For example, if I were to say “because it is cold outside, you should wear a hat.

” and the
question asked you to Weaken this argument...

A Pre-Evidence trap answer would be something like “it isn’t usually cold in this part of
the country.” Well, who cares? It is cold now, and we are trying to deal with it.

An Out of Scope trap answer would be something like “hats aren’t fashionable.” It
might seem related because of the mention of hats, but it’s not directly tied to the
connection between hats and warmth. Fashion is not our concern here.

A Post-Conclusion trap answer would be something like “even if you do wear a hat,
you will still need boots for your feet.” Well, that might be true, but it has nothing to do
with whether hats are effective at warming your head. Plus, this answer has already
acknowledged our conclusion!

A Splitting Hairs trap answer would say something like “wearing a hat is only the 2nd
most effective way to stay warm, according to scientists.” That might indeed be
true—nor can we dispute the veracity of / “fact check” any claim on the GMAT—but this
more detailed information about hats does not ultimately change the fact that hats still
protect well against the cold.

Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension is arguably the most ignored part of the GMAT, now that AWA
is gone, and now that IR-style questions count toward your total score via the Data
Insights section of the GMAT Focus.

On one hand, this is understandable: most students aren’t going to become much
better readers in a matter of weeks or even months. So what’s the point, right?
Sections such as Critical Reasoning and Data Sufficiency provide a better return on
your time investment, because they are unique to the GMAT and can thus be improved
in a shorter amount of time.

Well, this is all true. And I’ll admit that one’s reading ability cannot be significantly
improved as an adult in such a short amount of time. However, the reason why
students answer GMAT RC questions incorrectly rarely has anything to do with
COMPREHENSION of what they read, and it has everything to do with their
reading/skimming strategy, their time management, their knowledge of question types
and incorrect answer types, and their management of question types and answer
strategies.

Some topics commonly tested on Reading Comprehension. main idea, tone, inference,
detail, inference, out of context, logical structure, likely author agreement. Make sure
that your answers are supported by hard evidence in the text!

For more detailed Reading Comprehension advice, I recommend that you check out the
PowerScore, Manhattan, and Veritas prep guides in the subject.

GMAT Club Verbal Forum

Required Math Formulas on the GMAT

You don’t need to know too many math formulas for the GMAT. Below is a full list of all
the formulas and concepts that you need to know (or might need to know, just to be
safe).

1) Percent change (this works for both percent increase and percent decrease):
(difference/original) x 100. Please note that “original” signifies that the number
we are comparing to (usually follows the word “than”). For example, to answer
the question “2 is what percent less than 3?” You would subtract 2 from 3 to get
1, then divide by the original, 3, to get ⅓. Then, multiply by 100 to get a 33.3%
decrease.
2) Percent of = (part/whole)
3) Average = total / # of things, or (Average)(# of things) = total
4) Direct Proportion: A1 / A2 = B1 / B2
5) Indirect Proportion: (A1 )(A2) = (B1 )(B2)
6) Exponent rules (same base) for multiplication, division, and taking an exponent to
a power, as well as the “same exponent” rule for multiplication and division:

𝑏 𝑐 𝑏+𝑐
𝑎 × 𝑎 = 𝑎
𝑏 𝑐 𝑏−𝑐
𝑎 ÷𝑎 = 𝑎
𝑏 𝑐 𝑏𝑐
(𝑎 ) = 𝑎
𝑏 𝑐 𝑏𝑐
(2𝑎 ) = 4𝑎
 𝑏 𝑏 𝑏
𝑎 × 𝑐 = 𝑎𝑐
𝑏 𝑏 𝑏
𝑎 ÷ 𝑐 = (𝑎/𝑐)

7) All 3 Quadratic Identities (unfactored to factored form)

2 2
𝑥 −𝑦 = (𝑥 + 𝑦)(𝑥 − 𝑦)
2 2 2
𝑥 + 2𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 = (𝑥 + 𝑦)
2 2 2
𝑥 − 2𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 = (𝑥 − 𝑦)

8) The Formula for a Line (slope intercept 𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑏 format, standard form

𝐴𝑥 + 𝐵𝑦 = 𝐶, and point-slope format: y-y1 = m(x-x1), and the slope equation
(y2-y1) / (x2-x1).

9) How to manipulate absolute value inequalities.

10) The compound interest formula when P=principle, r = interest rate, and t=unit of
time:
𝑡
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑃(1 + 𝑟)

𝑛
11) The number of subsets of a set with n elements = 2 (includes the “empty set”
subset).

12) The combined time formula: 1/a + 1/b = 1/c.

If a and b are the time it takes two people to complete a job, then c is the time
that it takes for them to complete the job together.

13) Overlapping set formulas for both 2 and 3 elements:

CLASSIC 2-ELEMENT FORMULA:

TOTAL = GROUP A + GROUP B - BOTH + NEITHER

MAX OVERLAP = LARGEST INDIVIDUAL ELEMENT

MIN OVERLAP = (GROUP A + GROUP B) - 1 (groups cannot add to more than

100%)