This MIT Sloan 2011 MBA Application tip post is one of a series of posts providing MBA application and essay advice for applicants to top MBA programs around the world. You can access the entire series at http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/tag/2011-mba-application-tips. My tips for answering Sloan’s essay questions are in blue below.

Résumé
Please prepare a business resume that includes your employment history in reverse chronological order, with titles, dates, and whether you worked part-time or full-time. Your educational record should also be in reverse chronological order and should indicate dates of attendance and degree(s) earned. Other information appropriate to a business resume is welcomed and encouraged. The resume should not be more than one page in length (up to 50 lines).

Go beyond mere job description to highlight achievement. If your title is “consultant.” Saying that you “consulted on projects” is uninformative at best. Writing that you “Led a 6-member team working on a biotech outsourcing project to Slovakia with a budget of $X. It came in on time and under budget” conveys infinitely more.

Cover Letter
Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Describe your accomplishments and include an example of how you had an impact on a group or organization. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.

Like all cover letters, this is a sales document. Make your case for admission using your accomplishments, specifically those where you “had an impact on a group or organization.” How do the talents revealed in these examples demonstrate fit with the Sloan program, its tight-knit community, and its innovative culture?

Essays
We are interested in learning more about you and how you work, think, and act. For each essay, please provide a brief overview of the situation followed by a detailed description of your response. Please limit the experiences you discuss to those which have occurred in the past three years.

In each of the essays please describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did.

The devil is in the details, and Sloan wants them for each of these stories. Look for moments that stand out in your mind. You don’t have room for anything but those stand-outs.

Essay 1: Please describe a time when you went beyond what was defined, expected, established, or popular. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)

The question on one hand provides direction and is clearly defined. On the other, it provides plenty of latitude for individuality. One of the more interesting and unusual options in this question is “beyond what was … popular.”

You need to write about an experience with an expectation of outcome or performance that you surpassed — perhaps blew past. In writing your essay you could start with the expectation, i.e. what you went beyond. Or you could start with the achievement. You could start with the moment when you accepted the challenge or when you realized you were going in an unexpected direction.

Don’t forget to include analysis in the answer. To what do you ascribe your success? What motivated you? What did you learn from the experience? Say what you felt and thought as well as what you said and did.

Essay 2: Please describe a time when you convinced an individual or group to accept one of your ideas. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)

This is a new questions, but it is closely related to last year’s #2, which focused on leadership. However the question really reflects two ideas at the very heart of the Sloan MBA: leadership and innovation. Persuasion is one element in leadership and “your idea” should showcase your problem-solving and innovative thinking.

As in your Essay 1, focus on one event. Make room for analysis. Tell a story, and tell a different tale from the one told in Essay 1. You can use a professional or a non-professional experience for this essay. Sports, community service, or even the arts can provide the context.

Essay 3: Please describe a time when you took responsibility for achieving an objective. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

A different aspect of leadership from that sought in Essay 2 is requested here. Taking responsibility for an outcome before results are certain is a critical element of leadership. As you approach this and the other questions, keep in mind MIT’s very practical focus and motto: “mens et manus”or “mind and hand.” When you accepted that responsibility, how did you go from concept (the objective) to reality (the outcome)?

Supplemental Information (Optional)
You may use this section to address whatever else you want the Admissions Committee to know. (250 words or fewer, limited to one page)

If there is some facet of your experience, be it professional, academic or personal, that you have not discussed elsewhere and would like the adcom to know about, include it here. Give them another reason to admit you, but don’t submit the grand summary, appeal, or closing statement. Keep it focused and cogent. Yes if necessary, you can use this question to address specific circumstances that may have negatively affected your academic performance. Don’t leave them wondering or guessing.

If you would like help with your MIT Sloan MBA application, please consider Accepted.com’s MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or an MIT Sloan School Package, which includes essay editing, interview coaching, consultation, and a resume edit for the MIT Sloan MBA application.

MIT Sloan 2011 MBA Application Deadlines

Application must be received by 12 noon pacific time.

* Reapplicants must submit their application by the Round I deadline. LGO reapplicants must submit their reapplication by the LGO deadline.
**Decisions will be released early for some candidates who will be denied admission without an interview.

By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com.

