That being said, there are certain numbers that will be significant hurdles. Say, for instance, you have a GPA of 2.9 and your top choice MBA program’s GPA average is 3.5. In such a case, your chances of acceptance have just taken a major hit. If, on the other hand, that same applicant applies to a b-school with a GPA average of 3.2, then he or she may have a chance of acceptance, provided, the rest of the application is solid, or better yet, above average.

Here’s another “it depends” situation: Overrepresented demographics—Indian engineers or investment bankers from over-represented ethnicities—will have a harder time getting into a top MBA program than a corporate finance executive from an under-represented background with the same stats. In such a case, a GMAT score in the lower part of the school’s 80% range and a GPA of 3.3 may be just too low for one person and just high enough for another.

The point is, you need to examine the details of your scores and reflect on them in the context of a bigger picture. Ask yourself these questions:

• Is one score low, but balanced out by other higher numbers? Can you provide other evidence of academic ability?
• Did your overall GPA improve as you matured through the college experience?
• Do you have flawlessly-written, compelling essays that prove your strong writing and communication skills despite a somewhat lower-than-average GMAT verbal score?
• Do you offer specific examples and anecdotes in your essays that highlight your quantitative skills, even though your GMAT quant scores weren’t as high as you’d like?
• Do your recommenders vouch for your abilities—especially ones that the numbers don’t reveal?
• Have you chosen schools that will view your scores as competitive?
• Have you taken additional college courses in an attempt to boost your quant or verbal capabilities?
• Have you written the optional essay to further boost your competitive edge?

You need to assess and interpret how you’ll be perceived with such scores and numbers, and then develop an application strategy to address those issues.









Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Accepted.com’s experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn’t, so contact us to get started now!

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.

It sounds like you could use some expert advice.

Join us on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET for That GMAT Score: Implications for Your MBA Application, a free webinar during which we will explore the intricacies of GMAT scoring and answer the questions above.

Spaces are limited – reserve your spot for That GMAT Score: Implications for Your MBA Application now!

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Accepted.com’s experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn’t, so contact us to get started now!

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.

With such a strong emphasis on teamwork and communication in b-school (and for the rest of your life as a successful businessperson), it’s no wonder that stellar written and spoken verbal skills are essential for MBA students.

If your verbal GMAT score is low (in the bottom of the 80% range or lower for your target programs), then you will need to construct expressive, flawlessly written essays. Maybe you couldn’t prove it with your test performance, but now’s your final opportunity to put your best verbal face forward. In addition, be sure to include examples and anecdotes that highlight your solid communication skills.

There are two more steps you can take if you’re worried that your low verbal score may interfere with your chances of acceptance:

• You can enroll in additional writing and/or communications courses at a local college (and earn As). This option is particularly important if you’ve received low grades in your college English courses in addition to scoring poorly on the GMAT.
• You can ask your recommenders to comment positively on your written and verbal communication skills.

Read other articles in this series:

• How to Approach the Quantitative Aspects of Your MBA Application
• How to Handle a Low GMAT Quant Score

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Accepted.com’s experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn’t, so contact us to get started now!

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.

Interpret your scores as an adcom member would: Is the rest of your profile stellar? Do you have solid grades in quant-related courses? Is it possible that you’re just not great at standardized tests? Is your score perhaps not so low for people in your demographic group? Are you applying to schools where the average GMAT score is not far off from your lower-than-you-would’ve-wished score?

The following three tips are good strategic practices that you should utilize if you find yourself with a low quant score:

1. First, you MUST improve your quantitative abilities or demonstrate that you have them in some other way. In b-school and in the business world at large, knowing how to crunch numbers is essential. You’ll need to act quickly to show you are equipped for a spot in their next b-school class. Enroll in a calculus, statistics and/or accounting class at your local community college ASAP. (Make sure you have the prerequisite skills; you will need to earn an A! If you have time, also take additional quant-oriented courses, like finance or economics.

2. Next, in your resume and essays, highlight quantitative aspects of your work to further demonstrate your quant proficiency. Use vivid details, examples, and anecdotes that will prove to the adcoms that your low quant score was a fluke, and that it’s clear to you and those who work with you that there are no quant problems here.

3. Finally, ask your recommenders to highlight your quantitative achievements as well. Having a respected third party vouch for your skill will help you immensely.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Accepted.com’s experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn’t, so contact us to get started now!

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.

Here’s a talk with David Bonan, an MBA applicant from Canada applying to top U.S. b-schools. David blogs at From The Great White North To The Land of Opportunity. Thank you David for sharing your adventure with us!

Accepted: First, can you tell us a bit about yourself: Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? What have you been doing since you graduated?

David: I am originally from Montreal, Quebec, Canada and moved to Toronto when I was seven. I graduated with an Honours Business degree at a school called Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. I chose this school because it has the best co-op/internship program for business students. I graduated in 2009 and I have held a variety of positions since then.

