FT Mba Exec 2016

.
The GMAT Club

Guide to the
Business School
Application
A GUIDE TO STUFF AND OTHER THINGS
by Rhyme
edited by Av, the GMAT Club MBA Section Director
and by bb, the GMAT Club Founder
January 2011
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The GMAT Club Guide to the Business School Application
A BOUT THE A UTHOR

Rhyme, a legend at GMAT Club, has
been of a tremendous help to many
applicants. Having gone through the
rigorous application process in 2007 and
graduated from the Chicago Booth
program in 2009, he has shared his
wisdom about the school along the entire
way. With more than 5,000 posts and
thanked almost 1,000 times by many
members, his iconic presence on the
GMAT club forums has been invaluable
to this community. As you are about to
see from this guide, the man is a legend,
and I am truly honored to have met him
in person. (On the right, Rhymes profile
at publication date)
Truly Yours,
BB, Founder of GMAT Club
1
F OREWORD
First of all, I would like to welcome you to GMAT Club, the largest MBA
community of Business School applicants, current business school students,
and alumni. GMAT Club is regularly visited by 180,000 unique monthly visitors
who generate close to 3,000,000 page views. We are not an admissions
consulting company nor do we provide any admissions related services.
However, we do provide things that you wont find anywhere else and best of all
they are all free!
GMAT Club is an information resource and whether you are just starting
your journey or about to apply, I guarantee that you will find a wealth of
information here to help you along in your business school research and
application process.
GMAT Club is a support network that enables you to connect with people
who have gone or are currently going through the same process. Applying to
MBA programs is a very difficult and stressful process but together we have
a greater chance to get the most out of it (and also have a greater chance to
remain sane by the end).
GMAT Club is a community well. You are welcome to draw knowledge from
it whenever you need it, but the well stays full through those who contribute
back.
Again Truly Yours,
BB, Founder of GMAT Club
2
GMAT C LUB H ISTORY (A N U NTOLD STORY )

GMAT Club has very humble origins it was not ceded with VC money or
started by a large publishing conglomerate it was started by one person
looking to help others on what often is a lonely journey.
On Feb 12, 2002, I walked out of a Pearson Test center holding a GMAT
score print out that read 750 (q49, v42). I kept re-reading this 3-line document
over and over. 99th percentile was not a score I expected. Looking back, it
probably makes sense - I spent 3.5 months of my life buried in books without
any breaks or weekends studying math, grammar, vocabulary, reading fiction
books and taking tests. I literally did very little except work and study for the
GMAT (I did sleep and eat from time to time). I even rescheduled my office
hours so that I could study early in the morning when my mind was still fresh.
Now, after all the effort and having achieved the highest ranking of 99th
percentile, how was I just supposed to throw away all that knowledge, notes,
and time I invested? What else could I do? (Remember, this is early 2002
there was no Blogs or Google Ads.) Thats when the idea was born.
However, the concept was brought to life during a hard period of my life.
Having relocated from Eastern Europe, I was a first year MBA student in Los
Angeles, CA (talk about culture shock). I was in a new place, with no friends,
and very little money to help me fit into the lifestyle. In addition, the first
semester was not challenging and I was rethinking the whole MBA plan and my
school selection. It was depressing or as Dickens put it - It was the worst of
times and it was the best of times. GMAT Club opened its doors in December
02. I literally cobbled it together during my winter break with the purpose of
sharing my MBA experience and helping people take advantage of both my
mistakes and successes. Most of all, I also wanted to encourage others to share
their experiences. From the beginning it was designed with the motto we have
today: Contributing to Each Others Learning
It turned out to be the challenge and the connection I needed. GMAT

Club has given me an opportunity to meet many fantastic and brilliant people
the business elite of the world economy. A few months after our launch, GMAC
found the site and wrote a very nice article (which you can find here), which has
helped. However, the website would not get anywhere without the countless
contributors and members who were and are truly amazing (you know who you
are) and have invested years of their time to make GMAT Club what it is today.
The power and value of GMAT Club is in its members and I encourage you to
jump in to take and to give.
3
As for me, 8 years later, I am spending my time between GMAT Club, a

full time job, and my 2 year old son (and his mother who to my surprise is
tolerating me). Sometimes travel gets a bit rough (I fly 100,000+ miles per year),
but I am still actively involved in the community. The best way to contact me is
through the PM on GMAT Club.
Good Luck and I look forward to seeing you at GMAT Club,
BB
GMAT Club Founder
4
T ABLE OF C ONTENTS
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR...............................................................................................................................................................1
FOREWORD...........................................................................................................................................................................2
GMATCLUBHISTORY(ANUNTOLDSTORY)................................................................................................................................3
INRHYMESOWNWORDSINTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................8
PARTI:THEGMAT......................................................................................................................................................9
HEY,WHATGIVES!THEAVERAGESCORESATSCHOOLSJUSTKEEPINCREASINGEVERYYEAR!WHATSGOINGON?.....................................10
WHATGMATSCOREDOINEEDTOGETINTOSCHOOLX?............................................................................................................12
I'VEHEARDTHATQUANTMATTERSMORETHANVERBAL,ISTHISTRUE?............................................................................................15
ISA40Q/40VSPLITORAN80THPERCENTILEMINIMUM(INBOTHSECTIONS)AMUSTFORTOPSCHOOLS?............................................16
IVEHEARDTHEFIRSTTENQUESTIONSMATTERMORETHANTHEOTHERS,TRUE?...............................................................................17
WHATHAPPENSIFIDONTFINISHASECTIONOFTHEGMAT?.......................................................................................................18
CANISKIPTHEAWAORJUSTWRITEGIBBERISH?........................................................................................................................19
WHATISTHEBESTWAYTOACETHEAWA?..............................................................................................................................20
HOWMANYTIMESCANITAKETHEGMATBEFOREI'VEOVERDONEIT?...........................................................................................28
SHOULDIRETAKETHEGMAT?...............................................................................................................................................28
STUDYINGTIPS.....................................................................................................................................................................30
HOWLONGDOESITTAKETOPREPARE?.....................................................................................................................................30
OK,IMNEWTOTHISWHOLEGMATTHING.HOWSHOULDIPREPARE?.........................................................................................31
THISLOOKSLIKEANEXPENSIVEENDEAVOR.HOWMUCHISTHISGMATANDAPPLICATIONBUSINESSGOINGTORUNME?.........................33
PARTII:PREAPPLICATIONRESEARCH........................................................................................................................34
UNDERGRADUATEGPA.........................................................................................................................................................35
IHAVEALOWUNDERGRADUATEGPA,HOWDOIEXPLAINIT?.......................................................................................................35
IHAVEAGOODGPABUTIGOTABADGRADEINONECLASS,DOITALKABOUTIT?.............................................................................37
IHAVEASTRONGGRADUATEGPABUTAWEAKUNDERGRADUATEGPA,WHATDOIDO?...................................................................37
MYUNDERGRADUATESCHOOLISNTKNOWNFORGOODACADEMICS,BUTIHAVEA4.0AMIOK?/MYUNDERGRADUATESCHOOLGRADES
REALLYHARD,IHAVEA3.0,BUTTHATSREALLYGOODFORMYSCHOOL,AMIOK?............................................................................38
IWANTTOBUILDANALTERNATIVETRANSCRIPT,WHATDOIDO?....................................................................................................39
WORKEXPERIENCEANDCAREER.............................................................................................................................................41
ICOMEFROMANONTRADITIONALBACKGROUND,AMISCREWEDORICOMEFROMATRADITIONALBACKGROUND,I'MNOTUNIQUE,AMI
SCREWED?...........................................................................................................................................................................41
IONLYHAVEAFEWMONTHSOFWORKEXPERIENCE(ORNONEATALL),SHOULDIAPPLY?...................................................................42
IHAVEAGAPINEMPLOYMENT,NOWWHAT?.............................................................................................................................43
IHEARDTHATTHEREAREPOSTMBATARGETQUOTASE.G.ONLY20%OFTHOSEADMITTEDCANWANTTOGOINTOBANKING,ISTHISTRUE?
.........................................................................................................................................................................................45
EXTRACURRICULARACTIVITIESANDCERTIFICATIONS....................................................................................................................46
MYEXTRACURRICULARACTIVITIESARE,INTHEPARLANCEOFECONOMICS,SUBOPTIMAL,DOYOUHAVEANYIDEASFORME?.................46
IHAVEACPAORCFAOROTHERDESIGNATION,DOESTHATHELP?.................................................................................................48
SCHOOLSELECTIONANDRESEARCH..........................................................................................................................................49
5
HOWDOIPICKWHICHSCHOOLSTOAPPLYTO?...........................................................................................................................49
HOWMANYSCHOOLSCANYOUAPPLYTOPERROUND?................................................................................................................53
HOWMANYSCHOOLSSHOULDIAPPLYTO?................................................................................................................................53
HOWLONGDOESITTAKETOWRITEASOLIDSETOFESSAYS?.........................................................................................................55
CANIWORKONSEVERALAPPLICATIONSATONCE?......................................................................................................................56
SHOULDIAPPLYINR1/R2/R3?...........................................................................................................................................57
VisitingSchools...........................................................................................................................................................59
DOESITMATTERIFIVISITASCHOOL?.......................................................................................................................................59
IMVISITINGACAMPUS,WHATDOIWEAR?...............................................................................................................................60
IMVISITINGACAMPUS,WHATDOIDO?...................................................................................................................................60
I'VEALREADYVISITEDASCHOOL,DOESVISITINGTWICEHELP?........................................................................................................61
IPLANONGOINGTOCAMPUSANDASKINGTOTALKTOANADMISSIONSDIRECTORABOUTMYAPPLICATION.HOWSUCCESSFULWILLIBE?..62
HOWDOIFINDANDCONTACTCURRENTSTUDENTS?...................................................................................................................63
ParttimeMBAQuestions...........................................................................................................................................65
PARTTIMEVSFULLTIME,ADIFFICULTDECISION........................................................................................................................65
IVEHEARDPARTTIMEPROGRAMSAREEASIERTOGETINTO,ISTHATTRUE?.....................................................................................67
PARTIII:THEAPPLICATION........................................................................................................................................68
ESSAYS...............................................................................................................................................................................69
WHATARETHEBESTBOOKSFORESSAYWRITING?.......................................................................................................................69
HOWSOONCANISTARTWRITINGMYESSAYS?...........................................................................................................................70
CANIGOOVERTHEWORDLIMITONESSAYS?.............................................................................................................................70
SHOULDIMENTIONSPECIFICCLASSES,PROFESSORSORSTUDENTSINMYESSAYS?..............................................................................71
ISTHEOPTIONALESSAYTRULYOPTIONAL?.................................................................................................................................72
IWASEXPELLED,PLACEDONPROBATION,SUSPENDEDOROTHERWISEHADSOMEBLACKMARKONMYUNDERGRADDAYS,DOISAYANYTHING?
.........................................................................................................................................................................................73
IMADEAMISTAKEONMYAPPLICATION,DOICONTACTTHESCHOOL?.............................................................................................74
SHOULDIINCLUDEMYBONUSINMYSALARYONTHEFORM?.........................................................................................................75
CANIREUSEESSAYS?...........................................................................................................................................................75
RESUME..............................................................................................................................................................................76
MUSTMYRESUMEBE1PAGE?................................................................................................................................................76
HOWSHOULDMYRESUMEBEFORMATTED?..............................................................................................................................76
WHERECANIFINDQUALITYSAMPLERESUMES?..........................................................................................................................77
RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................................................................................................79
WHENSHOULDIASKMYRECOMMENDERSTOWRITEALETTER?.....................................................................................................79
HOWDOIPREPAREMYRECOMMENDERS?.................................................................................................................................80
WHOSHOULDWRITEMYRECOMMENDATIONS?.........................................................................................................................81
WHATSHOULDIGETMYRECOMMENDERASAGIFT?...................................................................................................................84
MYRECOMMENDERASKEDMETOWRITEMYOWNLETTER,WHATDOIDO?.....................................................................................84
MYRECOMMENDERCLAIMSHENEEDSTOASKHRIFHECANWRITEARECOMMENDATION,ISHEBEINGTRUTHFUL?.................................85
SHOULDIWAIVETHERIGHTTOSEEMYLETTERSOFRECOMMENDATION?.........................................................................................85
MYRECOMMENDATIONSARELATE,WHATDOIDO?....................................................................................................................86
PARTIV:THEINTERVIEW...........................................................................................................................................87
6
FAQ..................................................................................................................................................................................88
WHATISANINTERVIEWALLABOUT?........................................................................................................................................88
ISUBMITTEDMYAPPLICATIONONDATEX,BUTSOMEONEGOTTHEINTERVIEWONDATEY,ANDTHEYSUBMITTEDAFTERIDID.THEREFORE,I
AMWAITLISTED/DINGED/OTHERWISEDOOMEDINSOMEWAY....................................................................................................93
DOESITMATTERIFMYINTERVIEWISONCAMPUSORWITHANALUMNUS?.......................................................................................95
IDONTWORKINAJOBWHERESUITSARETHENORM,INEEDASUITFORANINTERVIEW,WHATDOIBUY?.............................................97
IBOMBEDMYINTERVIEW,AMIDEAD?.....................................................................................................................................98
PREPARINGFORTHEINTERVIEW............................................................................................................................................100
WHATARESOMECOMMONINTERVIEWQUESTIONS?.................................................................................................................100
WHATSHOULDIASKMYINTERVIEWER?..................................................................................................................................103
WHATIFIMASKEDWHEREELSEIMAPPLYING?.......................................................................................................................104
AFTERTHEINTERVIEW.........................................................................................................................................................105
SHOULDISENDTHANKYOUNOTESTOMYINTERVIEWER?...........................................................................................................105
MYINTERVIEWDIDNTGOSOWELL,CANITRYTOFIXTHISINATHANKYOUNOTETOTHEINTERVIEWER,MAYBECLARIFYINGAPOINTOR
APOLOGIZINGFORMYPOOREYECONTACT?.............................................................................................................................107
ISENTMYINTERVIEWERATHANKYOUNOTE,BUTHEORSHEDIDNTREPLY.AMIDOOMED?.............................................................107
MYINTERVIEWDIDREPLYTOMYTHANKYOU!THISISTHECOOLESTTHINGSINCESLICEDBREAD!DOIREPLYBACK?...............................107
MYINTERVIEWERWASLATE,RUDE,OBNOXIOUS,SEXIST,RACIST,FOULMOUTHED,TRIEDTOHITONME,YELLEDATME,HUNGOFFENSIVE
PHOTOSONHISWALL,FORCEDMETOBUYAHEALTHINSURANCEPOLICYFROMHISFIRMANDMADEMECRY.DOITELLTHESCHOOL?.......108
PARTV:YOUREIN!NOWWHAT?............................................................................................................................110
I'VEGOT$XFROMSCHOOLA,HOWDOITELLSCHOOLB?..........................................................................................................111
WHATGOESINTOABACKGROUNDCHECK?..............................................................................................................................112
CANIGETAPREMBAINTERNSHIP?......................................................................................................................................114
HOWDOICALCULATEMYROIFORGOINGTOGRADUATESCHOOL?..............................................................................................115
SOMETHOUGHTSBYNINK,ASECONDYEARSTUDENTATYALESOM.......................................................................116
SHOULDYOUSTOPWORKINGTOYOURBESTABILITIESATWORK?SHOULDYOUBURNTHEBRIDGEANDFIREAWAYTHATEMAILTOTHEENTIRE
COMPANY(EXPLAININGHOWMUCHTHEYSUCK?).....................................................................................................................116
SHOULDYOUQUITYOURJOBEARLYANDEITHERTAKEAVACATIONORDOSOMETHINGELSEBEFORESCHOOL?......................................116
SHOULDYOUGETANEARLYSTARTBYREADINGVARIOUSTEXTBOOKS,ETC?....................................................................................116
WHATABOUTMYCURRENTBOY/GIRLFRIENDORSIGNIFICANTOTHER?.........................................................................................117
FINALLYMANAGEYOURFUTUREEXPECTATIONSNOWWHATCANMBADOFORYOU?...................................................................118
FINALWORDSOFWISDOM:...........................................................................................................................................119
7
I N R HYME S O WN W ORDS I NTRODUCTION
This was largely conceived in light of what I perceived as a gap in the

admissions literature. Those of you who have read Paul Bodine or Richard
Montauks excellent books (and if you havent, I highly recommend them both)
may have felt much like how I did when I first read them: a little discouraged.
The books profile candidates that are so clearly extraordinary that it nearly
seems impossible for them not to be admitted to top programs. Not all of us
have climbed mountains in Nepal, spent three years as assistant to a CEO,
completed two international rotations with Goldman Sachs, did a quick stint at
Bain and then, sometime in-between all that, joined the peace corps, saved a
few dolphins from captivity, cured cancer, invented perpetual motion and
learned to skydive. What about everyone else in the world those who had
reasonable careers, some stellar moments, a few missteps and a couple of
lucky or unlucky breaks? Where do the normal people turn to?
In my search for answers I stumbled on various websites, many of which

seemed filled with little more than internet trolls, spreading tremendous amounts
of misinformation. I eventually joined gmatclub.com, which over the course of
the last four years, has grown into a tremendous resource for aspiring MBAs.
Over that period, hundreds of individuals from across the globe have contributed
to a wonderful community resource: providing transcripts of admissions
conversations, one-on-one advice, sharing their essay strategies, reviewing
each others work, etc. This book is a collection of those efforts much of what
is in here isnt mine and credit really goes to the thousands that have
participated in the community over the years. It is my hope this collection will
provide clarity in what is all too often a maddening process.
8
PART I: The GMAT

