GRE Tips and Tricks!: Quantitative: Numeric Entry

The newest question type to the GRE is the Numeric Entry. You are given NO answer choices and must calculate and enter your answer. Pretty straightforward. I only have have a few basic tips to share with you on this question type.

Tip 1
READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY. I cannot stress this enough as this is something I have difficulty with as well. Are you answering the question asked?

Tip 2
Estimate. Make a rough estimate just by reading the question as to whether the answer will be large or small.

Tip 3
DO NOT ROUND UNTIL THE END. Do all your calculations using exact answers until the very end. The instructions will sometimes include an instruction for rounding. Did you follow this? If no instruction as to rounding is provided (double check your answer) enter your exact answer.

Tip 4
Check your solution with Tip 2 above. Does the solution seem to "fit" what you expected the answer to be?

Until next time.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

GRE Tips and Tricks!: Quantitative: Quantitative Comparisons

Let's start with the basics of the Quantitative Section: you have thirty five minutes to answer twenty questions. There are four types of questions: Quantitative Comparison, Multiple Choice with one correct answer, Multiple Choice with more than one correct answer, and Numeric Entry. I will be walking you through each question type. Math isn't your forte? That's fine, we'll help you get prepared enough that when the time comes you'll be doing problems like its old hat. I would also like to mention that should you have any questions to feel free to post your question in the comments below and either Serena or I will get to it as soon as we can.

Ready? Take a deep breath, its go time. 

Quantitative Comparisons 

Quantitative comparisons are exactly what they sound like: comparisons using numbers. You are given two mathematical expressions in two columns, A and B. Your job is to compare them and you may be given additional information to help you with this. There are FOUR answer choices and they NEVER CHANGE therefore if will save you a bit of time memorizing them now so don't have to keep rereading them on test day.

The four answer choices are as follows:

A. quantity in Column A is greater

B. quantity in Column B is greater

C. the two quantities are equal

D. the relationship cannot be determined from the info given.

Not only do these answers not change but answer D can give you a hint to your answer. If both columns only have numbers (so no variables) that means that their relationship will not change in which case D will NEVER be correct. If you can show that there is more than one CORRECT relationship between the two columns then D will always be correct. Got it so far? So only numbers, can't be D. More than one answer, can only be D. 

So how do we go about answering these types of questions? I've put together a few tips that will help you answer the question quickly.

Tip 1: Estimate where you can

Often you can do not need to calculate an exact value. Estimate your values and solve from there, it will save you time and often eliminate most or all of the wrong answers. 

Tip 2: Make Column A like Column B

Yes I do realize that's a vague title. What I mean is that if column A is in fractions and B in decimals convert them both to fractions. This will make your math much easier. Same goes for percents and parentheses.

Tip 3: Treat the two columns as an inequality

Treat the two columns as two sides of an inequality and apply math to them to simplify them. For example if Column A says 3x+4 and Column B says 4x+4 subtract 4 from both sides to simplify. This can also help you get rid of fractions/decimals. NOTE: Remember we are treating this as an inequality so do not multiply or divide by a negative number unless you are SURE beyond doubt that both columns are positive. 

Tip 4: Pick Numbers

Easiest trick in the book. Can't figure it out? Pick random numbers (be careful that if given additional information the number you pick qualify) and plug them into the question to solve. Here's the catch, you have to do it AT LEAST TWICE. This is key. Say you plugged in only positive whole numbers the first time but when you use a negative your answer becomes false, you would have missed it if you hadn't checked again. So always for your second Set choose a negative, or an extremely large or small number, or a fraction, etc. The variables can be positive, negative, zero, or fractions.  I'm not saying pick the hardest numbers you can think of; on the contrary I'd suggest you pick easy numbers. Just make sure to be diverse with your choices.

Tip 5: Redo all diagrams if necessary

Unlike the SAT, diagrams on the GRE are NOT DRAWN TO SCALE. What may look like a ninety degree angle may not be one. If the diagram given confuses you in the least then just redraw the diagram to exaggerate the differences so that you have no chance of mistaking angles/sides/etc from one another. 

That's all for today but stay tuned for my next post!

Cheers,

N. Riazi

GRE Tips and Tricks!: Intro

So while most students have been enjoying their summers frolicking in the river and going tubing, I have been wiling away my time in coffee shops attempting to tune out the screams of young children somehow not heard by their ignorant parents. What can I say, summer wouldn't be summer without some ups and downs. I am currently sitting in my favorite coffee shop back home listening to some reggae and drinking a soy hot chocolate and reveling in the fact that while the afore mentioned students are in school, I still have more than two weeks left to enjoy myself.

So what have I been doing in these coffee shops besides drinking fancy drinks and flirting with cute baristas you ask? I have been studying up for the GRE. Standardized testing you see, is one of my strong points. It is not so much a test of knowledge so much as a test of strategy. So what's the best way to study for the GRE? Learn those strategies and practice them until they become second nature.

What I will be doing over the next few weeks is sharing with you the knowledge I've gained over the dozens of GRE books I've looked over narrowed down to the KEY strategies, shortcuts, and tips that will benefit you the most. This does not mean that you should merely skim my notes and assume you're good to go. A good many people tried that in high school and it is no excuse to skirt work (plus it didn't work out so well for them. I have the handwriting of a 6th grade boy). Take those practice tests and put those strategies to use until you begin to do them without having to reference my posts.

Good luck future grad-students and I'll see you in the my post.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Things you should do during an interview

After my post on the obvious things you shouldn't do during an interview, here are a few obvious and not-so obvious things that you should do during an interview.

