LearningExpress
®
’s
GMAT
®
EXAM
SUCCESS
In Only 4 Steps!
LearningExpress
®
’s
GMAT
®
EXAM
SUCCESS
In Only 4 Steps!
Elizabeth Chesla
and Colleen Schultz
NEW YORK
®
Copyright © 2003 LearningExpress, LLC.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Chesla, Elizabeth L.
GMAT exam success in only 4 steps / Elizabeth Chesla and Colleen
Schultz
—
1st ed.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-57685-472-8
1. Graduate Management Admission Test
—
Study guides.
2. Management
—
Examinations, questions, etc. I. Schultz, Colleen.
II. Title.
HF1118.C44 2003
650'.076—dc21 2003009065
Printed in the United States of America
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
ISBN 1-57685-472-8
For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at:
55 Broadway
8th Floor
New York, NY 10006
Or visit us at:
www.learnatest.com
About the Authors
Elizabeth Chesla is the author of TOEFL Exam Success, ACT Exam Success, GED Success, Reading Compre-
hension Success, Write Better Essays, and many other writing and reading guides and test preparation books.
She lives in South Orange, New Jersey.
Colleen Schultz is a math teacher from Binghamton, New York. She is a contributing writer for 501 Math
Word Problems, 501 Quantitative Comparison Questions, and an item writer for several high-stakes math tests.
PART I Preparing for the GMAT 1
Chapter 1 About the GMAT 3

Overview of the GMAT 4
Computer-Adaptive Test 6
Preparing for the Computer-Based GMAT Exam 7
How the GMAT Is Scored 9
Getting Your Scores to Schools 12
Retaking the Exam 12
GMAT Testing Center Rules and Regulations 13
Registering for the GMAT Exam 16
Paying for the GMAT 20
Chapter 2 GMAT Study Skills 21
Where Do I Start? 21
I Need a Plan 23
I Need a Place 26
The Right Tools 30
The Study Plan 31
You Are Worth It: Motivational and Relaxation Techniques that Work 34
Learning Strategies and Test-Taking Techniques 37
Testing Psychology 40
Contents
vii
How to De-Stress 41
Stay Healthy 43
Multiple-Choice Strategies 44
The Endgame 45
PART II The GMAT Verbal Section 49
Chapter 3 Verbal Pretest 51
Questions 52
Answer Explanations 58
Chapter 4 What to Expect on the GMAT Verbal Section 63
Reading Comprehension Questions 64

Critical Reasoning Questions 65
Sentence Correction Questions 66
Chapter 5 Reading Comprehension 69
Active Reading 69
Finding the Main Idea 72
Distinguishing between Fact and Opinion 76
Identifying Specific Facts and Details 78
Essay Types and Organizational Patterns 79
Making Inferences 83
Chapter 6 Critical Reasoning 87
Elements of an Argument 87
Complicating Arguments 89
Evaluating Arguments 93
Chapter 7 Sentence Correction 109
24 Rules for Grammar and Style 110
Sentence Structure 111
Grammar and Usage 119
Style 128
Chapter 8 Tips and Strategies for the Verbal Section 137
Reading Comprehension Questions 138
Critical Reasoning Questions 139
Sentence Correction Questions 141
– CONTENTS–
viii
Chapter 9 Ver b Forms 143
Regular Verbs 145
Irregular Verbs 146
Helping Verbs 150
Subjunctive Mood 150
Troublesome Verbs 151

Gerunds and Infinitives 152
Chapter 10 Prefixes, Suffixes, and Word Roots 155
Prefixes 155
Suffixes 160
Common Latin Word Roots 162
Common Greek Word Roots 164
Chapter 11 Verbal Section Practice Test 169
Questions 170
Answer Explanations 193
Chapter 12 Verbal Section Glossary 207
PART III The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment 211
Chapter 13 Pretest 213
Questions 214
Answer Explanations 218
Chapter 14 About the Analytical Writing Assessment 221
Analysis of an Issue 221
Analysis of an Argument 223
How the Essays Are Scored 225
Chapter 15 Guide to Effective Writing 231
The Writing Process 231
Seven Steps for Writing a Strong AWA Essay 236
Writing with Style 248
Writing Correctly: The Conventions of Standard Written English 252
150 Most Commonly Misspelled Words 265
– CONTENTS–
ix
Chapter 16 Tips and Strategies for the AWA 267
General Writing Strategies 267
Analyzing the Issue 269
Analyzing the Argument 269

Chapter 17 AWA Practice 271
Analysis of an Issue Sample Prompts 272
Analysis of an Argument Sample Prompts 282
Answers and Explanations 292
PART IV The GMAT Quantitative Section 305
Chapter 18 Quantitative Pretest 307
Problem Solving Questions 308
Data Sufficiency Questions 310
Answer Explanations 312
Chapter 19 About the Quantitative Section 317
About the Types of Questions 318
Chapter 20 Arithmetic 321
Types of Numbers 321
Properties of Numbers 322
Order of Operations 323
Special Types of Defined Operations 324
Factors, Multiples, and Divisibility 325
Prime and Composite Numbers 327
Even and Odd Numbers 327
Consecutive Integers 328
Absolute Value 328
Operations with Real Numbers 328
Chapter 21 Algebra 339
Translating Expressions and Equations 339
Combining Like Terms and Polynomials 340
Laws of Exponents 341
Solving Linear Equations of One Variable 341
Solving Literal Equations 342
Solving Inequalities 343
– CONTENTS–