9
H EY , WHAT GIVES ! T HE AVERAGE SCORES AT SCHOOLS JUST

KEEP INCREASING EVERY YEAR ! W HAT S GOING ON ?
Two reasons: The first relates to rankings and perceived exclusivity. Schools
know that average GMAT score plays a meaningful role in the final rankings
published by BusinessWeek and others - and that candidates (and recruiters)
also pay attention to rankings. Candidates in particular seem to place ungodly
weights on ranking results. It should come as no surprise then that the top 10
schools have all seen average GMAT scores increase over the years. Indeed,
some schools are quite open about intentionally attempting to increase their
average GMAT score.
For instance, one candidate I remember from 2006 applied to a school (which
shall remain nameless) for their two year program. He was contacted before the
decision date and asked if he would be interested in their accelerated 1-year
program, given his extraordinary background and strong set of skills. He
thanked the school and politely explained his preference for a traditional two
year program. He fully expected that if the school thought him such a strong
candidate so as to personally invite him to apply for an accelerated 1-year MBA,
surely he must be good enough for a slower two year program. Imagine his
surprise when he was waitlisted. Further conversations with the school offered
him two choices immediate admission to their one year program (with a nice
scholarship to boot) or, if he retook the GMAT and scored above a certain level,
admission to the two year program. The school openly explained to him that
they were trying to increase their average for the purposes of rankings. It
doesnt get much more blunt than that! In a truly perverse mind game, one might
even argue your odds of admission with a low GMAT score are better at a top 5
school than at a top 10 school which might be (by comparison) hyper sensitive
to their average.
Similarly, the (perceived) fat-cat salaries of MBAs have drawn a number of new
applicants particularly those interested in US universities. Consider this: the
number of score reports sent to US schools by examinees that tested in India
increased 161% from 2004 to 2008. Examinees in China: A 256% increase over
the same period. Of course, recessions also seem to play with graduate
applications. LSAT examinations rose by 20% in October 2009 compared to
October 2008 setting an all-time high. GRE exams rose 13% in 2009, also
setting another record. Cornell University Law School reported a 44% increase
in applications. The same thing happened in 2002 Wharton, for instance, hired
10
an additional 15 people that year just to read applications. In fact, GMAT test
taking has spiked with each recession since 1980.
All this competition leads to higher average scores. For example, at Stern, the
average GMAT score in the early 90s was around 610. Now, its pushing past
700. Thats making the percentiles tougher to hit too for example, a 750 is now
the 98th percentile when just a few years ago it was the 99th.
People routinely claim that this year is worse than last year, no matter what
year we are talking about. Theres some truth to that but not entirely. In 2009
for instance, 36% of schools surveyed by GMAC reported flat or declining
application volume for their full time 2 year programs. Part time programs were
split almost evenly 58% reporting flat or decreased volume. Nevertheless,
overall, two year programs reported an average of a 21% increase in the
number of applications. All of this should be taken with a grain of salt GMACs
data set includes a number of schools that are likely not on the readers radar.
For example, the average acceptance rate according to GMACs data set is
41%, so the set clearly includes a large number of lower-ranked programs as
well.
11
W HAT GMAT SCORE DO I NEED TO GET INTO SCHOOL X?
Well, thats the million dollar question, isnt it? How much does the GMAT
matter? Is there really a magical cutoff? Let me start with some simple data from
Kelloggs admission documents. In 2005, I noticed that Kellogg had published
GMAT distributions for enrolled students, as well as the percentages of
applicants in each section. For instance, Kellogg stated that 16% of their
enrolled students were in the 750-800 GMAT range, while 11% of the applicants
were in that range. By comparison, 9% of enrolled students had Up to 640,
although this represented 20% of the applicant pool. It dawned on me if I know
how many people applied by GMAT score and I know how many people
attended, and I know, roughly, Kelloggs yield, can I tease out the odds of
admission based on GMAT score?
Indeed you can. At the time, there were (according to the document) 652
students enrolled. If we know that those with less than a 640 made up 9% of
that class, then, approximately 59 students in the class had this score. If then,
you take Kelloggs historical yield say 57% - and apply it to this figure, you can
then surmise that there must have been approximately 103 individuals
accepted. Kellogg also published the total number of applicants: 4449.
Therefore, if we know that 20% of the applicant pool had less than a 640, then
roughly 890 applicants with scores less than 640 applied. Of those 640, 103
were admitted and 59 accepted. We can now estimate the actual odds of
admission by GMAT score. Extrapolating the above logic (and utilizing other
data from Kelloggs documents), we find:
<=640: 12%
650-690: 23%
700-740: 31%
750-800: 37%
Not too shocking of course, but interesting nonetheless. Astute readers will note
that this is, if anything, conservative, as it stands to reason that someone with a
600 GMAT is more likely to accept an offer from Kellogg than someone with a
780 GMAT based on nothing more than the fact that the 780 GMAT individual
is likely to have more admits than the individual who scores 600. If then, you
believe the yield to be different across GMAT scores, the impact becomes even
more markedly obvious.
12
Although the estimated yields below are essentially made up they illustrate
just how powerful the GMAT might be in the admissions process.
<= 640, assuming a yield of 90% equates to an admit rate of 7%
650-690, assuming a yield of 75% equates to an admit rate of 17%
700-740, assuming a yield of 50% equates to an admit rate of 33.5%
750-800, assuming a yield of 40% equates to an admit rate of 52%
There are various issues with this analysis, and it is by no means perfect, but it
is at least somewhat indicative. Without walking through the entire data set here,
I took another look the same question based on information from
admissions411.com, this time looking at multiple schools in the top 10. Heres
the upshot of that analysis:
y=4E09x4 1E05x3 +0.0103x2 4.6614x+785.16

R=0.0262
The y-axis represents likelihood of admission as a percentage, the bottom axis

GMAT score. Now, before you go reading too much into this graph and trying to
pluck your own number off it, let me point out that the data set suffered from
numerous problems. First, its likely overstating the odds of admission (fewer
people go back to the site to tell the world they werent admitted than those who
were), its possible the data is reflecting more than just GMAT score (e.g. those
who score highly are generally those who have been preparing for longer, and
are therefore more likely to generate quality essays, have recommendations that
13
have been in the pipe etc.), the data is self-reported (theres some incentive to
lie), etc. So why show it if it has all these problems? Whatever shortcomings the
analysis had, I still think its better than no analysis. Take it for what it is worth:
directional, maybe a little interesting, and requiring a dose of salt.
The point is this: Yes, GMAT matters, sadly, no, there is no magical figure.
Individuals who tell you that school X requires a score of Y, are, more often than
not, wrong. In fact, they usually quote something around the mean, which, by
definition, half the admitted population didnt score. The most often cited magic
figure? 700 but recall my prior point: if 700 is the mean at a school, then, by
definition, 50% of the students scored below 700. Doesnt seem quite so
magical now, does it?
If you find this answer disappointing, you are not alone. It would be nice to know
that a score of X will gain you admission, but frankly, this just isnt true. So if we
cant answer this question, can we answer the next most common? Should you
retake the GMAT?
14
I' VE HEARD THAT QUANT MATTERS MORE THAN VERBAL , IS

THIS TRUE ?
It depends a bit on what one means by matters. If the question is whether or

not quant is more or less predictive of your expected performance in graduate
school programs, the literature is mixed. Virtually any study conducted in the last
twenty years agrees that undergraduate GPA and total GMAT score are
predictive of overall MBA performance, but at least one study suggested that the
verbal score, not a quant score, better differentiates high performers. (For the
truly curious reader with lots of spare time, see Wright, R. and Palmer, J. (1997).
Examining performance predictors for differentially successful MBA students.
College Student Journal; Jun 97, Vol. 31 Issue 2, p 276-82.)
Odds are however, most people really mean to ask whether or not one is
weighted more heavily in the application decision process. Although Admissions
offices typically respond to such queries with poetic yarns about holistic
approaches and no cutoffs, theres at least some anecdotal evidence that
there is such a bias. For instance, Sally Jaeger (Assistant Dean at Tuck) has
publicly stated as much. If you google her name and a few key words, youll find
various statements, but the clearest I think came from an interview she
conducted in June of 2008 with EssayEdge. In it, she flatly states: We focus
more on the quantitative side of the GMAT because our program, particularly
during the first year, is extremely quantitative in nature.
There is however some truth to the other side of the coin as well there are no
hard cutoffs. By themselves GMAT scores just dont tell enough of a story. A
weak quant score can be mitigated by any number of other factors: A strong
undergraduate performance in math intensive courses, a high mathematical job,
a strong alternative transcript, etc. It is this combination that truly provides more
of a picture of where a candidate falls.
The bottom line is that you should evaluate your GMAT score in conjunction with
the rest of your application, because, quite simply, so will admissions.
15
I S A 40Q/40V SPLIT OR AN 80 TH PERCENTILE MINIMUM ( IN

BOTH SECTIONS ) A MUST FOR TOP SCHOOLS ?
Similar to the pseudo-truth that quant scores are more important than verbal,
this claim tends to live on. Those of you who have had too many cups of coffee
may have noticed that a 40Q/40V split isnt even a 40Q is roughly 60th
percentile while a 40V is closer to the 90th. Setting aside the fact that people
who call this an even split are just flat out wrong, lets address the myth that
theres some magical balanced score at the 80th percentile.
The short answer is that there is no such mythical balanced score, but any
particularly weak performances (<60%) in either of the sections are likely to
invite some scrutiny. The importance of the imbalance is only meaningful in the
context of the rest of an application. A weak verbal score is mitigated by strong
essays, a quality interview, etc. Similarly, a weak math score is mitigated by
alternative transcripts, undergraduate coursework, etc. Keep in mind that an
imbalanced score doesnt mean a bad score a 99th percentile in the verbal
section and an 80th in the math will still combine to a 700+ score while both the
verbal and math raw scores are respectable.
In other words, focus not on the relative difference (the spread between the two
areas) but rather on each sections individual performance.
16
I VE HEARD THE FIRST TEN QUESTIONS MATTER MORE THAN

THE OTHERS , TRUE ?
NO. This is a myth that needs to be eradicated. I dont know why it continues to
thrive! I am not going to attempt to explain how adaptive exams work here
both because its boring and because Im not an adaptive exam designer or
engineer. I will however, try to convince you that the ten-question rule is a myth.
First, please feel free to visit http://echo.edres.org/scripts/cat/. This site

discusses, in mind-numbing, advil-popping detail, every aspect of how adaptive
exams work. Those of you with the inclination and mathematical prowess will
find everything you need there to fully convince yourself. Those of you without, I
encourage you to visit the site and try the demo anyway it will show you what
happens behind the scenes as you take an adaptive test and may be enough to
convince you. Second, GMAC themselves has indicated that this is a myth
themselves! Finally, consider the logic behind the arguments that the first ten
matter more. The argument usually goes something like this: If Bob and Mary
both start with a 600, and Bob gets the first three right, then Bob will have a 650.
If Mary gets the first three wrong she will have a 550. Now Mary has dug herself
into a hole and shell have to fight to get out she needs to get six right in a row
to get to 650! Bob just needs to keep cruising along getting one or two right and
one or two wrong and hes done! The problems should be obvious. First, why
would Mary be any less likely to get six right in a row than Bob would be to get
six wrong? If anything, isnt Bob more likely to get six wrong simply because
Bob is getting harder questions? Couldnt Mary get to 650 by also getting a few
right and a few wrong? Doesnt the above argument essentially hinge on the
idea that Bob is penalized less for wrong answers than Mary is, or that Mary
somehow doesnt have enough time to catch up? Finally, if youve read the
webpage I linked, youll realize that the only way Mary ends up being cheated
is if, somehow, over the next 30 odd questions, the computer cant figure out
shes actually at a 650 level.
17
W HAT HAPPENS IF I DON T FINISH A SECTION OF THE

GMAT?
Theres a version of this question thats a bit of a myth as well Leaving

questions blank is better than getting them wrong. Thats not true. In fact, the
opposite is the case - you get penalized more heavily for leaving it blank than
getting it wrong.
Dont take my word for it take GMACs. In a 2007 presentation at the Test
Prep Summit in NYC, they showed how combined percentile rankings changed
based on the number of missed items. An individual who would have scored in
the 70th percentile with zero unanswered questions drops to around the 55th
percentile with just five questions left unanswered! (Each missed question is
worth 3 percentile points of that sections score, not total GMAT score but thats
still a considerable set back). In other words, even if you have to guess do it
and finish the test. Also, it is recommended that you pick a random answer on
the last question while you are working on it so that in case you dont confirm it
before the clock runs out, you at least answered the question, even if
incorrectly.
18
C AN I SKIP THE AWA OR JUST WRITE GIBBERISH ?
For those unfamiliar with the AWA, it is the writing assessment portion at the
beginning of the GMAT exam. As for skipping it: Please dont. Some people are
tempted to do this in an effort to shorten the exam (and enter the subsequent
portions) more relaxed, but the AWA is reported on your final exams sheets.
Schools can see youve done this, and while the degree to which they might
care is arguable, it certainly isnt a warm start. Some schools have also stated
that they do read the AWA, while others have indicated they use it to compare
writing samples with essays (e.g. if your essays are fabulous but you scored in
the 30th percentile on verbal, they might take a look at your AWA). Just practice
at home until you find yourself capable of concentrating for that long. As for
writing junk, dont do that either. Yes, it is graded by computer, but it also graded
by a human (the scores are then averaged, but if they differ too much, then a
second human reads and the two human scores are averaged). Bottom line:
Gibberish wont work.
GMAC publishes all of the AWA topics for their essays and you are welcome to
download and practice with a few here.
There is also an official tool (automated) from the GMAC that can help you
evaluate your essay using the same methodology as it would on the real GMAT.
See some of the experiences with GMAT Write here.
19
W HAT IS THE BEST WAY TO A CE THE AWA?
The AWA section usually does not require much preparation. Almost everyone
gets at least 4.0 but it is rather hard to get the full 6.0 score. Here is a guide to
AWA 6.0 from Chineseburnt, one of the GMAT Club Members. His
recommendation is to use a template and it has worked for thousands of test-
takers. Chances are, it will work for you too! The full thread can be found here:
Argument Essay Template

Introduction:
The argument claims that ....(restate)

Stated in this way the argument:
o manipulates facts and conveys a distorted view of the
situation
o reveals examples of leap of faith, poor reasoning and ill-
defined terminology
o fails to mention several key factors, on the basis of which
it could be evaluated
The conclusion of the argument relies on assumptions for which
there is no clear evidence. Hence, the argument is
weak/unconvincing and has several flaws.
1st Paragraph:
First, the argument readily assumes that......

This statement is a stretch....
For example,...
Clearly,...
The argument could have been much clearer if it explicitly stated
that...
2nd Paragraph:
Second, the argument claims that....

This is again a very weak and unsupported claim as the
argument does not demonstrate any correlation between....and...
To illustrate,...
20
While,...
However,....indeed....
In fact, it is not at all clear...rather....
If the argument had provided evidence that.....then the argument
would have been a lot more convincing.
3rd Paragraph:
Finally,... (pose some questions for the argument).....Without

convincing answers to these questions, one is left with the
impression that the claim is more of a wishful thinking rather than
substantive evidence.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the argument is flawed for the above-mentioned

reasons and is therefore unconvincing. It could be considerably
strengthened if the author clearly mentioned all the relevant
facts....
In order to assess the merits of a certain situation/decision, it is
essential to have full knowledge of all contributing factors. In this
particular case....
Without this information, the argument remains unsubstantiated
and open to debate.
Issue Essay Template

Introduction:
Many/some people think that....Others.....(restate)

The issue is a controversial one but a closer examination reveals
that....(take a position)...for several reasons.
1st Paragraph
One reason is that/for...

For example,...
Furthermore,...
21
Clearly,...
2nd Paragraph
Another reason is that/for...

To illustrate,...
As a result,...
3rd Paragraph
Perhaps the best reason is (that)....

Specifically,...
Moreover/In addition....
In fact,....
Therefore,....
Conclusion:
In summary, while there are arguments to be made for both

sides, it is clear that there are greater advantages to....(repeat
the reasons).
Certainly,.....outweigh.......
Hence,....(re-affirm your position)
Analysis of an Argument Essay Example:

ESSAY QUESTION:
The following appeared in the editorial section of a national news magazine:
"The rating system for electronic games is similar to the movie rating system in
that it provides consumers with a quick reference so that they can determine if
the subject matter and contents are appropriate. This electronic game rating
system is not working because it is self regulated and the fines for violating the
rating system are nominal. As a result an independent body should oversee
the game industry and companies that knowingly violate the rating system
should be prohibited from releasing a game for two years."
22
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the
argument's logic and analyze the argument's underlying assumptions. In
addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might
counter the argument's conclusion. You may also discuss what additional
evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would
make the argument more logically sound.
YOUR RESPONSE:
The argument claims that the electronic games rating system, although
similar to the movie rating system, is not working because it is self regulated
and violation fines are nominal, Hence, the gaming rating system should be
overseen by an independent body. Stated in this way the argument fails to
mention several key factors, on the basis of which it could be evaluated. The
conclusion relies on assumptions, for which there is no clear evidence.
Therefore, the argument is rather weak, unconvincing, and has several flaws.
First, the argument readily assumes that because the electronic game rating
system is self regulated, it is not working well. This statement is a stretch and
not substantiated in any way. There are numerous examples in other areas of
business or commerce, where the entities are self regulated and rather
successful. For instance, FIA, the Formula1 racing organization is self
regulated. Yet, the sport is very popular and successful, drawing millions of
spectators around the world each year. Tickets are rather expensive, races are
shown on pay-per-view, and nearly all drivers are paid very well. Another
example is the paralleled movie rating system that the argument mentions.
The author fails to clarify whether it is working well, but it is clear that the
movie rating system is pretty well received by people, who often base their
decisions to go see a movie with kids or not on the movie rating. It has never
been a case when someone would feel cheated by the movie rating and
express disappointment afterwards. Since the movie rating system is also self
regulated, it follows that this regulatory method is working pretty well and it is
not obvious how it can be the reason for the poor electronic game rating
system. The argument would have been much clearer if it explicitly gave
examples of how the self regulatory system led to bad ratings and customer
dissatisfaction.
Second, the argument claims that any violation fees for bad electronic game
23
ratings are nominal. It thus suggests that this is yet another reason for the
rating system not working. This is again a very weak and unsupported claim as
the argument does not demonstrate any correlation between the monetary
amount of the fines and the quality of the electronic game rating system. In
fact, the argument does not even draw a parallel with the mentioned movie
rating system and its violation fines. If any such correlation had been shown
for the movie rating system, which supposedly works well, then the author
would have sounded a bit more convincing. In addition, if the argument
provided evidence that low violation fines lead to electronic game
manufacturers to ignore any regulations with respect to the game rating
system, the argument could have been strengthened even further.
Finally, the argument concludes that an independent body should oversee the
game industry and companies that violate the rating system, should be
punished. From this statement again, it is not at all clear how an independent
regulatory body can do a better job than a self regulated one. Without
supporting evidence and examples from other businesses where independent
regulatory bodies have done a great job, one is left with the impression that
the claim is more of a wishful thinking rather than substantive evidence. As a
result, this conclusion has no legs to stand on.
In summary, the argument is flawed and therefore unconvincing. It

could be considerably strengthened if the author clearly mentioned all the
relevant facts. In order to assess the merits of a certain situation, it is essential
to have full knowledge of all contributing factors.
Analysis of an Issue Essay Example:

ESSAY QUESTION:
Poor health and high stress levels diminish the productivity of todays office
workers. In order to maximize profits, companies need to provide white-collar
employees with free exercise facilities and free wellness classes.
In your opinion, how accurate is the view expressed above? Use reasons
and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading to
develop your position.
24
YOUR RESPONSE:
Some people think that productivity at work could be increased if

workers are provided with free exercise facilities and wellness classes, as this
will improve the workers health and diminish the level of stress in the office.
Other people support the claim that people should manage their own health
and stress level outside the work space. The issue is a controversial one but a
closer examination reveals that companies that promote healthy living among
their employees are indeed more productive.
One reason is that people often do not find the motivation or the energy
to go to a wellness class and exercise outside of work. Most people are
usually very tired by the end of the work day and have other family duties or
priorities to worry about. For example, doing grocery shopping, cooking,
picking up the kids from practice, etc. Therefore, it is very difficult for such
people to make time for exercising and maintain healthy habits. As a result,
the stress from a long day of work at the office gets carried over to the next
day and the pattern repeats. Eventually, the health of those people worsens
and their productivity on the job diminishes.
Another reason is that people often find it attractive to do what their

friends or colleagues do. For instance, if five colleagues of a worker join a
pilates class and are happy about it, they then tend to recommend it to the
worker in question and she will eventually join the class. Contagious behavior
such as this can be very easily achieved on the job if pilates classes are
offered, because then the discovery of the opportunity and the motivation to
join are easily found. Hence, exercising at work becomes a very comfortable
activity easily fit into a schedule and promotes the health and happiness of the
employees. They not only feel better heath-wise after exercise, but also
strengthen relationships with co-workers by doing activities together. In a way,
this whole experience can be viewed as team building. Consequently, workers
are more energized, alert and therefore productive in their jobs.
Perhaps the best reason is that by providing free exercise facilities and
wellness classes companies improve their image and become attractive
places to be at for future employees. Not only can such companies attract
more viable candidates for new openings, but they can also retain longer the
employees they already have. To illustrate this point, let us take Google for
example. The company was recently ranked as the best one to work at. One of
the main criteria for achieving this rank was the fact that the company takes
very good care of its employees in terms of encouraging healthy living. There
25
are numerous sports facilities on the Google campus which people are
encouraged to use. Those include gyms, swimming pools, volleyball courts,
massage chairs, etc. Personal trainers are also available for free for anyone
that needs them. There is also a health center facility on site. With that kind of
environment it is difficult to not take advantage and live a healthy living,
resulting in better productivity on the job.
In summary, while there are arguments to be made for both sides of the
issue, it is clear that there are much greater advantages for companies to
provide their workers with free health facilities and classes. Workers find it not
only much easier to take advantage of such opportunities on site, but also are
much more motivated to do so there. Participating in sports activities improves
the workers' mood, desire to work hard, keeps them healthy, and creates a
bond among workers. As a result, this translates to a better productivity of the
workers and ultimately to maximized profits for the company.
Final tips:
During the tutorial type in a few sentences in the mock essay window to
get used to the keyboard.
Again during the tutorial, jot down on your notebook the basic structure
of your essays or the opening sentences in case you get too nervous
and forget them when the clock starts ticking.
Write as much as you can. Try to write at least 500 words per essay.
Always have the e-rater in mind as your potential reviewer. Remember
that the human rater will make every effort to grade just like the e-rater.
In that sense, keep your structure and volume in mind over actual
quality/content.
Be careful of spelling mistakes. Double check words that you normally
know you misspell (e.g. exercise). Try to finish 2-3 minutes before time
is up so you can slowly re-read your essay for the purposes of spell
checking. Do not reorganize/delete sentences/paragraphs with less
than 2 min left.
No matter how great you thought your essays went, try to stay humble
and focused - remember this was just a warm-up and the real stuff
hasn't started yet!
26
Structural Words (should be all over the essays)

1. Supporting examples - for example, to illustrate, for instance,
because, specifically
2. Additional support - furthermore, in addition, similarly, just as, also,
as a result, moreover
3. Importance - surely, truly, undoubtedly, clearly, in fact, most
importantly
4. Contrast - on the contrary, yet, despite, rather, instead, however,
although, while
5. Decide against - one cannot deny that, it could be argued that,
granted, admittedly
6. Concluding - therefore, in summary, consequently, hence, in
conclusion, ultimately, in closing
27
H OW MANY TIMES CAN I TAKE THE GMAT BEFORE I' VE

OVERDONE IT ?
GMAC has stated that roughly 20% of test takers are repeat candidates, so
dont fret if you have to retake the GMAT you are not alone. There are many
people who take it twice or three times, and Ive even known a few who hit five.
As a rule of thumb, the generally accepted maximum is four times. Again, I

come back to the prior point, if you think you can substantially raise your score
then its likely worth retaking. A word of warning however, I would not
recommend simply taking the exam four times on the off chance you happen to
improve. This isnt like flipping coins. There are diminishing marginal returns to
each attempt and at some point, it starts to look like you dont have big picture
skills. A final note: Unlike the SATs, schools will see all scores in your score
report, so it is not a good idea to just go in and wing it hoping for a good score.
S HOULD I RETAKE THE GMAT?
This question is posed an awful lot and invariably the concern goes something
like this: I just finished my 2nd attempt at the GMAT and scored a 620 with a
split of 32/34. I want to apply to Chicago, Stanford and Cornell should I
retake?
The answer to the question, as you may have guessed, isnt as simple as a yes
or a no. It depends on a variety of factors, all of which, fortunately, you can do a
pretty good job of assessing yourself.
First, theres the question of time commitment, effort and opportunity cost. What
will you give up by taking the exam? If you believe you can score better with
minimal effort, then presumably, you only lose money by re-attempting.
However, more often than not, improving your score will either require
substantial effort or the exam timeline will overlap with the same period in which
applications are due. The risk is that you overextend yourself into both GMAT
studies and preparing applications and rather than doing an excellent job on
both, you do a so-so job on both. Unfortunately, a mediocre GMAT score
combined with a mediocre set of essays wont get you far. The first question
therefore that you should ask yourself is: Do I have the time?
28
The second question, very much related to the first, is one of return on
investment. If you believe the graphs I showed earlier (See What GMAT score
do I need to get into school X), then, a 10 point move seems rather
inconsequential. If you redo the prior analysis and force a linear relationship
you see a doubling of odds every 50 points which sounds great, until you
consider the fact that GMAT scores are not linear, and therefore (1) Its probably
not doubling and (2) a 50 point move is quite dramatic. However you dice the
data the point is the same: if you can move your score substantially,
absolutely retake it. If you are hoping for a 10 or 20 point increase, odds are,
your time is better spent elsewhere.
So, how likely are you to improve? GMAC conducted a survey of almost 30,000
applicants (of which 18% retook the exam) and found that, on average,
individuals improved 31 points. That sounds pretty good, but the standard
deviation was 56 so no guarantees! In fact, 30% of test takers did worse on
the retake (20% reducing their score by up to 40 points, and 10% by more than
40). However, 30% also increased their score 10 to 40 points, 30% increased by
50 to 90, and 10% increased their score by an astounding 100 or more! (These
people must have been drunk the first time around, I guess).
To get more retaking tips and to learn about retaking statistics on GMAT Club,
please visit this discussion.
29
Studying Tips

H OW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PREPARE ?
Fortunately, GMAC released some data on this in a 2007 presentation to the

Test Prep Summit in NYC. What they found is big surprise preparing helps!
In particular, those who scored below 500 reported studying an average of 82
hours, while those who scored above a 700 reported studying an average of
114. (Please dont interpret that to indicate that 30 hours of studying will
increase your score from 500 to 700). Remember also that this is just an
average (sadly, GMAC did not provide standard deviation figures) so some
individuals may study 20 hours and others may study 200. In fact, 25% of those
surveyed reported studying 101 or more hours.
Ok, how about in terms of weeks? Again, GMAC has some helpful information.
Fully 70% of those that studied less than 1 week scored less than 600, while
50% of those who studied 10 weeks or more did. The general thing to remember
here is that these are just averages. Some people will obtain a 700+ score with
essentially zero effort, and for others, a 600 will require hundreds of hours of
prep.
Moreover, I personally think these figures are somewhat under-reported for two
reasons: individuals tend not to want to admit that they studied a tremendous
amount (fear of looking foolish) and because studies have shown that people
systemically underestimate the amount of time they spend doing tasks (in fact,
there are entire businesses in the radio and TV markets that focus solely on
getting accurate listening information precisely because people so dramatically
underestimate).
My advice: Assume you are not in the category of an effortless 750, begin
preparing well ahead of time and be prepared to invest 100 - 200 hours. If it
turns out you only needed ten, good for you! If not, better to find that out during
the summer than two weeks before application deadlines!
30
O K , I M NEW TO THIS WHOLE GMAT THING . H OW SHOULD I

PREPARE ?
There are two main tracks:
1. GMAT Courses
2. Self-study
GMAT Courses
If you are looking for a course, make sure you visit GMAT Clubs Marketplace to
get the best price on any GMAT Corse: http://gmatclub.com/marketplace. There
are some really good deals going on right now, esp. the one from Knewton (50%
off the usual price, which allows you to take a course for $345, just a bit more
than it would cost you to buy the books). Learn more here about the Knewton
deal. You can also find reviews of various GMAT courses here.
Self-Study
For self-study, please visit these three threads to get a very detailed step by
step plan and will suggest books for your needs. At minimum, you should take a
practice test (any of them will do) to get an idea what your weaknesses are and
where you score is.
1. GMAT Study Plan
2. Best GMAT Books
3. Top 20 GMAT Books purchased by GMAT Club members
Books you should absolutely be aware of:
Official Guide for GMAT Review 12th Edition: Published by GMAC. This book
has 800 real GMAT questions that were retired from previous tests, so it doesnt
get more real than this. The questions are organized by level of difficulty and
the practice questions follow the actual GMAT test patterns, so you grow
accustomed to the style. Note however that this book has no strategies and few
31
review sections. It is essentially little more than 800 questions. Nonetheless, if

you buy nothing else, buy this.
If 800 questions dont sound like enough to you, the two accompanying official
books are:
The Eight Manhattan GMAT books: These books contain relatively few
practice problems, but are excellent resources for actual strategies and study
materials. Although the books lack many practice questions of their own, they do
reference questions in the official guide. The eight books focus on different key
areas and cover GMAT in its entirety.
Within the gmatclub.com community, it is worth nothing that the Manhattan

Sentence Correction book is often cited as the gold standard of sentence
correction guides. These can be purchased directly from Manhattan GMAT
(www.manhattangmat.com) but can sometimes be found new or used for
(much) less on Amazon. Also, worth noting is that the books come with online
practice and the 6 Manhattan GMAT CAT tests are included with every book, so
it is worth buying at least one.
Need Extra help with Math or Verbal?
Extra help with Math: the best recommendation is to grab Manhattan

GMAT Math Foundations and start from the beginning. This is the most
reliable strategy start from the origins and dont move to new topics
until you are comfortable with what you have covered. If you find yourself
stuck at 40 or 45 and looking to go to 50+ on the quant, consider getting
access to the GMAT Club tests. They are available for free on all Federal
US holidays.
Extra help with Verbal: the Manhattan GMAT Guides work great but you
can also get GMAT Clubs Grammar book it is by far the best grammar
resource for the GMAT.
32
T HIS LOOKS LIKE AN EXPENSIVE ENDEAVOR . H OW MUCH IS

THIS GMAT AND APPLICATION BUSINESS GOING TO RUN ME ?
Indeed, it is expensive. Your total cost will of course depend on a number of

factors GMAT prep courses (which run into the thousands), the GMAT exam
itself ($250 a pop), various books (easily reaching a hundred or more),
application fees (many reach $200), the number of schools you apply to,
whether or not you visit (flights, etc.), transcript requests from your alma mater,
new clothing if you need it (suits), professional essay services (if you so choose,
some of which are north of $5000), gifts for your recommenders, etc. Whats all
this going to add up to?
An online poll conducted in 2006 ranged from $1200 to $8100 with an average
expense of $3500. I suspect this might even under report the average as no one
admitted to using admissions essay services services that might well run close
to $4,000 or $5,000.
If that makes you feel a little nauseous, keep in mind that you can control many
of these costs buy your books on half.com or Ebay, get an old suit re-tailored
as opposed to buying a new one, dont worry about visiting campuses until
youve been admitted (although there is a benefit),etc.
33
PART II: PreApplication Research
34
Undergraduate GPA

I HAVE A LOW UNDERGRADUATE GPA, HOW DO I EXPLAIN
IT ?
First, you need to decide whether or not it needs much attention. How weak is
weak? As a general rule of thumb, anything over a 3.0 probably doesnt need
explaining. Certainly, anything that is near the published mean of your target
schools doesnt need explanation. So, if your GPA is below a 3.0, or otherwise
well below the mean of a school, maybe you should say something. However,
before you jump in, consider also the age of the problem. If you are nearing
your thirties, your undergraduate GPA may well be approaching ten years old.
Admissions staff is generally aware that very old GPAs arent necessarily
indicative of your ability. Its not just common sense its actually been
demonstrated in academic studies: In a 1989 paper aptly entitled: Assessing
older applicants for admission to graduate study in management: The role of
GMAT scores and undergraduate grades, the authors found that undergraduate
GPA does become less significant in the prediction of MBA GPA with applicant
age. So, when deciding whether or not to discuss your GPA, consider its overall
relevance to your application.
Assuming youve decided to move forward, what do you say?
There are basically two strategies you can undertake. The first is to own up to
the poor performance, claim to have exorcized that individual from your life and
place a strong foot forward (an easier argument the older you get). This is the
Yes, I messed up, but Im a big boy now position. We have a natural tendency
to want to try to explain why we make mistakes, but sometimes its better to just
take a bite out of the proverbial sandwich and smile. The issue is that there are
few (if any) reasonable arguments to be mounted about why your academic
performance suffered for a full four years (more on this in a moment). Thus, I
often suggest that instead of trying to explain things away, just write something
that accepts responsibility for the performance, sets forth claims to have
matured and ends with a nice strong positive attitude.
What if, however, your performance wasnt weak the full four years? Or what if it
was dragged down by a particular set of courses? In these instances, you can
35
mount an argument. This is where some time with excel can help you find some
positive points to bring up. Try the following:
What was your GPA by year? Is there a positive trend?
What was your GPA by major or by category of classes (e.g. all math
courses)?
What would your GPA have been if you removed your freshman year or
freshman quarter?
In many cases (though of course, not all), you can find some positive attribute to
discuss e.g. Although my overall GPA was 2.74, please note that my junior
and senior year GPAs were 3.2 and 3.3 respectively. Or, sometimes, you can
bring the same concepts to light by highlighting your major: While I recognize
that my academic performance at Virginia Tech was subpar, I nonetheless
obtained a 3.4 in my dual major of CS/EE. Finally, try to calculate your GPA
without your freshman year. Many people tend to have positive sloping grades,
and sometimes that first year of adjustment just digs a hole too large. The idea
here is to draw attention away from whatever low figure you have and draw
attention to your high figure. Try the options discussed and see which one is
the most compelling.
To conclude: Avoid rambling explanations, dont shift blame, keep it short, keep
it sweet, keep it positive, and if you can, highlight something good about your
academic performance.
GMAT Club Resources

Profiles of members admitted to tops schools with low GMAT or low GPA
Low undergraduate GPA success stories
36
I HAVE A GOOD GPA BUT I GOT A BAD GRADE IN ONE CLASS ,

DO I TALK ABOUT IT ?
Some people just feel compelled to say something about that one class in which
they ended up with a C or a D. My advice is simple: if you have something truly
of consequence to say about it, go ahead. By this I mean that there were some
genuine extenuating circumstances: family problems, death, divorce, hospital
stay and other major life events. And no breaking up with your boyfriend or
girlfriend is not such an event. (Yes, people write about just about anything).
If however this poor grade is just one in a sea of otherwise strong academic
performance, and your only justification is I messed up, Id just as soon leave it
alone. Admissions Directors can tell when there is a blip on your transcript, and
one single such blip isnt going to raise too many eyebrows. Why draw attention
to something small?
I HAVE A STRONG GRADUATE GPA BUT A WEAK

UNDERGRADUATE GPA, WHAT DO I DO ?
Nothing. Your graduate GPA is far more relevant than your undergraduate GPA
for two reasons. First, its more recent, so its more indicative of your abilities
today than your undergraduate GPA was. Second, in general, coursework at a
graduate level shares some similarities with MBA coursework. Therefore, if you
have a strong graduate GPA and a mediocre or weak undergraduate GPA, Id
recommend you leave it alone and not write an optional essay.
37
M Y UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOL ISN T KNOWN FOR GOOD

ACADEMICS , BUT I HAVE A 4.0 AM I OK ? / M Y
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOL GRADES REALLY HARD , I HAVE A
3.0, BUT THAT S REALLY GOOD FOR MY SCHOOL , AM I OK ?
Most people will tell you that either of these situations would be OK, and thats
generally true. Im also quick to point out that its sort of a moot point: theres
absolutely nothing a candidate could do about it after the fact anyway.
Nevertheless, there is some evidence suggesting that one of these situations is

actually better than the other. In a 2007 study entitled Correspondence Bias in
Performance Evaluation and the Benefits of Having Been Graded Leniently, the
authors (Moore, Swift, Sharek and Gino) find that admissions directors are
unable to adequately control for lenient grading at different undergraduate
institutions. Their research indicated that graduate schools routinely misinterpret
a high GPA as indicative of high performance, even when they have complete
data regarding an undergraduate institutions grading policies. Thats not to say
that they dont discount a lenient institution at all but rather that the positive
effect of a high GPA outweighs the negative effect of coming from an easy
school.
In other words, you are better off at a lenient institution than at a hard one. Not
only that, but given that the bias remained even under perfect information,
theoretically at least, theres no point in highlighting how rigorous your particular
program was.
If you want to learn more about their research, feel free to Google the paper or
check SSRN directly for a download link:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=728627
38
I WANT TO BUILD AN ALTERNATIVE TRANSCRIPT , WHAT DO I

DO ?
For those of you not familiar with the concept, an alternative transcript is
typically used to refer to a transcript not associated with your existing
undergraduate degree. Individuals generally elect to pursue alternative
transcripts in an effort to address perceived weaknesses in their academic
background. This may be due to a low undergraduate GPA or a lack of
mathematics-based courses. Thus, the alternative transcript offers two broad
purposes. First, it demonstrates commitment and perseverance to your goals of
obtaining an MBA. Second, it (provided you do well) demonstrates that your
academic abilities are at a graduate level.
Provided youve decided to move forward, there are essentially two options at
your disposal. Enroll in a local university or college for non-degree bearing
courses, or complete online courses via an accredited program. Either is fine
and you should do whichever is more comfortable to you and your learning style
(some people dislike online learning). If you are at a loss as to where to find
reputable online courses, look at UCLAs Extension program.
The next question is which classes to take. There are three basic questions you
want to consider in selecting a class:
Does the class directly address what I believe to be my weakness?
Is it relevant to the adcom and my goals?
Can I succeed in this course?
Lets begin with the first question: You need to pick a course that is taught at a
graduate level and that addresses your weaknesses. For example, if you feel
that your math skills arent adequate, an introductory course in Chinese would
be a poor choice. That doesnt however mean that you should just enroll in any
math course. A class in geometry is unlikely to be meaningful to the adcom (nor
to your career goals presumably). On the other end of a spectrum, a class in,
say, non-linear financial time series analysis might well be impressive, but it
wont help you much if you fail! Thus, remember to be realistic about your
choices. Pick courses you can handle, but courses that at an appropriate level
of difficulty.
39
So what courses might make good choices? Introductory graduate-level

statistics or regressions courses, graduate-level micro or macro economics
courses, financial accounting courses, or an introductory investments course.
Even if your goal is simply to mitigate a weak GPA (and not necessarily
demonstrate math proficiency) I would still encourage you to consider a course
with some math involved (perhaps an economics course).
GMAT Club Resources

Building an Alternative Transcript
40
Work Experience and Career

I COME FROM A NON TRADITIONAL BACKGROUND , AM I
SCREWED OR I COME FROM A TRADITIONAL BACKGROUND ,
I' M NOT UNIQUE , AM I SCREWED ?
Absolutely not! This is the beauty of graduate school applications; people from
all walks of life are admitted. Next time you find yourself at a schools reception
ask an admissions director if they can think of any students with a particularly
different background. I bet youll find some pretty off-beat occupations (my
personal favorite thus far is a pastry chef). People who fall into this non-
traditional bucket have one particular advantage: you are memorable and
unique (which is a good thing in admissions).
Similarly however, you need not worry if you work in a traditional field the
fields are traditional for a reason! Your advantage here is that you are likely
connected to alumni (good for recommendations), and work in an industry that
has traditionally been a good fit (e.g. banking or consulting).
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I ONLY HAVE A FEW MONTHS OF WORK EXPERIENCE ( OR

