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With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense.

This time, I have got a short and sweet post for you. Take a look at your calendar, and find a weekend to take off from your studies (or even an entire week). Yes, I am serious! People tend to get really burned out studying for the GMAT; you will be doing your brain a favor if you give it a bit of a break. (Note in general: when your brain is fatigued, it cannot make solid new memories. Do not keep pushing yourself to study under those circumstances!)

Second, I have a few resources for you. I put together a couple of posts that highlight what I think are the most useful articles from recent years. I do want to take time to mention explicitly the one post that I think is the most important and the first thing that every GMAT student should read: What the GMAT Really Tests.

Third, recently we discussed how to study for Critical Reasoning. Here are two available resources:

Explaining a Critical Reasoning Discrepancy

Top 10 Tips for GMAT Critical Reasoning

Finally, go take a break! Take a look at your calendar, and find a good time to rest your brain. I have never met anyone who can study effectively for months straight without at least one solid weekend break (and an entire week is often better!).

Is visiting business schools in person still important? The short answer is this: maybe not and absolutely yes!

When researching schools, visiting them in person is not 100% necessary, particularly if a flight would be required. However, doing so, if possible, is certainly recommended. And if you live in the same general metropolitan area as a program you are applying to, you would be doing yourself a disservice to not visit. An in-person school visit offers so many benefits. 

First, it’s an invaluable way to determine whether the school is the right fit for you, academically and personally. You will naturally develop a gut feeling about a school after spending a day touring its campus, attending a class, speaking with professors, and conversing over lunch with students. Not only can that feeling be difficult to argue with, but it will also enable you to offer more-authentic responses to questions you are likely to get about why the school in question is right for you, either in an essay or an interview. Visiting a school’s campus is also an incredible opportunity to learn the “inside scoop” on the MBA program via conversations with enrolled students and to confirm that the actual experience matches what has been touted by the school in its marketing materials. Countless clients have shared with us meaningful insights they gleaned through one-on-one, in-person conversations with students that they would never have learned otherwise. 

Second, given the planning, time, and cost often involved, an in-person visit can be a signal to the admissions committee of your deep interest in the school’s MBA program. This is important as the committee assesses your candidacy, because the higher your interest level, the more likely you are to enroll if accepted. This in turn can affect the school’s yield rate, which is one of the factors considered in MBA rankings. So, if you are trying to stack all the odds in your favor, this is a very good way of doing so!

However, not everyone is able to visit their target business schools in person, often for very valid reasons. Luckily, one silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that MBA programs have notably increased the number, frequency, and quality of their virtual events and school tours. This means you can come remarkably close to the experience of actually being at the school live and can participate in multiple discussions across a range of dates. Definitely make sure to at least take part in virtual events, not only to be better equipped to speak in depth about why the school is a strong fit for you and your career goals in your application and interview but also to confirm for yourself your true desire to attend.

Many schools also offer admitted-student weekends or special days for the applicants they have accepted. In these cases, the tables have turned, and the programs are trying to “sell” you on their value and convince you that they are the perfect fit for you! Without a doubt, attending admitted student events in person is highly recommended. After all, would you buy a house without ever stepping foot inside it or a car without first taking it for a test drive? Given the investment that business school demands both from a time and monetary perspective, you owe it to yourself to assess your potential new “home” as thoroughly as possible before committing to it.

Fortunately, you have a plethora of ways to learn about MBA programs these days—both in person and online—and thus have no excuse for not doing your due diligence for your applications. See the chart below for a high-level overview of both in-person and online opportunities to engage with some of the top U.S. business schools.

Accurate as of October 2023

For additional perspective on the differences between MBA programs and an assessment of your MBA applicant profile, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation here with one of mbaMission’s experts.

Now that the Round 1 deadlines have passed for Harvard Business School (HBS), the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), and the Wharton School, candidates might worry that their chances for admission have diminished. However, these schools will tell you that they strive to make admissions odds across Rounds 1 and 2 roughly equivalent, and although the admissions committees cannot perfectly predict how many candidates will apply in each round, they always leave ample room in the class for Round 2, which tends to attract the largest number of applicants. If you are planning to apply to one of these programs this year, here are a few tips to keep in mind. 

Take the right test.