Several impressions and take-aways for applicants from the different events and sessions:

MIT Sloan Panels:

From the MIT panels it is clear that MIT is looking for demonstrated success academically and professionally.  The latter translates into success or professional progression that is better than the norm for your peers. In terms of those fuzzy attributes and personal characteristics that schools talk about, Sloan wants to see drive; an ability to build relationships and influence others;  and the establishment, pursuit and achievement of goals.  A few details about the individual programs:

1. 100% of the MFin grads have jobs this year, this program’s inaugural graduating class.
2. The EMBA is a program for those in mid-management with a demonstrated record of success who either want to advance in their career or make a slight career change without leaving their job.  Neither sponsorship nor the GMAT is required. (the latter may be requested if MIT has questions about the applicant’s quant skills.)
3. The LGO program focuses on managing the global production and distribution of goods and services. It is a joint, quant-heavy 24-month program between MIT Sloan and MIT’s School of Engineering. Participants earn both an MBA and an MS in Engineering.

We also heard two presentations by MIT Sloan professors. If you have any doubt that MIT Sloan is serious about innovation and global reach, abandon them. The creativity and global impact evident in just these two hours would force you to reshape your views.

Impressions from Conference Day 2 (Multiple presentations by various schools reps)

• Schools and admissions committee members look at different elements when they evaluate an application.  Pay attention to the nuances.
• Your informal and personally identifiable interactions with school admissions personnel are highly revealing. They COUNT! Arrogance at any point in time is a death knell for your application (and most relationships too.) Rudeness to a receptionist is a ding. What qualities impress positively? In your essays and interviews, reveal dignity, generosity of spirit, self-awareness, authenticity, and consideration of others. These qualities cannot be faked or “spun.”
• Regarding financial aid, merit aid tends to go to the top X% based on academic stats. Generally, when evaluating fellowship essays, the readers do not refer to your application essays. Poor credit can prevent you from obtaining the loans necessary for you to attend the school of your dreams if merit aid and your resources don’t cover the tab; get your credit in order before you apply.
• Regarding career development, the MBA employment picture improved throughout 2009-10. Read the employment reports for schools before you decide to apply and certainly before you decide to attend; you need to know school strengths as revealed in these reports. Understand the role of the career services staff (educating students about effective career planning and job search) and the limitations of that role. (They don’t create or find jobs for you.) Networking, which is about building relationships not the size of your contact list, is more important than ever. In order to build relationships, you must move beyond email.

Harvard Business School

At Harvard, we enjoyed an interactive two-hour presentation that was stimulating and engaging. To the extent it reflected the dynamism of the Harvard educational experience, I was extremely impressed.

This visit clarified for me that Harvard’s unparalleled brand is not just a matter of US News Rankings or smoke-and-mirrors branding.  At the same time, HBS is not for everyone, but like any top graduate program, it can be a fantastic experience for the right individuals.

Before the conference started my husband and I met with an acquaintance who is a professor at HBS. The professor was curious about my work, and I was curious about his. He asked me what I believe distinguishes Harvard students from the rest of the applicant pool. I thought for a moment and replied, “Leadership and impact.” He smiled, and the conversation moved on. Just before leaving, I asked him, “From your perspective as an HBS professor, what is a common quality shared by HBS students?” He replied, “I smiled when you answered my question because the students come from incredibly diverse backgrounds. However, if I have to identify a common thread, it would be leadership and impact.” If you are serious about attending Harvard Business School, make sure you demonstrate leadership and impact.

Reflections and Thank yous

It is our job as admissions consultants to help you choose the best target programs and show that you  belong at your chosen schools. The candor and graciousness shown by the hosting schools as well as by the presenting admissions directors will help Accepted’s staff do exactly that.

I am proud to report that Accepted’s staff was well represented at  the conference. In addition to myself, Jennifer Bloom, Paul Bodine, Judy Gruen, Tanis Kmetyk, Cindy Tokumitsu, and Robbie Walker attended.

Profound thanks to the hosts and presenters as well as to AIGAC, led by Graham Richmond of Clear Admit, and specifically to Maxx Duffy of Maxx Associates and Anna Ivey of Ivey Consulting who co-chaired the event. Thanks also to the sponsors: Veritas Prep, Clear Admit, Hult International Business School, Manhattan GMAT, MBA Podcaster, and Zoom Interviews

Learn More: Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Choosing the One for You.