NONE AT ALL ), SHOULD I APPLY ?
Consider waiting at least a year or two. An MBA education is a truly unique

opportunity for a tabula rasa a clean slate. It enables you to go from nearly
any function and any industry to nearly any other. Ten years of hard-core
developer experience? No problem, you are now a financial analyst! Thats
largely unique to the MBA no other graduate programs facilitate such broad
and diverse changes. Pursuing an MBA early in a career throws away the value
of this option.
Thats not to be taken lightly a large number of MBA students are there
precisely because they want change function or industry or both. Thats the first
reason Id encourage you to reconsider and wait. The second reason is that you
wont be the most loved among the other students. Extremely young candidates
are generally not the first choice for study groups for the simple reason that
comparatively, they have less experience than other students. That matters not
only from the perspective of adding value to strategic discussions but also from
a tactical one: complex excel models are more likely to be built quickly (and
accurately) by someone with that experience than by someone without.
Finally, consider that no-experience candidates face a bit more of a battle in

recruiting than there experienced counterparts. This is less the case in large
traditional industries such as consulting and banking (which are happy to get
young, eager and malleable candidates who are willing to work till sunrise) and
more so the case in more traditional corporate general management roles.
These individuals can do well (and many do) but, in general, there is a bit more
of a challenge.
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I HAVE A GAP IN EMPLOYMENT , NOW WHAT ?
Gaps in employment arise from voluntary separation (you quit), involuntary

separation (furloughs, reduction in forces, office closures), and firings with cause
(you messed up).
If the gap in employment is voluntary, Id generally suggest adding a brief

explanation of your plans and activities during that gap. More generally, these
kinds of gaps tend to come up naturally in essays because they are often
associated with a desire to pursue a new career or some other goal (which,
invariably, one of the essays will ask you about).
If on the other hand, the gap is involuntary but driven by forces outside your
control (e.g. end of a contract, project completion, office moves, recessions,
etc.) then you can generally feel free to play the blame game market forces,
economic trends, etc. You also generally want to put some kind of positive spin
in the issue, adding a sentence or two about how the new role fits well with your
goals, or how you took the time off to refocus your energies, etc.
As with most issues in an application, saying less is often a better strategy

than saying more. For instance, you might say something such as In 2004,
under broad competitive pressures, the firm made the decision to close our
offices in Akron. Unfortunately, as a result, I found myself seeking a new
opportunity. A blessing in disguise, I obtained an excellent developmental role
with .. What you dont want to say is: In 2004, they closed the office in
Akron. I was fired as a result and took unemployment for the next four months. I
tried to find a job but it was really hard and I eventually landed a junior role at
my current company.
A brief note to international candidates: In the US, theres a distinction between

being laid off and being fired. If you lost your job through no fault of your own,
please dont refer to it as being fired. That implies that you had some kind of
performance issue while laid off implies that your performance was irrelevant.
Finally, we come to the third possibility terminated with cause e.g.

performance issues, etc. This is a much more delicate issue of course, and
again my advice is that less is more. Unlike the prior example, this is probably
not the best time to try to deflect blame. My advice would be to simply write a
very brief statement citing differences or perhaps how the role evolved into
43
something poorly aligned with your skills (assuming it did). Remember: less is
more.
Whatever the case, dont beat yourself up about it a number of people who
were employed in 2001, 2002 found themselves unemployed, as did a number
of individuals in 2008 and 2009. It happens to just about everyone at some point
in their career.
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I HEARD THAT THERE ARE POST MBA TARGET QUOTAS

E . G . ONLY 20% OF THOSE ADMITTED CAN WANT TO GO INTO
BANKING , IS THIS TRUE ?
No. The reason is really quite simple: Despite what people claim in their essays,
most people dont actually have a flipping clue what they want to do. Even those
that think they know, dont actually know. This is one of the reasons I
recommend you read More than Money by Mark Albion. Its a light and easy
read full of thought provoking pages.
Not too surprisingly: a large percentage Id venture well over 50% -- end up
doing something different than what was in their essays. As a result, if
admissions attempted to craft a class that included no more than 30% of
students targeting a particular industry (or function), they would fail miserably.
The bottom line is that you should feel free to write about whatever target job or
industry you have in mind. Far more important than the what is the why. Even
an oddball goal that is passionate, convincing and excited will take you twice as
far as a safe bet. I recall one candidate who talked about wanting to open up
green hotels focused on eco-tourism!
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Extracurricular Activities and

Certifications

M Y EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ARE , IN THE PARLANCE
OF ECONOMICS , SUB OPTIMAL , DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS
FOR ME ?
Sure. First and foremost, lets discuss what actually constitutes an

extracurricular. A surprising number of candidates seem to have the
misconception that only altruistic non-profit formally recognized tax-deductible
programs constitute a legitimate extracurricular activity. I recall a phone
conversation I had with a candidate a few years ago he was quite distraught,
as he felt he simply lacked quality extracurricular involvement. Towards the end
of our call, I suggested maybe we could continue the conversation over the
weekend. He replied Oh, I cant. Im going hiking in the mountains for the
weekend. Its sort of a regular thing I do with other people Ive met who are into
the outdoors. Weve been trying to do all the big local attractions this year.
Bingo!
Indeed, I think the best way to think of extracurricular activities is to think of

them as activities you engage in outside of work. This might include hobbies
(e.g. restoring old cars, hiking the mountains), sports (softball team, etc.) more
formal programs (being a big brother, volunteering at shelters, being part of your
university recruiting efforts etc.). As you might imagine, leadership oriented
involvement is more meaningful in any of these so if you go hiking, do you act
as the guide? If you volunteer at shelters do you take on a key role?
Option 1: So the first step is to stop and think about things in those terms and
see if anything jumps out.
Option 2: If you are part of some extracurricular program and want to try to take
on a more leadership oriented role, just ask. In fact, you might even be able to
make the role related to your goals I know one candidate who approached a
local dog shelter and offered to help them revisit their financials and marketing
materials. They had plenty of people willing to look after the pets, but no one
with business acumen to help out.
46
Option 3: Assuming neither of those options worked and the problem is purely
a lack of activities completely we need to get creative. Start with your alma
mater and see if there are roles you can take on as an alumnus. (Many schools
will have formal alumni recruiting efforts, even at the undergraduate level). If that
fails to lead somewhere meaningful, try browsing meetup.com for local interests
groups. You can either start your own (which isnt free, but its a small price to
pay in the grand scheme), or you can join another group for free. Odds are,
youll find something on meetup.com (everything from dumpster diving to
xylophone fan clubs seem to exist). Either way, you can quickly become
involved in something of consequence. Assuming neither of those ideas work
out, start calling local charities and see how you can get involved.
Admittedly, none of these strategies can fix a lack of extracurricular involvement

in years past, but some involvement is still better than none.
As a final note, I would advise you against writing an explanatory essay about
weak extracurriculars unless you happen to have an especially compelling
story. Two reasons: first, you draw attention to what may or may not be
perceived as a weakness. Second, generally, the only plausible explanation
involves something along the lines of I work a lot of hours, Im a
consultant/banker/other the problem of course is that plenty of people with
very demanding jobs have very impressive non-work related activities as well.
As such, explanations about lack of time tend to fall on deaf ears.
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I HAVE A CPA OR CFA OR OTHER DESIGNATION , DOES THAT

HELP ?
Yes, to the extent that it demonstrates a proficiency in some math or accounting

concepts and lends credence to the belief that you would be ready for graduate
level courses. In fact, most CFAs and CPAs find the introductory finance and
accounting courses taught at MBA programs quite rudimentary.
Although your CFA or CPA is certainly a notable feather in your cap, you
shouldnt rely on the designation as an instant stamp of approval. Your GMAT
score and undergraduate GPA will still matter and you should dedicate yourself
to obtaining the best score you can.
GMAT Club Resources

How much weight does the CFA charter carry?
48
School Selection and Research

H OW DO I PICK WHICH SCHOOLS TO APPLY TO ?
Before I suggest some ways to think about where to apply, I want to dispel a few
myths or misconceptions that seem to live on despite their utter uselessness. So
here are a few common statements you might hear and my retort.
Useless Argument #1: You should apply to school X over school Y because
school X placed 34 people at McKinsey while school Y placed 28.
Such comparisons are almost entirely worthless. First, what would be far more
meaningful is not the number of people who accepted an offer at McKinsey (or
insert other popular firm in its place) but rather the number of people who
received an offer from McKinsey. (Despite what the outside world may have you
believe, not everyone accepts their offers. This alone should make it clear that
this kind of comparison is tremendously flawed. So, sometimes people then say
something like Oh but school X is much bigger than school Y, so really Y is
better! The argument usually goes something like this: If 100 people attend
school Y and 200 attend school X, and given some percentage of people that
apply from both schools, then the odds are actually better at Y. It sounds
convincing, except for the tiny detail that its still an utterly worthless
comparison. First, you have no clue how many people applied from each school.
Second, you have no idea how many interviewed in the first place. Third, and
most importantly, by the time you reach the 2nd round interviews with these large
firms you are interviewing alongside candidates from HBS, Kellogg, Chicago,
Stanford, etc. and no one cares what school you attend. The brand value
exists, but in relative terms, its meaningless. The only reason someone from
Kellogg got the job and someone from Stanford didnt has nothing to do with
Kellogg or Stanford and everything to do with who those two people were (and
luck, and the interviewers mood that day, etc.).
Picking a school based on marginal employment statistics is foolish and a waste

of time.
49
Useless Argument #2: You want to do X, so you should definitely go to school

Y because they tend to be good in that field.
This argument has some validity inasmuch as you can be absolutely positively
sure that you know exactly what it is you want to do. Kellogg may have a great
reputation for marketing deservedly so and if you are dead set on a
marketing job, applying to Kellogg isnt a bad idea. However, you need to think
about how the school will fit if it turns out you arent the next marketing genius of
the world. If your backup plan is technology startups, Kellogg might not be such
a stellar fit, as compared to say, UCLA or Stanford. Picking a school based
solely on its relative reputation in one field is a risky bet.
Useless Argument #3: Professor so and so is at school X. I really want to take

his or her class. Im going to school X
I find it incredibly baffling when people cite this as a reason to attend a school.
Im reminded of a story I heard about a new student at a top tier schools new
student orientation event. During the orientation the school had a number of
professors sit on a panel and answer questions about their respective courses
and academics in general. A bold student raised their hand and proclaimed that
they had chosen to attend this program because of a particularly famous Nobel
Prize winner. The student continued by commenting that he was determined to
take that course and asked the panel how to best ensure that he would be able
to do so. Its worth noting that the Nobel Prize winner was not on the panel, so
this student had just told several distinguished and accomplished professors
that, essentially, he didnt care about their classes.
The professor replied stating that people who take that particular course do so
for one of two reasons either to learn or to brag and that this student fell into
the latter category. Ouch.
The professor was right of course, most people who take these super-famous
professors do so for the ability to say I learned investing from Fama himself! or
some similarly trite quip. On its face, picking a school in this manner is already
absurd. If you consider the very real prospect that you might not get the
opportunity to take that particular class anyway, it seems downright insane.
Useless Argument #4: Ah school X is closer to NYC so Ill have a better chance
to be at Goldman Sachs or in IB
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Feel free to edit city and function as you see fit, the argument is often repeated
in similar vain. Setting aside a few boutique firms that may be of particular
interest, there just isnt any truth to the statement. In fact, I think its quite
surprising to people how much the employers overlap among programs and
their recruiting efforts will be just as strong at Stanford as they will be at Stern.
The exception is smaller firms that simply dont have the budget but if you
know of the firms theres no reason you cant reach out directly (and many
students do).
So, all in all how do you pick a school?
It is of course up to the person, but my advice is straightforward. First, spread

your risk. See How many schools should I apply to? for a more in depth
discussion, but the concept is simple: applying only to Harvard, Wharton and
Chicago sounds great, unless of course, you dont get in to any of them.
Second, heavily discount the employment reports. Consider them from a

directional perspective (the school has historically done well in these three
functions) but dont focus on individual employment figures or salaries. The
downturns of 2001 and 2009 illustrate how much things can change in a short
period of time.
Third, consider the schools from multiple angles are they family friendly, are
they in desirable geographic locations, would you be a competitive candidate,
culturally how do they fit with you, etc.? Theres so much more to the experience
than How much money can I make or How strong is the alumni network
look at the whole package.
Fourth, if you can, visit! Theres simply no better way to make up your mind. Ive
seen candidates go from lukewarm to ecstatic about programs after a brief visit.
(Ive also seen the opposite). Your experiences visiting will speak to what to
expect in the next two years (or more if you are going part time) and you should
certainly consider them. This is especially true of admit weekends Im always
baffled by those who do not attend. Its like buying a $250,000 house sight
unseen because youve heard its a nice neighborhood. Obviously, you cant
visit every school but even a short low-budget trip or two can help narrow the
list.
Fifth, ask the admissions office to put you in touch with a current student or two.
Many will do so happily. You might be surprised what you discover students
tend to be rather candid about their experiences and its a great way to see
51
behind the curtain.
GMAT Club Resources

GMAT Club Business School Guides These free guides are updated each
year to include the latest information about each of the top schools. Whether
youve just begun your research or youre looking to make detailed comparisons
between programs, these guides are an excellent resource for curriculum,
career placement, and admissions information.
Free Profile Evaluation Weve partnered with some of the best admissions
consultants in the industry to provide you with free access to their profile
evaluation services. This is a great way to solicit ideas for improving your
candidacy at the programs youre interested in, but you might even discover a
school that you hadnt considered yet.
Best MBA Application Tips With over 200 posts, our GMAT Club veterans
have used this discussion thread to share their advice about the application
process. The wisdom available in this discussion is priceless, and you wont
find it anywhere else.
52
H OW MANY SCHOOLS CAN YOU APPLY TO PER ROUND ?
Depends on your tolerance for pain and need for sleep! Jokes aside, as a
general rule, typically four or five is likely the absolute maximum achievable
(while maintaining a semblance of quality). That is not to say therefore that you
should aim for 15 applications (see How many schools should I apply to?).
Rather, a more appropriate strategy is split up your applications into two rounds,
generally with your top choices in the first round and alternate choices in the
second round. This is not a bad strategy in that (depending on the schools in
question) you will likely learn of your first round decisions before you have to
begin your second round applications thus saving you money, time and pain!
Others prefer to mix their top choices among round one and two such that
lessons learned from the first set of applications can be applied to the second.
Not too surprisingly, candidates often believe their second or third application
was stronger than their first. Certainly, either strategy is appropriate.
H OW MANY SCHOOLS SHOULD I APPLY TO ?
Graduate applications are similar to undergraduate applications (except being

twice as stressful, three times as much work and four times as expensive!) in
as much as that most people choose to have a few reach schools, a few
target schools, and a few backups. In my experience that typically translates to
roughly 3 to 6 applications per person.
GMAC has published data on this as well which suggests the figure is closer to
two applications for US citizens (although as high as five for Indian candidates).
Nevertheless, I suspect GMACs data may be somewhat skewed for our
purposes: it includes a large number of candidates applying only locally; it
includes those who take the GMAT but then dont apply, the data reports a
median not a mean, etc. If youd like to see GMACs data, it can be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/lugbkj
If the data could be segmented such that it only included candidates who aim for
a top 20 program, I suspect youd see a higher figure. In fact, in an online poll
conducted via GmatClub.com, fully 47% of candidates indicated they completed
53
either four or five applications. (For the curious reader, the maximum reported
was eight, a strategy you would be ill-advised to try and duplicate).
Returning to our suggestion of categorizing your target schools: which schools

will fall into each category will of course vary by individual, and you would be ill-
advised if I attempted to prescribe a list of schools based on some arbitrary
criterion such as a GMAT score or GPA.
Nonetheless, a few brief comments. Be realistic on both ends of the spectrum.

Rightly or not, candidates seem to severely discount their chances at a top 5 or
top 10 school (Have you ever heard someone say they felt sure about their
chances at Wharton or Booth or Kellogg?). As a result these candidates end up
applying to backup schools that they wouldnt attend if admitted anyway (that
thought doesnt seem to cross their mind until the backup becomes a reality).
Theres no point in casting a wide net if you wouldnt attend some of the schools
to which you end up applying. By the same token, I am not advocating the
opposite strategy of applying only to the top 5.
The other issue Id raise here is that Id encourage everyone to have at least
one stretch school. As I always tell people, if you dont apply, you definitely
wont be admitted better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all.
Along these lines, make it a true stretch school: Candidates seem to have a total
inability to remember basic math when looking at student profiles at their target
schools, especially when it comes to the o-so-mystical Average GMAT. Ive
heard an untold number of individuals categorize a school as a stretch because
they were 10 or 20 points below the average. Remember: an average is an
average! By definition, fully HALF of the student body has a lower score! There
is much more to an application than just the GMAT. When identifying your
targets, be sure to assess yourself on multiple dimensions work experience,
cultural background, leadership stories, extracurricular activities, etc.
54
H OW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO WRITE A SOLID SET OF ESSAYS ?
As with everything else this also varies by individual and by how much time you
can dedicate to the task per week, but for planning purposes I would suggest
budgeting no less than two or weeks per school. You may also find that their
first application takes you a full month of effort while subsequent applications
require only two or three weeks to finish.
For the purposes of comparison, consider the results of an online poll from
GmatClub.com. Fully 45% of respondents indicated they spent three weeks per
application, with an additional 22% spending a month or more! Do not
underestimate the effort required!
It is therefore not a bad idea to pull out a calendar, map out your target school
deadlines and work backwards to figure out when you should be drafting your
first few essays.
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C AN I WORK ON SEVERAL APPLICATIONS AT ONCE ?
You certainly can, although if you have anything less than absolutely stellar time
management and organizational skills, you may want to consider approaching
each application one by one. (Recommendation letters are the exception here
and should be requested as early as possible for all your schools.)
As you will soon realize, each application requires that you collect a nearly
daunting number of details recommendation letters, transcripts, prior phone
numbers, addresses, dates of employment, detailed salaries, addresses, and in
some cases even the employment and educational details of your parents. Of
course, theres also visiting schools, informational phone calls, reading
marketing materials, contacting current student groups or students, organizing
and planning your why this school portion, etc.
As a result, it is surprisingly easy to get confused as to where you are on each

application (e.g. Did I already finish the transcript request for Darden? I think I
did it last week, or was that Duke?). Worse, candidates occasionally get details
of particular schools confused, and you certainly dont want to write about the
wonderful but sadly completely non-existent Park Fellows Program at Darden
(try Cornell) or your love for Kelloggs Friday beer garden Liquidity Preference
Function (try Booth).
This may seem like a silly point to many of you, and I appreciate that for some it
might be. However, I would strongly encourage you to consider tackling
applications one by one or at the very least to find a structured method of
organizing your applications. Whatever approach you take, I recommend you
take the time to create a checklist of items that need to be done for each school.
56
S HOULD I APPLY IN R1 / R2 / R3?
As with everything else, there are no hard and fast answers but there are
some useful guidelines. Lets start with the easy stuff: applying in Round 3 is
almost always universally discouraged much of the class is already shaped by
then. International students in particular are explicitly advised against it and in
some cases are required to apply in one of the two prior rounds. (This is to allow
for sufficient time for VISA applications).
The decision to apply in round one or two is somewhat less clear cut. Round
one tends to attract fewer applications than round two, but the applicants are on
average somewhat more prepared. The reason for this is simple: candidates
who typically apply in round one are those which have planned on an MBA for
some time they finished the GMAT earlier, have had time to look at (and think
about) essays, approached recommenders with plenty of time, etc. Candidates
that apply in round two will certainly include some of these as well, but it will also
include those who decided to pursue an MBA later on (where some of these
items may have been a bit more rushed).
So, whats better to be average in a small application round or to be good

in a big round? The answer is to apply when you are ready. If waiting till round
two will materially improve your candidacy, wait. If the additional time will be
spent pouring over a thesaurus hoping to find a clever synonym for leadership,
go ahead and hit submit. Attempting to time your application based on the
above broad generalizations (or any other supposed theory) is likely a futile
effort. If an arbitrage opportunity existed, whatever it was, Im sure it is long
gone.
That said, theres no harm in starting your applications as soon as you are
ready. Many candidates severely underestimate the effort required to put
together a quality applications. This typically results in rushed application (which
isnt the best strategy to be sure) or sometimes candidates attempt to juggle four
or five applications at once also likely not a winning strategy. Moreover, should
you be waitlisted or denied, you have that much more time to re-evaluate your
plans (e.g. apply to an additional safety school in round two). The moral of the
story is this: submit when you are ready, but start working earlier rather than
later.
To conclude our discussion, here are some statements on the subject from
various schools (from their respective webpages):
57
Harvard: "We encourage applicants to apply in the first or second round, as

space in the class may be limited by the third round."
University of Pennsylvania: "First-time applicants. We strongly encourage you

to apply in Round 1 or 2. The first two rounds will have no significant difference
in terms of level of rigor; the third round will likely be more competitive as we will
have selected a good portion of the class. However, there will be sufficient room
in Round 3 for the strongest of applicants."
Dartmouth: Is it best to apply in the early deadline or later deadlines? It is to

your advantage to apply as early as you are ready. The admissions committee
cannot predict the quality of future applications, and is therefore inclined to
admit well-qualified applicants early in the process [emphasis added]. In
addition, early application ensures that you will receive a decision earlier.
However, it is important not to rush your application. We encourage you to take
the time necessary to submit a thoughtful, well-prepared application. Regardless
of the round in which your application has been submitted, the admissions
committee will give full and fair consideration to your candidacy.
58
Visiting Schools