1. Give a firm handshake
Ladies (and gents), a firm handshake makes the best impression on an interviewer. As an interviewer myself, I am far more impressed with someone that gives me a firm handshake. I asked around to my superiors, and most said their first impression on me was stronger because I gave a good handshake. It's actually been proven that women do better in interviews if they give a firm handshake. (Seriously. Google it.) Remember though, there is a difference between a nice, strong handshake, and causing physical pain. Pain = bad.


2. If you can get off topic with the interviewer, do it.
Not saying you should talk about the weather, but if the interviewer states anything personal about themselves, jump on the opportunity to talk about it. This takes it from being just another interview to "Oh yeah, I remember that one." To get this position I got in a detailed conversation about ladybugs. Seriously. Ladybugs.

3. Ask serious questions
Don't ask generic questions like "What is this subject" or "how did that start?". If they are questions you can answer in Google or off of a company page, don't ask it. Instead, ask questions about things you can't find online. Here are some examples:

• Ask the interviewer what they like most about the job
• Ask the interview what they like least about the job (this is a very good one to ask)
• What is a day in the job like?
• Are there company outings / group activities?
• Is there opportunity for advancement in the company?

 4. Overdress
I know it sounds weird, but (men) if you are deciding about whether to wear a tie or not, do it. Ladies, instead of your favorite shirt, why not your nicest one? You may not be hired into a position where you need to dress up that much, but it makes quite an impression on your interviewer.

Things you shouldn't do in an interview

Everyone says that there are things you should and shouldn't do in an interview, but here are a few obvious ones that surprisingly still happen quite often. I'm making this list because this can be automatic disqualifications from getting a job that you'd love to have:

1. Do not lie.
I'm dead serious. This happens way more than you'd think. During the process of one interview, the interviewee was talking about how he had written a massive report on regulation codes and how a project fit it. It sounded quite impressive, until he mentioned that he had brought it with him. In looking through the report, it was clear that he could not have written a good portion of the report based on language and reference documents. When he was asked about it, he stated that he actually only wrote about 40% of the report. Lying during the interview got him automatically disqualified from getting the position that he would have gotten otherwise.

2. Do not show up unprepared
In an interview for the main project being worked on, the interviewee did not prepare for the interview at all. I ended up spending most of the interview explaining background than actually interviewing the individual. If you come prepared to an interview with questions, it shows that you've researched into the job and are actually interested.

3. Do not ask about other positions
The worst interview I had was with an individual who had a great deal of experience in the field relating to the position. When I asked what he was most interested in for the subject field, he stated something that was not related to the position at all. Keep in mind, this is not a bad thing. I asked him how he would handle the position available as it wasn't his big interest. The possible responses he should have had could have been:

• I don't have experience in the field of this position, but it is something that I am interested in pursuing. I am currently interested in (A) because that is what I have experience in so far.
• I feel that my drive in (A) shows my motivation to learn new things.
• I am interested in this position in spite of (A)

Okay, so the last one could use some spiffing up, but you get the idea. The response he had was this:
"Oh well, are there any positions available that relate to (A) or a division I could transfer in to?"

At this point I should have just told him "Thank you for coming, have a nice day." He pretty much stated he had no interest in this position, and had just wasted an hour of my life that I could have spent interviewing someone that actually wanted the position.

Please, do not do any of this things if you actually intend on getting a job. These were all college graduate engineers, and they could have used this advice ahead of time. Don't be one of them.

Resume tips and pointers

Resume. It's a word most people have come to fear, though people simply fear things that they do not understand. I've spent a great deal of time sorting through resume's in both helping fix them up and actually sorting through them for hiring. Here are a few things that are extremely important to remember and will help to stop your resume from getting brushed into a pile.

1. First thing first, proofread your resume.

I cannot tell you how many times I have looked at resumes and had improper grammar and tenses used, and found spelling mistakes. I end up getting distracted by the errors that I forget I'm in the middle of trying to hire someone. Read over it yourself, have a friend read it, and then read over it some more. It may be just a minor comma that was added or a small fragment, but when someone is judging you off of a single sheet of paper, don't let it be because you can't spell.


2. Always write a cover letter

Unless a job specifically says to not include a cover letter, always write one. It gives you the chance to tell a potential employer the things your resume doesn't say. Are you applying to be a pilot because you grew up building model airplanes? Did you live through an earthquake and decide to do seismic studies for college? Is your GPA low because you had a part time job? Did you once rig your bedroom door to open with a remote control? We (as employers) want to know the person behind the resume.

Now, cover letters aren't a one size fits all for jobs. You may be able to make a general one to use as a template, but it really is important to make it fit to the job you are applying for. Go to the job website. Search it on Google or Wikipedia. The more you know about what you'd be doing, the better your cover letter can be created to suit the position. This is part of the reason searching for a job can be considered a full time job on its own - a lot of time gets put into it.

3. Ask for more information

If you are applying for a job to an email or though a school job listing, ask the employer for more information or where you can get more information about the company. This is good for two reasons: 1. It shows that you are interested, and 2. if they respond, you can try to keep a dialog going. Your name will remain in their head, and you will be a more likely candidate.  Do not ask about the pay.

4. Use a resume template

I know templates can be overused, but when everything on the page is the same size, same font, no sectioning, no bullets, etc. it becomes a little difficult to follow and understand. Templates were made for a reason: they work!

5. Your email is not your cover letter.

A cover letter says you spent time thinking and writing it all out. An email says you spent 5 minutes looking into the job then applied. Employers want someone that is actually interested in the job they may have!



I'll be sure to make a posting on how to write a decent resume and cover letter, and other useful hints in this regard as well. This should be useful in the meantime!


Good luck job hunting!