By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com.

Looking at the 2011 MIT Sloan EMBA essay questions holistically, it’s clear that they seek to draw out a person who, assuming basic qualifications, is focused and self-aware, and also confident and mature enough to change and adapt when warranted.  The questions convey a balance of broad and specific.  The statement of purpose and essay 1 present a more conceptual challenge, and essays 2 and 3 probe your ability to take action and then identify and communicate your motivations and rationale for it.  Another way these essays summon a holistic perspective is in asking you to discuss your purpose for pursuing the EMBA, which presumably relates to your future goals, followed in the last question by a request to identify a time that you have pursued, and met a goal (albeit organizational).  Given how these essays interrelate, I suggest sketching out your topics for each and ensuring that they resonate as a whole before writing.  For example, for the objective you portray in the statement of purpose, you might select stories for essays 2 and/or 3 that amplify some experience, knowledge, skill, or quality that would support that objective.  Finally, note that the essays enable you to discuss either all professional topics or a mix of work and non-work.

• A statement of purpose, indicating your qualifications and why you are pursuing the MIT Sloan MBA for Executives. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

I suggest starting by conceptualizing the second part of this question (why you are pursuing the MBA) first.  Presumably the reason relates to your professional goals and objectives.  However, do not focus only what you want to do, i.e., become the CIO, but rather on what you want to accomplish for the organization and/or its customers/market – the former will be competent and acceptable, the latter will be exciting and will have a better chance of  turning your readers into your cheerleaders.  This goals/objectives portion should be succinct.  The details come in the next portion: how the goals/objectives require the learning that the Sloan MBA for Executives will provide.

In selecting the qualifications to discuss, remember that the adcom will have your resume.  Hence, you don’t have to present all your qualifications.  Select those that (a) are really distinctive and relevant to the MBA and/or (b) support your goals directly or indirectly. Have a short point to make about each, such as the insight it lends or its influence on you.

Three essays (all three are required of all candidates):

• The educational mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to “develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world.” Please discuss how you will contribute toward advancing this mission. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

This is a relatively open question.  Early in the essay, briefly convey what “improving the world” means to you, creating context. For the “how,” you can discuss factors outside of work as well as work-related.  There is a danger lurking: “… how you will contribute” – the use of the word “will” might lead you to cast the whole essay in the future tense.  You do have to address how you will contribute, but your answer will have more credibility if you cite a previous time or two when you already have contributed toward the stated mission.  The bulk of the essay will focus on how you will do so in the future – don’t give a list of 10 ways, but identify 1 to 3 and provide some succinct but meaningful discussion of them.  Your future contributions may be related to your goals, or you may cite other initaitives.  Bear in mind that the stated mission is not just “improving the world,” but “to develop principled, innovative leaders” who do so.

• Please describe a time when you changed your opinion, and why. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

Since you will write about work in the statement of purpose, and probably essay 1 and 3, you can choose a work or non-work topic here – whichever best illuminates and ehnances your profile.  While the essay doesn’t require it, I believe the essay will have more substance and heft if you can find a topic that involves your taking some action based on your change of opinion.  Also, choose something not too far in the past, ideally within the last few years.  First, tell the story (no  need for an introduction in this short essay – just jump into the story).  If you use the story approach, the “why” will appear naturally as you progress in the narrative.  But still provide a short summary paragraph reflecting on the “why,” and ideally showing the action you took as a result.

• Please discuss an occasion when your resources and time were limited and you needed to achieve a significant organizational goal. What did you do, and how did you do it? (500 words or less, limited to one page)

This essay will offer evidence in the application that you meet goals and that you make things happen when faced with real-world constraints (as all executives are)—you literally move the organization forward.  Hence, choose a story that is substantive, and one that occurred within the last few years – the bigger the impact, the better.  If you have some good stories to choose from, think about other factors you might like to highlight in your essay for strategic purposes: international dimension (in a given region or generally), leadership in a given context such as healthcare or IT, integrating organizations due to a merger or acquisition, etc.  Here too keep the structure simple: present the story straight off, skipping an explanatory intro paragraph.  As you describe what you did, integrate how you did it, going right through the narrative.  No fancy ending needed; just a concise summary sentence or two.

