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1) GMAT
A reason why GMAT continues to be a key data point for Business Schools is that they need diversity. If it was not for a standardized test, those who have completed their undergraduate degree from ivy league schools would effortlessly be accepted to top MBA programs. The median GMAT score for top schools is 730. So you need to hit that number if you are serious about getting accepted to M7 schools. If your score goes below 730 and is in the 700 to 720 range, you need unique achievements, extracurricular, talents, or milestones in your career to stand out from a similar profile with a 730 GMAT score.
So 730 is a safe bet for someone who comes from a traditional background in terms of experience, family upbringing, and post-MBA goals.
GMAT Attempts: Another question I get a lot is about the number of GMAT attempts. It is not uncommon to hear about applicants taking the GMAT 2 to 3 times. But anything about 3, although officially not flagged, would be considered an attempt to game the test. If the attempts are more than 3, I would definitely offer an explanation in the optional MBA application essay.
Median vs. Balanced Score: Another important point you must keep in mind while preparing for the GMAT is targeting a balanced score or conforming to your stereotype. Let us say you are from a Finance or Engineering background. There are certain expectations about your Quant skills. If your Quant score falls below 47/52, there are definitely some concerns. And for non-native English speakers, a Verbal score below 40 is also a cause of concern. So don't blindly follow the total median score. You must target a balanced GMAT score. That is Verbal above 45 and Quant above 47 or at least verbal above 40 and Quant close to 50.
Another common issue you are likely to face with Round 2 is the dates for taking the GMAT. Since Round 2 deadlines are all in January, applicants assume that by December first week – a time typically when your workload goes down is the best time to take the GMAT. So I have seen applicantd doing the reverse that is approaching us with essay editing first and then preparing for the GMAT. This could be tricky because no matter how much you want to be involved in the editing process, your mind will be preoccupied with GMAT preparation. In effect, you will not be able to give your 100% for the GMAT and Essays.
So my recommendation is that you register for a November last week test date. Give a 2-week window for the retake. That is by Dec 15th, in case you couldn't cross that 730 mark. But by the second time around, you can start the Essay Writing and Editing in parallel. This is only for scenarios where you have crossed 700, that 700, 710, 720 in the first attempt during the last week of November. Then you can manage Essay Writing and GMAT preparation in parallel because to push your score from 700 to 730; it's almost always about perfecting your speed.
Another big misconception is that with a high GMAT score, you are likely to get accepted to all the top schools. This is certainly not true. There are applicants from quant-focused careers who do exceptionally well in standardized tests but don't have the experience or didn't cross the milestones that would offer great value to an MBA class. And the admissions team is not going to compromise on peer-to-peer learning just because you cracked GMAT with a 730 or 750 score.
So GMAT is important but not the only criterion by which you are evaluated.
How about GRE?
The biggest evidence that GRE is being accepted as a viable alternative to GMAT is the FAQ pages at Stanford and Harvard's Full-time MBA program. I can assure you that this was not the case 5 or even 10 years back. GRE was not widely accepted because, from the school's perspective, the tests were different in unique ways. The GRE more or less felt like a continuation of your academic performance in college, and GMAT looked more oriented towards speed and agility or thinking on the feet that, typically, is required in a high-stress professional environment. But schools now have other means to evaluate the applicant rather than completely relying on the GMAT Score. So after 2 attempts, if your GMAT score is not improving by 20-50 points or the mock tests more or less give you a score in the 650 to 670 range, you should explore the GRE test. Or if you are a Master's student with some experience who is considering an MBA, your GRE score would be good enough if it has been taken within the past 5 years from the admit date.
And I have seen clients who struggled with GMAT getting amazing scores on GRE. Maybe some applicants can't crack the GMAT. That doesn't mean they are not competent to get into a top MBA program. So explore all your test-taking options before giving up and focusing exclusively on your essays and recommendation letters.
2) Recommendation Letters
First – who should write your recommendation letters? This is a question that is confusing for those who work in startups or a CXO's office because they work in proximity to real decision-makers and not at a level below the management.
There is no set rule for this. I have seen this strategy work in some cases, and in other cases, it just didn't work. The scenario where it didn't work was when the CXO didn't put in the time or effort to understand the strategy of the applicant.
