Books Recommendation for pre-MBA brush up

Question

Folks - I come from technology consulting background and was wondering if some of you could post some effective books for getting some foundations built for Finance, Accounting, Marketing etc

I am sure this will help me and others like me who want to venture into other areas as well. Also, I am interested in knowing what pre-courses are some of you guys taking or planning to take before starting the program in fall?

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

AlexMBAApply · Answer

If you don't have any accounting knowledge whatsoever, best thing you can do is just pick up any accounting text from the bookstore (doesn't matter which one) and get a basic handle on the "logic" of how accounting statements work.

Accounting more than any other subject frustrates MBA students because it's about as tedious and confusing as filing tax returns (by yourself). And as a result, it can be a needless time sink when you're trying to figure out why your journal entries and T-accounts don't make sense.

Especially for those from analytical backgrounds, accounting can f' you up because on the surface it looks like math, but really it's just a set of rules for how to organize different numbers.

Just my opinion - the more familiar you are with accounting principles and basics prior to b-school, the better your quality of life will be as an MBA student. While you'll have more time to focus on other subjects, network with recruiters, etc. your fellow classmates will be stuck banging their heads against the wall, ready to blow up their accounting textbooks trying to understand why debits can be addition to an account, and credits can be deduction from an account, and how that can then reverse itself as well depending on which account you're looking at.

The rest of the subjects (finance, marketing, etc.) are fine - most of the time, these subjects are a bit more interesting and not quite as frustrating (even if it's not always "easy" but at least not as tedious).

hereicome · Answer

It's not a book but I'm seriously considering https://www.mbamath.com. After playing around on the site as well as reviewing what various schools want me to study, it seems like it covers everything pretty well as well as helps show you how to do it in Excel. And for $99, it's a lot cheaper than buying several textbooks.

extermin8r · Answer

What about this set? Anyone use or recommend it? https://www.mba.com/store/product-info.aspx?ProductID=34

diego77 · Answer

hey hereicome,

MBaMath costs $149 for a 1 year subscription based on its website info, but you mentioned $99 in your post. What am I missing?

Thanks.

malbec · Answer

Did you check this topic? mba-books-good-books-to-read-prior-to-mba-74557.html

hereicome · Answer

There are a few sites that say $99, but they look like they're just out of date. I still think it's cheaper than buying a number of textbooks.

Mhillo · Answer

I was looking for something like this before I started business school, ended up using textbooks which were really too detailed for what I wanted. 
Were I looking now I would try Portable MBA by K.Eades or MBA Prep, How to get ahead of the program.

VeritasPrepMike · Answer

Books??!?! Books?!?!?! This is 2016 man! Get with the times

In all seriousness, I would spend some time on Coursera or Khan Academy. The materials will be lot cheaper and I bet you will be more likely to finish the course than spend time reading a finance or accounting textbook.

EQuinn · Answer

My class mate actually wrote a book for this, we went to Darden together and he wrote down everything he wished he had known before hand: excel, financing, stats etc. You can find the book on Amazon, its called MBA Prep

sheiquiroga · Answer

I've compiled the reading lists I found from Gmatclub and other sources, so it won't be hard for us, future MBA students, to find. https://wondersuite.blogspot.com

Lebanonadmit · Answer

My top 3 books that I would suggest reading for the MBA are:

1-  To Stand Out:    A More Beautiful Question 
This really looks at examining the role of questioning & inquiry across different sectors. It shows you how you can potentially stand out by asking the right questions- but it in the classroom or in an interview.

2- A Guidebook for MBA Partners:    The Unofficial Guide to B-School Partner Life: Balancing between the B-School Bubble and Reality  
Even though this is aimed at MBA Partners, it is also relevant for MBAs who have partners too. It looks at how to have a successful time at B-School with a partner and all of its intricacies.

3-  To Learn New Ways of Thinking:    Blue Ocean Strategy  
This is one of the best reads! It opens your eyes to a whole new world, and I met the author once, he is super inspiring!

Those are my 2cents!

Cheers!

Alex74874 · Answer

Chech the books by Simon Sinek.

angela21 · Answer

Accounting Made Simple  - slowly but surely, great accounting information for entrepreneurs has been making its way online. Examples include guides from the friendly folks at LessAccounting.

If you're looking for a single book to purchase, however, Accounting Made Simple has to be the one I recommend.

Books Recommendation for pre-MBA brush up

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