The first year after I graduated I worked for my family business, developing web content, answering phones, and working in the factory.

I then moved on to Staples as a Retail Communications Coordinator. In this role I executed a lot of the day to day store communications tasks (preparing notices and updates to stores), creating internal websites, developing and analyzing surveys, and managing internal calendars.

Upon completion of my Staples contract, I worked as a Consultant at a marketing agency called Starshot and dealt exclusively with my client, Microsoft. In this role, I managed several programs – each program includes a webinar, a series of emails and invitations that are delivered to prospects, data analysis and reporting, social media planning, and monthly presentations. I was essentially an email marketing and marketing automation expert – during my time at Starshot, I was able to increase the number of Microsoft Dynamics leads by over 200% and webinar registrants increased 6 times during my tenure!

I was actually just offered a job at one of the largest payroll companies in Canada called Ceridian to work on their email marketing and marketing automation (very similar to what I did at Starshot). Tomorrow will be my first day.

Accepted: What stage are you up to in the MBA admissions process?

David: Currently, I am studying for the GMAT. I am trying not to get too far ahead of myself but as I am studying I am still researching programs and downloading materials that will help me prepare for when I do apply to these schools. I plan on taking the GMAT in May.

Accepted: What has been the most challenging step for you so far?

David: The Verbal section of the GMAT I am finding very challenging. I absolutely love Math so the quant section was a breeze to study and a lot of fun. Finding the time to study has also been a challenge. Working 10-12 hour days makes it hard to find a lot of time to study.

Accepted: Where do you plan on applying to b-school? 

David: I have a list of 8 schools that I am hoping to apply to:

1 ) Stanford
2 ) Cal-Berkeley
3 ) UCLA
4 ) Dartmouth
5 ) MIT
6 ) USC
7 ) Texas
8 ) Virginia

Accepted: Will you also be applying to safety schools?

David: My goal is to apply in round one to my top school choices. If I don’t get in to one of my first choices, I will reevaluate and apply to safety schools in round two.

Accepted: How much does cost play a factor when deciding where to apply and eventually where to attend? Will you apply for scholarships? 

David: Cost is a huge factor. I am going to go into debt to fund my schooling. I think it is worth it in the long run so I am willing to do that and the increase in salary upon graduation is a big boost. As soon as I finish the application process, I will be spending a great deal of time looking for and applying to as many scholarships that I am eligible for. If my biggest problem through the application process is having to decide between my top school choice with no scholarship and a school lower down on my list with a decent scholarship, I will consider this process an absolute success and a problem I am looking forward to.

Accepted: Why did you decide to blog about your experience? Has the process revealed anything new about yourself?

David: I really enjoy writing. I joined the Beat The GMAT community and saw someone suggest to blog about your experience through the application process. I thought that was a great idea. I have several friends who are interested in going to school and several family members who are really pulling for me and have asked to keep them updated. A blog is a great way to do something I enjoy and share my experience with those closest to me. My goal is to use my experience to 1) get people excited to go back to school to further their education, 2) allow people to follow along with me in my every step in the application process and 3) share the emotions that go through your mind as an applicant.

Do you want to be featured in Accepted.com’s blog, Accepted Admissions Blog? If you want to share your MBA/EMBA journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at mbabloggers@accepted.com.








This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.

Accepted.com’s experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn’t, so contact us to get started now!

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A record 286,529 GMAT exams were administered in testing year 2012 (ending June 30, 2012), with 831,337 score reports sent to MBA and other types of graduate management programs, according to the GMAC World Geographic Trend Report, which was released along with the European Geographic Trend Report and the Asian Geographic Trend Report.

The boost in test-taking partially reflects increased interest in the GMAT exam with the addition of the Integrated Reasoning section. Historically, test volume rises just before changes are made to a standardized exam as test takers opt for a familiar format at the transition.

Within the latest numbers are signs of increasing diversity, GMAC reports these key trends:

• GMAT testing outside of the United States continues to grow quickly, with tests taken by non-US citizens rising 19% from 2011 to 2012 and representing 59% of global GMAT volume.
• More test takers are sending their GMAT scores to specialized master’s degrees in business, such as master of accountancy, finance and management. In 2012, 29% of all scores were sent to specialized masters programs, up from 17% in 2008.
• The percentage of exams taken by women hit 43% in 2012—a record for the third straight year. Women made up the majority of test takers for citizen groups in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Russia.
• More younger people are taking the exam, as the percentage of tests taken by those younger than 25 was 47% in 2012, up from 38% in 2008. More than half the Asian and European citizens taking the GMAT exam were under 25.
• GMAT testing in the United States picked up slightly in 2012 after falling from recessionary highs recorded in 2009. The percentage of US test takers sending their scores to US schools remains a world-leading 98%. The US remains the top score-sending destination, with 76% of score reports sent to the US.

