The Business School Application – Part 1 – The GMAT

The Decision to get a Business Degree

Alright, so you have a bachelor’s degree, a few internships under your belt and maybe some full-time work experience and you’ve decided you want to go to business school. Good, stick to this thought, don’t let it go, you have a 6-8 month application journey ahead of you. Where do you begin? GMAT.

GMAT

Visit www.mba.com right away and create your profile. That’s it. No, we aren’t looking at courses right now, our main aim is to conquer the GMAT. Yes, you may appear for the GRE too, as many business school applications now accept GRE scores, but I have no experience with that and hence will refrain from writing about the same.

Once you’ve created your profile, download the GMATPrep software. This software is by far the most authentic and genuine GMAT test software and will give you an exact representation of the kind of exam GMAT is. Once downloaded, do the sample questions provided to get a feel of the exam, but do not take an exam, yet. Once comfortable with the software, take out 3-4 hours from your schedule for one single day, when your mind is fresh, and take one of the two sample exams provided. Take the exam like you would take the GMAT – disturbance free. Why are we doing this? To understand where we stand at the moment without any preparation, and then prepare accordingly.

Done? Do not take the second exam, we leave that for the last few weeks. Once you’ve taken the first mock exam, analyze all your mistakes and see where you’re weak. Pen/Type down every area of weakness, be it from the Verbal section or the Math section. Be precise – “Sentence Formation” “Vocabulary” “Area of Polygons” “Linear Equations in two Variables”, write down everything.

Here’s what I’ve analyzed. If you’re aiming for a 700+ score and are currently in the 500’s, take 3-4 months of preparation, if in the 600’s then 2-3 months, else 1.5-2 months. Daily study hours without fail, even if you’re working.

GMAT Preparation

How do you prepare?

Plenty of ways, have your pick. Some people choose to take a 3-month crash course from an institute nearby, some buy an online course/question set to practice, and some prepare on their own. There’s no “correct” way, it’s up to you on what works for you. If you think you won’t be able to practice on your own, and lack the seriousness to do so, take up a coaching class (online or offline). Else, there are plenty of online resources available that provide free questions banks, and there are tens of such Websites, hence tons of questions for practice. Some of these Web sites are:

www.kaptest.com
www.exampal.com
www.gmat.economist.com
www.princetonreview.com
www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/gmat
www.magoosh.com
www.manhattanprep.com
www.veritasprep.com
www.grockit.com
The official GMAT guide is also available, but I honestly think that the questions on it are much simpler than what is actually on the GMAT. You may buy the Manhattan GMAT preparation books (or get them for cheap/free if you know where to look), which I personally found more suited than the official guide.

Now, simpy log on and START PRACTICING. DAILY.

Only practicing questions isn’t enough. Practicing full-length mock exams is even more important. I would recommend practicing 1-2 mock exams every week. How? Most of these Web sites generally provide free mock exams, too. A few business schools such as London Business School and Chicago Booth also have free mock GMAT exams on their Websites. Use them. Doing this will give you an idea about how you’re progressing and where you need to focus on. If you’re wondering what score you should aim for, it’s simple: 800.

A Tip: Take an exam date on www.mba.com after you’ve taken your first mock exam. Only then will you be serious about preparing for the exam; doesn’t happen otherwise. (I started preparing for the GMAT in April 2014, scored a 570 on my mock, immediately took a test date for July 22, and prepared from April to July. Scored a 700+.)

What do you do once you’ve taken the GMAT and have your score? Next post (Part 2) will be up soon: Choosing a program, schools, recommendations, essays etc.