Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Sep 0309:00 PM IST
-10:00 AM IST
Join our free webinar on building a stronger Round 2 MBA application for INSEAD, LBS, Kellogg, HEC & other T20 B-schools after missing Round 1. Learn what actually changes in Round 2 and rebuild your candidacy.
Sep 0412:00 PM EDT
-01:00 PM EDT
The old MBA recruiting playbook is dead. Here’s how top admits are getting ahead this summer.
Sep 0310:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
Looking to secure a coveted spot at a top business school? Our team of seasoned MBA admissions consultants, including top B schools alumni and industry leaders, is here to help turn your dreams into reality. Let’s kick-start your journey to success!
Sep 0311:00 AM PDT
-12:00 PM PDT
We go inside the MIT Sloan School of Management with Donna Levinson, Assistant Dean of Admissions at MIT Sloan, for a detailed conversation on Sloan’s MBA experience, curriculum, global community, application process, and admissions philosophy.
Sep 0301:00 PM PDT
-02:00 PM PDT
Meet Tuck at an informal student or staff-hosted coffee chat in a city near you! Next dates are in Irvine, CA and Washington, DC- Sep 07
12:01 AM PDT
-11:59 PM PDT
On the 7th, GMAT Club Tests will be Free! Including all the Quizzes, Questions, and Tests. 12 AM - 11:59 PM PDT - Sep 08
11:00 AM PDT
-12:00 PM PDT
Strong applicants do not always write strong MBA essays. In this session, we break down 5 common MBA essay mistakes that can quietly weaken an otherwise competitive application. - Sep 09
07:00 AM PDT
-10:00 AM PDT
Meet AdComs and explore top Master’s programs - MiM, MiF, MSc, MSBA and more. - Application Fee Waivers - Free 1-Week of GMAT Club Tests: - Master's Application Toolkit - Grand Prize Giveaway - Sep 09
10:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
Three MBA applications. Three rejections. No interview invites. A year later, Aman was admitted to Cambridge Judge, SMU, and IMD. In this episode of MBA Admit Stories, Aman shares how he rebuilt his MBA application... 
Sep 0912:00 PM PDT
-01:00 PM PDT
The old MBA recruiting playbook is dead. Here’s how top admits are getting ahead this summer.
Sep 1012:00 PM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Before you hit “Submit,” get an expert perspective on your MBA application. Our Test Drive Service (Comprehensive Application Review) provides an in-depth evaluation of your application, helping you identify gaps, strengthen your story, and more.
Sep 1003:00 PM PDT
-04:00 PM PDT
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
14 Aug 2026, 09:42
Kudos
Bookmarks
If you are in the process of writing your MBA essays, here is a question for you:
Do your essays pass one of the simplest, yet most important, writing tests?
The “SO WHAT?” test.
While reviewing applicants’ essays, this is one question I ask repeatedly:
So what?
Why are you telling the adcom this story?
How is it relevant to the question being asked?
What does it tell them about you?
Does it strengthen your main point or move your story forward?
If you cannot answer these questions convincingly, that anecdote, sentence or detail may not deserve its place in the essay.
I saw this recently while reviewing an applicant’s essay. She wrote about having grown up across Kuwait, Oman and India.
Interesting background. But so what?
Simply having lived in three countries did not tell the adcom much about her.
As we dug deeper, the real story emerged. Growing up across cultures had taught her how shared experiences could bring different people together. She connected this insight to her later leadership as cultural secretary in college, where she introduced a cooking competition and diversity day to encourage students from different states and countries to participate. The annual fest eventually attracted its highest turnout in five years.
Now the same childhood detail had a purpose.
It wasn't there because living in three countries sounded interesting. It was there because it explained something fundamental about how she had developed and how she led.
That is the difference the “so what?” question can make.
Over the years, B-schools have gravitated towards shorter format essays. B-schools like HBS, Stanford, Booth, Kellogg have decreased their word limits.
Some b-schools have decreased their number of essays.
With shortened and lesser essays, its now more important than ever that every word you write deserves its place on the essay.
So continue to ask yourself – so what? How is this paragraph/ anecdote/ point adding to my storyline?
If you don’t find a convincing answer, be ruthless and chop off that part of the essay.
Because if you aren't convinced that a detail deserves to be there, chances are the admissions committee won't be either.
Namita Garg,
Founder, MBA Decoder
650+ Admits |15 years consulting experience
Email: [email protected]
[b]Reach out to us for a Profile Evaluation
Testimonials: https://mbadecoder.com/testimonials/
Do your essays pass one of the simplest, yet most important, writing tests?
The “SO WHAT?” test.
While reviewing applicants’ essays, this is one question I ask repeatedly:
So what?
Why are you telling the adcom this story?
How is it relevant to the question being asked?
What does it tell them about you?
Does it strengthen your main point or move your story forward?
If you cannot answer these questions convincingly, that anecdote, sentence or detail may not deserve its place in the essay.
I saw this recently while reviewing an applicant’s essay. She wrote about having grown up across Kuwait, Oman and India.
Interesting background. But so what?
Simply having lived in three countries did not tell the adcom much about her.
As we dug deeper, the real story emerged. Growing up across cultures had taught her how shared experiences could bring different people together. She connected this insight to her later leadership as cultural secretary in college, where she introduced a cooking competition and diversity day to encourage students from different states and countries to participate. The annual fest eventually attracted its highest turnout in five years.
Now the same childhood detail had a purpose.
It wasn't there because living in three countries sounded interesting. It was there because it explained something fundamental about how she had developed and how she led.
That is the difference the “so what?” question can make.
Over the years, B-schools have gravitated towards shorter format essays. B-schools like HBS, Stanford, Booth, Kellogg have decreased their word limits.
Some b-schools have decreased their number of essays.
With shortened and lesser essays, its now more important than ever that every word you write deserves its place on the essay.
So continue to ask yourself – so what? How is this paragraph/ anecdote/ point adding to my storyline?
If you don’t find a convincing answer, be ruthless and chop off that part of the essay.
Because if you aren't convinced that a detail deserves to be there, chances are the admissions committee won't be either.
Namita Garg,
Founder, MBA Decoder
650+ Admits |15 years consulting experience
Email: [email protected]
[b]Reach out to us for a Profile Evaluation
Testimonials: https://mbadecoder.com/testimonials/
