best approach to the writing sections, but do review the Kaplan material as well.

If you want a top score then my advice is to get all three books and download PowerPrep. You also need a lot of time to prepare, particularly if you're working full time or if you've been out of college for a while. I studied and practiced for about 8 weeks. You also need to be comfortable with taking the test on a computer. It is more difficult than on paper - harder to read on the screen, harder to take notes, etc.

First, start with the Princeton book - this will give you a solid foundation. Next, exhaust the PowerPrep software. This will give you a good baseline of where you are and where you need to focus. (I scored 730 and 740 w/ the PowerPrep software.)

Next tackle the Kaplan book, but only focus on sections where you are having trouble. Then exhaust the Princeton Software. (I scored 720 and 730 on the practice tests on Princeton's CD.)

Then do the Kaplan CD practice exercises and practice tests. The tests are very hard, more difficult than the GMAT . . . particularly the verbal. You will score lower on these tests. The practice exercises don't give you enough time to answer all of the questions. Nevertheless, try not to become too frustrated. Keep in mind that you are building stamina and you are improving by seeing new, challenging quant questions. (I scored 640 on the diagnostic, and 680, 580, 650, 600 on the Kaplan CD practice tests, much lower than Princeton and PowerPrep.)

When you're finished w/ the Kaplan CD, start doing the last 1/3 or so of each section in the Official Guide, 20 questions at a time. These are ACTUAL GMAT questions. The explanations are EXCELLENT, far better than either Kaplan or Princeton. Unfortunately some Official Guide questions are repeated from the PowerPrep software.

Meanwhile, mix in online practice tests from Princeton; again you'll have seen some questions before. Don't sweat the recycled material. You won't remember the answers to many of them and you'll have to rework the quant questions anyway. At this point it is more important to understand why you are missing certain types of questions repeatedly and to improve how you attack specific question types. (I scored 750, 710, 690, 730 on the Princeton online practice tests. However, these scores are suspect due to the recycled questions.)

My advice is to take NO tests the day before the GMAT. Clear your head some. Spend time getting comfortable with a template for the writing section. Review specific questions that you've missed in the past - the Official Guide is ideal for this - understanding the correct approach. Relax if you can and get a good night's sleep.

Last piece of advice, bring a snack and use ALL of BOTH breaks. Stand up, stretch, whiz, drink something, eat something. The test is exhausting and you need to use the breaks to clear your head and refocus.

If you do all this you should get a great score. The real GMAT was VERY difficult, even after all of my preparation. I even guessed on a few quant questions that I had no idea how to attack. The whole test went by in a blur. Stamina and timing, however, were not an issue with so much full-length practice.

I ended up with a 760, far better than I targeted and expected, even better than on any practice test I took. This was a pleasant surprise, given how difficult the test was as compared to much of the practice material. However, by using all of the practice material effectively I am now able to look at top 10 programs instead of top 20! Yeah!

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good program, misleading practice tests, August 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Kaplan GMAT 2004 with CD-ROM (Paperback)

The most important thing to know about this book is that the practice tests are MUCH HARDER than the actual GMAT. I initially took the diagnostic on the software and got a 680. Encouraged, I went through the software program for a couple of weeks and then decided to take a practice test. Got a 550 and it really freaked me out. I'd like to go to a top school, and a 550 isn't even in the ballpark. I really don't know if Kaplan makes their tests so hard on purpose to scare people into registering for a course, but it almost worked on me.

Instead though, I purchased several other books. Without a doubt, the best one for prep is the "Official Guide". The tests that you get when you register (or from MBA.com) are the best indicators of what you'll actually score. The Princeton review tests seemed much easier than the Kaplan tests (though they proved much more accurate), and the material in that book isn't that great - with the key exception of the writing part. They basically tell you exactly what to do to get a good score - follow their advice, it works.

I also got the Kaplan GMAT 800 book. Not great, but not bad. There aren't enough practice problems in this book. You'll do better just practicing the Official Guide problems at the BACK of each section. Make sure that you do the last 100 problems in each section, which are much harder than those at the beginning of each section.

Overall this is how I scored on the practice tests, and on the GMAT (so that you can get an idea of how the practice tests compare)

Kaplan: 550, 610, 680
Princeton: 720, 740
2 downloadable tests: 720, 760
Actual GMAT: 740

In conclusion, while the Kaplan tests report low scores that do not reflect your likely performance on the GMAT, they also serve as good practice. Buy this book, the Official Guide, and the Princeton Review Verbal Workout (for the writing section).

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like Training at Altitude, January 10, 2004

By 

Sophie Martin (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kaplan GMAT 2004 with CD-ROM (Paperback)

I'm a GMAT tutor with 15+ years of successful students behind me. Here's what I suggest for the GMAT:

1. Use the Kaplan CD (as cheesy as the presentation is, the tests are very good). I've read the complaints below that the prep tests from Kaplan are too hard, and I have to disagree with the point being made by these students. The only way, on a computer-adaptive test, to increase your score is to test using HARDER, not easier problems. I may kick ass at medium level questions, but unless I want a medium level score, practicing at a lower level hurts rather than helps.

2. Ignore the Kaplan book. Use The Princeton Review books (either Cracking the GMAT or GMAT Workouts for Math and Verbal) for tricks and psychology. Try the Official Guide for extra problems and basic review issues (but use as much of the Princeton psychology as you can -- the official guide encourages you to do the problems straight, and that's a huge waste of time).

3. Take as many practice tests as you can. That means Kaplan, Princeton Review, PowerPrep. Barrons, Petersons, and Dummies are all awful. Don't bother with their instruction or their tests.

4. Check out your local library. Many public libraries have crazy collections of old, out of print Official Guides, chock full o paper-and-pencil tests going back a good 20 years. By all means, use these -- they're a goldmine of practice questions.

Good luck!