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The Native American Finance Officers Association builds the financial strength of tribal governments and their enterprises by providing educational forums and resources, and by instilling finance and accounting best practices. We are a national not-for-profit organization with members in positions such as tribal finance officers, controllers, treasurers, accountants, auditors, financial advisors, tribal leaders, and more.
NAFOA is unique because we focus solely on the financial success of tribal entities. We provide a central source for the latest in financial management information and professional idea sharing. Through our network, members connect with experts in various financial areas, specifically as they apply to tribal governments and organizations.
We believe that sound financial management strengthens tribal governments and organizations. This creates strong Native American communities now and for generations to come.
Greetings and welcome to round 2 of Akil’s GMAT blog. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts and advice on how to study for the test. It seems more and more I encounter people who are studying wrong (oops I mean incorrectly, since I need an adverb to modify ‘studying’ rather than an adjective).
First, to understand how to study properly you have to understand the nature of the GMAT. The GMAT is an adaptive test that tests quantitative and verbal REASONING. As such the GMAT is not a test you can memorize, since a reasoning test requires you to use logic supported by facts to derive answers rather than to simply regurgitate facts. Regurgitating facts will most likely only allow you to get a score in the low to mid 500s. If you are satisfied with a score in the 500s, you should just get a list of formulas and rules tested and memorize them. [My marketing department requires that I insert a shameless plug here for Bell Curves flashcards which give you a nice succinct list of the rules that are tested on the GMAT in a pretty package.] If you want to have a realistic shot at the higher scores, you will need to memorize the facts necessary for success on the test and then, more importantly, develop your ability to use those facts in context.
Are you Flashcard Guy/Girl?
Flashcard Guy/Girl can recite every rule when asked but cannot apply it when presented a problem that utilizes that rule in an indirect or unobvious way. Your goal is to first learn all the rules (you will need to embrace Flashcard Guy/Girl for a little while), but you must quickly transition away from reciting rules to a true understanding and application of those rules.
Let's run a quick test to determine your level of Flashcard Guy/Girlness.
Complete the statement below
Rule: |
If your response was that you cannot add numbers with exponents, you are only partially correct. You should not make it a habit to learn only things you cannot do, as you must also learn what to do instead.
If you said "To add numbers with exponents one must have the same base and the same power then add the coefficient of each number," you would be correct.
Now, do this question before continuing to read:
Example 1: |
If you realized how this directly connects to the rule above, you are on your way to GMAT mastery. The correct answer here is 7x^2 .
Now, let’s make the previous question GMAT appropriate and try again to answer it:
Example 2: |
Again this is a direct connect to the above rule we began with, but the additional twist that it hides the coefficients. The correct answer is 2x^2 .
Now let’s make it a medium GMAT question (the above questions are probably considered easy, or the steps required would be part of a more difficult problem). Try this example:
Example 3: |
If you were able to answer either of the two previous examples, but you were hesitant or unsure on this problem, you have some Flashcard Guy/Girl in you. You were given a rule and its application never varied, but as that rule was presented in a slightly unexpected manner you struggled, and that’s what Flashcard Guy/Girl does. The correct answer is B, because when adding numbers with exponents if your bases and exponents are the same you add the coefficients. Thus the question requires you to add (1)3^4 + (1)3^4 + (1)3^4 which can be expressed as (3)3^4 which is also 3^5 .
Proper preparation
To properly prepare for the test you must accomplish the following:
- Learn the knowledge tested
- Learn to recognize when/where that knowledge is tested
- Learn the tendencies of the GMAT
- Develop personal efficiencies
- Develop a personal pacing plan
to leave behind Flashcard Guy/Girl. Learn to understand each rule, not to simply recite
them. Learn to recognize each rule being tested. Learn to apply a rule to a given problem.
Doing these things will help you gain an amazing GMAT score, admissions to your top
school, and an opportunity to be at the helm of America’s greatest financial institutions
like Lehman, AIG, Enron, and WaMU.
Resource list
I’ll try to remember to add to each of my blog entries a resource list of products that will help support your studies. Of course as founder of Bell Curves, I’ll have a bias for our materials but I will always be honest about products I, and my students, find helpful.
- GMATPrep – the best practice tests, hands down, no question!
- GMATFocus – a GMAC adaptive diagnostic tool. It’s a great source of adaptive questions. I would only use at the end of my prep cycle.
- MathSmart – good basic math review created by the Princeton Review. If you have not seen fractions since 7 th grade and they terrify you, this is a good starting point.
Akil Bello
The GMAT Expert
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The LOFT (Latinos On Fast Track) team is hosting LOFT networking events across the country to help connect more Hispanic students and recent graduates with corporate America.
This series will kick off in San Francisco on September 30th. This is hosted by SF Mayor Newsom who is inviting top local companies to come and meet the local Hispanic LOFT talent. This is a great opportunity to meet both executives and fellow rising Hispanic professionals. It's a FREE dinner for LOFT members and a chance to connect with other members. Also, there will be a ceremony awarding Wachovia (in the Private sector), Mayor Newsom (in the Public sector) and fellow Emanuel Pleitez (LOFT member) for their commitment to diversity and Latino empowerment. Other community leaders and celebrities have been invited and are pending confirmation.
If you are interesting in attending, feel free to join LOFT at www.joinLOFT.com and let other students or recent graduates in your network know about this as well. All the information they need to know can be found on the flyer attached to this e-mail.
If you have any questions, contact Carolina Peña, Media and Programs Coordinator, by email at carolina at hispanicheritage.org or at 202.861.9797.
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Hispanic Heritage Foundation
2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 406
Washington, DC 20037
www.hispanicheritage.org
http://www.youtube.com/user/HHAmedia
Entrepreneur.com released its rankings for the top 50 undergrad and grad colleges for entrepreneurs. Click on the screen shots below to see the full results.
Undergraduate Top 50
Graduate Top 50
Teach For America aims to end educational inequity—the reality that in our country where a child is born determines his or her educational outcomes and, in turn, life prospects. Our mission is to build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nation's most promising future leaders in the effort. Our vision is that one day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.
