Online communities are very important when you decide to take the leap into something as grueling as the MBA admissions process!

I suggest checking out:

1. GMAT Club
The largest and most supportive online MBA community. Also, get free admissions advice from the experts at Accepted.com


2. Beat the GMAT
A quickly growing and highly valuable MBA community with free advice from Stacy Blackman Admissions Consulting and Veritas Prep


3. Business Week Forums
Another large and interesting MBA online community

This is the first thing you should do because you will:

1. Learn from other applicant's mistakes and triumphs

That's right! You can see the progress of hundreds of other applicants at different phases in the admission process. You can get all your questions answered from people who are there right now, or who were there a couple months ago.

This gives you the inside track on the best study materials for the GMAT, the best way to approach your essays, and even which questions to ask during your campus visits.


2. Meet others in your professional niche and learn how to market yourself effectively

One of the challenging aspects of the process is deciding what parts of your life to highlight in your essays and interview. In an online community, you will find others who share similar pre-MBA tracks. These people will be your sounding wall.


3. Receive empathy from people doing the same thing

You're going to have a lot of ups and downs throughout this process. There will be days that you're sure you won't get into any programs that you've applied for, while other days you may feel on top of the world. Either way, it really helps to have a community behind you the whole way!





4. Make long-lasting friends and business contacts

You're going into b-school, so you may as well get used to networking. You'll likely end up meeting your fellow forum buddies for beer after you've been accepted to your dream school. This is a GREAT networking opportunity and an excellent way to make friends!

I've broadened this section to encompass useful considerations for anyone pursuing any kind of MBA, including online programs.

1. Know yourself


• Why do you want an MBA?
This is the question you will be asked over and over in the admissions process, so you should have a good answer for it.

When you sit down to write your essays, you need to have taken a deep look at yourself. Start the introspection process as soon as you can!


• Full-time or part-time?
This is another essential question that rests more on your finances and current work situation. In fact, digging deeper, would you like to study on-campus or online? The term "Top MBA Program" is subjective--it depends on YOU!



• Online programs

For some, online programs are the best option. If you think an online program is your best option, check out the directory of MBA programs at DirectDegree.com.



• Do you want to stay local?

The same company that has helped so many people find their dream jobs is now helping students find advanced degree programs in their area. Check out Monster Learning to learn more.






2. Know your finances


• Can you afford to enter a full-time program?
Or do you need extra income while you go to school? Have you looked for scholarship options to carry the load? With its free, customized scholarship searches, FastWeb Scholarships will give you access to over $3 billion in scholarships! You will also find free, helpful student loan tips and a customizable part-time job & internship search engine.


• Have you researched student loans?

This is a vital step in the MBA application process. Before you spend your time preparing for the GMAT, visiting schools, and spending countless hours writing essays, make sure you can secure student loans. In today's unstable economy, this is more important than ever! Check out Simple Tuition to get a free comparison of 20+ different loans and lenders.




3. Know your schools

The admissions committee wants to know what makes you unique and what you bring to the school. They also want to know what makes them unique to you. Put in the research time to define compelling reasons that School XYZ is the best fit for both you and the school. Think along these lines:



• Specific professors you'd like to learn from


• Specific classes you'd like to take


• Specific clubs you'd like to join


• What will your previous specialty add to the diversity of the student body?


• What kind of club would you start if you were accepted at School XYZ?


• What makes you tick? And how would that help you fit in at School XYZ?

Remember, the important point is to explain why you are the way you are and to show that you have an in-depth understanding of yourself including your goals, strengths, and weaknesses.

The admissions committee will know if you are being genuine or not, so spend a lot of time on self-reflection and introspection. It will pay off in the end.

What is the GMAT?
The GMAT is the standardized test required (in almost all cases) to gain entry into any MBA program. It's a computer-adaptive test (CAT) that actually adjusts the difficulty of questions as you take it. The rule of thumb today is that a 700+ should be your aim for a top 10 school. However, you should know that a 700+ only means that they won't drop you for it. They will consider the other pieces of your "puzzle" and consider the GMAT score sufficient.


I'm going to give you concrete methods you can use to ace the GMAT. These are the exact methods I used to study for my test. In case you're wondering why should listen to me, I scored a 730 on the GMAT (96th percentile), with a Q47 (81st percentile) and a V44 (97th percentile).

1. Buy The Right GMAT Prep Books:
Which books are worth buying and which ones aren't?




• Official GMAT Study Guides
  (including Quant and Verbal Guides)

These books were created by GMAC, the council that administers the GMAT. Every sample problem in this book has been taken from actual GMAT tests. Buy this book from Amazon below.


