DirtyZ Wrote: > Another non sequitor comment: I’ve met quite a > few top 5 MBA admits (HBS, Wharton, Booth, > Kellogg, and Sloan mainly) in the past fewm months > and almost none of them has left me impressed. In > fact, I’m quite disappointed with the quality of > my future classmates. On the bright side, maybe > this will allow me to get the job I covet. > Nonetheless, it’s disconcerting that the ‘best and > the brightest’ don’t seem to be much of either. People have very diverse backgrounds and there is a good chance they are not as good as you are in your field but you might be surprised when you get to know them better because you will find out they are actually pretty good in other fields.
volante99 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I’m of the opinion that you can’t really STUDY > your way to a 700. Sure, you can take a few > classes, learn some tricks, and go over some > practice questions and improve your score a > little, but the majority of people just wont get a > 700 no matter how much they prep, and some people > will get 750 without any prep at all. That’s the > nature of the GMAT, unlike the CFA. I wholeheartedly disagree. The GMAT likes to portray itself as an intelligence test but it’s really not. Study very hard for 4-5 months with some good materials (i.e. not princeton review) and I think anyone can see a big jump in his score.
Also, I think it’s best to think of the GMAT as a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for getting into a great school. A good score is mostly just a way for the adcoms to feel confident that you’re not going to hold up the class or your study group (because trust me, it just takes one). The adcoms are much more interested in your work experience, career goals, and interview results. So it’s much different than law school where the LSAT counts for something like 75% of your admittance. Finally, white males, do not despair. 1) There’s a ton of white males at every school. 2) Some schools can’t take race/sex into account when making admissions decisions. 3) If you want to feel sorry for a particular group, the Indian IT set would be a better bet–a ton of them apply, they have phenomenal undergrad and test scores, but not very many get in.
GMAT is a beatable test, even for bad test takers… and don’t forget, most schools are really looking for scores within their 80% range (typically 670/680-730), so if you should be good if you’re in there. A strong GMAT can help supplement weak grades, etc… but you have to remember: Business schools look at all candidates holistically, and try to balance work experience, recommendations, extracurriculars, leadership positions, GMAT, essays, and interview when making their decision. If you have good leadership or work experience, stellar references, and can articulate a good essay, GMAT may not matter that much… For full disclosure, I did get 700+ and did get into a top 5 b school… but there is a lot of dispersion in my incoming class, in terms of profile, demographics, etc… so I think that my points above are accurate, speaking generally. A book I would recommend, if you’re looking at BSchool, is the book “Your MBA Game Plan.” I used it and its awesome
If you’re going to study for the GMAT, stick with Manhattan GMAT. Buy all 8 study guides, master them, take a few of the official CAT exams, and you should hit close to your max score.
^^^Great advice DirtyZ and I hope your right, I went through the Kaplan starter set and got my feet wet but nothing close to 700 after those exams and study guides. I bought MGMAT and have gone through 2 of the books and will say I think these are helping much much more. Lets hope after 8 books I am up to speed. Thank everyone for their insight thus far.
I second the motion that Manhattan GMAT is great.