MBAXPLOIT: STEPS 1-2-3 to a MBA future.

Having decided that you want the MBA, it will do you a lot of good if you plan to do you GMAT exam later by July. This will give you enough time to prepare in case you have to do the exam again. You therefore need to come up with a study plan that you have to adhere to strictly. Your choice of study plan will depend on whether you are taking a vacation to prepare for the exam (this applies if you are currently working) or you will have to combine the preparation with your work schedule. If you are not working presently, you will not have problem creating your study plan.

GMATTutor have taken the opinions of hundreds of GMAT students and developed the Game Plan. The Game Plan will show you what to do and in what order and what resources to use to achieve your personal best score. (more…)

Technorati Tags: MBA, GMAT

GMAT score reports contain four separate scores: a quantitative score, a verbal score, an analytical writing score, and a total score. The quantitative and verbal subscores range from 0 to 60; in recent years, the average subscores have been between 28 and 32. Scores below 10 and above 46 are rare. Analytical writing scores go from 0 to 6 (6 is high) in half-point increments. The recent average has been between 3.5 and 4.5. The total score, which is what most people consider as their GMAT score, is based on the verbal and math scores and ranges from 200 to 800. The average total score hovers around 500.

Here are some sample percentiles to help put these numbers (representing total scores) in context:

The report lists your three most recent GMAT scores within the past five years. GMAC (the General Management Admission Council, which administers the test with ETS) will report older scores if you request them, but will add a cautionary note that those scores may not reflect your current abilities. If it’s been five or more years, some schools may require you to retake the test. (more…)

Technorati Tags: GMAT, GMAT scores, GMAC

What could be better than a book put out by the people who actually make the test? The GMAT Official Guide to the GMAT is one of the best sources for questions. It contains questions that actually appeared on previous administrations of the GMAT. Even though you won’t see these exact questions on the exam in the future, you can be sure you’ll see some questions that are very similar.

A couple of notes of caution about this book, however. First, the explanations often do not give the best method for answering a question. The Official Guide tends to stick with a more conventional form of answering questions - which is often slower. Check out a prep course in conjunction with this book to get the maximum benefit. (more…)

Technorati Tags: GMAT Official Guide, GMAT

Reflecting on my GMAT preparation experience, I have been able to highlight some things I believe will be useful to you in your preparation.

Overconfidence
Don’t think that you can drop into the test testing center and cruise through the test with no effort. Think again. The test- if required by your chosen School - is important. Be forewarned: You should take it very seriously.

Focussing on some areas only
Some candidates will focus on strengths at the expense of their weaknesses, while others will concentrate only on their weak areas and neglect their strong areas. Both approaches are dangerous. Your test score will be based on how many questions you answer correctly and their difficulty level, but also on the range of question types and specific abilities covered by those questions. Prepare carefully for all sections of the test. Also note that Schools often have their own formula for weighing your individual scores. Try to perform your best on every section and every question type within each section.

Undue emphasis on practice-test scores
Even though your preferred School may have a declared minimum total score for entry, setting a goal for your test score is understandable. Try not to concern yourself as much with your scores but with what you can usefully do between now and your test day to improve your performance. (more…)