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Bell Curves Blog
ISEE and SSAT: Parents Just Don’t Understand
Not much has changed since DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince rapped “Parents Just Don’t Understand.” And while we can’t explain what would motivate a teenager to run off with the family car without permission we can answer the most common questions we’ve had about the SSAT and ISEE. Here are some answers to some of the more common questions about these two tests:
GMAT Strategy: Geometry Hybrids
One way the GMAT ramps up the difficulty of questions is to combine multiple concepts in a single problem. Geometry questions that do this can be challenging, particularly for test-takers who struggle to visualize alternative structures or orientations of a given figure.
Some of the most challenging of all Geometry Hybrids are those that fuse multiple figures into one larger figure and then ask about some facet of it. We call these Mixed Shapes, and categorize them into three groups: Overlapping Figures, Strange Shapes, and Shaded Areas. Let’s take a look at a sample problem to identify strategies to conquer these Geometry Hybrids.
Two identical circles of area 36π overlap as shown above. If the distance from point A to point B is 6, what is the area of the shaded region?(A) 6π
(B) 12π
(C)– 6π
(D) 6π –
(E) 12π –
Before we get to the strategy, let’s review the three types of Mixed Shapes, and the tools to work them:
- Overlapping Figures – usually combine two common figures that share the same space. To work them, try to find the shared measure.
- Strange Shapes – these usually fuse two or more common shapes into a larger, uncommon or irregular shape. To work them, try to cut the irregular shape into easy-to-manage common shapes.
- Shaded Areas – these usually shade a part of one or more figures. To work them, add or subject the unshaded area of the figure from the total area of the figure.
With that out of the way, here’s the strategy for these problems:
1. Identify the basic shapes and properties of the figures involved.
2. Identify which Mixed Shapes concepts are being tested.
3. Apply strategies for each concept to the information given.
4. Solve.
On the Record: Q&A with BC Alumnus Rhomaro Powell
Recently, we thought that many people out there battling through the business school application process might benefit from some thoughts and insights from others who went through the experience. To that end, we started On the Record: Q&A with BC Alums. Last time around we spoke with Radina Russell. This time around, we got insights from the funny and talented Rhomaro Powell.
BC Alumnus Rhomaro Powell
Rhomaro graduated from the S.C. Johnson School of Management at Cornell University, and currently works in the financial services sector.
Why did you go to business school?
Business School was the next logical step for my career progression. My ultimate goal is to operate my own private equity firm; however I felt I was lacking some core skills, i.e. finance and accounting. Additionally, I felt I needed the proper brand and network that would provide me access to enter the private equity universe. Johnson at Cornell University gave me the brand, network, and knowledge I needed.
How has business school impacted your career?
Business school as accelerated my career tremendously, mainly because it has helped me grow as an individual, expanded my network, and provided opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. For example, I went into business school with the main goal of improving my technical skills, but learned that the softer skills were at least as important – and perhaps even more important – to my career. I learned that knowledge only gets you so far, but being able to lead, influence, and build relationships with individuals will get you farther. In regards to expanding my network and opportunities, I was able to do so through organizations such as Management Leadership for Tomorrow and The Robert Toigo Foundation. These organizations have expanded my network from outside the business school I attended. Additionally, I studied in Madrid, Spain for 5 months. My network now spans all the top business schools and companies around the world.
What do you want business school applicants to know?
Understand Your Passion:
Understanding your passions and what drives you will make the application process easier. This will help when writing your essays and speaking with admission officers. Admission officers can tell when someone is not genuine, and they gravitate to passionate individuals. It will make you memorable.
Due Diligence:
Each business school is different, so it is important to understand the culture and what makes each special. Harvard, Cornell, Stanford, Darden, Wharton, and NYU are not for everyone. Visit all the schools you are interested in and speak with both current students and alumni. The last thing you want to do is get into a school and find you don’t fit with the people, because this will be your network for the rest of your life and the two years will seem like an eternity. Remember, business school is not cheap, so invest your time and money wisely so you can get a great return.