• Kaplan GMAT 2008 Premier

The Kaplan books provide decent questions, but they're not as air-tight as the Official GMAT guides. However, Kaplan does offer more strategy on how to approach all types of GMAT problems. Buy this book from Amazon below.


• Kaplan GMAT 800

The Kaplan 800 book is comprised of the most difficult kinds of questions from each section of the GMAT. Practice these problems near the end of your study timeline. Buy this book from Amazon below.


• Manhattan GMAT: Sentence Correction

This is the best guide, bar none, for sentence correction. In a very organized manner, this book provides all the essentials you need to do very well on the sentence correction questions on the GMAT. Buy this book from Amazon below.



2. Create a GMAT Study Plan

In order to succeed on the GMAT (i.e. score a 700+), you need to begin by setting up a study infrastructure that will allow you to learn as much as you can from every mistake you make.

I followed the steps below to a tee as I prepared to take the GMAT exam and they helped me score a 730 on my test. Here they are:



• Create a timeline

How long do you plan to study for the GMAT? Most people spend 2-3 months studying. Others (the brains) can ace the test after 3 weeks, while still others may need up to 6 months to study. Either way, you need to define this for yourself.

The general rule of thumb is that if you study over 3-4 months you risk complete burnout. But defining this first will allow you to fine-tune your study plan.


• Create an error-tracking spreadsheet

I got this idea after joining the Beat the GMAT online community (good ideas flow at these communities!)

You need to create a spreadsheet that you can copy about 50-100 times that tracks the following information as you take practice GMAT tests:

The top of the spreadsheet:



• Date


• Test/problem set details (quant or verbal, book, page, etc.)


• Problem set number range

The meat of the spreadsheet:



• Number the rows 1-40 (every page will be 1-40, so that's why you need problem set range on top)


• Columns should be as follows: A, B, C, D, E, Correct, Incorrect, Too Slow, Guess, Type


1. The A, B, C, D, and E - for answering the multiple-choice questions in the book you're using


2. "Correct/Incorrect" - self-explanatory. After you take the test, grade yourself!


3. "Too Slow" - As you're taking the test, if you come upon a problem that takes you longer than 1.5 minutes, whether you get it right or not, you need to understand why it took you so long. Mark an "X" in this category as you're taking the test to remind yourself later on.


4. "Guess" - Same thing. If you have to completely guess, whether you get it right or not, you need to go back afterwards and understand WHY you had to guess. This is simply a reminder for you after the test or problem set.


5. "Type" - This allows you to write-in the type of problem after you've taken the test and graded yourself. You may find that your algebra skills are top notch, but that all the questions you missed were from the geometry section. This is where superior organization skills will help you ace the GMAT!



3. Study In An Organized Way

I recommend that you study in the following order:



1. Kaplan Premier

I recommend this first because it primes your brain and gives you some practice questions to start out on. Get this book out of the way as a primer and explanation for the GMAT only. Use the other books for the massive problem sets they provide!


2. Official GMAT Study Guide

At this point, you may have some idea about which types of problems are hardest for you. Use these problem sets to narrow down your weaknesses. Use your error-tracking sheet system with these abundant problem sets and define your problem areas as clearly as possible.


3. Official GMAT Study Guides
   (Verbal & Quantitative)

At this point, you should have a very good understanding of your weaknesses. Use these guides as problem sets to focus on your niche problem areas. You should be getting into very specific study plans, like focusing on one specific type of RC problem that you're having a hard time with.


4. Kaplan 800

Use this as your test date nears along with more Official GMAT questions. The goal is to be doing the most difficult questions by the end of your study period. Try to get 75% of these correct, if you can.


5. Manhattan GMAT "Niche" Guides

I recommend Manhattan GMAT for your niche study issues, such as Sentence Correction, because they're very well organized and they come with access to extra online tests that are structured the same way as the real GMAT. Also, the grading is probably one of the most accurate grading systems out there--better than Kaplan, Princeton Review, and many others.


6. Tests versus Problem Sets

I recommend that you work on a set of 20-40 problems from each category of the GMAT every week and then, on the weekend, take one timed test under real testing conditions. That is, give yourself 3 hours to take the test uninterrupted.

The problem sets will help you work on improving on concepts, while the tests will show you exactly what you struggle with under real testing conditions. This is how I studied over a 3-month period.



