High Level strategies for the GMAT

Problem Solving

To master these math problems, you must learn to structure your work and eliminate all the distracting information. Don't do math in your head. As soon as you can translate the math from the computer screen to the scratch pad in an organized structured manner, the easier your job will be. Once everything is translated in an organized fashion you must learn to skillfully pick numbers and work backwards from the answers to take full advantage of the GMAT's multiple choice format.

Data Sufficiency

Remember that you never need to find the actual answer to these problems. Dropping that habit will save you time and make you much more effective. You must embrace the "AD" "BCE" split and remember to think in those terms. If A is sufficient – only D exists as an alternate. If A is insufficient – you are on to BCE as options. I don't care about the answer – all I care about is what I would need to solve it. Make this transition and you will be on the right path.

Sentence Completions

You must learn the basic grammar rules which are tested again and again on the GMAT. Dangling modifiers, tense errors, Infinitive (INF) versus Gerund (ING) – to name a few. Learn to eliminate all the distracting information and abstract out the basic structure of the sentence. When you simplify, the answer will be much easier to find.

Reading Comprehension

When it comes to Reading Comprehension on the GMAT, you must become a lawyer in a court room. Transcribe everything into your own short hand as you read. Circle the "Howevers", look for the logic and the main points underlying the passage. Get everything into your language. Answer the questions yourself and simply match the right answers to your predictions. Scan for irrelevant words in the answer choices to speed up the process of elimination. Find the synonyms to match your predictions. Read deeper for the first pass and learn to quickly navigate the questions.

Critical Reasoning

This is all about identifying the underlying logic of the paragraph. Ignore the inessential information and hone in on the correlations and causal connections. Tease out the unsupported assumptions. Each answer choice has assumptions built in: find which one matches the passage. And as always-focus on evidence!

Analytical Writing

As with Reading Comprehension, when it comes to the Writing component of the GMAT you must don your lawyer's hat. he key to success is to maintain the highest possible standard of evidence, spotting flawed assumptions and positions. You must learn to triangulate and attack a position from multiple angles. What evidence would you actually need to assert a position with confidence? How could you find that evidence?

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