x
Multiplying and Factoring Polynomials 344
Solving Quadratic Equations 344
Rational Expressions and Equations: 347
Coordinate Graphing 349
Systems of Equations with Two Variables 350
Problem Solving with Word Problems 352
Functions 355
Chapter 22 Geometry 357
Angles 358
Polygons 359
Triangles 360
Quadrilaterals 363
Circles 364
Measurement and Geometry 365
Chapter 23 Tips and Strategies for the Quantitative Section 367
Chapter 24 Quantitative Practice Test 369
Questions 370
Answer Explanations 387
Chapter 25 Quantitative Section Glossary 397
Appendix A GMAT Online Resources 401
Appendix B GMAT Print Resources 403
– CONTENTS–
xi
• Over 1,700 schools/programs use GMAT scores in the admissions process.
• The first GMAT exam was developed and administered nearly 50 years ago.
• In 2002, over 150,000 people took the GMAT exam in the United States.
• In 2002, over 75,000 people took the GMAT exam in locations outside the United States.

• Nearly 7% more GMAT exams were given in 2002 than in 2001 in the United States.
• Over 4% more GMAT exams were given elsewhere in the world in 2002 than in 2001.
• Approximately 20% of people who take the GMAT exam take it more than once. Most repeat testers take
the test two or three times.
GMAT Exam Facts
5
algebra, geometry, word problems, and interpreting charts and graphs. These questions will emphasize your
understanding of mathematical concepts, although you will also need to know basic math procedures in order
to select the correct answer.
The data sufficiency questions constitute the remaining 40% of the test and are quite different in nature.
For these questions, you do not actually need to solve a problem or make a calculation. Instead, you will be
presented with two items of information and a question. You must determine whether the information pre-
sented is sufficient to accurately answer the question or if you need more data to solve the problem. The
answer choices will ask you to identify which item of information is insufficient if more data is indeed
required.
The Verbal Section
The third and final part of the GMAT exam is the Verbal section. You will have another 75 minutes to answer
41 multiple-choice questions. These questions cover three areas: reading comprehension, critical reasoning,
and sentence correction. Approximately one-third of the questions will fall into each category.
The reading comprehension questions will be based on short passages (150 to 350 words) about top-
ics ranging from the social sciences to the physical and biological sciences to business, the arts, and human-
ities. You may be asked about the main idea of the passage, the author’s support for that main idea,
argumentative strategies, specific facts and details in the text, and inferences that can be drawn from the pas-
sage. You can expect the passages to be rather sophisticated, much like the reading material you will be
exposed to in business school.
The critical reasoning questions present you with a short reading passage (50 to 100 words) that makes
an argument about a general topic. You will be asked about the structure of the argument, including its
conclusion and assumptions; about the quality of the argument, including its strengths and weaknesses; and
about plans of action based upon the argument, including what actions are appropriate and effective based
on the text. Again, this is great training for the business world.

The sentence correction questions present you with a sentence with part or all of the sentence under-
lined. You must choose the answer that best expresses the idea of the sentence. To determine the best answer,
you will need to consider the grammar and usage, diction, sentence structure, sentence logic, and tone.
Practice Your Computer Skills
On the GMAT computer-based test, you will need to know the following:
• how to use a mouse
• how to enter an answer
• how to move to the next question
• how to use a word processor (for typing your AWA essays)
• how to use the HELP function
The GMAC offers a free tutorial to help you become comfortable with the computer skills you will need for the
GMAT exam. You can download this software from the GMAT website at www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT/
ToolsToHelpYouPrepare/GMATPrepProducts/GMATTutorialsSoftware.htm.
NOTE: The tutorial is not compatible with Macintosh
®
computers.
8
AWA essays. You are already under enough pressure to try to write two essays in an hour. If you are not com-
fortable typing, and if you do not know basic word-processing functions such as how to delete or move text,
you may have a difficult time writing a successful essay.
If you are not experienced with computers, then part of your GMAT exam preparation time must
include learning computer skills. Here are some specific tips to help you improve your computer skills to reach
peak performance on the GMAT exam:
■
Practice using a mouse. Get comfortable with the movement of the arrow and clicking around on the
computer screen.
■
Learn how to move up and down a page. Practice using the scroll bar and the arrow keys.
■
Get a typing tutorial. You can learn proper hand and finger positions that will help you type faster. One

website that offers help is www.typing-tutorial.com.
■
Learn to highlight, delete, and copy and paste text within a document. Get comfortable with the back-
space, delete, and arrow keys so you can move around quickly within a document. Practice typing and
changing text so that you can be sure not to delete text that you want to keep.
■
Practice typing your essay on the computer. Use the sample topics listed in Part III and on the GMAT
website at www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT/Tools/AWATopics2001.htm. Set a timer so you get used
to the 30-minute time limit.
The GMAC offers its own GMAT computer tutorials to help you develop the computer skills you need
for the exam. You can download these tutorials at www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT/ToolsToHelpYouPre-
pare/GMATPrepProducts/GMATTutorialsSoftware.htm.