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Explore our resources to learn how to reach your career goals with a graduate business degree.

Build a Strong Foundation Before Business School

Online Pre-MBA Preparation Courses in Finance, Accounting & Statistics — Developed by the Makers of the GMAT

GMAC Business Fundamentals builds your business school readiness, even if you're coming from a non-business background. Developed in partnership with the online learning experts at Kaplan, this self-paced, online MBA preparation resource covers three essentials — Statistics, Finance, and Accounting — so you can walk into your graduate program with confidence, not overwhelmed. Courses start at just $99.

 

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Prepare for the Rigors of Business School

These courses provide you with crucial quantitative knowledge, but it’s also much more than just a learning tool – Business Fundamentals re-trains your brain on how to think academically and helps you transition smoothly into a school mindset.

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Business Fundamentals is built for anyone preparing to start a graduate business program without a traditional business background — or anyone who simply wants a confidence boost before day one.

You might be a strong fit if you're:

  • An incoming MBA or master's student without an undergraduate degree in business, finance, or accounting
  • A career changer moving into business school from a field like engineering, healthcare, the military, or the humanities 
  • An admitted student who wants a head start before orientation, especially in quantitative subjects like Statistics and Finance 
  • Someone who's been out of the classroom for a while and wants to re-sharpen core skills before diving into coursework 

You don't need any prior business coursework to get started — each course opens with a pre-quiz that identifies exactly where to focus your time, so you're never relearning what you already know. Whether you're aiming to walk into your first accounting class without hesitation or want to speak the language of finance from week one, Business Fundamentals meets you where you are and builds the knowledge you need to feel ready.

Why Choose Business Fundamentals?

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Bite-sized courses to fit your schedule
Courses are self-paced and taught in the widely-used Canvas platform. Start each module with a pre-quiz to determine how much time to spend on each topic, and test your knowledge with questions throughout the course.
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Built by trusted brands, written by trusted faculty
GMAC, the makers of the GMAT™ exam, has partnered with Kaplan and their decades of expertise in helping students learn. Plus, courses are taught and reviewed by a variety of business school professors.
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Showcase your skills & elevate your profile
Share your score report with as many schools as you'd like, demonstrating your quantitative readiness. Upon completion, you'll also earn a digital credential to boost your professional profile and enhance your business knowledge credibility.
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SAVE with the Business Fundamentals bundle
Buy one course for $99, or buy the bundle for $199 and cover over all the key topics in Finance, Accounting, and Statistics... A small investment to make a big impact on your confidence in the classroom.

Testimonials

Hear from candidates, faculty, and admissions representatives

Business Fundamentals was an excellent refresher in the core concepts and academic expectations of an MBA program. It helped me strengthen my confidence in key principles before starting at Duke. The format was easy to pace, engaging, and appropriately challenging, and the professors were highly effective and enjoyable to learn from.

Marne N.

Duke Fuqua School of Business

I am very grateful that I took the Business Fundamentals courses. My classmates who did not are struggling in classes where I feel very confident, thanks to the materials covered.

Business Fundamentals Student

Portland State University, School of Business

Many topics covered in the courses are taught in the core semester. It builds a good foundation to prep, simulates the assessment environment and helps pre-MBAs get used to the study pace.

Business Fundamentals Student

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

Business Fundamentals does an excellent job of providing a comprehensive introduction to finance using a variety of learning tools including spreadsheet applications and problems.

Greg Filbeck

Professor of Finance and Risk Management, Penn State Behrend

The program provided exactly what I was looking for. The instructors were great, the content was well delivered, and I now feel back-to-school ready as a result of completing the coursework.

Business Fundamentals Student

Business Fundamentals gives incoming MBA students an advantage by covering the essential concepts and material needed.

Jim Campasano

Assistant Teaching Professor of Finance, Northeastern University

The Business Fundamentals courses have contributed to the success of students with limited quantitative backgrounds, especially during their first term.

Rosa Garciduenas

Full-Time MBA Admissions Associate Director, IPADE

This is an outstanding product and students who complete this specific course will be prepared for the rigors associated with an MBA statistics course.

Dr. Richard Germain

Challenge for Excellence Chair in Supply Chain Management, University of Louisville

Business Fundamentals provides an excellent introduction to the fundamentals of Business Statistics providing the student both the knowledge and tools to move forward.

Dr. Sidhartha Das

George Mason University, School of Business

Business Fundamentals has been really good for our students' self-confidence going into the classroom.

Emily Le

Senior MBA Admissions Officer, Texas McCombs

The courses refreshed my memory of what I learned 20 years ago... and provided me with an overview of the knowledge in these areas.

Business Fundamentals Student

UT Austin, Texas McCombs

I liked the structure of the classes. Topics tend to build logically upon each other and the slight overlap helped trigger my memory of the previous lesson [...].

Bill Braun

Oklahoma State University, Spear School of Business

Participating Schools







Bundle and Save

Cover all the key topics in Finance, Accounting, and Statistics. With the Business Fundamentals bundle, you get access to all three courses for the price of two.

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Business Fundamentals Frequently Asked Questions

No prior coursework required. Whether you studied engineering, liberal arts, or something else entirely, each course starts with a pre-quiz that tailors your learning path from day one.

Not quite; think of it as a different stage of preparation. GMAT prep helps you get admitted. Business Fundamentals helps you succeed once you're there, and can even strengthen your application along the way.

Built by GMAC, the makers of the GMAT exam, this business fundamentals course focuses on core subject knowledge in Statistics, Finance, and Accounting rather than exam strategy. For applicants to test-optional schools, completing these pre-MBA courses online also gives admissions committees an added signal of your quantitative readiness, showing you're prepared for the demands of a graduate business program, GMAT or GRE score or not.

There's no single right time. Most students start once they've been admitted, typically a few months before orientation, but this online MBA readiness course is self-paced, so you can begin as soon as you're ready. 

Whether you're just getting started, deep into applications, or simply want to brush up on core skills along the way, these MBA prep online courses meet you wherever you are in your journey. 

Yes. Completing this business fundamentals course gives admissions committees a signal of your quantitative readiness, which can be especially valuable if you're applying to a test-optional MBA program without a GMAT or GRE score on file. It's a way to show you're prepared for the coursework, even without a standardized test score.