Wharton MBA for Executives

Stacey / Larry / Ali / Zohaib, this post is for you!

With Wharton EMBA applications due on February 1, I have been asked by a few people about how I prepared for the GMAT. What follows is the recipe that I used. Keep in mind that each person has their own unique study style, so your recipe might be a little different :-)

1) Schedule a date. I actually didn’t realize until very late that the GMAT can only be taken once every 30 days. Since I wanted to give myself the opportunity to take it twice, I had to sign up for a date that was only about 4 weeks away, not leaving me much prep time. Nothing motivates you to study more than having a scheduled date for the exam!

2) Make it a priority / make the time. I had strong support from my wife, and for those 4 weeks, I spent most evenings and weekends at Starbucks studying. By the way, the GMAT is a good preview to test your motivation for the MBA itself, and to see if you can actually take time out from your busy life schedule for studies. Once you start the program, you’ll realize that studying for the GMAT and completing the applications was the easiest part!

3) Find sources of motivation. I truly enjoyed reading the Beat the GMAT Forum (http://www.beatthegmat.com/) for a few minutes every day. I would read the “I just Beat the GMAT” forum to see what studying strategies people used, what their test experience was like, and how they scored.

4) Pick a few good study resources, and use them fully! I did not find Kaplan, Princeton Review, etc to be useful. I stuck with the following (mostly the “official” stuff):

- Beat the GMAT Resources (http://www.beatthegmat.com/resources.html). From here, I used “Spidey’s Sentence Correction Notes” and “Sahil’s Grammar Notes”. They are a bit confusing at first, but are very helpful once you get a hang of the concepts. I also used the “Beat the GMAT Flashcards” from here - they are useful for quickly browsing through when you are stuck in a line somewhere, waiting at the doctor’s office, etc.

- GMAT Hacks (http://www.gmathacks.com) is another useful site. I went through all the entries posted on this site. I also ordered his Guide to the Official Guide, which was not helpful. Usually the Official Guide itself had better answer explanations. However, the GMAT Math Bible was awesome, and I highly recommend it. Overall, it is quite simple, but it teaches you the basic concepts quite well. I don’t know if the GMAT Verbal Bible is any good as it is new.

- The Official Guide, 11th edition. If you will use only ONE resource for studying, it should be this one! I did every problem in this book and it was well worth the effort.

- Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction Guide. This short guide was incredibly valuable, and I recommend going through the whole thing.

- Manhattan GMAT practice tests (online). You get these free with the Sentence Correction book. I’m not sure if these were very valuable.

- Official GMATPrep practice tests. These practice tests are must-use, and they come closest to the actual exam - not only in terms of how the questions are worded, but also in how the computer adaptive algorithm works.

Good luck!