How GMAT Prep Gets You Ready for the Classroom
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What are the benefits of prepping for a standardized test like the GMAT? We know that GMAT test takers prepare for 40-60 hours on average, and they tell us that the number of hours they invest in studying correlates to the target and final scores they achieve. Test day anxiety and stress is also alleviated through prep. But another, less frequently discussed benefit of investing time in GMAT prep is that it builds your confidence in the critical concepts and skills required to be successful in business school classrooms.
By investing time in test prep, you’re ultimately preparing yourself for the graduate business school experience. The initial time investment in prep helps you prepare for the effort and commitment a graduate program requires.
And it starts with the first step, as most test takers begin by building a study plan for their preparation. A proper, well-executed study plan gives you the confidence to invest the required time to achieve your best possible score. Creating a study plan also builds time management, work management, and prioritization skills. This will help ensure you’re able to prioritize and manage your time once enrolled in a program. According to The Financial Times, this is also a key skill that employers seek in business school graduates.
GMAT exam skills are critical for business school success
Because the GMAT exam measures skills that apply to graduate business programs—including critical thinking and reasoning—test takers develop those necessary skills as part of their test prep. These skills are also key to success post-business school. In fact, MBA alumni surveyed by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) indicate that problem-solving and critical thinking are essential skills for advancing their career path in different job functions.
Let’s take a deeper look by specific sections of the exam. Focusing on verbal reasoning helps you develop the skills needed to evaluate arguments. By preparing for the quantitative reasoning section, test takers re-learn and practice math concepts they may not have used in several years and refine their ability to analyze data and draw conclusions. Integrated reasoning prepares test takers to analyze data and evaluate the information presented, and the Analytical Writing Assessment requires test takers to communicate and analyze an argument via writing.
These are core skills required for case analysis and success with the overall business school curricula.
As test takers work their way through the learning process during their test prep, they develop an understanding of their strengths and focus areas. By working through their focus areas, reviewing their mistakes, understanding what they answered incorrectly—and more importantly, why they answered it incorrectly—they improve their overall cognitive reasoning. They also become more self-aware and can identify additional areas of focus prior to starting a program.
The GMAT exam signals your readiness for business school
Business schools tell us that when an applicant prepared for the GMAT, they know the candidate has re-learned some of the study skills and habits that may be rusty. It also helps students re-learn how to study in an academic environment; which requires different mental readiness than work projects.
“One of the benefits of the GMAT is the commitment and time involved to prepare as students tend to underestimate the work involved in a graduate business program,” says Jana McQuaid, Ed.D., former Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Beyond the critical reasoning and skills that are measured on the GMAT, business schools tell us they know that candidates that devote time to prepare for the GMAT or other standardized tests show dedication, motivation, and commitment. This investment has a higher correlation of success and retention in their programs.
Bottom line: Students that have invested time in test prep are better equipped for the rigors of a graduate management program. Test prep gives test takers increased confidence and skills for their test day, but also gives them the confidence that they are ready for the commitment, time, and rigor of a graduate business program.
Ana Kyper is the Senior Director of GME Prep and Readiness at GMAC. She manages our GMAT Exam Preparation team and is focused on tools to help candidates with their overall readiness for graduate business school. She has extensive product development experience within the education industry.
Are you ready to achieve all the benefits of GMAT prep? From the makers of the GMAT exam, the 8-Week Official GMAT Exam Study Planner is the self-guided, step-by-step worksheet to help you prepare for the GMAT exam in as little as 8 weeks.