D OES IT MATTER IF I VISIT A SCHOOL ?
By this point, you can probably guess that the answer is generally no, but it has
a few caveats. First to be clear, when I say that it doesnt matter, I mean that
schools are not simply checking off a box and offering admission to those who
visit or denying admission to those who do not. You should visit because you
want to visit, not because you simply feel obligated. There are two immediate
exceptions:
First: schools that may be a bit more self-conscious about this than others.
That is, schools who are trying to move up in the ranks are likely more acutely
aware of issues involving yield and selectivity and may thus give more attention
to the issue of whether or not you truly are an interested candidate. Wait a
minute you say doesnt that go directly against what you just said? Indeed, it
does and it is in these instances that a school visit may be of particular value.
Second: If you live in the same town or nearby. Theres really no plausible
excuse for someone living in Ithaca to not visit Cornell, or someone living in
Chicago not to visit Booth or Kellogg. Its hard to come across as serious about
your candidacy if you havent bothered to drive a half dozen miles out of your
way.
Nevertheless, the general rule is not to worry, although there are some
advantages to visits. Namely, youll learn more about the culture of the campus,
meet some students, visit courses, interact with professors and generally get a
sense of what the school is all about. That will make writing passionate and
convincing essays quite a bit easier than just looking at some marketing
materials online.
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I M VISITING A CAMPUS , WHAT DO I WEAR ?
Most people wear business casual clothes, although some will wear a suit and
tie. My advice? Suits stick out like sore thumbs, go business casual. (Note
though that for an interview you should absolutely wear a suit).
GMAT Club Resources

MBA Class Visit Attire
I M VISITING A CAMPUS , WHAT DO I DO ?
I firmly believe that people dont take sufficient advantage of campus visits. The
vast majority of prospective students seem to just congregate amongst
themselves comparing GMAT scores and sizing one another up rather than
gathering intel about the school. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to yield any useful
knowledge for the application (or about the school as a whole).
My advice is simple: talk to as many students as you can and take notes. If you
have friends at a school, set up a lunch with them. If you have friends of friends
in a program, reach out to them as well. If you know no-one, try contacting
student groups and see if someone wont spend an hour with you over a beer
(the graduate school currency of choice) or coffee. (See Whats a good way to
reach out to a student group and ask for help? for more on this subject).
Even if you dont reach out ahead of time, dont let that dissuade you from trying
to learn more. Most students are generally quite eager to talk about their
schools so just ask! Its unlikely a student will just start looking for people he or
she doesnt recognize and randomly introduce themselves -- so its up to you to
start a conversation. Find someone who doesnt look too busy and simply state
that you are visiting campus and was wondering if you could ask a question or
two if they happen to have the time. Not all people will but most will. (If this
approach strikes you as similar to trying to pick someone up at a bar, rest
assured, this is far easier and rejection is unlikely!).
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Of course, the point of all this isnt just conversation for conversations sake.
Your goal should be two-fold: first, assess fit with the school (Do I want to
apply?) and second, gather specific information relevant for your application.
The first goal is often dismissed (Of course I want to apply, thats why Im
here!), but I encourage you to entertain the goal all the same. If a school
doesnt feel right, consider the possibility that your energy might be best spent
elsewhere.
The second goal is equally important. Try to understand how the school will fit
with your particular goals, and try to obtain specific information where possible.
To the extent that you can learn things that are not common knowledge or
otherwise in the marketing materials, all the better! For instance, you might
consider asking about:
Specific students groups tailored towards your professional or non-

professional goals (Is there a ski club? Is there an investment management
club? What do these clubs do? What kind of events do they have?)
The culture at the school (What do people like to do? Whats a day in the life
like here?)
The academic environment (Is the curriculum heavily structured or loosely

formed? Does the school pride itself on a sense of academic rigor? Are there
underappreciated areas that are up and coming?)
Professors that might be of interest in your planned field of study (particularly

those that might be less commonly mentioned e.g. not the Nobel prize
winners)
GMAT Club Resources

What NOT to do during a class visit

I' VE ALREADY VISITED A SCHOOL , DOES VISITING TWICE
HELP ?
Sometimes, candidates think that their odds of admission are directly related to
the frequency of visits. While taking the time to visit a campus is certainly
valuable (mostly from the perspective of obtaining useful and convincing essay
61
material), simply visiting a second or third time will not impact your odds of
admission. For discussion of some of the benefits, also see Does it matter if
my interview is on campus or with an alumnus?
As a general rule, if there is a reason that visiting a campus will benefit you in
some way, visit. If your hope is that it will magically alter the odds, save your
money.
I PLAN ON GOING TO CAMPUS AND ASKING TO TALK TO AN

A DMISSIONS D IRECTOR ABOUT MY APPLICATION . H OW
SUCCESSFUL WILL I BE ?
Probably not very successful. Although I have heard of individuals occasionally

seeing some degree of success, all were waitlisted candidates (and I think they
just got rather lucky). As you might imagine, if people could do this, there would
be a line wrapping around the top schools every week.
You should attempt to visit campuses for the purposes of your essays, to assess
fit, to get a sense of the culture, etc. but dont waste your money booking
flights and hotels in the hope that youll be able to sweep some adcom off his (or
her) feet.
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H OW DO I FIND AND CONTACT CURRENT STUDENTS ?
There are two basic ways you can reach out to current students. The first is
through the admissions office, which (it might surprise you to learn) may well put
you in touch with someone if you ask. Thats a perfectly acceptable way to go
about it and you should feel comfortable picking up the phone and giving that a
go.
If, for whatever reason, that doesnt strike your fancy, you can locate them
yourself online. The easiest way of doing so is through existing student clubs
which are generally advertised on school pages. More often than not, these
student clubs will include details about the club leaders, including an email
address. Search for student clubs that have links to your areas of interest (e.g.
finance, consulting or marketing or even skiing or sailing)
Thus all you need do is fire up an email and hit send! Of course, not all emails
will elicit a response and you shouldnt take it personally if you dont receive a
reply. As you will soon find out, an MBA education can at times feel like drinking
from a fire hose and prospective student queries usually dont land at the top of
peoples priorities. Despair not send a few emails to different groups and youll
likely get at least one response.
If you find it difficult to come up with something to say, short and sweet is
perfectly fine. The goal should be to introduce yourself, explain why you are
emailing and ask for a few minutes of their time. For example, you might say
something like:
My name is Ralph Johnson and I am applying to Darden this coming fall. I

obtained your email address from the student club webpage and hope it isnt too
forward of me to contact you. Im excited about the prospect of joining Darden
and was hoping I might be able to ask you a few brief questions sometime.
In particular, I am interested in moving into an investment management role post

MBA and thought you might be able to help me better understand how Darden
would fit into that goal. If you might have some time to speak, I would very much
enjoy the opportunity.
Remember to be polite and remember that they are doing you a favor. Im still
baffled by the number of emails Ive seen that say things such as Im free from
4pm-6pm, please call me then at the below number. Youll have to dial the
country code for Taiwan. Hope you dont mind. or The application deadline is
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in three days; are you free tomorrow morning at 8am? If you do set up a phone
conversation, dont miss it. There is absolutely nothing more frustrating than
having someone waste your time and you wont likely get a second chance. I
recall one particular instance in which a candidate missed three scheduled calls
in a row, citing difficulties understanding the time zone difference. Thats
probably an acceptable excuse once, but twice is pushing it. Three times just
makes you look dumb.
Polite also means professional: do not, for instance, reply to someone

suggesting Georgetown as a good fit with (and yes, I quote): Ooooh ya Gt is
def on da list. der r good wid the acc but dont know of der fin courses. Although
I could read that and reply, I dont want to and I doubt anyone else does either.
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Parttime MBA Questions

P ART TIME V S F ULL T IME , A DIFFICULT DECISION
This is a tremendously challenging choice and a very personal one, so its quite
impossible to simply come down with a recommendation one way or another.
Nevertheless, I think it important to highlight some of the key differences
between the two options:
Part time (PT) programs are generally tailored more to those looking to remain
in a given field than to change functions or industry. This is largely because PT
programs dont provide opportunities for an internship (although some people
land these on their own).
Part time students are typically barred from recruiting for internships on
campus (as it is presumed that you already have a full time job). Schools will
allow part time students to recruit for full time positions although each school
has their own requirements. For instance, Kellogg requires written permission
from your current employer while Chicago Booth does not (but requires you to
have taken a certain number of courses).
Recruiters have expressed preferences for full time students over part time
students in the past, largely based on the belief that full time students gain
greater exposure to teamwork oriented environments.
It varies by program, but theres some general animosity between full time and
part time students. Some FT students consider PT programs nothing more than
fundraising vehicles, backdoors into elite programs that churn out hundreds
candidates a year. PT students argue that they are going through the same
coursework with the same professors (usually) and should thus be considered
on equal footing.
The degree of flexibility across programs varies greatly. Certain programs limit
the number of classes a PT student can take (e.g. 2 per quarter as opposed to
4) while others place no such limitation. As a result, some students simply apply
to their local PT program, quit their jobs, take a full course load and graduate in
two years anyway. (Another reason some FT students view the PT programs as
a back door into otherwise elite programs)
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Schools sometimes provide differently colored nametags to PT students so as

to easily police recruiting events. So no sneaking in!
Similarly, many schools limit certain student groups to FT students only and
although the PT programs typically have equivalent sister programs, most of
the recruiting oriented interactions will fall to the FT student groups.
On average, part time students actually tend to do a bit better academically.

Part time students will tell you this is because full time students do nothing but
drink and party. Full time students will tell you its because they are busy with
recruiting and other things.
PT students tend to be less networked than their FT counterparts. In an

admittedly not so scientific experiment, a professor at Booth asked his part time
and full time classes to list the names of everyone they knew reasonably well
in the class. In the first week of class, the FT students listed an average of 12.32
people. The PT students listed an average of 0.96. Repeating the same
experiment at the end of the course, the FT students averaged 16.8 while the
PT students averaged 6.9. The explanations for why this might be are
numerous, but the general idea is that FT students simply spend more time on
campus, in activities, running clubs, etc. Take from it what you will but if you
dont find that incredibly interesting, read it again, because I think its absolutely
striking.
The opportunity cost of attending is clearly much lower in PT programs and

not something to be quickly ignored!
A difficult decision to be sure, but perhaps these points will give you some ideas
on what to consider.
GMAT Club Resources

Part-time vs. Full-time MBA Career Opportunities
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I VE HEARD PART TIME PROGRAMS ARE EASIER TO GET INTO ,

IS THAT TRUE ?
There is some truth to that claim. The reasons are two-fold: first, part time
applicants are generally fewer in number. According to a 2009 GMAC report, full
time MBA programs tend to receive approximately 3.5 times more applications
than their part-time counterparts. Of course, it also matters how big the part time
programs are in of themselves what you really want to know is selectivity not
just volume. The same report cited an average part-time acceptance rate of
69%, compared to 41% for full-time programs. Those figures include a number
of 2nd, 3rd and likely unranked programs as well so please dont assume your
odds of admission at a program are that high but directionally, theres clearly
something there. (If you would like to see the report yourself, look for the 2009
GMAC Application Trends Survey, published on gmac.com)
Second, the admissions statistics are not used in the oh-so-important school full
time rankings published by BusinessWeek and others. Whether or not thats
fair is debatable but it is generally true that part time programs do exhibit lower
average GMAT scores. For instance, Chicagos average PT GMAT score is 685,
as compared to 713 for the FT program. In percentage terms, thats quite a
difference.
Some of the more cynical among us might add a third reason: part time students
are generally sponsored by their firms (or at least partially so) and are thus cash
cows. I dont imagine youll find any school publicly referring to their part time
program as a fundraising tool so take that with a grain of salt but some
people do believe thats partly the case.
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PART III: The Application
68
Essays

W HAT ARE THE BEST BOOKS FOR ESSAY WRITING ?
There are two books that are generally considered the bibles both easily
available on Amazon, and both reasonably priced. Paul Bodines Great
Application Essays for Business School or Richard Montauks How To Get Into
the Top MBA Programs. Both are excellent and well worth the trivial
investment. You may not need both, but you would be remiss if you didnt buy
one or the other.
GMAT Club Resources

GMAT Clubs Best MBA Books Thorough reviews of the very best MBA books
to help you with every phase of your business school applications.
69
H OW SOON CAN I START WRITING MY ESSAYS ?
As soon as the questions get published, but not before youve read either Paul
Bodines Great Application Essays for Business School or Richard Montauks
How To Get Into the Top MBA Programs. Both books are excellent guides and
will help you tremendously in thinking about what you should and shouldnt say
in your essays, what stories will have the most impact, what experiences are
most salient, etc.
Provided youve gone through one (or both) of those, go ahead and get
cracking! Since this text doesnt attempt to be an essay guide, I wont spend
time on the subject here other than to say that starting with an outline will save
you a lot of headaches and time as you progress.
C AN I GO OVER THE WORD LIMIT ON ESSAYS ?
Yes, but be reasonable. A general rule of thumb is no more than 10% or about
100 words. If no word limit is provided, look for other guidance (e.g. are you
asked to input data into a tiny textbox?).
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S HOULD I MENTION SPECIFIC CLASSES , PROFESSORS OR

STUDENTS IN MY ESSAYS ?
Absolutely! This shows that youve done some research, thought through your
plans and have a good idea of how to reach your goal. If youve visited campus
and met students, mention them and your experiences. You want to appear to
be an insider rather than outsider the more detailed your comments about a
program are, the more this will appear to be the case. So if there are particular
courses, programs, activities or other details that interest you (even if they are
not of a professional nature, e.g. ski club) mention them!
As a final note: For reasons I will never fully comprehend, occasionally people
refer to classes by their codes (e.g. I intend to take 37002, 42001 and 35200 to
address my interest in.). Please dont do this! You assume that whoever is
reading your application knows those codes, and while that might be the case, it
isnt by any means a sure bet. Consider for instance that schools occasionally
hire part time readers to supplement full time staff during peak periods --
individuals unlikely to have memorized the course offerings by code. I wouldnt
want to have to go look up courses in a catalog!
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I S THE OPTIONAL ESSAY TRULY OPTIONAL ?
The answer usually depends on how the question is phrased. Some universities
do leave things rather open ended: if there is anything else you would like the
admission committee to know, while others more explicitly state that the
optional essay should be used to address gaps in employment, weak academic
performance, etc.
So before waxing nostalgic about some extracurricular, take a good look at each
schools phrasing their preference is usually right there in the verbiage. If the
school leaves it open to your preference, and you really do have something
interesting to say -- go for it. Before you do however, please make sure it really
is something interesting! This isnt a place to just cram in one more story just
in case.
A word of warning along those lines please avoid the temptation to simply
borrow essays from other schools and re-use them here. Besides the fact that
its usually pretty obvious, it almost never reads right, and thus tends to lack
impact. That is, candidates who do this tend to try and make the essays work by
slapping on a transitional sentence or two in front of the cut-and-paste essay,
but this usually falls flat and leaves the reader wondering why this story was
included at all.
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I WAS EXPELLED , PLACED ON PROBATION , SUSPENDED OR

OTHERWISE HAD SOME BLACK MARK ON MY UNDERGRAD
DAYS , DO I SAY ANYTHING ?
This is a delicate subject, but I genuinely believe that a well-written mature

explanation is generally the best approach. Most probations and suspensions
are for relatively benign infractions poor academic performance, curfew
violations, drinking, etc. That isnt to say that they arent bad but that they are
fairly common issues attributable to maturity, circumstance, etc. In that sense,
its much better to have an admissions director understand that you were
suspended for something like drinking at a party than, say, aggravated battery. If
your issue is related to academics, see: I have a low undergraduate GPA,
how do I explain it? Otherwise, my recommendation is straight-forward and
simple:
Own up to the mistake or poor behavior
Keep it short
Avoid emotion
Express regret
Conclude with a strong statement indicating you have learned from your
mistakes, matured, etc.
Do not attempt to diffuse blame. Yes, I had been drinking but it was John who
bought the beer is a poor attempt to soften the blow.
Do not spend much, if any time at all, explaining the story. I got in the car with
John, but I didnt know there were beers in the backseat, I thought John had just
been out to a friends house and he had told me that he had left the beer
there starts to sound a bit complicated and desperate.
You should simply state the facts and move on.
73
I MADE A MISTAKE ON MY APPLICATION , DO I CONTACT THE

SCHOOL ?
That depends on the mistake. If its a material error, then yes. If its immaterial,
then I wouldnt bother. Some examples:
Dates of attendance, mistakes on self-reported grades or omitted classes

should be corrected. Simple transcription errors in class names are not as
important (e.g. 16th century roman studies vs. 16th century roman literature).
Serious errors with respect to employment information. This would include, for
instance, accidentally listing yourself employed from 2002-2005 instead of 2003-
2005. It would not however include otherwise minor corrections: a salary of
$42,300 instead of $43,200 or a start date incorrect by a month.
Omission of application materials must be corrected - any missing

recommendation letters, GMAT scores that were not sent to the school, etc. You
dont want to miss out on an opportunity because you forgot to hit submit on a
form or mail an envelope!
Anything disciplinary e.g. you didnt check a checkbox disclosing academic

probation. You dont want to find yourself explaining why you didnt disclose a 3-
day suspension after youve been admitted. If you did truly just forget about it (it
does happen), just come clean.
The best approach of course is to avoid mistakes altogether. Double check your
applications, confirm titles, dates of employment, salaries and other key data
points.
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S HOULD I INCLUDE MY BONUS IN MY SALARY ON THE FORM ?
This is generally at your discretion. If the form specifically requests it (that is,
there is a separate field in the application), then by all means include it.
Otherwise, its entirely up to you whether to do so or not.