Fall 2023 is bringing big changes to the two main standardized tests for business school, the GMAT and the GRE. The shorter, redesigned GMAT Focus will launch on November 7, while the regular GMAT will remain available until sometime in the first quarter of 2024. If you are applying this year in Round 2, make sure you are taking the correct version of this test for the programs you are targeting. Neither HBS nor Wharton will accept the new GMAT Focus in Round 2 this year. HBS will accept it only for 2+2 deferred enrollment applicants, and Wharton will accept it only for Round 3 and Moelis Advance Access deferred enrollment applicants. So, if you are applying to either of those schools in Round 2, make sure to take the standard GMAT. If you are targeting the Stanford GSB only, however, you can take either the GMAT or the GMAT Focus; it accepts both. 

The revamped GRE launched on September 22, and the new version of the test completely supplanted the old one. Because only one version of the GRE is offered, all three schools will accept either the old or new version, as long as your test date falls within the eligible range and you complete your testing before the program’s deadline. 

Do your homework.

Fall tends to be a busy time. Perhaps because things are so hectic, Round 2 applicants often rush through their applications without taking the time to build the critical self-awareness they need for the process. Avoid falling into this trap. Take the necessary time to think deeply about who you are and what you care about. This reflection will be your North Star as you fill out your applications. 

With school back in session in the fall, you have an excellent opportunity to get a feel for your target programs while campuses are active. All three programs offer incredible MBA experiences, but they are very different! Get to know the schools beyond the most cursory research. If you visit campus, try to sit in on classes in action. Reach out to club officers and admissions ambassadors, who are typically far more available in the fall than they tend to be in summer. Review the latest class profile, and check out the school calendars to see what events and speakers are scheduled. Not only will all this research help you refine your interests and preferences, but it will also prepare you to be able to articulate much more thoughtful answers to such essay questions as “Why Stanford?” and “How do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community?“

Differentiate yourself.

All candidates need to assess their strengths and weaknesses in any round, but by Round 2, many seats in the class are already occupied, so differentiation becomes even more critical. Look beyond the basics to identify the other dimensions you bring: your core values, your identity across multiple lenses, and your personal experiences. If you are in an overrepresented category in the applicant pool, consider highlighting the elements that set you apart. However, we are not encouraging you to make hollow statements that you think schools want to hear. You still want to stay true to yourself and steer clear of gimmicks. We simply suggest that you think broadly to be able to demonstrate throughout your applications the individuality you can bring to the class. 

Given HBS’s emphasis on building a “mosaic of perspectives” in its classroom, consider what you might add to your section beyond the norm, and highlight this where appropriate. You might bring this viewpoint to the main essay, in which you discuss “what more” the admissions committee should know; or you might bring out unique experiences in the short answers of the application. With approximately 1,850 potential words in the combined main and optional essays, the GSB gives you plenty of space in which to tell your story. Use the application’s different components to showcase multiple dimensions of your candidacy, avoiding repetition wherever possible. With Wharton, you must leverage a tighter space, but thinking outside the box could make you a stronger candidate. All schools want diverse voices and perspectives. How might you add something different to the Wharton community beyond what others could contribute?

Do not delay.

Whether you slipped to Round 2 from an earlier application round or are just getting started, you will likely find that the early January deadlines come quickly. In the fall, most companies are in “back to work” mode, surging ahead on projects and deals. At the same time, Round 2 is full of holidays, which often demand one’s attention to family or other obligations. Finally, illness becomes more of a factor in Round 2. Whether from a new COVID strain or the flu, applicants are more likely to get sick in the fall and winter months, slowing their application progress. So, start as early as you can, and keep moving forward on all application deliverables. That way, if a delay arises, you will have less difficulty getting back on track. Remember, HBS has no Round 3, and the GSB and Wharton have very small “shaping” rounds in which admission is much more difficult, so missing the Round 2 deadline could force you to delay your plans to the following year. 

To view the upcoming Round 2 application deadlines for these and other MBA programs, click here. And if you have any questions about how to best position your candidacy or approach these challenging applications, we encourage you take advantage of a free, 30-minute consultation to discuss your options with one of our experts.

If you are an entrepreneur who is planning to apply to an MBA program, you have some huge advantages! First and foremost, most MBAs dream of starting a business at some distant point in their post-MBA future, and you already have that experience—which means not only that you can offer an important and underrepresented voice in the class but also that you have a higher likelihood of being an entrepreneurial standout going forward. You have both immediate and long-term contributions you can make! However, you also have some challenges that you will need to manage proactively to ensure that you do not inadvertently send the admissions committees the wrong message.

