Are you planning to take the GMAT soon? Get advice on how to steer clear of common mistakes. In this presentation, Manya-The Princeton Review describes the basic mistakes that Indian Aspirants make on the GMAT Sentence Correction, Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning Modules! For more info visit: www.manyagroup.com/gmat

1. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Website: www.manyagroup.com
7 Common Mistakes
on The GMAT
You Should Avoid

2. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
What we will cover in this session
GMAT Introduction
Common Mistakes and how to avoid them
Getting bogged down by the text in Reading Comprehension
Importance of knowing Techniques
Time and Stress management

3. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
GMAT Test Section # of Questions Question Types Duration
Analytical Writing
Assessment
1 Topic Analysis of an Argument 30 Minutes
Integrated Reasoning 12 Questions Multi-Source Reasoning
Graphics Interpretation
Two-Part Analysis
Table Analysis
30 Minutes
Quantitative 31 Questions Data Sufficiency
Problem Solving
62 Minutes
Verbal 36 Questions Reading Comprehension
Critical Reasoning
Sentence Correction
65 Minutes
Total Exam Time,
not including breaks or
tutorials
3 hours 7 minutes
GMAT Exam Format and Timing

4. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Section Type Score Composite Score
AWA – Argument based
topic 0-6
N.A.
Integrated Reasoning
Section 1-8
Quantitative (Math) 0 – 60
(8-51) 200 - 800
Verbal
0 – 60
(9 – 51)
GMAT Scoring Scale

5. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
7 Common Mistakes on
The GMAT
you should avoid
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

6. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
MISTAKE # 1: Practice Offline, Test Online
Books and
content
offline
Preferring
Pen over
Mouse
Referring to
content
from many
places
No or less
use of GMAT
Wiley

7. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
MISTAKE # 2: Random Selection of Section Order
Order #1 Order #2 Order #3
Analytical Writing Assessment
Verbal Quantitative
Integrated Reasoning
Optional 8-minute Break
Quantitative Quantitative Verbal
Optional 8-minute Break
Verbal
Integrated Reasoning Integrated Reasoning
Analytical Writing Assessment Analytical Writing Assessment
Randomly picking the section order without checking the one which suits you best

8. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Think how you can improve pacing
MISTAKE # 3: Reviewing only Incorrect Responses
How did I get correct answers?
Knowing exactly how to do it
Random/Educated Guess
Conservative Long Method
(Taking more than 3 mins)
MISTAKE # 3: Reviewing only Incorrect Responses
Strategy/ Techniques
A
B

9. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
MISTAKE # 4: Focusing on Quantity over Quality
At the time of Practice
• Practice questions without timer
• Practice from random and non-
standard resources
• Random practice without any plan
• Hundreds of questions practiced,
but without any approach
On the Real Test
• Not able to do questions in the
required time
• Questions seem alien
• Not able to complete the test
• Panic factor sets in

10. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Quality matters more than Quantity
Takeaway points:
1. Practice with timer on
2. Spend time on each question wisely depending on the stage of the test
3. Medium level questions should feel like a piece of cake
4. Learn from each question you do in the practice stage
5. Look for a shorter way of solving a problem even if you get it right
6. When you learn a technique, don’t expect it to yield the result immediately. Keep practicing!
7. Do not try to solve thousands of questions you see on the internet, especially from the non-
standard material. Remember, just practicing hundreds of questions won’t help!

11. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
MISTAKE # 5: Having no Pacing Plan
Going either
too fast or
too slow

12. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
GMAT is a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT)
This basically means that the test adapts itself to the
examinee’s ability level.
• Difficulty level of the questions depends on how the student has
answered the previous question
• Questions that appear early in the test impact your score to a
greater degree than do those that come toward the end of the exam
• Final scores depend on:
– Number of questions you answer correctly
– Difficulty of the questions you answer
– Number of questions you complete
Understanding the Adaptive Nature of the GMAT

13. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
13
Accuracy: 78% Accuracy: 78%
Score: V33
Percentile: 69%
Score: V42
Percentile: 96%
ACCURACY vs SCORES

14. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
PACING RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR QUANT AND VERBAL
Importance of Pacing

15. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
PACING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR QUANT AND VERBAL
GMAT Pacing:
The charts below show how much time to spend on each block of questions on the Quantitative
and Verbal sections. Use these pacing goals if you are taking the test with standard time.
Q 1-10 Q 11-20 Q21-31
Under 35 30 min 22 min 10 min
35-42 28 min 20 min 14 min
43-47 25 min 20 min 17 min
Above 47 22 min 20 min 20 min
Q 1-10 Q11-20 Q 21-30 Q 31-36
Under 28 30 min 22 min 10 min 3 min
28-34 26 min 20 min 20 min 4 min
35-38 25 min 20 min 15 min 5 min
Above 38 22 min 20 min 15 min 8 min
Verbal PacingQuantitative Pacing

16. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Improvement comes in stages …
16
How can I
reach 750?
via 600,
650, 700, …
“Learn to walk before you can run”

17. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Although she was considered among her contemporaries to be the better poet than
her husband, later Elizabeth Barrett Browning was overshadowed by his success.
A. Although she was considered among her contemporaries to be the better poet than
her husband, later Elizabeth Barrett Browning was overshadowed by his success.
B. Although Elizabeth Barrett Browning was considered among her contemporaries as a
better poet than her husband, she was later overshadowed by his success.
C. Later overshadowed by the success of her husband, Elizabeth Barrett Browning's
poetry had been considered among her contemporaries to be better than that of her
husband.
D. Although Elizabeth Barrett Browning's success was later overshadowed by that of her
husband, among her contemporaries she was considered the better poet.
E. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poetry was considered among her contemporaries as
better than her husband, but her success was later overshadowed by his.
MISTAKE # 6: Getting Overwhelmed by Grammar
Source: GMAT OG 2019
805.

18. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Source: GMAT OG 2019
GMAT: Sentence Correction

19. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
GMAT: Sentence Correction
Although she was considered among her contemporaries to be the better poet than her husband, later Elizabeth
Barrett Browning was overshadowed by his success.
(A) Although she was considered among her contemporaries to be the better poet than her husband, later
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was overshadowed by his success.
(B) Although Elizabeth Barrett Brwoning was considered among her contemporaries as a better poet than her
husband, she was later overshadowed by his success.
(C) Later overshadowed by the success of her husband, Elizabeth Barrett Brwoning's poetry had been considered
among her contemporaries to be better than that of her husband.
(D) Although Elizabeth Barrett Browning's success was later overshadowed by that of her husband, among her
contemporaries she was considered the better poet.
(E) Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poetry was considered among her contemporaries as better than her husband,
but her success was later overshadowed by his.
Source: GMAT OG 2019
805.

20. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
GMAT: Sentence Correction
Although she was considered among her contemporaries to be the better poet than her husband, later Elizabeth
Barrett Browning was overshadowed by his success.
(A) Although she was considered among her contemporaries to be the better poet than her husband, later
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was overshadowed by his success.
(B) Although Elizabeth Barrett Brwoning was considered among her contemporaries as a better poet than her
husband, she was later overshadowed by his success.
(C) Later overshadowed by the success of her husband, Elizabeth Barrett Brwoning's poetry had been considered
among her contemporaries to be better than that of her husband.
(D) Although Elizabeth Barrett Browning's success was later overshadowed by that of her husband, among her
contemporaries she was considered the better poet.
(E) Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poetry was considered among her contemporaries as better than her husband,
but her success was later overshadowed by his.
Source: GMAT OG 2019
805.

21. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
GMAT: Sentence Correction
Although she was considered among her contemporaries to be the better poet than her husband, later Elizabeth
Barrett Browning was overshadowed by his success.
(A) Although she was considered among her contemporaries to be the better poet than her husband, later
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was overshadowed by his success.
(B) Although Elizabeth Barrett Brwoning was considered among her contemporaries as a better poet than her
husband, she was later overshadowed by his success.
(C) Later overshadowed by the success of her husband, Elizabeth Barrett Brwoning's poetry had been considered
among her contemporaries to be better than that of her husband.
(D) Although Elizabeth Barrett Browning's success was later overshadowed by that of her husband, among her
contemporaries she was considered the better poet.
(E) Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poetry was considered among her contemporaries as better than her husband,
but her success was later overshadowed by his.
Source: GMAT OG 2019
805.

22. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
In CR and RC in
VERBAL
In DS in QUANT
Do not assume anything
Look for information in the
passage only.
Do not assume anything.
MISTAKE # 7: Assuming Facts

23. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Problem # 1 - DATA SUFFICIENCY
What is the area of triangular region ABC above?
(1) The product of BD and AC is 25.
(2) x = 45
402.
GMAT OG 2020
5

24. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
What is the area of triangular region ABC above?
(1) The product of BD and AC is 25.
(2) x = 45
402.
GMAT OG 2020
Know:
Need:
AC
(1) BD x AC = 25
1
2
x AC x BD = ?
Sufficient
Problem # 1 - DATA SUFFICIENCY
5
5

25. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
What is the area of triangular region ABC above?
(1) The product of BD and AC is 25.
(2) x = 45
402.
GMAT OG 2020
Know:
Need:
AC
(1) BD x AC = 25
1
2
x AC x BD = ?
Sufficient
(2) x = 45
450
5
5
5
5 5
Is this an Isosceles
triangle? Don’t
assume
Problem # 1 - DATA SUFFICIENCY
Sufficient
D

26. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
What is the area of triangular region ABC above?
(1) The product of BD and AC is 25.
(2) x = 45
402.
GMAT OG 2020
Know:
Need:
AC
(1) BD x AC = 25
1
2
x AC x BD = ?
A D
(2) x = 45
450
5
5
5
5 ?
Problem # 1 - DATA SUFFICIENCY

27. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
How many numbers are there between
2 and 5?
Let me ask you a simple question!

28. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Getting bogged down by the text in
Reading Comprehension

29. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’Source: OG 2019

30. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’Source: OG 2019

31. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’Source: OG 2019

32. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
blah blah…
Source: OG 2019

33. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Not using Techniques
and Strategies for
Critical
Reasoning

34. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
CRITICAL REASONING
Source: OG 2019

35. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
vs
Importance of Knowing Techniques

36. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
210. A photography dealer ordered 60 Model X cameras to be sold for $250 each,
which represents a 20 percent markup over the dealer’s initial cost for each
camera. Of the cameras ordered, 6 were never sold and were returned to the
manufacturer for a refund of 50 percent of the dealer's initial cost. What was the
dealer's approximate profit or loss as a percent of the dealer’s initial cost for the
60 cameras?
A. 7% loss
B. 13% loss
C. 7% profit
D. 13% profit
E. 15% profit
Algebra vs Technique
Source: GMAT OG 2020

37. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Algebra vs Technique
Source: GMAT OG 2020

38. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
210. A photography dealer ordered 60 Model X cameras to be sold for $250 each,
which represents a 20 percent markup over the dealer’s initial cost for each
camera. Of the cameras ordered, 6 were never sold and were returned to the
manufacturer for a refund of 50 percent of the dealer's initial cost. What was the
dealer's approximate profit or loss as a percent of the dealer’s initial cost for the
60 cameras?
A. 7% loss
B. 13% loss
C. 7% profit
D. 13% profit
E. 15% profit
Algebra vs Technique
Source: GMAT OG 2020
54 (20) + 6 (-50)
60
=
780
60
= 13%

39. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
Strategies and Pacing for Quant
A school administrator will assign each student in a group of n students to one of m classrooms.
If 3 < m < 13 < n, is it possible to assign each of the n students to one of the m classrooms so that each classroom
has the same number of students assigned to it ? [Q.390-OG- 2019]
1) It is possible to assign each of 3n students to one of m classrooms so that each classroom has the same number
of students assigned to it.
2) It is possible to assign each of 13n students to one of m classrooms so that each classroom has the same
number of students assigned to it.

40. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
A school administrator will assign each student in a group of n students to one of m classrooms.
If 3 < m < 13 < n, is it possible to assign each of the n students to one of the m classrooms so that each classroom
has the same number of students assigned to it ? [Q.390-OG- 2019]
1) It is possible to assign each of 3n students to one of m classrooms so that each classroom has the same number
of students assigned to it.
2) It is possible to assign each of 13n students to one of m classrooms so that each classroom has the same
number of students assigned to it.
Is n divisible by m ?
1) 3n is divisible by m
n = 14 ; m = 7
YES
n = 14 ; m =6
NO
B C E
2) 13n is divisible by m
n = 14 ; m = 7
YES
n = 20 ; m =10
YES
Strategies and Pacing for Quant

41. ‘Saraswati before Lakshmi’
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