Yesterday, Integrated Learning posted a 700 level GMAT question on our blog. Today, they have followed up with the answer:

Answer: A

To solve this question quickly, we need to know how to sum consecutive numbers quickly.

The process, as we teach all our students, is the following:

1. Find the middle number by averaging the endpoints:

(37 + 5)/2 = 21

2. Find the number of numbers.  When we are including both the first and last number, subtract the endpoints and add 1:

(37 – 5) + 1 = 33

3. Multiply:

21×33 = 693

Now find the prime factors of 693.  You will see that they are 3, 3, 7, 11.

Thus, the lowest prime factor is 3.

Integrated Learning provides professional, experienced GMAT tutors throughout the United States.

After visiting campus or interviewing, many candidates choose to write thank you letters to their respective hosts. So, what makes a good thank you note?

1) Personalization: When writing to your host/interviewer, it is important that you show sincerity by personalizing your letter. By handwriting your letter and mentioning specifics about your conversations and experiences, you will continue to foster your connection with the individual and show that your visit truly made an impression.

2) Brevity: Your letter should be no more than a few sentences long. By writing several paragraphs, you can create the negative impression that you are trying too hard or that you simply do not respect limits (possibly even suggesting that you might carry on too long in class). By being brief and sincere, you will make a powerful impression that will yield results.

3) Speed: You should send your letter within two or three days of your visit, at the most. After a week, your interest may logically fall into question or your host may simply forget some of the details you are trying to reinforce. By writing immediately, you will create the impression that you have been energized by the experience and are eager to maintain your connection.

Thank you notes are generally not a “make or break” aspect of your candidacy, but they can establish continuity. We encourage candidates to follow up with such notes because they are a low-cost way of reinforcing a positive impression/relationship.

Each week Integrated Learning posts a 700 level GMAT question on our blog and follows up with the answer the next day. Are you up for the challenge?

Each of the 40 employees at Company X produces 60 units of Product Y per workday.  However, in February, 5 employees were sick for an average (arithmetic mean) of four days each.  If February had 20 workdays, what was the average number of units produced per employee per day in February?

a) 65
b) 62.5
c) 60
d) 58.5
e) 55

Integrated Learning  provides professional, experienced GMAT tutors throughout the United States.

Recently, the New York Times again reported on how the recession is affecting b-school applications, citing increases at top schools such as Yale, where applications are up by 4%, and unranked schools such as those in Long Island, where applications are up by 10%. Indeed, there has been no shortage of articles identifying this trend and yet, today, in the Chronicle of Higher Education, an interesting contrary trend seems to have been identified in other graduate schools—the number of GRE test-takers has actually gone down. 

Since 2004, the number of test-takers has risen from 501,000 to 633,000 in 2007. This year, ETS—the administrator of the GRE—anticipates a slight decrease to 621,000. While this drop is not terribly significant in absolute terms, it is unusual during a downturn, when an increase would typically be expected, and in the face of efforts by ETS to encourage more college juniors and seniors to take the test, as well as broader acceptance of the GRE among MBA programs.

In the article, the Chronicle of Higher Education speculates that the credit crunch may be limiting some potential candidates’ ability to borrow and may have simply “frozen” the plans of others who are afraid to act during uncertain times.  In addition, it seems possible that some would prefer an MBA during uncertain times, as financial security is first and foremost for many.

For some reason, the conclusion of the American Thanksgiving weekend tends to signal the beginning of the rush toward second-round deadlines. Many candidates who are just contemplating their applications tend to call us and ask, “How many schools can I apply to at this stage?” The answer to this question is not that simple.

First and foremost, the answer is “quality before speed.” As a candidate, you are far better off completing three schools with 100% of your effort than five schools at 60% effort. MBA Admissions Offices will notice sloppy mistakes, and they will weigh the fact that you did not show consideration in your application and thus may not care all that much about their respective programs.
One thing some candidates forget or don’t realize is that they do not need to commit to a specific number of schools up front. Most often, we suggest that candidates master one application and then apply what they have learned to the next. Generally, attacking five schools simultaneously can be problematic, but if you make significant progress on one school and then launch into the next, you can do so with the confidence that you will be completing each with a degree of excellence.

