What are factorials?

Factorials are among the more advanced math topics you'll be expected to know on the GMAT or GRE, especially if you're shooting for a high score. They most commonly come up in what I call "counting" questions (the "how many ways...?" questions that involve combinations and permutations), but you may see factorials tested individually as well.

You recognize a factorial by the exclamation point "!" after a number, and that mathematical notation simply tells you to multiply every integer in decreasing order starting with the number before the exclamation point and stopping at one (1). 

For example, 8! (read "eight factorial") = 8x7x6x5x4x3x2x1 = 40,320.

Advanced Factorial Example + Strategy

As you can see, factorials can get pretty big! And in fact, you very rarely actually need to multiply out all of the numbers to solve problems involving factorials on your exam. The numbers can get too large for the built-in calculator on the GRE, and you don't even have...

You've no doubt heard the adage that "practice makes perfect." But that's not necessarily true. I prefer the legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi's variation that goes, "Perfect practice makes perfect."

You see, how you practice and prepare for your exam matters. I want to shed some light on that for you so that you're able to maximize your study time. In fact, if you internalize and take action on the three tips I'm going to share with you, you'll be able to get more right answers on test day without having to put in a lot of extra hours. Time is valuable, so why spend more of it preparing for your exam than absolutely necessary?

Okay, let's dive in.

A Tale of Two Candidates

Consider the following two hypothetical students studying for their respective exams.

Candidate A: Studies for 100 hours.

Candidate B: Studies for 80 hours.

Which student do you think is likely to get a higher score?

It's a trick question. On the surface, it seems like Candidate A is the obvious...

CentreCourt MBA Festival is launching a webinar series ahead of the Admissions Festival for 2018. The second of the 3-part series will take place on Wednesday, January 24th, 2018 on the topic of "Specializations in MBA Programs."

Join us for a 30 minute webinar with John A. Byrne, founder and editor-in-chief of Poets&Quants, and Matt Symonds, co-founder and director of Fortuna Admissions, as they discuss the characteristics of each MBA Specialization. Stay for the last 10 minutes for a Q&A with Matt and John.

WHAT: Specializations in an MBA Program - Free Webinar
DATE: Wednesday, January 24, 2018
TIME: 7:00pm London Time (2:00pm EST U.S.)
REGISTER: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SdOI_t3hS7Ku2EUqm3UJtg

I have a confession to make.

But first, let me jump to the punchline. I'm excited to partner with standardized test prep expert Brandon Royal (author of Ace the GMAT and The Little Red Writing Book) to offer a free online class next Tuesday, December 12th on reading comprehension strategies for the GMAT and GRE.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Learn to Dominate GMAT/GRE Reading Comprehension Questions [Webinar]
GUEST TRAINER: Brandon Royal, author of Ace the GMAT and The Little Red Writing Book
DATE: Tuesday, December 12, 2017
TIME: 8:00pm Eastern Time U.S. (5:00pm Pacific)

To learn more and register, click HERE:

Okay, now back to my confession.

For years, I've told my students that reading comprehension is the hardest part of the verbal section to improve, especially for non-native English speakers. I mean, reading skills are developed over years, not months, right?

Not necessarily.

It all depends on how effectively reading comp is taught on the GMAT and GRE, and that's...

In case you missed the news, the GMAC recently announced some changes to the GMAT that will affect your test-taking experience starting on July 11, 2017.

Specifically, the GMAC is introducing a new feature that they're calling "Select Section Order," which is exactly what it sounds like. Designed to give candidates more flexibility in customizing their GMAT experience, "Select Section Order" will enable you to choose the order in which you complete the four sections of the GMAT exam.

Pretty interesting, huh?

But the real question is, what does it mean for you?

Is this even good news? Is one section order better than another? What if you're scheduled to take the GMAT before July 11th but like the idea of navigating the sections in a different order? And how should you decide which order to pick?

I'm going to answer all of these questions -- and more -- in a special Facebook Live broadcast this Wednesday, June 21st at 1:00pm Eastern Time U.S. (10:00am Pacific).

WHAT: Facebook Live...

A LOW GMAT OR GPA ISN’T AN MBA DEATH SENTENCE.
YOU JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT.

In this webinar, presented by Accepted’s CEO and founder, Linda Abraham, you’ll learn:

• What the adcoms seek besides a high GMAT score and GPA
• How to divert the spotlight away from your weaknesses
• How to position your unique strengths against your competitors’ high stats

…and most importantly, how to get accepted to business school!

Click HERE to reserve your spot now!