How many schools did you apply to and get accepted to?
I applied to Stanford, Cornell, Michigan, Tuck, and NYU. Cornell and Stanford were my top two choices. Stanford said no, but Cornell said yes so I was on cloud nine.
What specific advice would you give those prepping for the GMAT now?
I took the GMAT 5 times. YES! 5 times! If you do the math it cost me $1500 (not including what I paid for prep courses and tutors) and over a year of my time. I thought it would have taken me at most two times to get the score I wanted. I considered the time and money as an investment in myself. Do not be discouraged if you have to take it more than once.
Preparing for the GMAT is definitely an individual effort, meaning that one strategy does not fit all. Take time to figure out how you learn best and what your study habits are. For some individuals classes are best, while for others a tutor is perfect. For me, it was a combination. I took a class to get the overall knowledge and strategy for the test and then hired a tutor to help me with my weak areas (verbal). I thought English was my first language until I took the GMAT. Anyway, here are a few tips:
1. Put in the time. I would recommend a minimum of 20 hours a week. However, ensure you are studying efficiently or the time will not matter.
2. Schools look at both the overall score and individual scores for each section. Some schools tend to put more emphasis on the quantitative score, so really focus on doing well on the quant. Some schools use the score as an indicator on how an individual will perform in the quant-heavy core courses.
3. Use study materials from different prep courses. I used materials from Bell Curves (really great instructors and online tools), Manhattan GMAT (really good material), and the Official Guide to the GMAT (really good practice questions).
4. Studying in a group helps keep the motivation high and can add insight in tackling questions. You can learn a lot from your peers.
5. Do not give up. Many will go through ups and downs. Remember to keep your eyes on the prize and that you are more than just a 3 digit number. Business schools are looking for well-rounded individuals. I know individuals that went to top schools that did not break 600. It is not the norm, but it is possible.
The Sound(s) of GMAT: Inspiration
image courtesy of h.koppdelaney @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/h-k-d/
Anyone who has prepped – or is prepping now – for the GMAT knows that every little edge counts. We’d recently been boning up on our Mozart (knowledge, not performance) and came across a little gilt-edged nugget called The Mozart Effect. Popularized in the nineties, the Mozart Effect spoke to the increases in spatial-temporal reasoning ability witnessed in research subjects immediately after listening to a Mozart sonata* (guess which one? answer at bottom). More importantly, the Mozart Effect is the reason so many “sophisticated” and/or New Age parents find themselves playing classical music for children still trapped in the womb and therefore unable to voice their own musical preferences.
Overlooking the fact the 8-9 point increase on the spatial reasoning portion of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale was completely temporary (the boost lasted about 10-15 minutes), and also overlooking the fact that all subsequent attempts at replication of the experiment (except one done by the original researchers) failed to reproduce the reported increases of the original, we thought, “Well, everyone loves music. It’s inspiring, it’s motivational, it’s calming, so let’s publish playlists of GMAT tunes that could help students get excited, get ahead, and get their prep groove on.” Besides, the GMAT does require some spatial-temporal reasoning beyond simply navigating your way through the pat-down and to your seat.
To get the most of this list, or ones you create for yourself, here are a few tips to use them most effectively: (more…)
Starting Prep Early: SAT Vocabulary Strategies
Earlier this year we joined SAT aficionados and college counselors on Twitter for the bi-weekly #CampusChat. The topic was SAT vocabulary and it sparked a zany hour of interesting words being used in fun context. By our estimation the prize for most interesting use of SAT vocab was taken by Suzanne Schaeffer (mostly because of her fun digs at Bell Curves founder @akilbello). If you’re interested you can see the full twitter transcript here.
This chat got the juices flowing over in BC central and sparked us to ask our teachers for recommendations for short-term (less than 6 months) and longer term vocab acquisition tools and tricks. In this blog we’ll address some of the long term vocabulary strategies that parents can use to help their children develop college-ready vocabularies.