{"id":22344,"date":"2016-10-30T10:00:35","date_gmt":"2016-10-30T14:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/?p=22344"},"modified":"2022-01-26T13:08:02","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T18:08:02","slug":"gmat-impact-what-the-gmat-really-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/gmat-impact-what-the-gmat-really-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT Impact: What the GMAT Really Tests"},"content":{"rendered":"

With\u00a0regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. In this blog series,\u00a0<\/em>Manhattan Prep<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u2019s\u00a0<\/em>Stacey Koprince<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense.
\n\"GMAT<\/em><\/p>\n

The GMAT is not a math test. Nor is it a grammar test. Sure, you have to know something (well, a lot of things!) about these topics to get a good score, but this exam is really testing your\u00a0executive reasoning<\/em>\u00a0skills.<\/p>\n

The term might be unfamiliar, but you already have\u2014and use\u2014these skills every day. Consider:<\/p>\n

You arrive at work in the morning and think about all of the things that you could do that day. You cannot get it all done, so which things will have to wait until this afternoon or tomorrow or next week? Which one thing should you start working on first?<\/p>\n

You have a choice between working on Project X or Project Y. Project Y will result in about 5% more revenue to the company, but Project Y will also take 50% longer. Which do you do?<\/p>\n

None of those decisions are easy ones (and many would likely require more information than I gave in the little scenario). This complex decision making is exactly what a good executive needs to be able to do well\u2014and\u00a0this is what the test writers and business schools actually care about<\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How does that help me take the test?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A great decision maker has both expertise and experience: she has thought about\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0to make various kinds of decisions, and she has actually practiced and refined these decision-making processes. While the clock is ticking, she does not hesitate to make a decision and move forward, knowing that she is going to be leaving some opportunities behind.<\/p>\n

If you know how the GMAT works, and you know what kinds of trade-offs to think about when deciding how to spend your time, then you can learn how to make the best decisions to maximize your score.<\/p>\n

Okay, how does the GMAT work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Glad you asked. I talk to students nearly every day who tell me that they just cannot give up on a question, or they figure that, if they \u201cknow\u201d they can get something right, they might as well take the time to get it right, even when that means running out of time later on.<\/p>\n

(Note: I put \u201cknow\u201d in question marks there because\u2026 well, you do not\u00a0really<\/em>\u00a0know. In fact, the longer we spend, the more likely we are to get stuff wrong.)<\/p>\n

So here is what you need to do: you need to grow up.<\/p>\n

I am not saying \u201cOh, grow up!\u201d in a harsh way. I am saying that you need to graduate from school. The way that we were trained to do things in school is often\u00a0not<\/u>\u00a0the way things work in the real world. You already know this\u2014you learned it when you got out into the working world.<\/p>\n

In school, you are supposed to do what the professors assign. At work, you are supposed to think for yourself.<\/p>\n

So get yourself out of school. Graduate to the real world. Approach the GMAT as a test of your business ability and decision-making skills.<\/p>\n

Graduation day<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you can graduate to the business mind-set, you will have a much better shot at hitting your goal score. If you stick with the \u201cschool\u201d mind-set, then you are almost certainly not going to get the score you want.<\/p>\n

So, first, keep reminding yourself that the GMAT is a decision-making test,\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0an academic test. React accordingly.<\/p>\n

Next, the two articles\u00a0\u201c<\/strong>In It to Win It<\/strong><\/a>\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0\u201c<\/strong>But I Studied This \u2013 I<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Should<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>Know How to Do It!<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0will also help you make this mental switch.<\/p>\n

Follow those up by educating yourself on the subject of\u00a0time management<\/strong><\/a>. Great businesspeople know how to manage their time and make trade-off decisions; great GMAT test takers have this same skill.<\/p>\n

Finally, remember that your ability to get better hinges on your ability to analyze your own thought processes and the test questions themselves. Your goal is not academic. Your goal is to learn how to think.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With\u00a0regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. In this blog series,\u00a0Manhattan Prep\u2019s\u00a0Stacey Koprince\u00a0teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense. The GMAT is not a math test. Nor is it a grammar test. Sure, you have to know something (well, a … Read More  <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gmat"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGMAT Impact: What the GMAT Really Tests | mbaMission - MBA Admissions Consulting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The GMAT is not a math test. Nor is it a grammar test. 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