For each candidate, the number of target schools will vary depending on the candidate’s professional and personal schedules, written communication abilities, risk profiles, ambitions, etc. It is important that you approach your applications methodically, recognizing what is realistic and then working aggressively—but not haphazardly—toward your ends.

Yesterday, Integrated Learning posted a 700 level GMAT question on our blog. Today, they have followed up with the answer:

ANSWER: D

At Integrated Learning we call this kind of question an “overlapping group” question.  To solve it, we advocate the Grouping

Grid™, a handy way to line up all the elements of a grouping question and get the answer quickly.  We won’t go into all the details here, but this is how it works for this question.

1. Start with the grid.  Label as shown, though it doesn’t matter if England is on the top or on the side.

2. Next, fill in the squares that correspond with the data given in the problem.  This problem is tougher because we only know that 80 people were in either England or France, but not both.  You can see how we solve that issue with algebra.

3. In the Grouping Grid™, every column adds down and every row adds across.  So you can now fill in all the boxes that you can infer from the given data.

4. Finally, to solve this problem, give one of the still-empty boxes the variable y and solve the two variables with two equations.

x + y = 70
(80 - x) + y = 40
Do the math and you will see that x = 55 and y = 15. Thus, we can further manipulate the
grid and fill it in completely.  The answer for who has been to both France and England is in the corresponding box, 35.

Integrated Learning provides professional, experienced GMAT tutors throughout the United States.

Yesterday, Harvard’s President Drew Faust sent a letter to Harvard’s deans, informing them that the school’s endowment has shrunk by $8 billion (yes, $8 billion, but they still have $36 billion left.) While this figure represents the amount lost by Harvard as a whole and not by HBS exclusively, the fact remains that many business schools—which typically manage their own endowments—may now be facing significant losses. This could negatively affect the operating revenue generated by the endowments, thereby resulting in a reduction in scholarships being offered, an inability to hire or retain top professors, potential increases in tuition and more. Although it is not yet time to sound the alarm, candidates should pay some attention to this situation. Still, when interviewers ask, “Do you have any questions for us?” we would not recommend responding with “How is your endowment performing?”

Many bankers are expecting the worst as bonus season approaches and news has potentially leaked from Merrill Lynch that its bonus pool will drop by 50% this year.  Still, Bloomberg attempts to offer an encouraging note: “Even if Merrill set aside nothing for compensation in the fourth quarter, the firm’s 60,900 employees still would reap an average of $184,000 in compensation and benefits for the full year.” Of course, this would only be encouraging if your bonus was less than the average last year; it is doubtful that the average MBA at Merrill earned less.
 

Each week Integrated Learning posts a 700 level GMAT question on our blog and follows up with the answer the next day. Are you up for the challenge?

Of the 130 passengers on the airplane, 60 had been to France, 90 had been to England, and 80 had been to France or England, but not both.  How many people had been to both France and England?

A) 0
B) 15
C) 25
D) 35
E) 55

Integrated Learning  provides professional, experienced GMAT tutors throughout the United States.

As interview decisions continue to be released, it is important to remain calm and let the Admissions Committees do their work. While it is natural to be apprehensive if you have not yet received an interview invitation, you will not increase your chances by calling the Admissions Office and asking if they do indeed have all of your files or if an interview decision has been made. In fact, such calls can actually have a negative effect on your candidacy, inadvertently positioning you as pushy or even belligerent.

Admissions Offices are increasingly transparent and should be taken at their respective words. If they say they are still releasing decisions, then they are in fact still doing so. If they say that the timing of your interview decision does not signify an order of preference, then it does not. As painful as it is, unless something has changed materially in your candidacy, all you can really do is wait patiently and try not to think about the decision or second guess your status.