4. Ace the GMAT!

Now you're ready. Go in there and ace it!

Accepted.com is a great resource for improving your MBA application. See what they have to say about the GMAT based on their expertise in the field

Most people hate the GMAT, but few understand its role and importance in MBA admissions. Consequently, debates about its role in admissions have consumed forests. Gazillions of electrons have zapped around the Internet arguing about it. Applicants, admissions professionals, and anyone remotely involved in MBA admissions have considered, analyzed, speculated about, and perhaps bickered over the GMAT.

Let's examine four of the most common truisms/myths about the GMAT.

"The GMAT is the most important part of your application."

Definitely true much of the time. ;-).

If your GMAT is more than thirty points below your target school's average GMAT, it could place you at a disadvantage and force the rest of your application to work overtime. You would have to present something most compelling to overcome that kind of a GMAT deficit at a competitive top school. Indeed, if you come from a common applicant background or a group that tends to do well on the GMAT, a below average score could keep you out -- even if the rest of your application is competitive.

Sometimes at a lower ranked school - a school scrambling to move up in the MBA rankings - an above-average GMAT score can boost your chances. Assuming that you have no glaring weaknesses in the rest of your profile, a high GMAT can mean acceptance and perhaps a fellowship.

Finally, the GMAT is critical when you are applying with a below average GPA. In that case, you need a few post-college A's and a high GMAT to show that you have the intellectual ability and self-discipline for a demanding MBA program.

So when is this truism mostly myth? When you have an average or above average score and apply to top-fifteen programs. Your great GMAT will not assure acceptance at those schools. At that point, your GMAT score becomes virtually irrelevant in the decision-making process. For example, Pete Johnson, Haas Admissions Director, said in a Fall 2003 Haas MBA admissions chat, "We had 187 applicants last year with GMAT scores over 750, and we rejected 75% of them--mostly because they were not accomplished in other ways that were important to us."

"The GMAT has nothing to do with your ability to succeed in business and isn't/shouldn't be that important to business schools."

A high GMAT score has not correlated to professional success as far as I know, but has correlated closely to success in the first year of business school. And that's one of the reasons MBA admissions folks care about your score.

In addition, that three-digit number enables the schools to compare you to other applicants using a relatively objective, across-the-board criterion. Unlike grades or work experience or even more subjective intangibles, the GMAT is something that all top business school applicants must take.

Finally, US News uses the GMAT as a factor in its highly influential rankings. Schools want to do well in the rankings, and students with high scores make them look good. As much as rankings influence applicants, rankings also influence admissions' behavior.

Combine its predictive value for business school - not business - success with its objective qualities and influence on the rankings, and the GMAT becomes an important element in the MBA admissions equation.

"The GMAT can keep you out of b-school, but it can't get you in."

Usually 100% correct. A low GMAT can certainly keep you out of business school. Can a high score get you in? Only to a school that wants to use your GMAT to make itself look good. These schools are usually outside the top ten.

A high GMAT relative to the school's average could help you get in because your test score will contribute to a higher average score for the school and perhaps a slightly higher ranking when US News hits the newsstand.

"The schools only care about the quant score on the GMAT."

Ding-dong. Sorry, this one is wrong.

Business schools are generally more concerned with the quant score, but they really do prefer a balanced strong score. The top schools use the 80th percentile as a guideline for both verbal and quant. They want students who can read and write, as well as add, subtract, divide, multiply and perform a host of more complex mathematical functions.

And yes, b-schools will cut international applicants a little slack, but they will not ignore a low verbal score. It can hurt you

"Yes Virginia, the GMAT is important when applying to b-school."

So we have two statements that are mostly true and two that are almost all myth. But the key to understanding the GMAT's role is recognizing that its role and significance is fluid. It changes depending on circumstance.

The GMAT is an important element in admissions decisions at top business schools. Its influence in the admissions process depends on the distance of your overall and separate scores from the school's average, whether your score is above or below that average, and how much the school is trying to raise or maintain its average GMAT.

You can't ignore it, wave it away with a magic wand, or even wish it out of significance. You need to prepare and study for the GMAT. Do the best job you can and earn the best GMAT score you're capable of.

Then develop the rest of your profile so that you provide the schools with many reasons to admit you. With your best GMAT score and a well-rounded, multi-dimensional profile revealed in your essays, recommendations, and interviews, your GMAT won't keep you out and the other facets of your background and experience can earn you the coveted fat envelope of acceptance.

By Linda Abraham, Founder and President of Accepted.com

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