GMAT questions... Forum

[Panther7]

I've been accepted by a few schools, but at the last moment, JD/MBA has crossed my mind. How long would it take me to arrange a GMAT test? Is it something you can more or less test cold? Any quick advice?

I understand this is a vague question, but I know little about the test itself and the Bschool app process (I know plenty about an MBA itself, my roommate was working on one during my last year of school).

[los blancos]

Ok, here's the deal. I took the LSAT last June. I walked out of the test pissed off and wanted to apply to HBS's 2+2 program (deadline July 1). I managed to pull it off. I think I took the test 6/27 or something like that.

If you did well on the LSAT, the GMAT should be a piece of cake. I studied for 4 days and got over a 700. Just focus on quant and the weird sentence correction part of verbal.

MBA.com has two adaptive tests that are basically the same as the real thing. Make those two your last practice tests.



beatthegmat.com is a good forum

[Panther7]

how long after you take the test before you get a score you can use to apply with?

[hsprophet]

You take the GMAT on a computer and get the score instantly when you finish. The official score is mailed to you later along with your essay scores (most schools probably don't care about the essay scores, and they are not factored into the main score).

Instead of going in cold, at least get a study guide and study for a week or two. In my opinion the GMAT isn't nearly as hard to "master" as the LSAT.

[Aeroplane]

GMAT doesn't take long to arrange and if you live in a metro area with a few test locations, you can probably take it on any day of the week you want because it's offerred all the time. It costs more than the LSAT though, like $250 IIRC. Also, I think you might even be able to get an unofficial copy printout of your score at the test center.

If you've ever taken the GRE, GMAT has easier verbal & harder math. If you have limited time to study you should brush up on high school math, but if you're good at standardized tests, you should be able to break 700 cold easily. If you have a history of not prepping for those tests and doing very well, then you can probably get 750+ cold.

The Bschool app process is brutal compared to law school where you submit essentially identical apps to every school. Every bschool app is different and there are a ton of essays (which you can somewhat recycle, but doing so usually requires some additional editing/reframing) and some schools make you do really random things (like Chicago's b-school requires applicants to make a power point about themselves). I haven't done it but I've helped friends w/it & it was painful.

[ram jam]

The GMAT is expensive. Study sufficiently before taking it. Not everyone takes it cold and scores a 700, that is a 90th percentile score. It has math that takes a while to study for, and the verbal sections can be tricky. It is not as easy as the lsat,for example, if you are a good reader/critical thinker you will do well on the lsat, however, the gmat requires that you memorize mathematical and grammar rules that may have not seen since grade school.

[ughOSU]

If you're good at math and did ok on the lsat, you can study for a couple weeks and get a 750+... I did just that while working full time. Get a review book, there are some grammar questions and a certain type of quantitative question that are tricky.