Should I wait to take the GMAT

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Mister_Fox: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 8; Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 7:19 pm; GMAT Score:730

Should I wait to take the GMAT

by Mister_Fox » Thu Sep 18, 2014 7:22 pm

Hi All,

I have been working for 2 years (undergrad class of 2012) and am considering attending Business School in 2-3 years.

Should I take the GMAT now, or wait a year or two?

I obviously want to take it and get it out of the way, but I'm worried that there will be some significant changes to the test (like there were to the SATs around the time I took them) that may mean I need to retake it later.

Let me know your thoughts

Last edited by Mister_Fox on Mon May 25, 2015 7:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Thu Sep 18, 2014 7:22 pm

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; Followed by:511 members; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:36 pm

Hi Mister_Fox,

The fact that you're looking far enough ahead to know that you'll likely be applying to Business School in a couple of years is a good thing. It means that you can see the big picture and you won't necessarily run into a situation in which you're trying to do too much in too little time to make an application deadline.

The application process involves several "pieces", of which the GMAT is one (and in many cases, the most important). To help you set your own expectations, you should know that most Test Takers need 3 months (or more) of consistent study time to hit their goal scores. If you have the time to really nail the GMAT now, you should (since GMAT scores are good for 5 years).

Have you thought about the schools/programs that you might want to apply to?
Do you have an idea of your score goal?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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David@VeritasPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2193; Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 6:30 pm; Location: Vermont and Boston, MA; Thanked: 1186 times; Followed by:512 members; GMAT Score:770

by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:22 pm

You are in a great position!

Many people seem to decide that they want to apply to business school within a few months. This means packing in not only the GMAT but the rest of the application as well.

It also can be difficult for people to know where to apply since their GMAT scores have a real influence on their chances of getting into target schools.

If you begin to study for the GMAT now and if you can achieve your goal score, this takes one of the hurdles out of the way of your application process and puts you in a better position than most.

You should try a few practice problems of each type (such as the 90 total problems that come from with the GMATPrep software from MBA.com). And then you should devote 4 hours to one of the practice exams on that GMATPrep software. This will give you an idea of where you are starting from.

As Rich said you should then think about where you will want to apply and develop a goal score from that. This will let you know what the distance is from your current score and the one you want to have for your application.

Most people do require months to be ready for the GMAT so be prepared. And remember that slow and steady often wins the GMAT race, luckily you have time for that!

David

Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

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Mister_Fox: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 8; Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 7:19 pm; GMAT Score:730

by Mister_Fox » Sat Sep 20, 2014 9:28 am

Rich and David,

Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like the consensus is to begin studying as soon as possible. Can't wait to get started. This site looks like a great resource.

Best,

- Russell

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GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; Followed by:511 members; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Sat Sep 20, 2014 10:41 am

Hi Russell,

It's important in the early part of your studies to take a FULL-length practice CAT Test, so that you can get a sense of your strengths and weaknesses. You can download 2 CATs for free from www.mba.com. The exam takes about 4 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take the entire Test in one sitting. You'll likely have some pacing problems and you'll find some of the material to be challenging, but that's okay. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can put together a study plan.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]