The document provides information about applying to business schools and preparing for the GMAT exam. It discusses what the GMAT exam tests, how it is structured and scored. It provides a sample 3-month study plan and discusses the top sources to use for practice. It also discusses factors to consider when selecting target business schools such as course duration, location, specializations, and profile fit. Finally, it outlines five common mistakes Indian MBA applicants make in their applications, such as being too vague, using unnecessary jargon, citing outdated accomplishments, not quantifying achievements, and assuming the reader has context.

2. Part 1 : All about the GMAT
Things you wanted to know about GMAT
but didn’t know who to ask!

3. From MBA.com:
“The GMAT exam is a standardized assessment, delivered in English, that helps
business schools assess the qualifications of applicants for advanced study
in business and management.”
What is GMAT?
The “real” reason why GMAT is needed:
1. It is an objective way to compare academic potential of students from
around the world.
2. It has become an important parameter for Bschool rankings.

4. • Analysis of an
argument– 30min
• Integrated
Reasoning – 30min
AWA & IR
• 37 questions
• 75 mins
Quant • 41 questions
• 75 mins
Verbal
The GMAT Test Structure

5. • Works on a system of “buckets” – if you score between 40%-60% you will
stay in a bucket.
• 3 main ways in which you can score well (or poorly):
– Number of mistakes
– Position of mistakes
– Frequency of mistakes
How the GMAT Algorithm works

6. Verbal
# mistakes score
0-1 51
2-4 45-50
5-7 40-44
8-13 35-39
Quant
# mistakes score
0-2 51
3-5 50
6-10 49
11-14 48
GMAT Scoring
The above is assuming that you are making mistakes at equal intervals
i.e. question number 4, 8, 12, 16 ….

7. 48-50 400
49-51 420
51-53 430
52-54 440
54-56 450
55-57 460
56-58 470
59-60 480
61-62 490
62-63 500
62-63 510
62-64 520
63-64 530
65-66 540
66-67 550
67-69 560
68-71 570
69-72 580
70-72 590
71-73 600
72-75 610
73-76 620
74-77 630
75-78 640
76-79 650
78-81 660
79-81 670
81-83 680
81-83 690
82-86 700
84-86 710
85-87 720
87-90 730
89-90 740
90-91 750
92-93 760
94-96 770
96-98 780
97-100 790
100-101 800
Raw Score to Scaled Score Conversion

8. 1. Running after “material” - wrong sources and poor analysis
2. Trying to “hack” it by memorizing things
3. Not taking enough tests
4. Using the wrong techniques
5. Preparing for too long
Top 5 Mistakes in Prep

9. 1. Official Guide ed. 13
2. Official Guide Verbal Workbook ed.2
3. Official Guide Quant Workbook ed.2
4. GMATPrep Pack (optional)
5. GMATPrep Practice Question Bank
Sources to practice from

10. Weeks 1 to 4
1. Attend CrackVerbal
Verbal Classes
2. Complete OG & Verbal
Review
3. Start off with Quant
pre-read
4. Take 1 diagnostic test
& another test at end
of the 6 weeks
Weeks 5 to 8
1. Keep practicing
Verbal – wrap up
official sources
2. Quant focus on
advanced/hard
topics. Or attend
Quant classes.
3. Take around 4 to 6
tests
Weeks 9 to 12
1. Practice using
Advanced
Document
2. Focus on areas
which are your
weak points
3. Take about 1 to
2 tests to keep
the momentum
3 month Study Plan
Jul-Aug Aug-Sep Sep-Oct

11. 3-Step Process
Practice
Application
Foundation

13. Scoring high on the GMAT
6 strategies that high-scorers know about the test!

14. #1 What Does The GMAT Really Test?
• Skill? Intelligence?
• The GMAT is not about learning a bunch of formulae or
grammar rules, or practicing from all the material you can
download from the internet!
• It requires understanding the question types frequently tested
on the GMAT and developing specific strategies to answer
each


15. Using the Brute-Force Approach
• The RS Aggarwal method: practicing hundreds of questions of a
similar type
• If you practice solving too many sums fast, you will only get better
at being bad!

16. #2 Go Official!
• The Internet is the biggest bane of GMAT test takers
• GMAC pays $2000 per question; Test prep companies pay $20
• Other sources may give you tediously tough questions, but only
official questions are elegantly tough!
• When you use any technique created by a test prep company: Ask
yourself whether you can actually use it in <2 minutes on the
GMAT – if not, it‟s useless!

