Study Prof

More scrumptious FREE practice tests than you can shake a stick at for the GRE, SAT, and GMAT. Regular readers will know that sometimes third-party tests can be sub-par, but a quick perusal of some of the GRE tests shows only very minor errors. Let me know in the comments if you find big problems on any of the other sections. Still, gobs of great practice for the low low price of zero dollars. Thank you, Mathurs! Click the logo to check it out…

Taking a prep course is really an ideal first step for most students.  If you’ve never built a house before, it would NOT be smart to go out and start pouring concrete and putting up boards on your own for a couple of months, and only then go talk to an architect/builder to find out exactly how to do things.

You normally start by getting with an architect to plan the building and by talking to a builder who knows something about exactly how to procede with each step of the process.  Taking a prep course is like talking to an experienced builder and architect first.  Although their services can come at a premium, they can help you make sure that none of your time and effort is wasted.  In fact, they will more than pay for themselves!

A GRE prep course can raise a student’s combined score an average of (more…)

I came across these free GRE practice tests online. They are pretty old, though, and include the old logic sections which are no longer in use (so skip that part). Still great practice though.

This could save you some time on the GRE or SAT…

Cool Math Trick – Really Fast Multiplication !!! – Funny blooper videos are here

Here are some useful sites with free math worksheets for those of you beefing up your basic math chops.

http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/math/

http://www.math-drills.com/

http://www.schoolhousetech.com/downloads/worksheets

Dear old dad (someone’s dad anyway) has put out 3,565 math worksheets for free! Although most of the worksheets are on the easier end of the math spectrum, it’s some great practice in the basics. There is also a built-in timer and quick access answer key.

No, the site is … ummm … not really designed for aesthetes.  But, hey, free is free.  Thanks WTAMU!

Percents show up a lot in the GRE quantative section. You can really speed yourself up by being able to figure them quickly in your head. That translates to more time on the tough problems.

Can you find 18% of 246 in your head? Here’s a good way to do it. First, some basics. Most of us can quickly figure out what ten percent of a number is. Just move the decimal one space to the left. For example, what’s 10% of 246? Think of it as 246.0. Now just move the decimal one space to the left to get 24.6. More examples,

10% of …

47 is 4.7
1,433 is 143.3
10,012 is 1,001.2

Easy enough. You can do 1% of a number just as easily. Just move the decimal 2 spaces left. So 1% of 246 would be 2.46. We took 246.0 and moved the decimal 2 spaces to the left.

1% of …

47 is .47
1,433 is 14.33
10,012 is 100.12

Finding 5% of a number is easy too. Just find 10% and divide it in half. So,

5% of …

47 is 2.35
1,433 is about 71.5
10,012 is 500.6

Finding 5% may take a little practice before you can do it reliably in your head. Practice for twenty minutes or so, and you’ll have it down.

Now how do we find 18% of something? Just think of 18% as 10% + 5% + 1% + 1% + 1%. Let’s find 18% of 246.

10% of 246 is 24.6
5% is half that 12.3
so 15% … 24.6 + 12.3 is 36.9 (remember that)
1% would be 2.46, but I have three of these so I add 2.46 plus 2.46 … errr … too tough. Let’s just add 2.5 to 2.5 which is close enough. That’s 5. Plus another 2.5 is 7.5.

So 36.9 + 7.5 = 44.4 . Your calculator will return 44.28, so we were pretty close.

Again, it will take some practice to be able to hold the numbers in your head while you add them all up, and some numbers are easier than others, but this method is really powerful. A little practice will pay big dividends!

Here are some to practice on. Remember, this is estimating, so just get pretty close.

1. 27% of 82
2. 43% of 118
3. 98% of 489
4. 77% of 1500
5. 12% of 1228

Here are the approximate answers …

1. 22.14
2. 51.5
3. 479
4. 1155 (I did this one as 75% of 1000 is 750 and half of that would be 75% of 500, so 375. 750 + 375 is 1,125 plus two one percents–30–is 1,155).
5. 146

I recently came across this helpful site for learning different math concepts. Take a look.

PSAT/NMSQT stands for “Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It is the precursor to the SAT and, most importantly, it’s used to qualify for those coveted National Merit Scholarships you hear so much about.

Colleges pay attention to National Merit Scholars; that means they will come looking for you, instead of you having to try to get admitted! Even better; they will often actually pay for you to go to their school! As a National Merit Scholar you may be awarded additional scholarships to cover tuition, room and board, and even extra pocket money so you don’t have to work at all during college. In short, landing that National Merit Scholarship can make you tens of thousands of dollars AND make you look really good!

What is it? (more…)