E-Litmus tips and tricks

There are different type of questions asked in elitmus test. Today I am going to tell you tips and tricks using which you can easily crack e-litmus.

For e-litmus paper, click here.

Data sufficiency:

If you are confident that you understand the problem but find yourself struggling with proving or disproving (1) and (2), it's probably E.

Data Sufficiency is a challenge that is unique to the GMAT. You won't find a Data Sufficiency problem anywhere else in the world, but if you want a respectable score on the Quantitative part of the test, you'll need to spend a lot of time getting comfortable with the Data Sufficiency question type.

The Data Sufficiency Format

If you're a complete novice, it's necessary to familiarize yourself with the basic format. Here's what a Data Sufficiency item looks like:

If x is positive, is x a prime number?

(1) x is odd.

(2) x < 8

• Information given in the question. Here, we know that x is positive. That will never change. (There isn't always information given in the question.)

• The question itself. We want to know whether x is prime.

• The statements. (1) and (2) give us information that may or may not allow us to answer the question.

• Don't calculate except when necessary. You only need to know whether the statements are sufficient, not what the value of x is.

• Simplify everything. Often, the questions are needlessly complex, but if you spend a few seconds looking for what you really need to know, you can make the question much simpler.

• Don't pick numbers as your default strategy.

• Be very familiar with the answer choices. No excuses: On Data Sufficiency, they’re always the same! Know in the blink of an eye what choice C is. On test day, if you find that Statement 1 is insufficient, be able to cross out choices A and D without hesitation.

• Get in the habit of writing down what you absolutely need in order to find certain quantities. Each statement alone will be sufficient if both of the statements on their own contain all the information necessary to answer the question. The statements will be sufficient together if they contain every piece of necessary information between them. Take the area of a parallelogram, for example. Do you need to know every side length to determine the area? If you have every side length, can you find the area?

• Train yourself not to look at the statements together. Statement 2 may tell you that x is negative, but that fact has no bearing on Statement 1 when viewed by itself. Explore all the possibilities offered by each statement individually. If you’ve scrutinized Statement 1 and found it sufficient, be equally merciless when it comes to Statement 2. Don’t let it off the hook just because it doesn’t contradict Statement 1.

• Remember that important information is often buried in the prompt. Don’t pay so much attention to the statements that you forget the rest of the question. Often, half the information that you need is in the set-up.

• Know when it’s actually necessary to solve single-variable equations. If the question asks for the value of x and you whittle the problem down to an equation like 305x = 2(500) – 10205, don’t waste your time solving for x! It’s only important to know that you COULD solve if you wanted to. Remember, all linear one-variable equations have a unique solution, but quadratic equations—equations with an x^2 term—can have zero, one, or two solutions.

In gleaning data from a chart, graph or table, it's remarkably easy to inadvertently grab your data from the wrong graph, bar, line, etc. This is the #1 cause of incorrect responses in CAT Data Interpretation. To avoid this blunder, point your finger/pencil to the data you want; put your finger/pencil directly against the question paper and keep it there until you're sure you're looking at the right part of the right chart or graph.

Check to see if the question asks for an approximation. If so, you can safely estimate numbers by rounding off.

CAUTION: 

1. When rounding off fractions, round the numerator and denominator in the same direction (either up or down); otherwise you'll distort the value of the fraction.

2. Don't confuse percentages with raw numbers. Always ask yourself which type of number the chart or graph is providing, and which type the question is asking for.

3. It's okay to rely on visual approximations when it comes to reading bar graphs and line charts. The test-makers are not out to test your eyesight. So if two or more answer choices come very, very close to your solution, rest assured that you needn't estimate values more precisely.

Take 15-30 seconds right up front to assimilate and make sense of the chart, graph, or table and be sure to read all the information around it. Get a sense for what the variables are and how they relate to one another, before you tackle the questions.