17. Think Beyond OG
• The OG: Necessary but not Sufficient
• The best questions to practice from are „retired‟ GMAT questions –
we have compiled 1000+ GMATPrep questions in the CrackVerbal
Advanced Documents
• You will be able to recognize question patterns as you solve more
such questions

18. #3 Tough Questions Don’t Come With
A Red Beacon On Top
• Tough questions LOOK easy – but are tough to spot!
– Answer options will repeat wording from the question stem
– Or conveniently carry the same value you have arrived at
• You will learn to recognize them only if you solve tough official
questions

19. Accuracy – A Misleading Metric
• Is the „average‟ beauty of the country measured by the number of „Miss
India‟s who go onto win the Miss Universe title?
• Accuracy in solving OG questions is not a true measure of how well you
will do on the GMAT
• Understand WHY you got each question right or wrong
• Remember the takeaways and the structural patterns for later use
• Mindless practice is not the key – Analysis and Application are!

20. #4 Making Your Prep Effective
“I have completed all the questions from the OG and the Verbal &
Quant Reviews. But I am still getting about 40% of them wrong.
Can you suggest more material to practice from?”
• If you have solved 3000+ questions and your performance has not
improved significantly, MORE PRACTICE is not the answer!
• Do not solve questions mindlessly: focus on the takeaway
• Review not just questions you got wrong, but also the ones you got
right: did you get them right for the right reasons?
• Solve “blocks” of questions, not just one at a time
• Keep your practice sessions focused

21. NMGTS: Knowing How To Analyze
• Nailed it: Qns you can get right if woken up from your sleep
• Missed it: Knew it, but made a silly mistake
• Guessed it: (un)Lucky guess – was confused
• Timed it: Or not. Spent far too much time
– Better to get a qn wrong in 30 secs than right in
5 minutes!
• Screwed it: Had no clue what hit you

22. #5 Time Management On The GMAT
Food for thought: you would rather get a question WRONG in 30 seconds than
get it right in 5 minutes!
• 1 minute more per question may not improve your chances of
getting it right, but 1 minute less per question will definitely
increase your chances of getting it wrong!
• Can I solve this question?
• Can I solve this question in under two minutes?



23. Time Management On The GMAT
• Visualize the entire section in terms of 5 wedges (or sections) of 15
minutes each
• After every 15 minutes, check how many questions were you able to
solve
– Ideally, 8 Verbal and 7 Quant questions in 15 minutes
• If you are lagging by 2 or more questions, GUESS the next question
unless it is a sitter

24. Making Educated Guesses
• Right from schooldays, we were taught that guesswork is a crime →
Not true on the GMAT!
• Not everything on the GMAT is black & white → Learn to live in the
gray area! i.e. learn to make educated guesses.
• Remember – if you are 100% sure about your answer, you may
have spent more-than-necessary time on that question. You just
need to be 90% sure. 

25. #6 Fatigue On The GMAT
• The GMAT is a marathon – not a sprint
• Practice multiple full-length tests
• Longer prep sessions
• Consistent everyday practice – not just weekend cramming!

26. Taking Practice Tests
• Practice tests WILL HELP you:
– Check your progress
– Hone your test-taking strategy
– Understand your gap areas
• They ARE NOT:
– A substitute for preparation
– A substitute for practice
• Take mock tests AFTER you complete the OG & Reviews and fix the
more fundamental issues in your preparation

27. Part 2 : Where should you apply?
Selecting Your Target B-schools

28. Key Factors In B-school Selection
Course Duration Geography
Specialization Profile Fitment

29. #1 Course Duration
 1 year MBA is NOT ½ of a 2 year MBA!
 Typically require higher work experience
• ~4 years
 Pros:
• Lower on opportunity cost
 Cons:
• Decision about career goals → Faster
• No internship → Career Switch difficult

30. #1 Geography
Geographies you can choose
from:
□ USA
□ Canada
□ Europe
□ APAC
□ ANZ
□ India
Factors to consider:
□ Prevailing Economy
□ VISA regulations
□ Job Opportunities
□ Program Cost

31. North American Schools
Top 3 Reasons
1. Large economy
2. Land of opportunities
3. Great schools
Crème de la Crème:
Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, MIT Sloan, Columbia, Chicago Booth, Kellogg
Top: Haas, Duke, Darden, Tepper, UCLA, Ross
Mid: Broad, Smeal, Kelley, McCombs, Krannert
Canada: Richard Ivey, Queen‟s, Schulich, Rotman