So what we do at F1GMAT is that I brainstorm with the applicant and create a guideline document that captures key milestones and summarizes the traits that business schools value for the application. This is fair during Round 1, and depending on the industry, the CXO is in. It also depends on the timeline of the request. Most CXO put in the effort to write a letter that captures the essence of the applicant's unique personality. But for Round 2, where your Christmas vacation is around the corner, it could be a little tricky. Most of the world had long 2-years of covid, and this winter especially will be a time when many will be traveling. So it is all about reaching out to the supervisor in a timely manner.
The 2nd Question is when you should approach the supervisor with your round 2 MBA application plan. More than the timeline, I would structure it as what you need to do before approaching your supervisor.
Here Timing is everything. Typically, very few applicants have a consistent performance throughout the year. There would be highs and lows, projects that require you to do the grunt work, or projects that require you to do some firefighting. Obviously, when you are doing firefighting, your contributions would be more visible than when you are quietly performing due diligence. It is a perception game. And if you are an introvert, focused just on your work, it could be a challenge to sell yourself as a person who has contributed meaningfully to the team. The credits get distributed unevenly. There is, of course, politics in the team. There are unique group dynamics that you need to understand.
Regardless of what is happening in your team or your organization, approach the supervisor after you have visibly demonstrated an increased contribution to the team.
On the timeline for Round 2, November last week – just like your GMAT is the best time to share your plan and by the first week of December, if you are working with F1GMAT, share the guideline document with the supervisor. And target the 2nd week or, at worst, the 20th of December as a time when your recommendation letters are all submitted.
No matter what you plan, some supervisors will have their own pace and priorities. They might agree to write the letter while on vacation. So all these ideal timeline scenarios are just scenarios. You must patiently follow up and communicate with the supervisors. Don't annoy them.
3) Essays
If you have read F1GMAT's Essay Guides I have written, you might have a clear understanding of the tone and structure of essays. You might have also learned about openers. About the transitions. About how to approach leadership essays if you didn't have many leadership experiences or you were in a functional role. How to translate adversity without overdoing the hardship or the tragedy part. How to balance personal, extracurricular, talent, and professional narratives.
So I highly recommend that you purchase F1GMAT's Essay Guides from store.f1gmat.com
Once you have read it, if you are planning to work with a consultant, there are some truths I want to share with you.
First, once you read books on writing and read F1GMAT's Essay Guide, you should assess your own writing. Because how you work with a consultant will be determined by how you write essays.
When you communicate with your team or your supervisors, the goal is to convey the message in the most succinct manner, with emotions often never shared in an email. Even if you are great at written communication or you have submitted papers in a functional journal in technology or finance, the expected vocabulary is very different. The admissions team is trying to understand the person behind the GMAT/GRE score and the resume.
Some applicants are very good at adjusting to this writing. Some are not that great despite a lot of guidance. So the challenge for a consultant while editing is how much they should be involved in the rewrite process. If they take over 70-80% of the rewrite, it will read like a polished version of an essay. It is like your parents doing your homework.
I typically encourage an iterative editing process where the effort is in guiding the applicant to be a better writer to capture more context to capture the right emotion. Not to overdo any dialogues or the emotional part of the narrative.
Finding the right balance is key.
The earlier you start writing the drafts, the more you will get the opportunity to play with themes, ideas, transitions, and narratives. The closer you are to the deadline, you will go with a lot of assumptions about what works and what doesn't work. So your expressions are artificially limited when the deadline is near. And even for consultants and editors who write and edit on a daily basis, it is a challenge to come up with unique phrases that are similar to how the applicant writes. It shouldn't look like a version that a consultant wrote.
For authentic writing, I would suggest that you at least write the first version – freely without any preconceptions about how an essay should be. Then read F1GMAT's Essay Guides or books on writing and then refine it further. Your version, without the knowledge of how an essay should be, would include phrases that are truly unique and represent how you think and talk. It is not that all the lines in an essay should sound unique, but even if 15-20% of the phrase used in an essay is different from a typical polished essay, you will stand out.
The best way to find a consultant who can represent your voice is by reading their work.
If you want to see how I write Essays, you can purchase F1GMAT's Essay Guides at store.f1gmat.com
There are a lot of previews of the Sample Essays that I have written at f1gmat.com/sample-mba-essays
Hope you got value from my tips. I am Atul Jose. You can work with me by Subscribing to F1GMAT's Essay Review Service
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