by Margo Diewald, Senior Tutor, The MBA Exchange
Are you wavering about whether to accept a waiver for the GMAT or GRE? While it may be tempting to skip testing, adding a strong test score to your profile is most likely a particularly good idea – especially when the competition is as fierce as it is now. While prepping for a test may not seem necessary in the short-term, consider these additional benefits of preparing for your exam and getting high-impact coaching to maximize your success.
Before you apply
The approaches you’ll learn to solve tough Quant questions effortlessly will help you be more effective in your career. Here’s one example:
One of my clients applied what he learned to his job. As a salesperson, he had to submit deal models and margin exception requests to the finance team for approval before he could finalize a sale. After working with me, his submissions were more complete and clearly labeled, so these received financial approval faster. In sales, anything that helps you close deals, get paid, and move on to the next opportunity is money in the bank!
During your MBA
If you’re nervous about the GMAT or GRE, just imagine how you’ll feel taking Accounting, Economics, and Statistics classes at the same time. Or Finance, Statistics, Information Management, and Decision Models. The core curriculum in your first term at many top programs is quant-heavy. If terms are just 6 or 8 weeks long, it is tough to catch up or get extra help in these courses. Think of your exam as an accountability partner that drives you to develop the math fluency you need to thrive in a quant-heavy first term.
Additionally, as the fall term progresses you can expect case interviews for internships in banking, consulting, and tech. Breeze through your quantitative cases with strong data interpretation and mental math skills, then let firms woo you with great offers. One of my early career clients, who had attended a non-target undergrad program, exceeded his MBB interviewers’ expectations with his quantitative case interview proficiency.
After you graduate
Data and analytics skills are in high demand and short supply, as are critical reasoning and inference skills. More employers in a broader set of industries are using complex assignments in the interview process to prove a candidate’s skills. These interview assignments require you to be great at working with and interpreting data, determining the most relevant points, and writing an executive summary that articulates your recommendation and rationale. That’s integrated reasoning on a whole new level.
With the right prep strategy and the right tutor, you can improve your GMAT or GRE performance in less time, with less stress, and at a lower cost than you thought possible. Not convinced? Check out our test prep service then contact us and let us help you start down the path to a better score and positive outcome for your MBA admissions campaign.
About Margo Diewald …
Margo’s approach can fundamentally change your relationship with math. Her quant books, All Your Word Problems Solved and Off the Charts! Data Interpretation, use a marketing and customer experience pro’s techniques to make these topics easy-to-follow and memorable.