C AN I RE USE ESSAYS ?
Please dont! It is usually really quite obvious and the thinly veiled attempts to
twist and essay into answering a slightly different question fall flat. The only
exception to this would be a couple of paragraphs that describe your career and
goals those (I would hope) arent completely different from school to school.
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Resume

M UST MY RESUME BE 1 PAGE ?
In years past, schools didnt seem to have a particular preference, but some
have recently instituted one page limitations. Although you could submit different
resumes to different schools, crafting two versions is an inefficient use of time.
As a result, the best approach is to keep it to one page.
As an added bonus, most any career services office will expect you to have a
one page resume when you start your MBA program anyway. You might as well
get it polished now.

H OW SHOULD MY RESUME BE FORMATTED ?
In the movie Legally Blonde, Elle Woods turns to her professor and hands him a
pink, scented resume stating: I think it gives it a little something extra, dont ya
think? Lets avoid that shall we?
Traditional resume formatting guidelines are as follows:
Ideally leave the margins alone - but if you absolutely have to play with them,
keep it at least on all sides
Keep it to one page
Font size should be at LEAST 10pt (11 would be better)
Font style should be a normal legible font Arial, Calibri, CG Times, Courier or
Times New Roman.
Some other tips:
Rather than use different font sizes for company names, simply bold them (its
easier to read and looks less messy)
Try to avoid using embedded tables to format your resume, they tend to
eventually break and cause problems (and they waste space)
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Be consistent throughout your resume. If you put periods at the end of every
bullet, do so on every bullet. Check abbreviated dates are consistent (Sep vs.
September).
The same applies to dates (2009 vs. 09) as well as to numbers ($20M vs. 20
million or 20M USD).
W HERE CAN I FIND QUALITY SAMPLE RESUMES ?
A great question! Admittedly, schools dont just go handing out their resume
books after all, companies should have to pay to access all that raw untapped
talent right? Nevertheless, some schools have published (or perhaps
inadvertently leaked) their resume books over the years.
It would be a wasted effort to provide links Ive found here as they so frequently
change. So, in lieu of that, Ill show you how to craft the right kind of Google
query to find them yourself.
Google has a useful function called filetype that returns only documents of a
particular file extension. For instance, filetype:doc only returns word
documents, filetype:xls will only return excel documents. Combining this with
other keywords yields narrow results often quite close to what you want for
example Wharton filetype:doc returns Microsoft Word documents containing
the word Wharton. So therefore, if you wanted a resume book, typically
published in PDF form, you might try searching for resume book MBA
filetype:pdf Similar variations often work as well (try resume book as one word,
or try a schools name).
Another trick you can layer into the above is the Google site function which,
like filetype, restricts your results to a particular domain name or website. So, for
instance, resume book filetype:pdf site:stern.nyu.edu will limit your results to
links from Stern.nyu.edu.
If your attempts fail, keep checking back search results change periodically.
Also check the sites docstoc.com and scribd.com, as they both frequently
contain resumes. Simple searches on those sites (try Wharton resume) are
usually quite fruitful, occasionally even yielding word templates that you can just
drop your resume into!
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If all of these options fail, check the student group websites of your target
schools. Although not all groups publish their own resume books, the larger
groups (consulting, banking, investment management, and strategy clubs)
sometimes will. You wont always find something easily, but it does occasionally
work.
GMAT Club Resources

Best Resume/CV Format, Template, and Tips
78
Recommendations

W HEN SHOULD I ASK MY RECOMMENDERS TO WRITE A
LETTER ?
Far too often, candidates consider recommendation letters as some exogenous

variable to their application: a checkbox on a to-do list. It would be nice if
everyone you asked put forward the effort to write a great recommendation,
asked you what you wanted to highlight in the letter ahead of time, completed a
few drafts in order to polish the final product and wrote in prose worthy of
Shakespeare. If you have one of those recommenders lined up, feel free to go
back to bed and sleep in. For the remaining 100% of you, well, sorry, you can
sleep in after you get admitted.
Those of you that have started your essays may recall being surprised at the
effort required. Your recommender is likely to be equally surprised by the
amount of time he or she will (ideally) need to put in. At the risk of sounding
pessimistic: odds are you care more about the final product than the person
writing your letter! This tends to lead to sub-optimal results: Perhaps, your
request sits in your recommenders to-do list until two or three days prior to the
due date, your recommender then looks at whats required, determines it to be
quite a bit of work, quickly slaps something together and hits submit. Or, your
recommender takes a look and decides you should write your own
recommendation (well come back to that). Or perhaps, in an effort to give you a
complete heart attack, your recommender announces he or she can no longer
complete the letter in time, or even at all.
None of the above scenarios sound anything like the ideal world we described!
So, first things first identify and ask your recommenders sooner rather
than later.
Another common (albeit a little dishonest) time-management strategy is to give

your recommenders a fake due-date that is a few weeks ahead of the actual
due date. This can work, and in general its a good idea, but you should be
aware that it can work against you: if your recommender feels pressured to
complete something, he or she may submit an unpolished letter in an
unnecessary rush.
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If you need help identifying what should be in the recommendation letter or

whom you should ask, see the other questions in this section.
H OW DO I PREPARE MY RECOMMENDERS ?
Recommendations are an opportunity for you to shine, and you should treat
them as equals to your essay. This is not a place to be modest let your
recommender praise you to the heavens. Depending on where you work, the
recommendations may come from people intimately familiar with the MBA
application process (e.g. graduates), or people who have absolutely no clue
what an MBA is. Unless you know otherwise, assume you are dealing with the
latter.
In general, I advise people to ask someone once to write your recommendations

for a given number of schools. Psychology majors may already know why
asked once, it feels like one favor. Ask them three times for three different
schools and it feels like three favors. Assuming youve already done this, I
suggest providing a packet of information to each recommender. Some people
put together fifteen page documents for each school, but unless you happen to
have a supremely patient recommender, I suggest providing no more than two
or three pages of text.
This packet should include:
Start with a thank you!
A statement indicating the purpose of a recommendation letter. It may seem

obvious, but it is worth explicitly mentioning how the recommendation should
support your overall application.
Copies of the questions they will be asked to fill in (these are generally
available on school websites).
A brief statement (200-300 words) about what youve listed you want to do
short term and long term and why. This will help your recommender tailor the
letter to fit your goals.
80
Two or three key achievements you would like to remind them of, perhaps
noting key attributes related to business school leadership, teamwork, etc.
This isnt intended to dictate content simply to help jog a recommenders
memory.
Some things you might consider including in your packet:
ALL recommendations, without exception, should include a statement

indicating how long the individual has known you and the nature of their
relationship (e.g. manager, director, etc.). This sets the stage for meaningful and
comprehensive (and unbiased) the recommendation is. Although some schools
explicitly ask for this information, not all do, and your recommender should
include it regardless.
Recommendation letters are helpful for assessing managerial potential and

your recommender would be well advised to address both your current career
progress as well as future potential.
Well written, clear and structured recommendations are powerful. If your

recommender requires guidance in this respect, you may suggest that he or she
highlight three strengths and one area of improvement (noting of course how
you are working towards that weakness)
Leadership potential and teamwork oriented skills are of critical importance

and at least one of these, if not both, should be explicitly addressed.
Claims must be backed up with some evidence. Simply stating that Mary is a
great leader without providing supporting evidence isnt especially convincing.
Evidence can come in the form of stories, quantified results or anecdotal
observations.

W HO SHOULD WRITE MY RECOMMENDATIONS ?
Recall Aleksey Vayner (See: What goes into a background check?) who
supposedly claimed the Dalai Lama among his recommenders. True or not,
Vayner was undoubtedly trying to impress. It may surprise you that the Dalai
Lama would probably have been an awful choice for a recommendation! The
reason is simple: the best recommendations are those that come from people
who know you well (and, odds are, the Dalai Lama does not).
81
It is hard to write something meaningful about topics or people you know next to
nothing about. Yet, year after year, people still make this mistake, because there
is a natural tendency to try and get the most impressive person you can. This
extends beyond just famous people or those in power it applies equally to
those in your organization. Asking a c-level executive that is several steps
removed from you and your direct manager is equally detrimental. Avoid the
temptation to simply find the biggest title or highest pay grade focus instead on
those with whom you have the closest relationship. There are three reasons this
strategy works: First, the higher up you go in the organization, the greater the
odds the individual wont have the time (and will thus submit a weak letter or
otherwise do something less than ideal). Second, if the recommender starts to
fall behind, its much less stressful to pester your direct manager than the COO.
Third, those that know you best will have the easiest time writing a letter (thus
increasing the odds it actually gets done on time) and are more likely to write
something meaningful and memorable. The easiest way to know if youve
picked someone too far removed from your own experiences? Imagine that the
shoe is on the other foot if you had to write a recommendation for them, could
you? If the answer is no, you need to consider whether or not they would be
able to do so for you.
There are nonetheless some usual suspects: current or prior managers at work
immediately come to mind. Realize however that recommendations need not
come exclusively from your current job, or your current manager. Candidates
frequently dont include a current manager because they dont always wish to
disclose their MBA plans. Thats fine admissions directors understand this
(and you need not explain it in an optional essay unless the school specifically
asks for such an explanation). Moreover, its perfectly fine to use a prior
manager or a manager from a prior company.
In some cases, people have turned to clients as well (e.g. if you are a
consultant). Entrepreneurs have this challenge as well, in which case clients or
a business partner, co-founder or other key employee is perfectly fine. You
might also consider recommendations outside of your professional life, possibly
from a director of one of your extracurricular activities. The bottom line is this:
pick people who know you well. Also, remember to ask politely be cognizant of
the fact that a recommendation is a lot of effort (make no mistake about this; its
as much work as an essay).
As an example of how not to ask: I recently received an email from an individual

I had briefly worked with several years ago. He was a nice enough guy, but we
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have barely kept in contact. Id estimate weve spoken perhaps less than a half-
dozen times in five years and maybe met up once. If youve been paying
attention up until this point, it should be clear that this makes me an awful choice
as a recommender. Nevertheless, I might have been convinced to help him out
had his email been a bit more compelling and gracious. The email (in its
entirety) is duplicated below. You make your own judgment, would you have
written the rec? :
What's up buddy? I hope all is well. Hey I'm applying to business school in the
fall at [redacted]. It's a MBA program with a Healthcare twist. I've attached the
recommendation form to this email. We need to catch up soon brother. If you
can fill out this form and scan it and get it back to me when you can I'd
appreciate it.
Ive seen more compelling emails from Nigerian 419 scammers.
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W HAT SHOULD I GET MY RECOMMENDER AS A GIFT ?
First - a handwritten thank-you note should be included with all gifts. Some
common gifts include:
Bottle of wine, port, or other tasty adult beverage
Gift certificates or gift baskets (a little clich)
Tickets to a game, concert, or play
Only you can decide how much you are willing to spend. Ive seen people spend
as little as $20 and as much as several hundred. As to when to give your gift:
most people tend to do so after an admission to a school or after the letters
have all been completed, but you should feel free to do so whenever seems
appropriate. If you applied in the first round, you might time the gift with the
holidays. Some individuals choose to give two small gifts one upon completion
of the letters and another upon admission which, again, is perfectly
acceptable.

M Y RECOMMENDER ASKED ME TO WRITE MY OWN LETTER ,
WHAT DO I DO ?
Try to avoid doing so if you can. Beyond the obvious ethical issues, you really
dont need the extra work! First, make absolutely sure that the recommender still
feels comfortable writing your rec: the last thing you want is a lukewarm
recommendation. Assuming the recommender re-iterates his or her interest, you
might try:
Explaining that the school would not look positively on you writing your own
recommendation or that you are required to sign an honor code stating that you
have not.
Offer to provide some bullet points summarizing key accomplishments or

projects on which youve worked. Failing that, perhaps just some bullet points on
particular questions or a copy of your essays.
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If you have different individuals writing letters for different schools, perhaps
offer to share your other recommenders letters as an example (assuming you
have access to these).
Hopefully one of the above strategies works. If not, in the end the decision of
whether or not to write your own recommendation lies with you.
M Y RECOMMENDER CLAIMS HE NEEDS TO ASK HR IF HE CAN

WRITE A RECOMMENDATION , IS HE BEING TRUTHFUL ?
Perhaps. This is sometimes used as a ruse when the recommender doesnt feel
comfortable flatly saying no (he or she can then deflect blame to human
resources). Be wary of recommendation requests that start off like this. In one
instance, the recommender had the candidate sign a piece of paper stating that
the recommendation could not be used in any subsequent performance review.
Although the letter was completed, it was clear that, at some level, the
recommender felt somewhat uncomfortable writing it. If you get this kind of
pushback, Id advise you find a different recommender.
S HOULD I WAIVE THE RIGHT TO SEE MY LETTERS OF

RECOMMENDATION ?
Many schools ask you whether or not you waive the right to view your
recommendation letters. While I personally dont think it has any meaningful
impact on your application, some people do. The argument is that waiving your
rights suggests, at least superficially, that the recommender might be more
candid (as they need not worry about their comments ever ending up in front of
your eyes). As a result, some people believe recommendations with waived
rights might be preferred to recommendations in which the rights have not been
waived.
Frankly, if you feel the need to see what your recommendations say, you
probably arent picking the right people in the first place. Moreover, if you want
to know what your recommendations say, just ask your recommender.
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Assuming you have a strong relationship (which, hopefully you do), most people
will say yes.
In the end, best play it safe just waive your rights.

M Y RECOMMENDATIONS ARE LATE , WHAT DO I DO ?
If you gave your recommenders a fake date, then they arent truly late. In those
instances, in order to avoid an oh-crap, I forgot to write this! submission, tell
the recommender they have some more time (perhaps now giving them the real
due date). If however, they are genuinely late, call the school and explain the
situation. Keep it brief; simply stating that the recommendation isnt yet in and
youd like to know how to proceed. More often than not, the school will
accommodate up until a drop dead date, after which an incomplete application
slips to the next round.
Also, understand that a recommendation being late isnt reflective of you. Its
reflective of your recommender. As such, admissions directors wont hold it
against you. Nonetheless, be sure to keep the school informed.
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PART IV: The Interview
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FAQ

W HAT IS AN INTERVIEW ALL ABOUT ?
Before we throw out some common questions (See What are some common
interview questions), let me briefly discuss the purpose of an admissions
interview. First, what it is not: interviews are not about assessing whether or not
your particular goal makes sense for you (e.g. the interviewer does not care if
you would make a good consultant or not). They aren't looking to see whether or
not your quantitative skills are up to par for your intended job or attempting to
slot you into a predetermined group. They are assessing, in effect, three
things:
1. Do you have a reasonably cogent concept of what you want to do and

why? (Do you have some basic ambitions?)
2. Do you know why you want to come to this particular school and how
you will contribute? (Have you thought your choices through?)
3. Are you a normal, generally pleasant individual who could "carry" the
schools name? (Are you an ass?)
Second, keep in mind that most school interviews are blind (Harvard is an
exception). Blind interviews mean that the individual interviewing you will
typically only have seen your resume, and not your essays. This is good news:
whatever you had to say in your essays clearly resonated with the school on
some level, so feel free to repeat stories used in your essays!
Third, not all interviewers are good at what they do or will be prepared. Some
will have read your resume, a few may even have thought of some pointed
questions, but a number will have done neither. Be prepared for "Uh, so tell me
about yourself.
Fourth, because interviews tend to be relatively short (30 -45 minutes) questions
may come quickly and answers need to be kept brief, generally under two
minutes. If you suffer from verbal diarrhea, you should consider timing yourself a
few times prior to the real thing. Along these lines, dont be surprised if an
interviewer looks at their watch frequently or even cuts you off halfway through
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your elegant response. For this reason, as you work on your answers to sample
questions, you may want to consider prioritizing your points. That way, if you do
get cut off (or if you decide to cut your own answer short) you at least lead with
your most meaningful one or two points.
The final thing to remember is that interviews are not phase gates: doing well
will not guarantee you admission, nor will a disastrous interview doom you.
Nevertheless, as with everything else MBA related, preparation doesnt hurt.
The following two questions are virtually guaranteed and you should make sure
you have a well-polished response to each.
1. What are your short and long term goals and why?
The most important thing here is to sound interested and excited. Focus less on
the details of what and more on the why. The interviewer is going to be more
interested in hearing about why you want to be (lets say) a banker than what a
banker does day to day. Think introspection, think self-aware, think passionate.
Explain more than you think you should - remember the interviewer does not
know you worked at company X for three years in role Y and role Z, and you
loved role Z but not role Y. Tell them. The more cohesive, clear and passionate
your story is, the better.
Award yourself bonus points if you can also describe why you need an MBA
now in your career, rather than say, in a year or two. The easiest way to do this
is to find something that is going on now in your target industry, and then just
talk about how you want to be a part of this change, and to do so, you really
need to get your MBA education now. For instance, you might talk about you
want to deepen turnaround management and finance experience with distressed
firms, and that, given the current credit crunch, obtaining your MBA now is
essential to capitalize on the growing opportunities in this area.
2. Why do you want to come here?
First and foremost, avoid overly truthful statements. My career is going

nowhere or The economy sucks anyway are not particularly stellar reasons to
admit a candidate. Nor is I sold my condo and have $100,000 to spend or My
dad told me to apply both of which believe it or not, are actual reasons
candidates have cited. Even if these reasons werent awful enough as is, they
dont actually say anything about the school.
So, yes be specific about the school, but avoid verbal regurgitations of the
website or marketing materials its not only fabulously boring but also
supremely meaningless (for instance, while the number of Nobel prize winners
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on faculty might be impressive, its hardly a reason to choose a school).

