You already know you need to take the GMAT-and excel on it-to earn a spot in business school. You know what the GMAT entails: comprehensive math and verbal skills. Now, you need to know why it matters.
To many aspiring business students, the GMAT is nothing but another frustrating barrier to advanced education, but in truth, studying for the GMAT can be amazing preparation for your future in business. Here's how you benefit by putting your all into your GMAT studies.
Discover Expectations for Business Schools
There is little you can do in business without mastery of the basic skills you will acquire while preparing for the GMAT. None of the sections of the GMAT are especially advanced; they establish a baseline for your knowledge and academic ability before you begin honing your skill in your chosen business program.
The best online MBA programs won't take just any student. You can survey prospective schools' typical GMAT range to understand the level of comprehension and skill those programs expect from their incoming class. If you can't comprehend any sample GMAT questions, you should recognize that you aren't yet ready to enroll in business school. Fortunately, you can use our study tips and tricks to help you prepare for this important test.
Unlock Fundamental Business Skills
Reading, writing, and arithmetic: They are more than time-wasting elementary school subjects; they are the foundation for everything you will accomplish in your career, no matter what your career turns out to be. The GMAT tests your ability to perform in verbal and mathematical skills because you absolutely need them to excel-both in business school and during your life after graduation.
Sales people use math to calculate discounts, tally deals, and estimate costs; accountants use verbal skills to communicate effectively with members of other departments. Every professional benefits from critical reasoning skills, and everyone should understand how to write an error-free sentence. By taking the GMAT, you establish yourself as competent in a business setting-and by enrolling in an MBA program, you prove your willingness to hone your skills even more.
Learn Your Strengths and Weaknesses
You likely already know whether you are a math person or a writing person, but studying for the GMAT will highlight your strengths and weaknesses more precisely. For example, you might be comfortable with problem-solving math problems, like finding averages and rates, but you might struggle with data sufficiency problems, which test your ability to infer or use information efficiently. Similarly, you might be a wiz with an editing pen and fly through the sentence correction section, but when it comes to gleaning information from long passages of text, your mind might go blank. While some people like to remain blissfully ignorant of their limitations, you can pinpoint yours with accuracy-and work to eliminate them-while you study for the GMAT.
Develop a Routine of Productivity
Few people walk into a GMAT testing center and earn an 800 just like that. Usually, prospective business school students require months of preparation, and during those months, students must be methodical and diligent if they want to improve their scores. It is wise to develop a precise study schedule around work and other obligations to guarantee you gain as much progress as possible before you take the test.
The ability to create a personal schedule and stick to it is a quality that will serve you endlessly in the future. During your business school program, you should maintain a productive routine for studying and working, and even after you graduate and enter the workforce, it is useful to have scheduled "on" and "off" times so you can maintain a comfortable work-life balance.
Gain Flexibility in Your Options
Taking the GMAT is not a contract. By studying for the test, you are not securing your decision to enroll in advanced business programs. Instead, you should consider your preparation and completion of the GMAT as a call option for your career. In investing, you can gain a call option on a stock by paying a small upfront fee for the right to purchase that stock when it reaches a certain price; say, when the stock is $100, you might pay $1 for a call option to buy the stock at $105.
You will invest time and money into taking the GMAT, and once you receive your scores, you can then decide whether to invest further time and money into business school. In all, you gain extraordinary potential and flexibility in your career by taking the GMAT, and you pay extraordinarily little for it.