1. Explanatory (Mostly Science passages, explain one theory/phenomenon in detail)
2. Comparative (two or more point of views on a theory/topic. Doesn’t go in much detail)
3. Argumentative (Subjective, opinionated. Mostly social science / business topics. Pros and cons of a topic with author’s views on them)
4. Reading the questions, skip the first one or get its' content.
5. After reading a question, return to the paragraph.At this time, you will use scanning and skimming skills ,try to locate where the answer is .Normally, the answers will following one by one so you can save a little time.
6.  After completing all the answers, you return back to the first one.Because the first answer is usually a general question.So after you answer the others , you will easy to finish this one.
7. The Reading Comprehension question type on the GMAT requires you to read passages that are up to 350 words long (about a page) and answer a small number of questions about them. The verbal section of the GMAT is 75 minutes long, during which time you are likely to see between 3 and 5 reading passages, each with 3-4 questions each. In rare cases, a passage will have only 2 questions attached.

There are three important components to any DS question:

The Process

Evaluate each statement on its own. If there is information given in the question, keep that in mind as well.

First, look at (1). Using (1) alone, we know that x is positive, and that it is odd. Is that enough information to answer the question? If x is a positive odd number, it could be prime: for instance, if x = 3. However, it might not be prime: for instance, if x = 9. Thus, we say that statement (1) is insufficient.

Next, look at (2) alone. The tricky part is that you have to temporarily forget what you learned in (1). (It may sound easy, but I absolutely guarantee you that you'll make this mistake at least once, and probably many more times than that.)

Again, we're also considering information given in the question. Here, then, we know that x is positive, and that it is less than 8. If x is greater than 0 and less than 8, is it prime? Again, we don't know. It could be 3, which is prime, but it could be 4, which is not. Further, we don't know that x is an integer, which opens up the possibility that x is, say, 2.5. So, statement (2) is insufficient.

Putting the Statements Together

If both statements are insufficient on their own, we must consider both of them together. Here, we have all of the information available to us: x is positive, it is odd, and it is less than 8. The only possible values for x are 1, 3, 5, and 7.

Still, however, we don't have enough information. While 3, 5, and 7 are prime, 1 is not a prime. The statements, when taken together, are still insufficient.

The Choices

One thing that makes Data Sufficiency more manageable is that the choices never change: They are the same on every single DS item. Here they are:

(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.

(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient.

(C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.

(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.

(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

In the question we just worked through, the correct choice was (E).

Data Sufficiency Strategies

Here are some pieces of advice to start with:

When you're starting out, Data Sufficiency can seem very daunting, but keep practicing. By the time you take the test, you should be handling DS questions faster than Problem Solving items (because you don't have to calculate), and the format will be second nature.

Data Sufficiency Tips:

Quick Tips for Data Interpretation

Data may be represented in a number of complex forms, and hence solving Data Interpretation problems becomes far more difficult. There is no fixed format for solving such problems, and each has to be tackled in its own distinct way. Thus, to answer such questions correctly, it is essential to practice all types of Data Interpretation exercises a number of times, so as to be familiar with all the data presentation types. Yet, there are some primary guidelines that can always be followed:

Tips on Solving DATA INTERPRETATION Problems:

a) Read the data very carefully, as the smallest detail may change the meaning of the question completely. Similarly, the instructions have to be understood carefully to prevent wasting time in calculating data that is not required, and also to find out exactly what is the answer that is sought.

b) Try to understand the data provided carefully, before jumping to answer the questions. The questions are designed to be deceptive, and proper understanding of the requirements is a must. If the Data Interpretation is of the Combined variety or if there are more than one data table/charts/graphs, try to understand the relation between the given tables. For Example, one table may talk about absolute sales figures, while the other table may talk of sales as a percentage of production. Hence, any question on excess production or Goods in stock, will require data from both tables.

c) Be very careful of the units used in the tables, and the units in which the answers (options) are provided. A mistake in the units may yield an entirely different answer. Also be careful of whether the answer is required in decimal or percentage. Such errors are common and easily avoidable.

Reading comprehension:

Because the GMAT is an adaptive test, there is no guarantee about how many RC questions any given test-taker will see on the exam. The passage appears on the left side of the screen, with a scroll bar if it runs more than one screen. The questions appear one by one, on the right side of the screen. Thus, the passage is always visible to test-takers while working on questions. GMAT passages may be about the physical or biological sciences, social science, the humanities (history, art, archaeology), or business topics, such as economic models, marketing strategies, or human resource theories. If you are ready to test your knowledge check out the sample Reading Comprehension questions here.