Similarly, avoid canned generalizations or overplayed clichs. Kellogg is not all
about teamwork. Chicago is not all about finance. Stanford is not all about
entrepreneurship.
Rather, talk about what you truly believe - if theres a professor you love,
mention him or her by name. If theres a class you are dying to take, mention it.
If you can't wait to take part in some activity - say a Random Walk at Chicago, a
KWEST trip at Kellogg, or a round of golf with friends near Darden - then just
say it. Better to sound honest and interested than contrived and pandering. The
best answers are ones that sound true, contain very specific details and ideas
that go beyond merely the website (thus demonstrating a deep understanding)
and tie directly into your goals. Finally, dont be afraid to talk about your
experiences visiting the school these often sound genuine and its always
directly relevant to why you want to attend. If you haven't visited, talk about what
you've heard, but don't spend time explaining why you havent been unless
asked. If you are asked, just keep it short and sweet.
Finally, lets talk a bit about how to prepare. It is impossible to predict every
permutation of a question you might receive and thus utterly futile to attempt to
memorize answers to specific questions (the only exceptions to this are the two
listed above). Thus you will need to practice using the same answer from
different angles.
For example: lets assume that you have a particularly good extracurricular story
you would like to convey in your interview. Let us assume that story involves
hiking through the mountains of Virginia, getting lost, taking on a leadership role
and bringing everyone home safe and sound. Its rather unlikely the interviewer
will ask you Do you have a particularly good extracurricular story you want to
share with me? I particularly like stories about hiking. and therefore, you need
to practice how to recast questions to fit your stories. For example the story
might be an appropriate response to any number of questions: Tell me about a
leadership experience, Tell me about a time you felt challenged, Tell me
about a difficult situation, Tell me about what you like to do in your spare time,
Tell me about your hobbies, I see you live in Virginia, what do folks do over
there for fun?
For some people, this kind of quick thinking will just come naturally. For others,
itll take some practice. Others might find they do just fine in front of a mirror at
home but do markedly worse in front of a stranger in a small room. It is easy to
get confused or to forget a key point when under pressure. For that reason, I
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highly recommend a little trick you can do with your pad of paper. (You should
have a pad of paper in a folio for all your interviews.)
Heres the trick: leave the first page blank (so you can take notes on what the
interviewer says), but on the second page write down short notes to help jog
your memory about key points. Write in short bullet point formats. For instance,
you might write: "Lead: Virginia. Hiking, mountain pass. You can do this for a
number of questions including why this school (although you really should have
it memorized). For instance you might write: "Why Kellogg: GIM, JV, balanced
approach, Evanston lifestyle. Its easy to forget these details under pressure,
and having one or two word reminders is helpful. Of course, I dont recommend
telling the interviewer to hold on, I dont remember what I do for fun, let me
check while you check your notes for each question they ask. However, as ill-
advised as such as a strategy might be, it would nonetheless be better than
saying nothing at all. Bottom line: use the notes on the pad if you must - but only
if you must.
If you are cursed with a long commute to work, consider recording the questions
onto a CD or iPod. Use the built in time to practice thinking about your answers
(or if you have some privacy, you can even recite your answers aloud).
A final two comments: First, If you happen to find out the name of your
interviewer ahead of time (you can usually ask the school for it), do a little
sleuthing. If you have a friend at the school, see if you cant find out what groups
the individual belongs too, where that person interned over the summer or what
their background might be. (Alternatively try Google, often student group leaders
are listed online). Although its unlikely youll end up with someone with identical
goals as your own, the strategy cant hurt. You might share similar interests
(scuba diving, skiing, tennis), you might share a common past employer or you
may have similar backgrounds (from the same state or neighboring hometown).
Word to the wise however there is such a thing as taking this too far: avoid
coming across as psychopathic stalker. For instance, I once had an individual
ask me about a prior business Id worked with referring to a particular issue
that a business partner had posted about on some random website. It didnt
come across as clever, just really creepy.
Second, be prepared for the interview to go in directions you might not expect.
This is especially the case if you find someone you happen to share interests
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with. One candidate reported talking about guitar hero and killing rabbits.
(Killing rabbits? I know right?)
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I SUBMITTED MY APPLICATION ON DATE X, BUT SOMEONE

GOT THE INTERVIEW ON DATE Y, AND THEY SUBMITTED
AFTER I DID . T HEREFORE , I AM WAITLISTED / DINGED /
OTHERWISE DOOMED IN SOME WAY .
Inevitably, every year people try to somehow correlate dates of submission with
interview invite order, and, every year, people see patterns where no patterns
exist. Interview invitations and application decisions are not released on a FIFO
(first-in first-out) basis. (Im sure someone will find an exception to this one day,
but for now, Ive yet to see one). The reason is really quite simple: it would be
awfully complicated to do so and, moreover, it would offer no benefit of any kind.
Who cares if applicant #282 gets an interview invite before applicant #309?
(Other than, presumably, the applicant).
A little background on how most admissions offices work will help you see the
folly of the argument. Lets say 5000 or so applicants apply with the majority
submitting applications in the last two weeks. Let us assume that all 5000
applicants are printed out in order (and that through some rather impressive
organizational skills, these 5000 are kept in order on someones desk). Once
those 5000 applications are printed, they need to be read usually by at least
two individuals and sometimes more. Usually, each member of the admissions
team will have a target number of applications that he or she is expected to read
in a week. This number will vary by individual, as staff responsibilities vary (as
they have to have time to do the other tasks on their plate). Some programs
even hire part time readers to supplement staff during peak periods. Then of
course, there are student readers as well who are also expected to read a
number of applications per week. By now, it should be clear that it would be
quite difficult to keep things in order.
Imagine if you will, two applications: Application A, submitted early and

Application B submitted a few hours before the deadline. Imagine that
Application A gets assigned to two part-time readers who are required to read
no more than 30 applications a week. Application B is assigned to two full time
readers who read 30 applications a day. It is easy to see how Application B will
be read more quickly. If that wasnt enough, remember that applications are
always read by at least two people if not three, so the likelihood that they are
completed in any order remotely resembling that in which they were submitted
basically falls to zero.
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Hopefully this convinces you that there is no relationship between submission

date, interview date and admission dates. Similar variants on this argument
(You got an invite to interview quickly, therefore they really like you!) are
equally fraudulent.
So if you havent yet received an invite to interview, dont let that inbox of
broken dreams get you down.
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D OES IT MATTER IF MY INTERVIEW IS ON CAMPUS OR WITH

AN ALUMNUS ?
The short answer is simple: nope. The paperwork that is filled out by alumni and
on-campus interviewers is the same. When the admissions committee then
looks at the file theres no reason to weight one more than the other. Thus,
despite conspiracy theorists claims, schools are indeed being truthful when they
say it doesnt matter.
Of course, nothing is that simple is it? There are some simple advantages (and
disadvantages) to each strategy. Lets start with on campus interviews. On
campus interviews (generally) last no more than 30-45 minutes and are often
conducted by current students who have been through some rudimentary
training. Thus, one of the primary advantages of an on-campus interview is that
it is short and (hopefully) sweet. Those of you who find the prospect of an hour
or two under the spotlight petrifying will probably appreciate the idea of a 30
minute rip the band-aid off please approach. In addition, coming to campus for
an interview provides you with ammunition for an eventual love letter should
you be waitlisted. That is, you get to see the campus, meet students, visit a
class, etc. all helpful things if you later wish to express your deep desire to
attend that particular institution. Its hard to write about your steadfast dedication
to school X if youve never visited the school.
So whats the downside to an on campus interview? First, theres the cost,

which with flights and hotel may not be trivial. Second, thirty minutes is not an
awful lot of time to convey your thoughts or become best buddies with your
interviewer. Questions tend to come quickly and your answers may be cut a bit
short. Moreover, even if you are the sort of individual who generally makes a
good first impression, thirty minutes isnt a long time to build rapport.
So what about the alumni interview? You gain a longer period of time to make
an impression (but of course, you also gain a longer period of time to say
something foolish), the interview is likely to be more informal (e.g. over coffee)
and you lose the opportunity to visit campus. If you happen to get a nice
interviewer, thats fabulous you have possibly an hour or maybe even up to
two hours to really get to know each other. If, however, you dont get along with
your interviewer, that hour or two will seem awfully long and painful.
In the end, it really depends on you: do you prefer a short interview with lower
risk of saying something foolish? Do you do better in informal or formal settings?
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Have you already visited the school? Consider these factors and take the leap
of faith remember: whatever you did to get the interview worked, just keep it
up!
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I DON T WORK IN A JOB WHERE SUITS ARE THE NORM , I NEED

A SUIT FOR AN INTERVIEW , WHAT DO I BUY ?
There are entire books on the subject and it would be foolish to try and cover all
of the possibilities and nuances of selecting a suit here, but in the interest of
covering some of the basics:
Number one rule: No matter what you buy, you MUST get it tailored. It doesnt
matter how close it fits, or if it seems OK, there is absolutely nothing worse
than an ill-fitted suit. If you forget everything else, remember this. The worlds
most expensive suit will absolutely look like crap if not tailored.
Colors: As a general rule of thumb, dark navy blues or charcoal gray colors are
standard. Recognize that there is a material difference between a dark blue suit
and a light blue suit, just as there is a difference between charcoal gray and just
gray. You should be aiming for the darker end of the spectrum.
Some people also include black in this list, while others feel that black suits are
a bit reminiscent of funerals or just not as widely accepted. Given that there
even is such a debate in the first place I think lends credence to the very
arguments set forth so Id recommend you stay away from black, but its not a
terrible choice. Whatever you do please skip olive greens, browns or anything
else thats a bit different.
Pinstripes: Acceptable but make sure they are very subtle. The kind that you
cant really make out from more than a few feet away.
Buttons: Either two or three button is fine and is really up to you to see what
works better on your body. A lot of people get one of each and just alternate.
Shirt: Stick to solid neutral colors such as white and blue. Please skip the
Gordon-Gecko shirts, OK? The color of the collar of the shirt should match the
rest of the shirt! Skip any odd ball colors yellow or green or whatever may
work in a casual business setting at an engineering firm, but it isnt going to work
on a suit. Your shirt should also be solid or lightly textured, but avoid striped
shirts if possible. French cuffs are at your discretion, but can be considered a bit
ostentatious and over the top. Again, playing a conservative route here probably
doesnt hurt stick to a regular shirt. Finally, shirts should be fitted too. People
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seem to forget this. A really sloppy wide neck might be comfortable but it looks
awful. Similarly, dont undo more than one button.
Finally, purchase some collar stays these keep your collar from bending into
wings at the end of a day. Dont purchase cheap plastic stays, they are
generally useless, and dont rely on the incredibly worthless ones that are likely
in the shirt when you buy it or get thrown in by your drycleaner. Purchase some
light colored metal ones (if you get them dark sometimes you can see them
through the shirt).
Tie: I dont understand what happens to people when they buy a tie. They do
just fine on a suit, shirt, shoes, they cut their hair, they clean their fingernails and
then they put on the worlds ugliest tie. For the love of all that is sacred, please
dont use a tie to make a statement. I will never forget someone wearing a 9/11
memorial tie to an interview. Skip it! Similarly, please dont pair oddball colors
together skip the orange tie. Stick with simple designs that are easy on the
eyes: light lines, small light squares, subtle weaves and the sort. I personally
prefer (and recommend) ties that have one repeated design as opposed to
those that have a background and then a unique one-off item on top of the
background. Again, go with simple, clean patterns that dont draw too much
attention.
Accessories: Shoes, Belts and Socks. Black. All of them. Black shoes, polished
and clean. Your belt should be black with a simple belt buckle. The socks you
have should go high up on your legs such that when you sit down your
interviewer is not subject to seeing your hairy legs.
I appreciate that this section is tailored primarily to men and not to women, but
to be honest, its men that usually need the help!
GMAT Club Resources

JBs Guide to Dressing & Interview Attire
I BOMBED MY INTERVIEW , AM I DEAD ?
People sometimes tend to think of the interview as some kind of phase gate
where those who do well are admitted and those that do not are not. This isnt
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how admission committees tend to work. The interview process is truly one
aspect of the admission decision and almost all candidates will be discussed
and debated. That isnt to say that you shouldnt prepare for your interview you
should but dont despair if it isnt your most spectacular moment. Most
importantly remember that it is not a phase gate!
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Preparing for the Interview

W HAT ARE SOME COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ?
The below list was aggregated from various GmatClub.com member

experiences and should hardly be considered exhaustive. You will find that a
number of the questions are similar. You should, as previously suggested, grow
accustomed to answering questions phrased in any number of different ways.
1. Why this school?
2. What are your short term or long term goals?
3. Discuss your career progression.
4. Give examples of how you have demonstrated leadership inside or

outside the work environment.
5. What do you want to do (in regard to business function, industry,

location)?
6. Why an MBA education? Why now?
7. Describe an ethical dilemma faced at work?
8. Describe your career aspirations.
9. What would you do if not admitted?
10. What are your long- and short-term goals? Why?
11. Why are you applying to business school?
12. Why does this school interest you?
13. What are the other schools to which you have applied?
14. What is an activity you are involved in? Why is it important to you?
15. What do you do in your spare time?
16. Talk about experiences you have had at work.
17. Why are you interested in strategy / finance / marketing / etc.?
18. Why did you choose your undergraduate major?
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19. Discuss yourself (or often Tell me about yourself)
20. What contributions would you make to a study group?
21. Name three words or phrases to describe yourself to others.
22. What is most frustrating at work?
23. How would co-workers describe you?
24. Describe a typical work day.
25. Have you worked in a team environment? What were your contributions
to the effort?
26. Discuss any experience you have had abroad.
27. How did you choose your job after college?
28. What do you do to relieve stress?
29. It's two years after graduation, what three words would your team
members use to describe you?
30. Describe a situation where you brought an idea forward, and it failed.
31. How do you define success or failure?
32. What would you do if a team member wasn't pulling his own weight?
33. Is there anything you would like to ask? (You should have some
questions in mind!)
34. Give me an example of leadership
35. While handing you a marker, points to a whiteboard and says, teach
me something in five minutes.
36. What is your leadership style?
37. What are the pros/cons of your style?
38. What did you learn from experience X (a typical follow up question)
39. Tell me about a time you had to deal with conflict in the workplace.
40. Tell me what you do in your daily job.
41. Why did you leave job X? (or join company Y)
42. How are you a leader in your job?
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43. Have you thought of other schools? If so which and why?
44. What is common among the schools to which you have applied?
45. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
46. What role do you usually take in a team setting?
47. Tell me about a time when you exhibited leadership or teamwork skills.
48. How do you work in teams?
49. What would your colleagues miss least about you?
50. What makes you unique?
51. What should I bring back to the admissions office about you?
52. Tell me about a standout academic experience.
53. Tell me an important thing that you learned from your work and school
experiences.
54. Tell me about a specific situation in your professional career where you
solved an important problem.
55. Why do you want to be in senior executive role?
56. What books do you read?
57. When did you lead a team? What is the hardest part of leading a team?
58. Would you have any regrets if the market tanked next year and you
were unable to get a top job?
59. Where else have you applied and what was the result?
60. What do you/dont you like regarding your job?
61. Second largest, third largest failure (or success)?
62. If you cant get a job in (your goal industry) what would you do? (A
salient question in the 2009 job market)
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W HAT SHOULD I ASK MY INTERVIEWER ?
Generally speaking, your interviewer will be a student or alumni (some schools

have interviews with staff, and at other times staff might supplement). If you
have a student or alumnus, just ask them about their own experiences people
like to talk about themselves.
Some possible questions:
What have you enjoyed most about your experience at XXX?
Could you tell me a bit about your experience as a first year on campus? (For
current students)
What clubs do you participate in? Any in particular that I should consider if I
were admitted?
Whats been your favorite course?
Can you perhaps elaborate on how XXX prepared you for your current career?
(For alumni primarily, but could also be used for students)
Of course, you should take advantage of the opportunity and ask questions that
you actually want to hear the answer to, provided they are reasonable and
appropriate (Ive heard MBA stands for married but available, would you
agree? is probably not a good question). Finally, I generally suggest avoiding
specific questions related to your goals because the interviewer may or may not
share them (and thus may not have anything of consequence to say). Find a
common ground if you can. As mentioned in What is an interview all
about? you might try Googling your interviewer ahead of time as well, but be
sure not to come across as creepy. For example, a friend of mine once told me
that someone asked her a How is the hiking thing going? A rather random
question at the end of an interview. To my friends surprise, the question was
relevant because she had in fact been hiking recently. As it turns out, her
Facebook profile was sufficiently public to enable this little bit of sleuthing on the
candidates part. Thats not cunning, thats just creepy weird.
If you have an admissions director or other staff member, you can ask similar
questions, just slightly rephrased e.g. Could you describe the ethos (or
culture) of the school?. Whatever you do make sure you have at least two or
three questions for your interviewer you dont want to end the interview with
none.
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W HAT IF I M ASKED WHERE ELSE I M APPLYING ?
A lot of applications have this question now, and a number of interviewers pose
it as well. My advice on the subject is simple: if you are asked in person, deflect
the question by focusing back on the school in question. For instance, you might
say something similar to Given the competitive nature of MBA admissions, I
have applied to three other schools, but this school is by far and away my top
choice. All of the schools I applied to have [characteristic X] and [characteristic
Y], but this school best embodies those through A, B and C. The idea here is to
get the conversation back on track talking about how you are a fit with the
school you are currently interviewing for (and how its a fit for you) and away
from potentially awkward conversations around the specifics of what drew you to
some other school.
If you are asked on an application, there are two general schools of thought on
the subject one school simply says dont lie and to be honest. The other
suggests a bit more of a strategic approach listing schools that are most similar
in rank and style to the one you are applying (e.g. Cornell might be a good
counterpart to Duke or Darden for instance). The argument for this second
approach is that schools will be put off by applicants that are clearly treating
their school as a backup. Although this argument might have some semblance
of truth to it, I suspect that those data points are far more relevant for reporting
purposes than for admissions decisions.
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After the Interview

S HOULD I SEND THANK YOU NOTES TO MY INTERVIEWER ?
Its polite to do so, but dont be surprised if you dont receive a reply (See I
sent my interviewer a thank you note, but he or she didnt reply. Am I
doomed?). Your thank you note should be:
Sent on the same day if possible, or at most the day after. Timeliness is
important!
If possible, try to reference something that might jog the persons memory as
to whom you are. This might include a common background (As you may recall,
I was the candidate from Nantucket) or possibly a similar interest ( also
interested in strategic planning) or something you discussed at length (my
interest in KWEST). The choice itself is of little consequence, the idea is simply
to help the interviewer recall their experience.
Short and to the point. This is not an opportunity to bring up a few bullet points
you didnt get a chance to discuss in the interview. Simply thank them for their
time, jog their memory and close with a strong statement of continued interest.
A re-iteration of your interest in the school. Again, this need only be a single
sentence or two, not an essay.
Finally, and although this should go without saying, amazingly, it doesnt: if

your email address is clearly a relic of an undergraduate drunken haze (e.g.
hotbabe21, sweetluv69, mrganja2002), please, do yourself a favor and get
a new one.
If you dont know your interviewers email address, there are three typical
strategies by which you might obtain it. Note however that if you dont have the
email address because they didnt offer you a business card, you may want to
consider the possibility that they dont want to be contacted. If you do decide to
try and send an email, the below strategies may be of help.
Google for his or her name plus the schools name (for instance, you might
enter Jason Sanderson + Wharton). Occasionally this will lead to a page with
their email.
105
Call the school and ask for it, simply stating youd like to send a thank you
note. Schools typically wont disclose them, but it doesnt hurt to ask. Of course,
if you know a student at the school, you can also always ask him or her as well.
Guess. Most schools follow some standard format firstname.lastname or first

initial followed by a last name, or just a last name, or sometimes it might include
the year of graduation. Find any email address on the schools webpage and
see if you cant tease out the format. Keep in mind however that this strategy
may well fail common names usually have a number tacked on and long last
names are often truncated.
106
M Y INTERVIEW DIDN T GO SO WELL , CAN I TRY TO FIX THIS