The MIT EMBA application deadline is August 15.

If you want to start now on your MIT EMBA application, please keep in mind that Accepted.com is running an Early Bird Special: 10% off all MBA essay consulting and editing.  Consider also our MIT EMBA Consulting and Editing Packages.They too are 10% off thru July 31.

By Cindy Tokumitsu, co-author of The Finance Professional’s Guide to MBA Success, The Consultants’ Guide to MBA Admission, The EMBA Edge, and author of several articles and the free, email mini-course, “Ace the EMBA.” Also author of the  NEW online mini-course, Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Choosing the One for You.

Learn More:

• Ace the EMBA, a free email course.
• The EMBA Edge: A Guide to EMBA Admissions, an ebook

1. Intake % of Indian engineers
2. Teaching Methodology
3. Recruitment
4. Culture
5. Clubs/extra-curricular
6. Curriculum and specialization.

I boil down A’s 2-5 to three which I rank as follows:

1. Professional opportunity (roughly his 3 & a little of 6).
2. Curriculum and school strengths (his 2, 4, 5, & 6).
3. Personal preferences (A describes these as”tertiary” and for most of you that’s true.)

All the above have to be filtered through the lens of applicant qualifications and competitiveness, and I largely agree with A, except for one significant difference.

His #1 doesn’t appear on my list, and I’ll tell you why.  The schools that seem to favor engineers –whether from India or Indiana — are also going to attract more applications from engineers. Furthermore, if you are attempting to break out of the engineering mold, attending a program that is very much in the engineering world won’t facilitate that change as well as a program with a different approach.

While I can certainly understand applicants wanting to attend a program where they will find others like themselves and feel more at home while thousands of miles away from home, you don’t necessarily need or want to be too much in your comfort zone.

Whether you are a career changer or enhancer, it is your job as an applicant to break out of the label and the mold “Indian IT guy” or “Indian engineer.” Don’t think of yourself first and foremost with the most generic and common labels in the applicant pool. Look at aspects of your experience and background that will differentiate you. My guess is that you will find them in specifics a few layers below the top level “Indian engineer” or “investment banker.” Focus on those details and highlight them in your application.

Finally, your school choice should be guided primarily not by the past or even the present. First and foremost, should be the future. What do you want to do after your MBA? Where do you envision yourself? What career options are worth uprooting yourself, spending all that money, and foregoing two years of income?  (Leaving a job you hate doesn’t qualify, as was repeated over and over by adcom after adcom at the AIGAC conference, which I attended this past week in Boston.)

So “begin with the end in mind” as you plan your MBA future. Season your dreams with the reality of your qualifications as you choose your schools. But don’t let the most common label or denominator dominate your decisions.

For more on shortlisting MBA programs, please see Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Choosing the One for You.

By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com.

Despite these significant drops in job offers, the recent GMAC Corporate Recruiters Survey show that this year’s graduating class expressed much more confidence in the economy. In 2009, only 9% of MBA graduates felt that the global economy was strong, or at least stable, while 2010 findings show that 33% exude such confidence.

According to the survey, this optimism is due to the fact “that employers are shifting away from an emphasis on  cost-cutting and retrenchment, devoting more attention to expanding their businesses—and growing increasingly likely to hire business school graduates.”

David Wilson, GMAC president and CEO, says, “While the job market may be cyclical, the value of management education is constant.”

The press release also lists other major findings from the Graduate Management Education Graduate Survey, including:

1. The most popular industries among the Class of 2010 are finance and accounting
2. The second most popular industries are products/services and consulting
3. The highest success rate was found among students entering the manufacturing sector.
4. The second most successful industries are healthcare and energy/utilities.
5. Most than half of graduates expect to work in a different field upon graduation than before starting their MBA programs.

The survey also compared job offers and salaries by citizenship. See the chart on the GMAC press release for more information.

Meanwhile, over at Bloomberg Businessweek, a related article (”The MBA Job Picture Brightens“), indicates that while optimism may be on the rise, that positive attitude is only prevalent at top-tier schools. Recruiting opportunities at MIT Sloan, for example, picked up 40% this year, back to 2007 recruiting standards. Harvard Business School and Chicago Booth, the latter of which reported that 80% of its graduates had landed full-time jobs upon graduation, also experienced upticks in recruiting and in job offers.

