Taking the tests

The top schools require applicants to be good at everything they do. So, they expect them to have good scores.

I was told a 720+ is a bare minimum in the GMAT if I'm targeting the top-10 schools. I set my self a target of 760, and got a 740. I made sure that no school rejected me for a low GMAT. I know now that a high GMAT cannot get one an admission on its own. But a low GMAT can get one a reject on its own.

I started my GMAT preparation by taking a practice test. I analysed my performance and I identified topics which made me feel uncomfortable. 

The books I used included Kaplan, Princeton, Arco and of course, the official GMAT guide. I did practice tests of all the above and the Crack-GMAT practice tests that were available on the net.

I spent two and a half months, studying about four hours every day after office. I kept the Saturdays and Sundays to analyze my progress and identify weak areas. The math section was easy for me. I had to work harder for the the verbal and comprehension sections and practice was the key in these sections.

I attribute my score to all the analysis I carried out about where I need to put that extra effort. If you are targeting 650, you don't need to do much, just study the material with you and go for the test.

But for a 750, you need to really take care of the finer points. This requires identifying areas where you are likely to make a mistake and brushing every single concept in that topic.

TOEFL was easier. Frankly, I didn't spend too much time on it. Picked up the Barron's guide and a CD that a friend handed over to me.

Next > Selecting Schools

Case Study: International student getting an admission into Wharton Business School, one of the top business schools in the world. The study discusses the process as well as the important application issues for the business school admission process.

(This story is meant to describe the MBA admission process in the U.S. The name of the person, and some facts have been changed to conceal the identity of the person. The story must be considered fictitious.)