February | 2012 | The Official GMAT Blog

You’re Going to Need it in School, on the Job, and on the GMAT: Integrated Reasoning

Posted on February 27, 2012 by GMAC

In my previous blog post, I wrote about how faculty at management programs worldwide identified a set of skills, which we call Integrated Reasoning, that were emerging as skills valuable to success in their programs and their classrooms. The skeptics among you may have read that blog thinking, “OK, but I’d still rather take today’s GMAT.”

So I thought I would share with you the perspectives of test takers who have participated in our research to develop the Integrated Reasoning section and who have actually experienced Integrated Reasoning. Nearly 8,000 test takers took the Integrated Reasoning section at the end of their regular GMAT exam January 3-12, 2012. More than 1,200 also responded to a short survey designed to gauge their reaction to this section and the question types.

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Filed under: Admissions, Career, GMAT Prep, Integrated Reasoning, Official GMAT, Prepare for the GMAT | Leave a Comment »

The Value of the Global Classroom

Posted on February 16, 2012 by GMAC

Prospective b-school students who sat for the GMAT exam in testing year 2011 sent a total of 750,399 score reports to management programs in 77 countries. That means there’s a good chance that the classmates who will sit next to you in your graduate management program grew up half a world away from the place where you were born.
Today’s graduate management education is truly an international undertaking. More than 258,000 test takers sat for the GMAT exam in testing year 2011 (up 18% from five years ago), and there is an increasing mix of countries represented by applicants knocking on classroom doors.

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Filed under: Admissions, Business School, Diversity | 1 Comment »

Make the Most of Your Time: Setting Yourself Apart

Posted on February 3, 2012 by GMAC

So far, we’ve discussed how you can get a jump on strengthening your academic profile, optimizing your work experience, and building leadership skills in the years before you apply to business school. At this point, you may be wondering: what more is there to an MBA application? The simple answer is: you! Business school admissions committees are truly interested in getting to know the person behind the application and, specifically, learning about what sets you apart from the many other qualified applicants they’re considering. In this installment, we’ll talk about ways to cultivate these important differentiating factors.

MBA programs strive for diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and interests in their student body, and typically want to admit well-rounded students who have active lives outside of the office. In other words, someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes financial analysis may be very successful at work, but probably won’t make for a very interesting classmate. For the sake of both your sanity and your MBA applications, make time to pursue interests and hobbies unrelated to your career.

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Filed under: Admissions, Applications, Business School | Leave a Comment »