But the fact that the top ten business schools are experiencing a rush of job landing success doesn’t help the rest of the MBA world. The job outlook for grads at most MBA programs is still bleak.

The BW article points out one more thing: While MBAs at top schools may be having an easier time finding jobs this year than last, the salaries at those jobs are not up to par with those of 2007. According to Chris Branin, a recent UVA Darden graduate, “It’s much easier to find a $50,000 a year analyst position somewhere than it is to find those jobs that come with an $80,000, $90,000, or $100,000 salary. My feeling is that it’s not really hard to find a job. I think what is difficult now is to find the jobs MBAs are expecting to see when they graduate.”

Also, obvious as it may be, the article reviews how graduates from top tier MBA programs not only have an easier time finding jobs, but finding jobs with higher salaries.

Related Accepted.com Blog Posts:

• GMAC Releases Results from 2010 Corporate Recruiters Survey
• GMAC Releases Global Management Education Graduate Survey Results
• B-School Students See Light at the End of the Job Market Tunnel
• GMAC: MBA Employers Express Job Market Optimism

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The program is designed to “expand their management capabilities and increase their impact on their organization and the world at large.” This personal, business, and global advancement will be made possible by the group’s participation in four eight-day learning modules and 26 weekend sessions that will focus on collaboration, interdisciplinary learning, building peer bonds, and leadership. Students will also participate in Global Organizations Lab (GO-Lab) a week-long action learning course that will further work on team building.

Furthermore, says MIT Sloan Dean David Schmittlein, “[s]tudents in the MBA for Executives Program will gain a competitive edge though MIT Sloan’s deep expertise in global leadership, innovation, and the science of management, while building a diverse business network that facilitates cross-industry learning.”

Applicants to the MBA for Executives Program must have at least ten years of work experience and must exhibit a combination of functional expertise, innovation, global perspective, and leadership performance. The deadline for the first cohort is August 15, 2010. For more information about admissions requirements, please see the MIT Sloan EMBA Application Process and Timeline.

The first class is planned to begin in October 2010 with about 60 current or rising executives.

If you are considering MIT Sloan’s new EMBA program and would like guidance in strategizing and composing a winning application, contact Accepted today at 310-815-9553, or drop us a note here.

Related Accepted.com Resources:

• The EMBA Edge: A Guide to EMBA Admissions, an instantly downloadable ebook.
• Ace the EMBA: Admissions Advice for EMBA Applicants, a free, 6-day email course.
• “Executive MBA: Applying to EMBA Programs,” a free article.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

How has MIT met your learning needs for your specific goals so far? MIT Sloan has facilitated my learning both in the classroom and out.  Many of my professors are well-respected leaders in their field, and not only make traditionally challenging subjects interesting and applicable to our professions, but also bring in guest speakers and former colleagues to make the material come alive.

My core team (study group of seven students in the first semester) was so much fun, and we balanced each other in skill sets and professional backgrounds.  We learned a lot from each other, including how to most efficiently work with different personalities, draw out each others’ strengths and help improve weaknesses.

Additionally, the Dean’s Innovative Leader Series constantly brings in notable figures across various industries such as Bil Porter (Sloan Fellow, ‘67), Co-Founder and Chairman of E-trade; Paul Sagan, President and CEO of Akamai; and Jeffrey Hollender, Co-founder and Executive Chair of Seventh Generation.  Having not only the access to these individuals but also hearing firsthand about their experiences has contributed to the learning experience.

What about the Boston location?  How is that affecting your experience? Boston is a great city – there is never a shortage of things to do, either on or off campus.  Cambridge specifically is known as a growing technology hub.  Those interested in start-ups, technology, biotech, and pharmaceuticals  will find that the area is teeming with opportunities for projects, internships and employment.  MIT Sloan is uniquely positioned as a place of innovation, creativity and cutting-edge technology and is extremely well-connected within the Cambridge, greater Boston/MA area and beyond.

What kind of leadership training or mentoring do you receive at Sloan?
I participated in a great leadership class that allows you to request 360-degree reviews from former colleagues, peers and clients.  Upon arriving at Sloan, I was matched with a coach who helped me to understand my strengths and areas for improvement in my leadership skills – which I have been putting into action.  There are many other classes that focus on leadership development, which provide you with opportunities for self-reflection and periodic assessment.

