Executive Assessment flashcards
Executive Assessment · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Percentage points vs percent
- A change from 20% to 25% is 5 percentage points but a 25% increase, because 5 divided by 20 equals 0.25. Confusing the two is a standard trap.
- Weighted average formula
- Sum of each value multiplied by its weight, divided by the sum of the weights. Use it whenever groups differ in size, rather than averaging group averages equally.
- Two-part analysis rule
- Both selections must satisfy the prompt at the same time. A pair where one column fits and the other does not is incorrect, so test each column against the other.
- Table analysis method
- Evaluate each row independently against the stated condition and record a yes or no. Sorting the table by the relevant column first usually speeds the comparisons.
- Graphics axis units trap
- Axis labels may be in thousands, millions, or percentages while the question uses raw values. Convert units before comparing any two points on the chart.
- Combined work rate
- When two workers complete one job in times t1 and t2, working together they finish in t1 times t2 divided by t1 plus t2.
- Source scope in multi-source
- Each source supplies only the facts it states. An answer requiring information absent from every source is unsupported, even if it is true in general.
- Feasibility check on answers
- Reject results implying fractional people, negative counts, or impossible dates. Arithmetic that produces an infeasible quantity signals an error in setup.
- Main point criterion
- The correct main-point answer must encompass the entire passage. A choice accurate only for one paragraph is a supporting detail and therefore wrong.
- Assumption negation test
- Negate the candidate statement. If the argument collapses under the negation, the original statement is a necessary assumption of that argument.
- Inference question standard
- The correct answer must be necessarily true from the passage alone. Any choice requiring an additional unstated assumption is outside the valid scope.
- Scope shift flaw
- A wrong answer introduces a group, time period, or quantity the passage never mentions. Check that every term in the choice appears in or follows from the text.
- Weaken question target
- The correct choice undermines the link between evidence and conclusion. Attacking the conclusion directly, without addressing the reasoning, is usually insufficient.
- Boldface statement roles
- Label each bold sentence as evidence, main conclusion, or opposing view. Then determine whether the two bold statements support or contradict each other.
- Parallel reasoning matching
- Abstract the original argument into a pattern of premises and conclusion, then find the choice with the identical structure regardless of subject matter.
- Extreme language in answers
- Words like all, never, and only are not automatically wrong. They are wrong only when the passage supports something weaker than the absolute claim.
- Paragraph function questions
- Ask what role a specific sentence plays: introducing a claim, providing evidence, conceding a point, or transitioning. Answer by its logical job, not its content.
- Strengthen question approach
- Find the choice that makes the conclusion more likely by supporting the assumed link. Restating the evidence or the conclusion adds no logical force.
- Successive percent changes
- Apply changes multiplicatively: a rise of a percent then b percent gives a net factor of (1 + a/100)(1 + b/100). The net change is not simply a plus b.
- Compound interest formula
- Amount equals principal times (1 + r/n) raised to nt, where r is the annual rate, n the compounds per year, and t the years. Interest is amount minus principal.
- Harmonic mean for average speed
- For equal distances traveled at speeds r1 and r2, average speed is 2 r1 r2 divided by r1 plus r2. It is always less than the arithmetic mean.
- Two-set overlap formula
- Total equals A plus B minus both plus neither. Rearranged, the overlap equals A plus B plus neither minus total, which solves most two-group problems directly.
- Three-set overlap formula
- Total equals A + B + C minus the three pairwise overlaps plus the triple overlap plus neither. Adding back the triple overlap corrects double subtraction.
- Standard deviation scaling
- Adding a constant to every value leaves standard deviation unchanged. Multiplying every value by k multiplies the standard deviation by the absolute value of k.
- Independent event probability
- Multiply the individual probabilities to get the probability that all occur. For mutually exclusive events, add the probabilities instead of multiplying.
- Perpendicular and parallel slopes
- Parallel lines have equal slopes. Perpendicular lines have slopes whose product is negative one, so the second slope is the negative reciprocal of the first.
- Number line weighted average
- The mean of two groups sits closer to the larger group. The distances to each group mean are inversely proportional to the group sizes.
- Simple interest formula
- Interest equals principal times annual rate times time in years. Unlike compound interest, the base never grows, so interest is linear in time.
- Distance rate time
- Distance equals rate multiplied by time. When two objects move toward each other, add their rates; when moving in the same direction, subtract them.
- Exponent multiplication rule
- When multiplying powers with the same base, add the exponents. When raising a power to a power, multiply the exponents. These drive most algebra simplification.
- Ratios and actual quantities
- A ratio a to b describes parts, not totals. Convert to actual counts by multiplying each part by a common factor derived from a known total or difference.
- Median versus mean
- The median is the middle value after sorting and resists outliers. The mean is sensitive to extreme values, so compare both when a distribution may be skewed.