If your business is currently operating, you must clearly convey to the school that you are committed to your selected program and to the entire MBA experience. This should probably be obvious, but you have to be crystal clear on this point because admissions officers will worry that you might have one foot out the door at all times and that you could prioritize your business over engaging in the MBA experience. So, you might want to address this potential concern head on in the optional essay, explaining that you have a plan in place to manage your business during your time in the MBA program because you want to focus on your education. 

Also, in your goal statement, make a point of very specifically highlighting the skills you need to develop and showing that you have a clear sense of purpose in pursuing your MBA. Furthermore, even if you have wrapped up all the loose ends and sold your business prior to applying to business school, you will still need to convey your seriousness about the educational experience. You cannot risk inadvertently creating any mystery about your level of intent that could cause the admissions office to question whether you will truly be present in class or just quietly incubating your own ideas as business school goes on around you.

Another unique consideration you have as an entrepreneur is who should write your letters of recommendation. Although you do not have a conventional boss, you still have lots of options, and the admissions committees will understand why you cannot offer a conventional supervisor letter. Maybe you have an investor you could ask to write a recommendation letter for you? A board member? A mentor? A key client? A supplier? These are just some of your options! What is important here is that your recommender write with sincerity about you but do so at the same distance a supervisor would. So, your board member or mentor, for example, cannot simply be a “cheerleader” for you. They must write objectively, describing your strengths and weaknesses and assessing you thoughtfully and critically.

Another facet to examine is your goals. Think carefully about how you discuss your goals in your essays and interviews. You have likely done something exciting in the course of your entrepreneurial pursuits, so keep the excitement going. And although we have seen applicants successfully do so, as an accomplished entrepreneur, you will have a tough time selling the admissions committee on the idea that you would go into a conventional “job” after graduation. You might be able to present the case for targeting a high-level role at a start-up or an associate position in venture capital, rather than launching another business, but convincingly arguing that you would go into consulting, for example, would be much more difficult.

Finally, we should address the case of the unsuccessful entrepreneur. If you took a big swing that ended up being a big miss, just own it! Whether you are discussing the experience in an interview or writing about it an essay, take pride in the gutsiness you exhibited in your attempt and own the outcome while revealing what you learned along the way. That we all learn from setbacks is not a cliché. Show that you have gained certain knowledge and skills as a result and are resilient. Schools want to admit applicants with character, and you will have demonstrated that you have it.

If you wonder which schools you would be competitive at or have questions about your application essays, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation with an mbaMission consultant.

With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense.

How do you maximize your score on the GMAT? Sure, you have to learn to answer harder questions correctly—but that is not actually enough.

Let us stipulate a couple of things. First, whenever I say “easier” or “harder” in this post, I am referring to easier or harder for you, the reader; everything here is relative to your current scoring level and your desire to lift that level to whatever your goal score is. In other words, this works at every level and for every goal.

Second, as a general rule, you take (on average) more time to answer harder questions than you take to answer easier ones.

Okay, so what does that mean? Most people do not spend much time studying the things that they generally already know how to do; they do not analyze questions that they answered correctly unless there was some other issue (such as spending too much time).

That is a mistake—and not just because we can still learn things from questions that we answer correctly. More importantly, if you want to lift your score, then the questions that you find of medium difficulty today need to turn into questions that you find easier in the future.

Think about how the test works: if you are scoring in the 80th percentile, then 65th percentile questions are generally fairly easy for you, the 75th to 85th range is medium, and 90th percentile questions are too hard. If you want to lift your score to the 90th percentile, sure, you have to learn how to tackle those harder questions. At the same time, the 75th to 80th percentile questions have to become your “easier” question pool—“medium” level will no longer be good enough!

Remember when I said that we generally take more time to answer the harder questions? That is okay, within reason (say, up to 30 seconds beyond the average for that question type). To have that extra time, though, you have got to be saving time on the easier questions. Those questions that are medium for you right now—you have actually got to be able to do them more quickly for them to turn into easier questions in the future.

Beyond all of that, there is yet another benefit. Shortcuts or alternate solution methods that you figure out for those easier and medium questions can often be used on harder questions as well. You will actually learn how to tackle some of the harder stuff by getting even better at the easier and medium stuff.

If you are going for a really high score (720+), then I will leave you with a couple of “challenge” exercises. Answer this math question and this Critical Reasoning question in one minute (or less). Good luck!