32. APAC Schools
Top 3 Reasons
1. Closer to home
2. Growing economy
3. Relatively less expensive
Australia: Melbourne Business School, AGSM Sydney
Singapore: NUS, NTU, SMU
Others: HKUST, AIM Manila, CEIBES China

33. European Schools
Top 3 Reasons
1. Great brand names
2. Mostly 1-year programs
3. Cultural exposure
Top: IMD Switzerland, INSEAD Paris, LBS
Mid: Said - Oxford, Judge - Cambridge,
Others: SDA Bocconi, Eramus, IESE, ESADE, HEC Paris

34. Indian Schools
Top 3 Reasons
1. Culturally in your comfort zone
2. No VISA required & network already established
3. Costs are lower and loans are easier
Top: ISB, IIM-A, IIM-B, IIM-C
Mid: IIM-L, XLRI GMP,
Others: SP Jain Dubai, Great Lakes

35. #3 Specialization/Expertise
Questions to ask:
1. What does the school website say about the specialization – such as core
courses, centers of excellence, faculty etc.
2. How is this school ranked in that specialization?
3. Does it have a locational advantage for your career? Such as Bay Area for
IT, Boston for Healthcare and New York for Finance
4. What %age of the class get employment in your chosen industry?
5. Do your dream companies recruit from this school?
• Using to research

36. #4 Profile Fitment
Things to consider:
1. Incoming Class Profile
• Work experience & age
• Ethnic & gender diversity
• International students
2. Class-size

37. Selecting & Applying To B-schools
Category of Schools:
1. Dream
2. Stretch
3. Reach
 What rankings to look at?
• Business Week Rankings 2012
 A recommended mix would be 1-2-3
 Apply to Dream & Stretch schools in Round 1 itself

38. Part 3 : What to look out for!
Five Mistakes That Indian MBA
Applicants Make

39. Mistake #1: Being Vague/Too Generic
One of the reasons why I wish to pursue an MBA at this time is that I
am looking for a career change. I want to enter the world of finance as
I feel that I am best suited for a job in this area.
I want to join B-school X because it has a great reputation
internationally, world-class infrastructure, excellent faculty and a
diverse classroom, all of which will help to hone my skills and enhance
my knowledge.

40. Mistake #2: Using Technical Or Management
Jargon
My current role is that of an IT Business Analyst at co. X, and this role
involves providing decommissioning solutions to a global energy major.
These solutions help the client redefine their IT landscape by effectively
replacing and decommissioning applications which are currently in
use .
An MBA will help me understand the broader aspects with respect to the
fundamental areas of core business that would not only help me
transition to a strategic consultant but also help me gain an integrated
view about the implications of the various business actions and
decisions , envision my goals and help me establish a firm grounding in
the industry with respect to the relevance of my skills.

41. Mistake #3: Citing Success Stories Long Past
Their Expiry Date
I was a school prefect consecutively from classes 9 to 12. I was part of
the under-13 district volleyball team and have helped win many
matches. I have also represented my school in many quiz and debate
competitions.

42. Mistake #4: Not Quantifying Your
Achievements
I was responsible for achieving the quarterly sales and revenue targets
set by the company. I also managed the sales force in many of the
company‟s rural and urban retail outlets. Though the market declined
over the past year, I helped my region grow tremendously.
I was responsible for achieving annual revenues of USD0.8 million, and
exceeded this target for 3 consecutive years from 2008 to 2010 I also
managed a 270+ member strong sales force across the 120+ urban and
retail outlets of the company. Though the market declined by 1% over
the past year, I delivered a regional growth of 4%.

43. Mistake #5: Assuming That The Reader Has
Contextual Information
Recently, we had to make a tremendous number of updates to our content for a
client that required it yesterday. No amount of motivation was able to convince the
team that we could do it. I stretched my office hours from 9 am in the morning to 4
am the next morning. Within 3 days, most of the team joined me in the endeavor
and we were able to finish the project‟s updates in no time.
I strongly believe that if one‟s passionate about one‟s work, this infuses a sense of
ownership, commitment and pride in everyone around. Recently, a client requested
numerous updates to be made to our content within a very short time span. The
enormity of the task was such that no amount of motivation could convince the team
that it could be done However, I started working 19-hour days on the project.
Seeing my commitment, my team joined me within 3 days, and we completed the
project on time .

44. In Summary, A Good Applicant Should
Have…
 A clear statement of goals
 Your expectations from an MBA program and from the particular school
 A compelling story about what defines & differentiates you from other
applicants

45. Thank You!

46. Stay Connected
For the latest news from the GMAT and MBA world!