Chinese test takers are the second-largest citizenship group after the US and represent 20% of global testing.  Their interest in specialized master’s programs has increased — from 43% of scores sent in 2008 to 64% in 2012. Meanwhile Indian citizens, the third-largest citizenship group, are sending a higher percentage of scores to programs in India, the United Kingdom, Singapore, France and Canada.

European citizens sat for 24,847 GMAT exams in 2012, up 26% from 2008, and they sent more than 60% of their scores to programs in Europe, the highest level ever. Citizens of Germany, France, Russia, Italy and the UK together sat for more than half the region’s exams in 2012.

The World, Asian, and European Geographic Trend Reports are available at gmac.com/geographictrends.

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If you are looking for guidance on your MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly and comprehensive consulting services. Contact us to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.

MBA hopefuls then want to find out what is the most important part of the business school application. Is it the GMAT score, undergraduate transcript, essays, interview, letters of recommendations, or something else entirely?

Everyone wants to know what to focus on in their application, and how their personal circumstances rate. Top business schools don’t admit you based purely on your statistics, though.

It’s true that solid numbers can help your application be considered. While a 550 GMAT or a 2.5 GPA will raise a red flag at an MBA program like the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, a 700 GMAT and a 3.6 GPA make you a solid candidate. But even an 800 GMAT score and a perfect GPA can be rejected at an elite MBA program.

Ask most admissions committee members and they will tell you that it’s the sum of many pieces—there is no one “most important” part. The top schools want to know who you are, and statistics and a résumé don’t tell them that. It’s the essays, interviews, and recommendations that ultimately reveal the person beyond the paper.

Compelling essays, recommendations, and interviews can provide context for a low GMAT score or GPA—but the reverse is not true. Strong numbers will never make up for weak essays or a disorganized, negative recommendation.

Some say the most important part of the application is your so-called “weakest” part—one weakness could completely change how admissions committee members perceive your application. In fact, in a recent blog post, Yale School of Management‘s Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions Bruce DelMonico urged applicants to be up front about their weaknesses.

“Everyone has weaknesses,” he stressed. “We’ll see them, so you’re better off acknowledging them and incorporating them into your application than hoping we’ll miss them.”

While I doubt that any business school admissions committee would formally support this statement, I would have to cast my vote for essays as the most important part of your application. The essays allow the admissions committee to truly discover who you are. It’s where you write why an MBA makes sense as the next step of your career path, and how you differentiate yourself from all of the other individuals who also scored in the 700s on their GMAT.

The essays are your opportunity to present your strengths, explain your weaknesses, and generally convince the admissions committee members that you have a lot to offer the program and that you belong in their class.

The essays are also consistent among all applicants, so in that way they are less difficult to evaluate and compare. All candidates are given the same set of questions, and are reviewed by the same group of admissions members, creating a level playing field that can simplify the review process.

[Learn to strike the perfect tone in MBA essays.]

Interviews are very different; some are conducted over the phone, some at the business school, and all are handled by different types of individuals with different approaches.

Recommendations vary as well. While all applicants do their best to find great recommenders, some individuals work with MBAs who understand the process. Others work with people who have no idea what to write.

The essays are each individual’s opportunity to talk about their true self. You should know that most applicants to the top schools are qualified, in the sense that they would be able to handle the curriculum and benefit from the program.

However, to be admitted, you need to demonstrate that you are more than merely qualified. It’s the story that you put together about your goals, passions, and prior experience—and how business school fits into the mix—that will make the difference for you. Once that story is assembled, I can better answer the question: “What are my chances?”

This post originally appeared on Stacy’s “Strictly Business” MBA blog on U.S.News.com. 

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If you are looking for guidance on your MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly and comprehensive consulting services. Contact us to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.

The press release states that fewer than 1 in 10 applicants submitted GRE scores to GRE-friendly schools this past admissions cycle.

And it’s no wonder that applicants are hesitant. The press release goes on to report that 29% of schools that accept both the GRE and the GMAT admit that those who submit a GMAT score will have an advantage over those who submit only a GRE score.

Will More B-Schools Begin to Accept the GRE?

Further data in the Kaplan press release suggests that “increasing acceptance of the GRE may have hit a plateau.” Only 17% of the 31% of GMAT-only b-schools say that they will probably begin accepting GRE scores next year. One reason for this “roadblock” is the new Integrated Reasoning section of the GMAT, an element of the GMAT that is “more reflective of the MBA experience” than the GRE.

Should you take the GRE or the GMAT? Talk to us – we can help you decide which exam makes most sense for your admissions goals!

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Accepted.com’s experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn’t, so contact us to get started now!

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.

