GRAD School / MBA News and GMAT / GRE Strategy

In this continuation of our MAT review video series, we approach working through a standard MAT style analogy that focuses on math. 

The MAT presents as an alternative to the GRE for many students applying to graduate programs. MAT math focuses primarily on definitions and sequences rather than calculations. The MAT is composed of 120 questions over the course of 60 minutes. The main focus of this test is on test taker’s ability to solve analogies. We hope this video aids you in preparing for common math analogies on the MAT.

In this continuation of our MAT review video series, we approach working through a standard MAT style analogy that tests your grammar mastery. 

Grammar may be something you wanted to avoid by taking the MAT instead of the ACT, SAT, or GMAT. But the way that the MAT tests grammar is based on the relationships between punctuation marks and what they actually indicate from a definition standpoint, rather than sentence completion as seen on the GMAT.

In this continuation of our MAT review video series, we approach working through a standard MAT style Analogy via a technique using the “Pivot Term.”

A “Pivot term” is a term that cannot relate to the blank in the analogy; it helps you correctly determine the relationship between the given terms in the original analogy before evaluating answer choices. It’s imperative to identify this relationship before looking to the answer choices, as you will be better able to narrow your focus to pair the blank to one term vs. anything in the list of choices.

In this continuation of our MAT review video series we discuss a slightly different and generally considered to be trickier type of analogy tested on the MAT.

One of the slightly more complex question types on the Miller Analogies Test involves needing to recognize changes in the literal letters in the words used in the analogy instead of analyzing a more typical contextual or meaning-based analogy. These types of analogies can be particularly tricky, because if you are not aware that they happen, it's possible to fall into what Stefan describes as some "cleverly laid" traps hiding in the answer choices.

Here are some key takeaway from this MAT analogies video:

1. Start by understanding accepted analogies (e.g., you can't relate word B to C)
2. Identify the pivot term in the analogy
3. Recognize MAT analogy relationships can be based on letters or rhyme, not always context. 
4. Words that are "kind of" or "sort of" alike is generally not specific enough for an acceptable MAT analogy
5. Avoid clever traps (e.g., the relationship trap, where you focus on one relationship between two words that doesn't exist between the other two words)

This video was produced by MyGuru Director of Online Instruction and expert online MAT tutor Stefan Maisnier. Visit our YouTube channel for more MAT analogy videos.