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dacoffee
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First Post - General Question 20 Jun 2018, 19:24
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Hello,

This is my first post and I am very excited to begin my GMAT journey. Quick introduction:

College GPA - 75% in Bachelors of Technology (India) in Computer Science (I know, not a great score but I had a pretty tough batch). As some of you might know, not a lot of colleges have 4.0 GPA scale in India
Current Position - Associate Manager in US Tech Company (Fortune 500)
Work Experience - 11 years in IT field, working for a major healthcare company (client) in USA since 6 years. Before that, I was working in India.

I have made major technical contributions at my work (and client) and have always been highly ranked in my peer group. Almost always got the promotion. I am looking to do EMBA to expand my management skills as I am stepping into more senior roles.

My strategy is to focus on GMAT preparation for this year. I have a very hectic work life and I am expecting a baby next month which is going to further increase my engagement with my family (which is good) but may impact my ability to focus on studies. I am a very hard working person and I am ready to give my best shot.

I am new to the world of GMAT so I am starting from ground level. I need to research on books, websites, strategies etc. As I am preparing for my GMAT journey, are there activities I can do which can help make my resume stand out? For instance, does doing certifications from business schools (in relevant areas) make any difference? Learning a new language? I know I should focus on acing GMAT but I would like to know if there are other ways to improve my profile that I could potentially consider?

Thank you for taking out the time to read this.

Best!
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First Post - General Question Updated on: 20 Jun 2018, 20:16
Originally posted by bb on 20 Jun 2018, 20:15.
Last edited by bb on 20 Jun 2018, 20:16, edited 1 time in total.
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Welcome to GMAT Club and congratulations on starting your journey!

Have you looked into the Executive Assessment and ruled it out as an alternative to the GMAT? Not all programs accept but also, not all programs require GMAT for EMBA either. Some will/may waive it based on your WE, Resume, Position.
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First Post - General Question 20 Jun 2018, 20:24
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bb
Welcome to GMAT Club and congratulations on starting your journey!

Have you looked into the Executive Assessment and ruled it out as an alternative to the GMAT? Not all programs accept but also, not all programs require GMAT for EMBA either. Some will/may waive it based on your WE, Resume, Position.
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Thank you so much for your response. To be honest, I haven't evaluated Executive Assessment completely but it seems I should really do it (sorry, I am really new to this, my tech life has had me engaged so much all these years).

Thank you for your suggestion.
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First Post - General Question 20 Jun 2018, 20:40
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No worries and no problem at all. It may be a faster/easier test. However, it has some pitfalls - you can only take it twice and you can't look up your scores online (it is much less popular and you will find it a bit harder finding people who are also practicing for the EA vs. the GMAT). However, I was asking to see if you considered it.

P.S. Arrival of a child will be a huge change to you. Prepare to be useless for at least 3 months and your brain power will go down substantially due to sleep deprivation. It is crazy but torture by sleep deprivation really works. It will change who you are as well (not a bad thing) but it will change your priorities and your perspective on life since you will have someone fully dependent on you.

I don't really know what to recommend to you. I guess i would research things, make notes, look into profile evaluations and consider what you can do but I would not recommend starting your studies for the GMAT or EA unless you are positive you can finish it before your little one arrives since it will then create a break in your studies (or if you have paternity leave at work, you may be able to use to your advantage) but I am hesitant to recommend starting your studies since you will be so consumed and lost with the new one and basically will waste this time and have to restart a few months later.

P.S. If my rambling does not make any sense, that's because I have 2 children and i am no longer able to focus ;-)
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First Post - General Question 20 Jun 2018, 20:48
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Excellent advice. Thank you so much for taking out the time to respond. I do agree with you regarding my decision to start studies with a month left for delivery. I wish I had thought about this earlier.

Love to your kids :-)

Regards!
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First Post - General Question 20 Jun 2018, 21:22
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Hi dacoffee,

As BB has mentioned, depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you might be able to avoid having to take the GMAT altogether. If you don't know which Schools you're interested in yet, then that's fine, but you might want to put a little time into that research. Once you have a list, you can dig into the individual Programs in more detail and define what's 'needed' as part of each Program's application process.

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores on the GMAT, so you might want to wait and see how your life changes once your baby has arrived. Studying for a month - and then potentially having to stop altogether before restarting 'from scratch' later on - would probably not be an efficient use of your time.

All of that having been said, once you do decide to commit to a study plan, it would be a good idea to start off with a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can take 2 for free at www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a little studying first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the basic content and question types, then that's okay - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 3.5 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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