IN A THANK YOU NOTE TO THE INTERVIEWER , MAYBE
CLARIFYING A POINT OR APOLOGIZING FOR MY POOR EYE
CONTACT ?
Id strongly advise you not to, for a number of reasons. First, odds are, you are
your own harshest critic: even if you think you didnt do well, the interviewer
may not share that sentiment. You may think your handshake was poor or you
tapped your feet, but perhaps they didnt care or even notice. Why would you
want to point out a failure?
Second, theres a tendency to send these emails shortly after the interview
before youve truly had a chance to digest the experience (and this you cant
undo!). Third, email is prone to misinterpretation and its unlikely to spark a
dialogue, much less a positive dialogue. Fourth, it puts your interviewer in the
rather awkward position of deciding whether or not to reply to your own email.
Best to focus your energies elsewhere. Identify what you did wrong and
practice for the next schools interview.
I SENT MY INTERVIEWER A THANK YOU NOTE , BUT HE OR SHE

DIDN T REPLY . A M I DOOMED ?
Take a deep breath and/or open up a bottle of wine and relax. Its not
uncommon for thank you notes to go unanswered. Students dont have much
time (as you will soon learn) and some simply prefer not to send a signal
(positive or negative). By the same reasoning, you shouldnt be overjoyed if you
do get a response. Simply file this away in your doesnt matter vault and move
on to more important things.
M Y INTERVIEW DID REPLY TO MY THANK YOU ! T HIS IS THE

COOLEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD ! D O I REPLY BACK ?
107
No. Its rare to get a reply and its likely sent purely as a courtesy, not as an
invitation to begin an extended conversation. Try to avoid reading too much into
whatever they say (it was a pleasure meeting you does not equal you are
admitted) and just go ahead and file the email away.
M Y INTERVIEWER WAS LATE , RUDE , OBNOXIOUS , SEXIST ,

RACIST , FOUL MOUTHED , TRIED TO HIT ON ME , YELLED AT
ME , HUNG OFFENSIVE PHOTOS ON HIS WALL , FORCED ME TO
BUY A HEALTH INSURANCE POLICY FROM HIS FIRM AND MADE
ME CRY . D O I TELL THE SCHOOL ?
This may come as a bit of a surprise, but not all interviewers are good at their
job. Some do some pretty eyebrow raising things. For instance, one private
wealth banker tried to get a candidate to provide contacts to their high net worth
individuals (presumably to sell his services). Thats egregious. Ive also heard
stories of some alumni making inappropriate passes at candidates (and, to be
fair, candidates doing the same to interviewers, which is also a no-no). Another
candidate claimed that the interviewer intentionally hung photos that would be
considered offensive to people from his country. (I never figured out what these
might have been).
So, should you tell the school? Yes, provided there really was something
genuinely inappropriate about the interview. If you simply felt the interviewer
wasnt polite, didnt give you enough time, or if you just felt that you didnt do a
great job then no. Schools recognize that the interview process is a two-way
street where both parties are evaluating each other. Alumni who make the
school look bad arent the kind of alumni they want interviewing.
That said, if you do report it, make sure you are doing it in a constructive
fashion. Dont make it about your interview and how it was unfair but rather
focus on the elements that you thought perhaps could be addressed in the
future. End with a positive statement about your experience and your continued
interest in the school. The candidate I previously mentioned who claimed that
the interviewer had inappropriate photos in his office posted a very public rant
on the schools admission forums. As if that wasnt enough of a bad idea, his
rant lost all credibility when he stated that all candidates from India who had
interviewed with this person in the last three years had not been admitted
108
(implying that the interviewer was presumably racist or in some way biased
against Indian candidates). Besides probably being untrue (how would the
candidate know this with any real certainty?), it made it look as if his rant was
really intended to get a new interview rather than to provide valuable and
constructive information to the admissions office. That brings me to another brief
point dont expect a new interview.
Finally, schools will not retaliate against people who provide useful information
like this but if it makes you feel better, just wait until after the decision is
released.
109
PART V: Y OU RE I N ! N OW W HAT ?

110
I' VE GOT $X FROM SCHOOL A, HOW DO I TELL SCHOOL B?
Money is a touchy subject, but its no reason not to try to broach it. So heres
how Id approach the problem.
1) Be entirely honest and clear with what your offer from the other school
is. Dont be surprised if the school looks for verification.
2) Focus on the positive, not the negative. Tell the school that they are
your top choice and (assuming its true) tell them what youd need them to do for
you to accept their offer. If you are feeling shy about outright asking them to
match or better another offer, simply tell them that youd like to see if anything
could be done and leave it up to them to come up with something. Keep in mind
however that research has shown that the person who throws out a number first
usually comes out ahead (if negotiation strategies and quirks like this interest
you, Google anchoring and adjustment for more information)
3) Re-iterate your interest the program. You arent just calling to ask for
money, you are calling to tell them (again) how much you love them and what
an excellent fit you both are for each other.
4) If the thought of doing this over the phone makes you nervous, write out
what you plan on saying ahead of time, practice a few times and then call. Of
course, try not to sound like you are reading something pre-prepared
(particularly when you talk about how interested you are!)
Theres no silver bullet here simply providing the details of your offer, a strong
statement of your intention to attend and a request for them to consider some
additional aid is all you are trying to do.
111
W HAT GOES INTO A BACKGROUND CHECK ?
This can vary quite a bit depending on which third party a school is working with.
(The most well-known is Kroll, which you can visit at www.kroll.com). I never
fully understood peoples fascination with background checks, and I have to
assume that most people are at least honest enough not to outright invent their
backgrounds.
Of course, not all are: you might recall the story from some years ago of one
poor 24 year old sap who, while a financial analyst at Merrill Lynch, decided that
the best way to secure his spot at a top tier program was by changing his
grades at his undergraduate school, American University. Apparently, after a
night of drinking- and what no doubt was a lot of careful thought - this individual
decided to drive from New York to Washington DC, climbed into a building on
the campus, kicked in a door to the registrars office, tripped an alarm, and at
4:48am on April 7, 2007, promptly invited three police officers to the scene. The
individual later expressed his reasoning to the Judge: I thought at the time I
would be able to change or improve grades Id received at school. A less than
ideal strategy I would say.
Or some of you may recall Aleksey Vayner, a Yale University senior who
became momentarily famous for his, how shall I put it, eyebrow raising resume
and accompanying YouTube video titled Impossible Is Nothing. After landing
on the desk of someone at UBS, the video made the rounds and became an
instant viral hit. Unfortunately for Vayner, his claims were so outrageous
starting a hedge fund, having taught tennis to Harrison Ford, forging Russian
passports, having the Dalai Lama write his recommendation letters he couldnt
help but invite scrutiny. By the time The New Yorker picked up the story, Vayner
had become a laughing stock. Another less than ideal strategy.
As a final cautionary tale, consider the woe of Akash Maharaj: kicked out of
Yale, facing five years probation, and a $31,000 tuition bill! What crime warrants
such punishment? It was alleged that Akash forged his own background and
grades. A transcript he had sent to Yale said he had attended Columbia from
the fall of 2003 until the spring of 2005, but Columbia stated he attended from
the fall of 2004 until the spring of 2006. Moreover, (and probably far more
concerning) the courses and grades he had submitted to Yale did not match
those Columbia had on file. Worse still, his letter of recommendation was
apparently neither written nor provided by the professor that supposedly
112
submitted it. Maharaj argued that this was all a case of mistaken identity
Columbia simply had the wrong files. Yale disagreed with his assessment.
The point? The best way to not worry about a background check? Just dont
lie! (also, dont try to break into your undergraduate institution)
But, yes, I realize of course that we are human people worry that their salary
might be off by a few thousand, or that the employment dates might not match
exactly because of some long-since forgotten work authorization issue, or that
your self-employment is not verifiable, etc. The bottom line is this: if its
something legitimately explained, theres really no reason to worry. Schools are
not staffed by evil admissions directors actively searching for reasons to rescind
offers. By and large, the background checks are looking for egregious errors or
other serious concerns. A discrepancy on salary, or a month-long misalignment
of employment dates is not such an issue, nor is the unverifiable charity you
helped in Tanzania. If however, you state you attended UCLA but did not, that
will be an issue. If you claim to have taken a year off but actually spent eight
months in jail for aggravated robbery? Also a problem. Schools are looking for
issues that demonstrate a gross and intentional misrepresentation of fact, illegal
or highly unethical issues (e.g. the safety of others).
Bottom line: You shouldnt worry.
113
C AN I GET A PRE MBA INTERNSHIP ?
Absolutely! The catch of course, is finding one and keeping your expectations
in check. Baring some internal connection, you arent likely to able to land a
summer internship with McKinsey or Goldman Sachs just because youve been
admitted to an MBA program.
Pre-MBA internships tend to work best when people are flexible about what that
internship will be smaller firms, prior companies youve worked for, managers
you may know well in other divisions of your current company all of these are
viable options. Alternatively, dont be afraid to reach out to your career services
department and ask for help.
A final note on the subject you will never have the opportunity to take months
off from work like this again (at least, it isnt likely you will). Be sure to evaluate
the cost of the internship against its overall benefit.
GMAT Club Resources

The Myth of the Pre-MBA Internship
114
H OW DO I CALCULATE MY ROI FOR GOING TO GRADUATE

SCHOOL ?
I would argue that you dont, or probably shouldnt. If you want to do it anyway,
Google Forbes MBA roi calculator itll give you some idea. Nevertheless, I
would suggest that any ROI you calculate is pretty much worthless. A few
reasons for this first, any ROI calculation is going to require you to assume a
post-MBA salary and while you may think you know what this will be, you may
be quite wrong (imagine someone who calculated an ROI based on an
investment banker salary but ended up in another field for instance). Thats to
say nothing of the other very real assumptions that would also make a material
difference (e.g. annual salary increase %s).
Finally, there seem to be a lot of people who pursue an MBA with no (or worse,
even negative) ROI. In a brief survey of 60 or so candidates on gmatclub.com,
fully 20 more than a third indicated they had a salary in excess of 90K before
graduate school. For some of these people, the payback period would be
measured in decades not years. Surely these people did the math so why go?
The point is almost obvious: theres much more to an MBA than simply a post-
MBA salary bump and the prospect of faster salary increases. What value would
you assign, for instance, to the ability to leave your current industry or job
function? Or, how much is it worth to you to be able to confidently say Ill
probably never browse monster.com again because of a strong alumni
network? These kinds of intangibles are difficult to put a value on but to most
people they do have real value.
GMAT Club Resources

The True Value of YOUR MBA v2.0
115
S OME THOUGHTS BY N INK , A S ECOND

YEAR STUDENT AT Y ALE SOM
S HOULD YOU STOP WORKING TO YOUR BEST ABILITIES AT

WORK ? S HOULD YOU BURN THE BRIDGE AND FIRE AWAY
THAT EMAIL TO THE ENTIRE COMPANY ( EXPLAINING HOW
MUCH THEY SUCK ?)
Probably not. Believe it or not, networking does not simply mean meeting new
people once you enter bschool. It also means keeping your current relationships
intact. No matter how much you might hate your boss, no one can't predict
whether you may need his/her help in the future.
I've met an M7 student this past summer during after-work/internship networking

event in NYC. He/she struck out during on campus recruiting at his/her school,
and had to return to his/her old employer to do a paid summer internship.
He/she kept in touch with various people from his/her ex-employer, that he/she
was able to at least get a paid gig for the summer.

S HOULD YOU QUIT YOUR JOB EARLY AND EITHER TAKE A
VACATION OR DO SOMETHING ELSE BEFORE SCHOOL ?
If you have a trust fund, significant other (who will finance your early freedom),
or rich parents, etc - ABSOLUTELY. It's a good idea to take a mental break now
before starting school. You won't have time to relax once the school starts, so
enjoy your life while you can. However, if you don't have such arrangement (rich
parents, etc), stay as long as you can. Debt sucks. You don't want to know how
much interest you end up accruing month after month while in school. Bschool
life can get quite expensive. Thanks to generosity of YSOM, I won't have any
debt upon graduation but my savings account took a big hit.
S HOULD YOU GET AN EARLY START BY READING VARIOUS

TEXTBOOKS , ETC ?
116
Probably not. I admire your desire to excel in academics but you are ALREADY
well prepared for bschool at this point. Most of you will do very well in school.
Rather, I would work on your communication skills. If you are not a good public
speaker, I would practice NOW and get used to speaking in front of strangers,
etc. This is important because without great communication skills (including the
ability to sell yourself effectively), you will have a tough time in class and during
recruiting.
I remember reading a BW article long time ago about a Haas MBA student who
struck out during an interview with a top consulting firm because the interviewer
thought he/she was "too introverted" and reserved. He/she wasn't able to speak
well during the interview. However, due to professor's recommendation, the
same firm ended up interviewing him/her again and he/she ended up with a FT
offer.
I've said it before in the Yale thread. Work on your killer closing speech now. It
comes in handy during recruiting. Interview is not about going in and answering
their questions. Before you go it, KNOW exactly what YOU WANT THEM TO
KNOW ABOUT YOU. Make a mental list of those items in your head. Before the
interview is over, MAKE SURE EVERYTHING on your list was communicated to
the other side. That makes a successful interview.

W HAT ABOUT MY CURRENT BOY / GIRL FRIEND OR
SIGNIFICANT OTHER ?
There's no right or wrong answer to this one. Different people do things

differently. I've seen people break up before bschool amicably. I've seen married
people moving together. I've seen married people living in different states.
Whatever option you end up choosing, if you put in the effort to make it work, it
will work out in the end.
My soon to be wife and I were already engaged when we decided to get our
MBA. She was little more ambitious and ended up doing her MBA in the west
coast because she wanted to live where "they have better weather" ~
117
Me - I only did my MBA because: 1) did not want to move to west coast; 2) did
not think I would get into the school that she was going to; 3) she's doing it so I
guess I will get one as well.
We spent last year and a half on the opposite side of the country but made
every effort to come together during the breaks, holidays, etc. We made it
through and we will be getting married in June before both of us begin our post
MBA careers.

F INALLY M ANAGE YOUR FUTURE EXPECTATIONS NOW
W HAT CAN MBA DO FOR YOU ?
Different people have different expectations. Usually, it's really optimistic. But no
matter where you end up matriculating, in the end, it's all up to you.
If you are a bad driver, and you buy a Mercedes, it's not going to make you a
better driver. You will simply be a bad driver driving a really nice car.
If you expect that your degree from school X will suddenly change your life
completely, you will be making a similar mistake. A top bschool MBA will
definitely open you doors. But to make the best out of your opportunity, you
have to evolve. You have to make an effort. I don't mean that you should simply:
1) excel in classes and get great grades, 2) attend all the workshops and
seminars, 3) go to all the networking events, etc
You should do all that and make small efforts such as: 1) If you are bad with
names, make an effort to change that. If you meet someone new, the old "you"
would say, "I will learn his/her name eventually." Change that and say, "I don't
care what I have to do today. Even if it means I have to spend next 20 minutes
and tell her all my embarrassing flaws, I am going to know that person and learn
his/her name today."
If you were never in to sports, take this opportunity (over next 2 years) and find
new friends who are into sports - learn why they are into sports, and attend
sporting events with them and REALLY make an effort to see if there are any
sporting events that you may end up liking.
If you have never went to a broadway show, take this opportunity and change
that. Make an effort. Who knows what you really like anyway? I learn new things
every day and as a result, I evolve for worse or for better. But what I know is that
I am not the same person that I was 2 years ago.
118
Try to make small efforts like that over the next 2 years. You will be pleasantly
surprised...

FINAL WORDS OF WISDOM:
Breathe. Relax. Remember that this is a marathon not a sprint.
If you have any suggestions (questions that is) how to improve this Guide we
will be happy to address them and you are welcome to contact us with any
feedback at support@gmatclub.com
119

FT Mba Exec 2016

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The GMAT Club

edited by Av, the GMAT Club MBA Section Director

and by bb, the GMAT Club Founder

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A BOUT THE A UTHOR

BB, Founder of GMAT Club

Again Truly Yours,

BB, Founder of GMAT Club

GMAT C LUB H ISTORY (A N U NTOLD STORY )

It turned out to be the challenge and the connection I needed. GMAT

As for me, 8 years later, I am spending my time between GMAT Club, a

Good Luck and I look forward to seeing you at GMAT Club,

I N R HYME S O WN W ORDS I NTRODUCTION

This was largely conceived in light of what I perceived as a gap in the

In my search for answers I stumbled on various websites, many of which

PART I: The GMAT

H EY , WHAT GIVES ! T HE AVERAGE SCORES AT SCHOOLS JUST

W HAT GMAT SCORE DO I NEED TO GET INTO SCHOOL X?

<= 640, assuming a yield of 90% equates to an admit rate of 7%

650-690, assuming a yield of 75% equates to an admit rate of 17%

700-740, assuming a yield of 50% equates to an admit rate of 33.5%

750-800, assuming a yield of 40% equates to an admit rate of 52%

y=4E09x4 1E05x3 +0.0103x2 4.6614x+785.16

The y-axis represents likelihood of admission as a percentage, the bottom axis

I' VE HEARD THAT QUANT MATTERS MORE THAN VERBAL , IS

It depends a bit on what one means by matters. If the question is whether or

I S A 40Q/40V SPLIT OR AN 80 TH PERCENTILE MINIMUM ( IN

I VE HEARD THE FIRST TEN QUESTIONS MATTER MORE THAN

First, please feel free to visit http://echo.edres.org/scripts/cat/. This site

W HAT HAPPENS IF I DON T FINISH A SECTION OF THE

Theres a version of this question thats a bit of a myth as well Leaving

C AN I SKIP THE AWA OR JUST WRITE GIBBERISH ?

W HAT IS THE BEST WAY TO A CE THE AWA?

Argument Essay Template

The argument claims that ....(restate)

First, the argument readily assumes that......

Second, the argument claims that....

Finally,... (pose some questions for the argument).....Without

In conclusion, the argument is flawed for the above-mentioned

Issue Essay Template

Many/some people think that....Others.....(restate)

One reason is that/for...

Another reason is that/for...

Perhaps the best reason is (that)....

In summary, while there are arguments to be made for both

Analysis of an Argument Essay Example:

The following appeared in the editorial section of a national news magazine:

In summary, the argument is flawed and therefore unconvincing. It

Analysis of an Issue Essay Example:

Some people think that productivity at work could be increased if

Another reason is that people often find it attractive to do what their

Structural Words (should be all over the essays)

H OW MANY TIMES CAN I TAKE THE GMAT BEFORE I' VE

As a rule of thumb, the generally accepted maximum is four times. Again, I

S HOULD I RETAKE THE GMAT?

Fortunately, GMAC released some data on this in a 2007 presentation to the

O K , I M NEW TO THIS WHOLE GMAT THING . H OW SHOULD I

There are two main tracks:

1. GMAT Study Plan

2. Best GMAT Books