A brief contemplation on GMAT

There is a wealth of information on this exam around and about the web, make no mistake. There’s a lot of people making a lot of money out of it all through courses and all. I am thinking over time I may catalogue a few bits and pieces on the GMAT that aren’t covered elsewhere, but for this post alone I am going on my own a little. Some distance away from the GMAT advice consensus.

GMAT is not as big a deal as many people make out.

OK, I need to reason that a little. English is my first language. I was always pretty good at maths (my undergraduate degree involved regular exploits into Calculus). Taking this as the case, GMAT is more a pain in the ass than a huge campaign.

My main problem was finding the time to study. I have stuff to do, a relationship, and a job that pretty much eats Monday to Friday. Right around the time I needed to study for GMAT I had a big load of work on, non-negotiable stuff. I could read a little on my commute, but that was no great shakes on making ground, and frankly I was knackered. In the end, I took three days off work, with a weekend in the block, and did the GMAT.

By that point, I had a book on GMAT for about four months. I had opened it to read outlines of both topic and structure, but before those five days I had not attempted a single problem. I crammed it, did some questions in the Official Guide 11 (nowhere near half though), one GMATPrep (which was hugely valuable) - despite the importance, I never really got hugely into it (how are you meant to get into exponentials and dullard elements of reading comprehension?). But I did enough to be within range for any school I wanted to apply to. Not above average, but easily within range. Not special, but not out of the running.

I “studied” for AWA on the train to the exam.

Now, I can see this sparking off a little bit of a riot if people finally find this blog. I am by no means trying to say that anyone should follow the model I show here, but am trying to show that the GMAT isn’t necessarily a game of three months preparation. Really, you just need to be attuned to what you want, and what you reasonably think you can achieve. If GMAT Verbal was in German, I dare say my preparation would have been somewhat more extensive. Given that it is a general exam in my mother tongue, of things I have learned before (and is in no way particularly advanced), I could not see how GMAT could be a big problem for me. I sat the exam once, and that was within two days of the first application deadline I had to meet.

To prove that this method is by no means perfect, I will be sitting GMAT again. Irrespective of admits or whatever, I know that with a reasonable amount of effort (I still see this as about a month, with a few days a week and weekends) that I can reach 99% levels. I can see no reason why I cannot get 800, mainly through improving my technical approach on the verbal section (I am by no means a fast reader, but can never read a book twice as I will memorise the content). I now have some of the time I need to commit to the GMAT “properly”, but am glad to be evidence that this commitment is only really required for elements that are new to the candidate, or relatively advanced in their asking from the exam itself (read - mid to high 700 score, in my opinion).

The draw to re-sit is the interesting characteristic shared by nearly all takers – because the exam structure is not particularly advanced, it is a game of pressure, precision, time management and composure. Like learning a rubik’s cube, there is a method that ensures it can be beaten given a practiced approach. GMAT really is a test of applying method, little else.

While I wrote this inbetween days has reposted an example of the traditional GMAT-needs-months-of-study post. What I am saying is not so much diametrically opposed, but definitely approaches the GMAT with a different perspective. I see it that if you can’t score 700+ with two months study, as a native English speaker, you should really worry about how you will find a class on investment theory, economics or writing a big presentation. GMAT needs preparation, sure, and you must work out how much prep you need, but I really hate the idea of people spending months preparing for something when they needn’t have. The 80-20 rule applies to GMAT as much as anything else. If you are applying for an MBA, your time is a lot more important that some crappy algebra and reading test.

I really do feel that sometimes people try and build an imaginary barrier to entry for competing with them for MBA’s – spend 70 hours per application, three months on the GMAT… I don’t want to risk shooting myself in the foot on this all yet, so won’t recommend courses of action I cannot verify as successful. But I seriously hope these people are experiencing the fish size problem (“it was this big” stretches arms). While this whole process is emotionally demanding and time-consuming, it should not be that bad. I am almost drawn to worry for the people who tell these stories, so incomprehensible do I find their tales.