LISTEN: Exam Prep 101 | Inside the GMAT Podcast
What’s the only thing more difficult than studying for an exam? Trying to figure out how to study for an exam: when to begin, how often to study, how long to study. Isn’t there anyone who can teach us how to prep?
Why yes, yes there is!
In this episode of the Inside the GMAT podcast, Zach is joined by Stacey Koprince, Director of Content and Curriculum at Manhattan Prep. With more than 15 years teaching the GMAT, GRE, and even the LSAT, she’s one of the most well-known instructors in the industry and is here to discuss the essential considerations when preparing to take a business school entrance exam.
In the conversation, Stacey breaks down her top prep strategies and emphasizes the importance of understanding your study timeline, effective study techniques, recognizing when to take breaks, and the value of collaborative study.
Additionally, she highlights the significance of practice tests in gauging progress and structuring a personalized study plan to ensure GMAT success. And of course, no conversation about GMAT prep is complete without covering all three sections of the exam: Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights.
So whether you're just starting to consider business school or you're already deep into GMAT prep, listen to the episode below or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube for the intro-level course you need to navigate your studying successfully.
Exam Prep 101 with Stacey Koprince, Manhattan Prep
Here are some highlights from the conversation.
On expressing career goals:
“A strong career goal answers very specific questions. What role are you targeting, what kind of problems do you want to solve, and how does this connect to what you've already done before? So instead of, 'I want to pivot into consulting,' you might want to say something like: 'I plan to join a healthcare practice of a consulting firm where I can leverage my experience in biotech operations to help pharmaceutical companies improve their go-to-market strategies for new drugs. And then in the long term, I want to transition into a chief strategy officer.' Strong candidates will be able to inject personal motivation into their career goals."
On quality vs. quantity of work experience:
“Quality trumps quantity every single time. A candidate who has, maybe, just three years of experience but very high impact could very well end up being much more compelling than someone that did six or more years in the same role. You don't need to have manager in your title, but you need to show some growth, whether it's in scope, in leadership, or expertise."
On Round 1 vs. Round 2:
"Candidates often get very surprised when I tell them how much smaller the pool of applications in Round 1 is. They somehow think that it's equally distributed. So what ends up happening is Round 1 is a small and people that that means they have really strong odds. But what ends up being the case is it's small, but it comprises very well-qualified candidates. So there's the volume of applications, but there's also the quality of these applications. The strength of your application ends up being the thing that matters."
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Inside the GMAT features experts that share tips on taking the exam, prep, and how to optimize your application cycle for graduate business school. This weekly show gives you insights on everything you need to know for your graduate business school journey. If you want the inside scoop on the GMAT exam, industry insights, and MBA success strategies—this podcast is for you.
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