Hi Yall, Haven't been around here in some years. Recently earned a scholarship to Graduate School, and considering attempting to earn a MBA. The trick here is that it has to be a Tennessee Board of Regents School. I've looked into it, and I like the MBA at Tennessee Tech University. I'll have to take the GMAT. If I do well, I can avoid having to take any pre MBA modules. Of course, I'd like to score well. In looking at the mba.com site, they recommend some guides. I downloaded the free prepware. Can someone who has had success on the GMAT share some preparation secrets, such as best guides, etc. ???
I heard good things about online forums like http://www.scorechase.com/. You can get a lot of knoweledge and help out of them for free. Last time I checked they even had something like "mentoring" for a very low fee.
I also recommend www.800score.com. Their online adaptive test simulator is pretty close to the real thing, and my GMAT score was very similar to the tests. It's around $40 for 5 sample exams.
I just used the free software from MBA.com... It is really helpful and it gives you a good feel for what the test is going to be like. What score do you need?
I did pretty well on the test, but I also did pretty well before the prep. I went from a 680 in simulated tests before prep, to 720 at the end of my prep. Day of the test, I really surprised myself and pulled out a 750. Here's what I did: I went out and bought every GMAT prep book at Barnes and Noble. Princeton Review, Kapalan, and a few others. I read the test strategies piece from the Princeton Review, and then took literally every practice test in all the books and on their included CD-ROMs. After each test, I reviewed the topics I did poorly on, and then went on to the next test. The day of the test, I was pretty relaxed and confident, got through the essays, and started on the sections that "count". I've always heard that the key is to do well on the first ten questions, so I worked hard to make sure I was right on those. I tried to work efficently and quickly through the rest. Towards the end of the math section, I ran into a tricky problem with about ten minutes to go, and wasted nearly the whole remaining time on that problem. I ended up having to hurry through the last two problems, and I'm pretty sure I actually hurt my score because of it. Time management is critical on the GMAT - make sure you don't lose track of things, and give yourself plenty of time to get through. If a problem is too hard, narrow your choices down best you can, choose one, and go on. The key to test prep is to see as many GMAT-style questions as you can get your hands on. Take lots of pre-tests, use question banks, etc. Don't get too wrapped up in strategies - they're useful, but it's hard to "game" the test. Just see lots of questions, figure out what you're getting wrong, and revise to get it right. Best of luck!
One of the bits of 'street wisdom' out there is that the Kaplan prep courses teach you about the subject itself, while the Princeton prep courses teach you how to pass the exam. My wife used Kaplan to help prepare for the GRE and scored in the low 700s. Then she did it again with Princeton and scored 799. It would be interesting to hear from Fortunato, who used both more recently, if this makes any sense.
I read the test strategy portions of both the Princeton Review and Kaplan books, and I would tend to agree with that statement. A lot of the Princeton Review material is broadly applicable to any computerized multiple-choice standardized exam, with a focus on ways to eliminate incorrect answers and tips on how adaptive testing works. The Kaplan books have similar strategies, but I found the Kaplan prep material to be significantly more difficult than the actual exam, while the Princeton Review was only slightly more difficult. I also used the ARCO book's exams (which I felt were too easy), but didn't bother to read the strategy areas. GMAC used to (and may still) publish a book containing ten old paper and pencil GMAT tests, and I used that as well. I make this point everytime the subject comes up, but the GMAT is not an extraordinarily painful exam to take. The math is mostly tenth-grade level stuff, and the verbal section is pretty easy to handle if you are fluent in English and pick up a newspaper (or, even better, an issue of "The Economist" magazine) now and then. Most people can do much better on it than they realize with minimal prep work.
I concur. Aside from taking a few sample exams I did absolutely NO prep work, and didn't even take the exam that seriously, as the program I was interested in the time only needed a 450. If one is a good test taker, and understands that the first 10-15 questions really set the score due to the adaptive nature of the test, you can do very well.
It really depends on the score that you need... If the GMAT is just a cursory requirement for acceptance and you only need a minimum of 400-450 like many non-selective schools require, then I would not kill yourself over-preparing for the exam trying to get a 700+ score. Most ungrads should be able to achieve a 500+ score with very minimal preparation. Consequently, the program that you are interested in only requires a 450 score and possibly an even lower score if you had a good undergrad GPA... http://www.tntech.edu/mba/admission.htm It looks like you may need a 600 score to get out of the pre-MBA course requirements. In that case you will want to do a decent amount of studying and preparation... If you are trying to get into a more selective program, then that is a different story...
@Bakz, I gave GMAT today and got 580. My preparation was bad. If you need to break into 600 range, do a decent level of preparation. Here are the mistakes I did... 1> Just took one practice test on the day before the exam. I realized you need to take at least 3 tests and none on the day before exam. 2> Prep course is not needed if you are disciplined with your self study routine. In my case, I didn't spend enough time. I think I took quant for granted and thats where I lost the plot. 3> Review your practice test results especially the wrong answers. Focus on weak areas and work hard to strengthen them. Good luck for your test! P.S: Take a practice test to see where you stand before you register for the exam.
Sorry to hear about your experience. The fact that the exam is adaptive in nature means that the first 10-12 questions really set the tone, and if you're not familiar with the test it can be frazzling to get the first few right - and that can really mess with your score. Are you planning to take it again?
I made myself familiar about the test pattern but didn't do a decent job in preparation. Lesson learned. My target is PSU Smeal school (MS in supply chain management). This is an online course with one week of residency. They recommend at least three months gap before giving the test again. My deadline for submission is just two months away. I really want to get into this school. At this point, I want to apply and see what happens. If my GMAT score is not competitive, then I'd try again.
Have you called their admissions department? If your undergrad GPA is very strong you may not have anything to worry about.
@guitarmark2000 Yes, I sent an email to the director of the program and here is the reply. "Our students’ GMAT scores range from about 500 to 720. Your 580 is an acceptable score. We consider ability to succeed in graduate school (evidenced by grade point average and GMAT score) and motivation/discipline to sustain two years of part time online study (evidenced by work experience, progressive responsibilities and the letter or recommendation). You will be very competitive for admission, and I encourage you to apply for the Master’s program. You will find program information and the application at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/mps." n4nature
Finally, I got admission for Smeal's MPS SCM program for Falll 2009. I'm planning to sign up for the first course (SCM 800 Supply chain management) which starts on 09/08/09. Will keep the group posted about the quality of the program. -n4nature
Update about Smeal MPS (SCM) program I'm currently taking the first course SCM 800 (Introduction to Supply chain management). It is really good and am enjoying it. Each week, we have to read a set of readings or case studies. The professor also posts a streaming video. Assignments are based on the readings or case studies. Type of assignmnets vary from week to week. Typically it is individual assignments like problem solving, creativity questions and reaction paper OR team assignments like power point presentation on case studies or group reaction paper.