If your GMAT is soon, and you don’t have time to get up to speed with everything about the practicalities of business, economics, and politics in the real world, this is the first post in a series of five real-life areas you should be familiar with: knowing these can only help you interpret these verbal questions.

Each article will have hyperlinks to articles with more information, if you find the content new or unfamiliar. Again, no question will automatically expect you to know any of these inside out, but insofar as you understand these, they will provide germane background, help you interpret the question, and help you to spot unrealistic incorrect answer choices.

Here’s the full list:

• Economics: Supply and Demand (below)
• Economics: Labor and Wages
• Economics: Inflation, unemployment, and interest rates
• Law: “beyond any reasonable doubt”
• Statistics: Statistical significance

The Law of Supply and Demand

This is a must-know idea if you are heading toward business school. If you studied business or economics in your undergrad years, supply and demand should definitely be familiar ideas. When a product or service is for sale in the free market, as a general rule, there are two forces determining how much it will cost. Demand concerns how much the potential consumers want the product or service — how willing they would be to pay a certain price for it. High demand means: people would simply line up to buy this product, even at a high price; low demand means that the product is hard to sell, that even lowering the price does little to spur sales of the product. Supply concerns how easy it is to bring a certain product or service to market: for a given price, how willing/able would producers be to bring this product or service to the market for sale. High supply means: the producers easily can bring tons of it to the market. Low supply, or short supply means: it’s harder to produce the product, and producers can’t make as many or as much as consumers would like to buy.

The Law of Supply and Demand says that, in a free competitive marketplace, the price will come to equilibrium at that level at which supply equals demand. In other words, at this equilibrium price, the producers are willing to make N units, and the consumers are willing to buy N units. The Law of Supply and Demand implies — as a general rule, if a product or service becomes scarcer, harder to get or provide or make — i.e. supply drops — then usually the price will rise; and if a product or service becomes more plentiful, easier to get or provide or make — i.e. supply rises —- then the price will tend to fall. For example, when world events threaten the supply of crude oil to the US, then the price of gas in the US rises. Similarly, when demand is very high, the price typically will be high, and when demand drops, usually the price will as well. Think of a new CD or DVD — when it’s first released, everyone wants it — it’s the new “hot” thing — and since demand is high, the price it typically high; then wait a while — a few months, or certainly a few years later — inevitably interest in the item drops, and so does the price.

The Law of Supply and Demand is not a universal rule. There are some rare example of items that do not follow the Law of Supply and Demand, for instance, a Veblan good or a

Giffen good. You do not need to know the technical details about these exceptions, but it’s good to know that there are exceptions.

Summary

Knowledge of any of this is not “required” for the GMAT, but the more familiar you are with these facts, the easier it will be to place arguments in context and identify unrealistic incorrect answer choices. Furthermore, if you want to demonstrate your competence in business school and beyond, it certainly would be a good idea to understand all of these things well!

This article was written by Mike McGarry, GMAT expert at Magoosh GMAT Prep, and originally posted here.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best!

Accepted.com’s experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn’t, so contact us to get started now!

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.

While 54% responded “undecided” to the question “How important will a student’s Integrated Reasoning score be in your evaluation of their overall performance on the GMAT?”, 22% say IR scores will be important, and 24% say IR scores will not be important.

The four question types found in GMAT Integrated Reasoning – table analysis, graphics interpretation, multi-source reasoning and two-party analysis – feature scatter plots, sortable tables, and multi-tabbed data.  Such question types, introduced in the new section in June, 2012, are novel compared to the formats traditionally seen on graduate school-level admissions exams such as the GRE, LSAT and MCAT.

Among the major findings:

• In Kaplan’s 2012 survey, 41% said IR would make the GMAT more reflective of the business school experience, a big drop from the 59% who answered that way in Kaplan’s 2011 survey.
• Those who weren’t sure if IR would make the exam more reflective rose from 37% in 2011 to 49% in 2012.
• Admissions officers who said IR would not make the exam more reflective increased from 5% in 2011 to 10% in 2012.
• Somewhat similarly, 54% “do not know” if Integrated Reasoning makes the GMAT more reflective of work in business and management after business school; 36% say it does; and 10% say it doesn’t.

“Schools generally prefer to gather performance data on a new test or test section before fully incorporating it into their evaluation process,” says Andrew Mitchell, director of pre-business programs at Kaplan Test Prep.

“Not all applicants in 2012 will submit GMAT scores with an IR component,” Mitchell adds. “We can expect that, as more data is available, schools will determine clear policies, in which Integrated Reasoning may play a key role. In the meantime, GMAT test takers should not take GMAT Integrated Reasoning any less seriously than the Quantitative or Verbal sections.”

Mitchell notes that because test takers receive a separate score for the Integrated Reasoning section, poor performance can’t be masked by stronger performance on other sections of the test.

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If you are looking for guidance on your MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly and comprehensive consulting services. Contact us to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.