Hi everybody, the other thread about writing the CFA got me thinking, has anyone else here wrote the GMAT? I have to write it so I can do my MBA in the States next year, hopefully. So far, I've just been studying from the GMAT for Dummies book, going at a leisurely pace.
Any help / suggestions? I think I'm going to take the prep course through Oxford in August and then write it shortly thereafter. Has anyone else doen this, or know anything about the GMAT experience in general?
All these acronyms... and I still have no idea what the hell everyone is talking about. I could just google it, sure. But I'd rather just spend 5x the time writing this.
My sis just took the GMAT to get her MBA in Chicago and she said the best thing she did is take the Kaplan course because they teach you awesome shortcuts and things to do so you will kick butt on the test. She said it was more than worth the price and if she hadnt taken it, she wouldnt have done so well...dont go with another company, go with KAPLAN.
I took the GMAT a few years ago. The only studying I did was with the free software and tests available at MBA.com. I thought it was a lot like any standardized test.
If preparation will definitely help you improve your score, get what you can.
As far as advice goes: don't spend too much time on any one question. I spent a ridiculous amount of time on one math question and was playing catch up for the remainder of the math section of the test.
My sis just took the GMAT to get her MBA in Chicago and she said the best thing she did is take the Kaplan course because they teach you awesome shortcuts and things to do so you will kick butt on the test. She said it was more than worth the price and if she hadnt taken it, she wouldnt have done so well...dont go with another company, go with KAPLAN.
I have heard a lot of great things about Kaplan as well.
I went to there website and it turns out they don't have any upcoming sessions in Calgary. Anyone know when the next scheduled kaplan GMAT prep course is?
I didn't take any course. I just bought one study guide and did as many official GMAT pratices exams as possible. I'm not sure what you'd study, when I took the exam years ago it was more of an IQ test than anything. I did insanely well; I can only assume the average MBA student is as dumb as a sack of hammers.
I also didn't take any course, I wrote the GMAT in late 2006.
It was basically an aptitude test, so unless you are completely unfamiliar with the format of that style, I would not waste your time and money preparing for the exam.
The MBA.com resources were more than enough and provided some good practice. I guess if you struggle with that, then I would suggest going to a program like Kaplan, but not before.
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I wrote the GMAT in the early 90s. I had an accounting midterm the night before the GMAT, so didn't have a whole lot of time to put into prep. i did get one prep book, and studied the verbal section (and it was by far the best grammar explanations I had ever seen). I ended up doing pretty well.
Don't stress about how you think you did, and don't worry if you think you bombed a particular section (they include one section of nothing but questions they are testing for future tests, but they won't tell you what section it is. In hindsight it was pretty easy to figure out - it was the section I thought I got hammered on).
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I used Kaplan for the LSAT and it was well worth it. They have great resources. Keep in mind any prep course is what you make of it. If you do the work they give you, you'll benefit, if you slack until the last week and then cram....well.
Don't be put off by the price of kaplan, this is your future you're talking about, you've probably already shelled out 20-30k for UG and looking at another 30-50k for your MBA...what's another thousand bucks.
i wrote the gmat in the early 90s and was pleasantly surprised at the result...i had one section that i thought that i had bombed...but i felt okay about the others. truthfully...i was surprised at my score...at the time they did the percentile thing and so if a bunch of questions were tough...but you did okay...you got a big boost. that's how i rationalize it anyways. it was an intense test and i had no idea that i had a good test... it is very much an apptitude test though.
i used a number of study guides that were available at the time...and did as many practice tests that i could. you really have to check the answers closely after you do the test so you understand why you were right or wrong. that is very useful.
so i got the mba, it changed my career, my life, and my income. so it was a big success and i would do it all over again.
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I was looking at a bunch of GMAT practice questions today, actually. I think I'd absolutely kill the math section, but I'd get killed by the english stuff. I'm second guessing all of the basic grammar stuff, and I imagine it doesn't get any easier.
I was looking at a bunch of GMAT practice questions today, actually. I think I'd absolutely kill the math section, but I'd get killed by the english stuff. I'm second guessing all of the basic grammar stuff, and I imagine it doesn't get any easier.
That's my problem too. I'm more worried about the English part than the math part.
Man, I just want to get this test out of the way... but, I do appreciate everyone's posts thus far. Sounds like I shoud do Kaplan over Oxford. But I guess, really, it's what you make of it and the more you study and prepare regardless, the better off you're going to be.
That's my problem too. I'm more worried about the English part than the math part.
Man, I just want to get this test out of the way... but, I do appreciate everyone's posts thus far. Sounds like I shoud do Kaplan over Oxford. But I guess, really, it's what you make of it and the more you study and prepare regardless, the better off you're going to be.
THe thing with Kaplan is that they teach you how to answer questions a certain way. My sis said that they teach you how to automatically eliminate certain answers etc and there is no way she wouldve known the shortcuts if it weren't for the course. She did really well on the GMAT English part as a result of the course. She's a financial analyst and wouldve aced the math part anyways.
The GMAT
