Dear Sajha Fellows !

Many of us should be familiar with Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) even though we might not be students of business/management. I am throwing in this thread here in Sajha in order to generate genuine and substantial ideas as to ease out the MBA admission for prospective MBA applicants. With regard to my case, I have Masters Degree in Business Studies (MBS) with Finance major from Tribhuwan University with more than 3 years of work experience including works in Nepalese Commercial Bank during and after studies. I am here in states for about 2 years and planning to join a good MBA program and currently researching into the program and different schools. The fact imperative to admission however what I found lies in GMAT score and work experience. And to add, GMAT score matters more especially when one is vying for scholarship. I talked to few good universities like George Washington and University of Virginia ( Darden) in person and came up with conclusion that GMAT is the heart and soul of MBA admission.

Easier said than done, GMAT stands to be quite tougher though I am good in mathematics and fairly good in verbal part. I am browsing through all the possible ways to make GMAT study easier and obtain relatively higher score. Nevertheless, I see there is no such magic for the GMAT but I am not hopeless as there're candidates who've easily scored 675 and up. I was told by both universities to target for 700 and up for the possibilities of scholarship and admission as well.

 

Do any one of us have such experience with GMAT? How can we do really well in GMAT? What are the factors that come into play during admission decision at good school? Is there anyone currently studying at Tier 1 Business Schools ?

More inputs with facts and figures are highly appreciated.

 

 

 

First, get a really good GMAT prep book, like Princeton Review or Kaplan.

Second, GMAT is all about strategy.

Essays (2 in total), are less about your writing abilities and more about your analytical and reasoning abilities.

Math part is just math, but to ace it, you have to know the test taking techniques. Being good in math is just half the story. Picking answers, especially the wrong answers and eliminating them, is the second and most important skill to build.

Verbal (or English), is again about logic, analytics and being able to 'read between the lines'.

I hope this is a good beginning. With proper preparation, it is not difficult to get 700+. There have been many from Ktm who have done that.

_x

Just go through this article...this might help you
http://blog.sajilonepal.com/2008/05/getting-into-top-5-mba-program.html

Ambition,

Having a good ambition is not that bad. Darden is one of the admired Schools to those Ivy League Graduates these days.

axara is absolutely right abot GMAT. It's not about how much/what you studied or which you are excel in. It's all about strategies.

if u ever wonder how some indians managed 625+ in gmat easily....

its because they studied like crazy and ofcourse we know how indians are... sneaky guys... they got help ofcourse..

there is atleast 1 website where u can buy actual exam questions from the GMAT.. and if u practise enough, for few months to a year... from that website.. kaplan recycles questions from the actual test... so u can get the same exact questions that u practised from that website.. now i cant remmber that website anymore...

thats how i got 640 in my gmat... lot of hard work and also luck, and that website.

by the way, that website is indian website.. if i remember i will post it here... it requires membership fee to get access to actual test questions.


i should also mention i got 640 only after taking the real test 3 times...

I am also planning to take GMAT (may be GRE) sometime this year. I don't know why I am so much scared of it. In the last time (almost 5 years before), I was able to get only 550. In fact, I was in Nepal that time and tried to prepare on my own with the help of Baron's book. Later I realized that I had to do lil more homework and should not sit for the test in haste. 

I gave GMAT just 5+ months before. I took classes, but I guess it was not worth before you are totally ready for exam by yourself. It's like just going to grab some of the tricks.. at least it didn't worked for me.

I did the self study.. with princeton, kaplan, barrons and cliffs book. Math and essay are not that difficult, I did have to struggle with the verbal part till the last movement and I miss my target by few marks, as I couldn't meet my verbal part target. But lucky me, I got into the school I wanted to.

Anyways, good site like "beat the GMAT", can be excellent source both for GMAT and also for applying to school you want. Take you time, plan and the most important is to solve the problem within the given time frame. So simulation practice is the best way to keep in pace.

All the best !

Sampada

Thank you everyone,

 

For your valuable inputs.

 

Sampada !

 

Could you disclose where you are studying now and the factors that were considered for your admission?

Ambition,

check here or go to the school web site.

http://www.princetonreview.com/mba/research/profiles/schoolsays.asp?category=1&listing=1011071&LTID=2&intbucketid=

Sampada

I have a question, Sampada:

Are there many Nepali students at SFSU? I mean, undergrads included.

Also, how many nepali MBA's are there? any aid to foreign students?

I guess there are few students in undergraduate but almost none in graduate. As per now, as far as I know  me and one of other guy. But he too dropped out due to expensive fee and living expense of bay area.

It doesn't have any funds to support foreign students, besides student loan. As you know its the state university and the governer Arnold has been cutting the school budget times and again, the school is reducing the number of classes it offers to meet the budget. So, need to sign in classes early, but as you go towards your core major classes you dont have to worry.

Sampada