Second-years that mentor incoming first-years are also given training on mediation and how to help new students make the transition back into school.

Any last words of advice?
The curriculum at MIT Sloan can be extremely rigorous at times, but manageable.  They would not admit you if you could not do the work.  If at times you feel the need for extra help, I have found that the students and administrators are extremely collaborative and willing to help in any way.  The close-knit community is fostered not only in the small class size, but great mix of personalities as well.

Interview conducted by By Cindy Tokumitsu, who has assisted applicants applying to top business schools since 1998. She is co-author of The Finance Professional’s Guide to MBA Success, The Consultants’ Guide to MBA Admission, The EMBA Edge, and author of several articles and the free, email mini-course, “Ace the EMBA.”

Robert Dammon, CMU Tepper associate dean and professor, explains the price-wage connection: “The kinds of students that the best schools attract are going to get the highest-paying jobs.”

Paul R. Dorf, managing director of the consulting firm, Compensation Resources, adds, “The cream-of-the-crop companies hire the cream-of-the-crop grads.”

Top-ranked b-schools generally offer the most expensive programs and generally churn out the highest paid graduates. Harvard Business School, for example, has the most expensive MBA program, and the best paid alumni.

PayScale, a salary-comparison company, recently evaluated salary data of 23,000 MBA graduates from Bloomberg Businessweek’s top 45 American business schools.

Their data shows that on average, MBAs from top programs make $2.5 million (base-pay plus bonuses) over the course of 20 years in a single industry. HBS alumni make closer to $4 million, while alumni from lower ranked programs (but still in the top 45) like Iowa Tippie, make less than half of that.

Another interesting comparison between the higher ranked and lower ranked programs was the growth of salary over the two-decade period. Graduates from Yale SOM, for example, were awarded with extremely high starting salaries, but then experienced only small increases over the following 20 years. Grads from University of Connecticut’s business school, on the other hand, received lower starting salaries that more than doubled over that same 20-year period.

Below are the top median salaries earned after less than 2 years out of b-school and then the estimated career total for a 20-year long career:

Related Accepted.com Resources:

• B-School Zones
• The Rankings: An Accepted.com Special Report
• Forbes ROI MBA Rankings for 2010
• BusinessWeek’s Top 10 Undergraduate Business Schools with the Best Returns on Investment

Want our news sent directly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Almanac by clicking here!

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The option to take the GRE instead of the GMAT exam is a somewhat recent development. What began as a trend (started by Stanford GSB) among a few schools has exploded into an almost-standard option available at 27% of the U.S. News‘ 433 b-schools on the Best Business School rankings report. More than 300 b-schools total accept the GRE as a GMAT alternative (including those not included in the U.S. News rankings).

This expanded option allows b-schools to widen their applicant pool, attracting potential MBAs from other GRE-required graduate paths.

US News ranked b-schools that now accept the GRE include:

1. (tie) Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
7. Dartmouth College (Tuck)
9. New York University (Stern)
11. Yale University
13. University of Virginia (Darden)
14. Duke University (Fuqua)
16. University of Texas—Austin (McCombs)
19. Washington University in St. Louis (Olin)

According to David Payne, VP and COO at ETS, accepting the GRE is a smart move, specifically from a business perspective. “At no cost to the schools,” he says, “it allows them to increase the size and diversity of their applicant pool.” More than 600,000 people take the GRE every year, while only 270,000 take the GMAT.

Both tests have experienced an increase in the number of test takers every year for the last six years.

Advantages to test-takers of the move of b-schools to accept the GRE include:

• The GRE costs about $110 less than the GMAT.
• Students who wish to apply to both b-school and another graduate or PhD program can do so easily (and affordably) by taking only one test.
• Those with weaker quant skills will have an easier time navigating the GRE’s math section than that of the GMAT.

Related Accepted.com Blog Posts:

• More B-Schools Accepting GRE in Lieu of GMAT
• GMAT or GRE: Which is Best for You?
• Record GMAT Registration Volume in 2009
• GMAT Advice

Want our news sent directly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Almanac by clicking here!

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best