seabass wrote:
Hi everyone, first post. This forum seems very exciting to have, my last time around applying for bschool I didn't use any kind of collaboration.
I've decided this year to apply for EMBA programs (looking at Wharton/Chicago/Kellogg). I last applied for FT MBA programs about 6 years ago, but was not successful. My GMAT is 7 years old, so I have to retake. I don't recall the specifics of my preparation last time, I think I focused on the OG and studied for 4-6 weeks. I hit a 750/6.0 first try taking it so I was done after that.
This time around, I am very rusty. My goal is 750+, I feel like I need to do everything I can to support my candidacy and I am a good test taker, so this seems like an easy way to show strength on my app. My plan right now is to study for 6 weeks ( I just made my appointment for late Aug), hitting it hard for 4-5 hours a day pretty continuously until them.
I am working through the OG diagnostics, and after that I am going to rip through the ten MG books in a targeted 4 weeks. I am going to try to take a CAT once a week and do as many questions I can besides that as well. Is there anything I'm missing? Is there anyone with a long gap in GMATs with advice on how to reattack it?
Thanks for reading!
I've decided this year to apply for EMBA programs (looking at Wharton/Chicago/Kellogg). I last applied for FT MBA programs about 6 years ago, but was not successful. My GMAT is 7 years old, so I have to retake. I don't recall the specifics of my preparation last time, I think I focused on the OG and studied for 4-6 weeks. I hit a 750/6.0 first try taking it so I was done after that.
This time around, I am very rusty. My goal is 750+, I feel like I need to do everything I can to support my candidacy and I am a good test taker, so this seems like an easy way to show strength on my app. My plan right now is to study for 6 weeks ( I just made my appointment for late Aug), hitting it hard for 4-5 hours a day pretty continuously until them.
I am working through the OG diagnostics, and after that I am going to rip through the ten MG books in a targeted 4 weeks. I am going to try to take a CAT once a week and do as many questions I can besides that as well. Is there anything I'm missing? Is there anyone with a long gap in GMATs with advice on how to reattack it?
Thanks for reading!
Hi Seabass, I think you have all the basics covered. As someone who took this exam 6 years ago as well, I can appreciate the idea of retaking it now and trying to get the same (or better score). The two items I'll draw your attention to are the IR and the shift in focus of the sentence correction questions.
First off, a new section called the Integrated Reasoning section has been introduced, eliminating one of the two AWAs (analysis of an issue, specifically). I'll let you read about the IR on your own but it's a separately-scored section out of 8. If you did really well on the GMAT last time, you shouldn't have too much trouble with this as it's very much a microcosm of the logic you apply all test-long. Maybe the only new skill is interpreting graphs so look into that. The (new) OGs should give you what you need.
Secondly, the focus of sentence correction questions seems to have shifted a little in the last few years from idioms and grammar to logic and meaning. The same tricks will still get you a good score, but often grammatically-correct sentences can be eliminated because they do not logically represent the intent of the author, or are just flat-out illogical on their own. The other sections have only slightly evolved in the past half-decade, but Sentence Correction has changed the most, so pay particular attention to that.
Apart from that, you should be all set. Why not set a 760 goal this time and try to beat your score from 6 years ago! Should be fun, and please keep the community informed of your progress.
Thanks!
-Ron