TOP 10 GMAT READING COMPREHENSION TIPS AND STRATEGIES.

Here is a list of Top 10 Reading Comprehension Tips and Strategies and Pointers that should be remembered when dealing with the GMAT Reading Comprehension:

1. Read between the Paragraphs

GMAT examiners are smart people, they know that you are nervous, you are in an alien environment and you can easily fool. Now think how can you be fooled, simple giving you simple GMAT Reading Comprehension and to read but tricking you in the questions and answer choices. Mostly it has been seen that whenever GMAT gives you a simple RC you have 90% inference base questions. The questions are simple and looks that you have seen the answer and you will find he lines in the choices that you have just read in the passage. Sadly, you have chosen the wrong answer.

Remember: Read between the line of the passage and never mark the choice that repeats the line in the passage. Inference base question always need a new evidence to answer the question.

2. Read for Author’s Main Idea and Primary Purpose

GMAT Reading Comprehension may be tough and may be simple. The only thing to remember is the Author’s Main Idea and Primary Purpose. Without the Author’s Main Idea and Primary Purpose you may not be able to answer any question. The faster you are able to get Author’s Main Idea and Primary Purpose the faster you will solve the RC questions correctly. Author’s Main Idea and Primary Purpose is generally found in the last paragraph.

3. Create a thought flowchart by writing down the Main Idea and Primary purpose after each paragraph.

Moving to the next point, to make it easier to find the Main Idea and Primary purpose of the passage always use the scratch paper to write down the Main Idea and Primary purpose of each and every paragraph. This would help you know each paragraph purpose and the contribution towards the whole comprehension. Some time the idea changes in a single paragraph and you might miss those points and mark wrong choices. So write down about each paragraph

4. The Main Idea of the passage is the repeated idea in each of the Main ideas (of the paragraphs)

How to find you have chosen the right Main idea. If you have carefully followed the last point than you can very easily find the correct main idea of the whole passage. This is how you will find the main idea. The Main Idea will repeat itself in most of the paragraphs. Follow the steps and you RC life will be easy.

5. The primary purpose is mostly the Primary purpose of the concluding paragraph.

If you have been careful you will find that have discussed this point before this also. GMAT examiners are smart. Know Why? They know that you will be stuffed till the end if the passage so they put the Primary purpose in the end. That’s why you should be alert and write down Primary purpose and main idea of each paragraph.

6. Classify the passages

Always classify the passages. Generally GMAT Reading comprehension can be classified in three main categories. Want to know the three main categories? Here they are:

7. Paraphrase the text to simplify (especially Questions and choices).

GMAT is a test of English, no need to remind you that but the thing to keep in mind is the Paraphrase of the text. The better you understand what you are dealing with the higher the GMAT score. Sometime GMAT ask you simple question but camouflage it with difficult word and complex situations. Paraphrase the text and answer the question easily.

8. Don’t over read. Skip examples, dates, lengthy names, any details which can be referred in case something is asked explicitly.

Read the passage carefully but don’t waste your time remembering the data or understanding the complex English. Simply skim the passage and only remember the details that you need to know. Don’t try to remember that are explicitly stated in the passage. You can get that detail when needed. Remember the details that are not stated and are implicitly stated in the passage.

9. Don’t go for choices which hold true only for one part of the author’s argument.

Famous GMAT trick and the GMAT examiner are often lucky enough to fool you. Simply you are given the statement that is either explicitly stated in the passage or refer only the part of the argument to be true. Always remember if the question is divided in two parts than the answer choice should also support both the parts

10. Don’t go for choices which exaggerate the author’s conclusion.

Sometime in GMAT Reading Comprehension the questions asked are about the author. Don’t use your own knowledge about the subject or don’t answer based on the sentiments. Only use the information mention in the passage. Don’t answer the question because .it holds true in the real world. Leave your real world outside the examination room. Answer only through the passage and don’t use your brain too much.

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