Writing this post I am in the fifth month of my internship with Ecotrust Canada. Ecotrust is a federal charity that self-identifies as an ENGO and an enterprising nonprofit, working towards a conservation economy for BC. The objective of this posting is to explain, based on my personal experience, the importance of using your network to secure an internship. As some of you may have heard, it is not about finding “a” job (internship) but rather “the” job. I believe I’ve succeeded in achieving the latter of the two.

Coming into Vancouver from Athens one thing I didn’t take into consideration was population. Having in mind populated cities of North America and, let’s be honest, my reference point of Hollywood films, I thought Vancouver would be much larger. I simply didn’t check in advance to discover that Vancouver and the Lower Mainland has a population of just over two million people! Coming from Athens, with a population in excess of five million, I can only say that Vancouver seemed very small and slow paced.

Networking is always an important aspect of community building, but within a business community centered around only two million people, it becomes crucial. I have, since arriving, made a serious effort to attend events, tweet, connect through LinkedIn and slowly but steadily build both my presence and my network here.

Simply… do it!

During the first couple of weeks of the MBA, I was elected as Co-President of SFU Net Impact Beedie Chapter, a student run chapter with its own mandate: “Our mission as emerging business leaders is to make a positive environmental, social and economic impact in the Vancouver community by advocating responsible and sustainable business practices.” In recognition of my commitment I was given a complimentary seat at a table sponsored by SFU at the 5th Annual Spring Gala and Young Agents Awards. At the event I had the pleasure to meet Brenda Kuecks, President of Ecotrust Canada when both of us arrived early and had casual time to time to talk and learn about each other’s background.

After keeping track of this relationship and calling to ask Brenda to be one of our speakers for the 20/30 Speaker Series hosted by Net Impact, I asked for an information interview. I was honored to have such an insightful meeting (jargon term: info interview), learning not only about Ecotrust Canada and its work but also much about the non – profit sector more generally. Being a student can open a lot of “doors”. Used strategically, these doors can lead you to people willing to provide good guidance.

Be knowledgeable of your environment

During the conversation, I introduced a funding opportunity that exists for students-researchers in Canadian Universities through the Mitacs organization, and specifically the Mitacs Accelerate Project that sponsors research based internships. It is an important funding opportunity that may help some of you garner financial support to put your experience and knowledge to the test in the workforce.

Long story short

It worked! Since October of 2011 I have been a member of Ecotrust Canada working as a Project Analyst in Economic Development. The project is titled “Business planning for social enterprises” and it has been a great experience. Not only am I getting to put into practice what I have learned during the MBA program, but at the same time I am receiving great guidance and insights to further improve my work.

Gold nuggets:

1. Connect: Be careful and be sure to personalize everything (especially LinkedIn invitations)
2. Be sure to utilize your title: Being a graduate student opens a lot of doors
3. Build your online presence and network

Also build your offline presence and network (sometimes it will bring you into a different set of
relationships)

Acknowledgements

I am grateful and would like to thank Brenda Kuecks, President of Ecotrust Canada for offering me this opportunity, Oba Harding, Director of Business Development, Mitacs for providing his valuable help in securing a smooth and successful application, Jeremy Stone, Economic Development Project Manager of Ecotrust Canada for his close guidance and resourceful feedback on my work and of course all the staff at the organization that welcomed me at their “home”.

I would also like to mention the faculty, staff and fellow MBA candidates for their support and active presence during this important step of my life. They have all enriched my experience and have been really valuable to me in many different ways.

About George Chatzivasileiou

George is an MBA Candidate working at the nonprofit organization Ecotrust Canada as an Economic Development Project Analyst. This is an intern position co-sponsored by Mitacs Accelerate Program and of course Ecotrust Canada. George holds a BS in Shipping, Trade and Transport. He enjoys learning, thus you are most likely to see him at events with topics about economy, sustainability, social entrepreneurship and of course shipping. He is also blogging at g-controversial.blogspot.com.

Searching for a job or an internship is never easy. However, many of us are getting a bit creative in finding ways to engage top employers through networking and conversation. Along with advice from our Career Management Centre and equipped with our list of dream companies, my fellow classmates and I are hitting the streets, or rather the Internet waves, for a job search adventure. Here are a few examples of what it’s like in our shoes. 

1. The hottest job searching tool on the market right now is that little bird named Twitter. Through short, real-time bursts of information called Tweets, anyone can follow a company, human resources profile, individual executive, association, or recruiting company to get notifications of job postings. Not only can you react to Tweets from these accounts, but you can also be proactive and seek out people in the industry or organizations you hope to work for and engage them in a conversation.

2. Facebook allows you to set up a profile for yourself, but you can also use the site to evaluate your interest for a company by joining their fan page. This way every time they post an update or job opening within the organization you’ll be informed through your personal newsfeed. As a plus, companies include additional information such as videos, articles, and photos that can help you gain a better understanding of what the company culture is like.

3. LinkedIn is known as a professional social networking website. In addition to making connections with people you know, you can also conduct a search on a specific company, person or position and find out if you are connected to them through your network. Job postings from human resources are increasingly being posted on LinkedIn; the best thing about finding job postings here is that the human resources contact is published next to the position, making your search for name to address your cover letter to simple and easy.

4. An old-fashioned email address can also help you with your job search. Asking professionals in the industry by email for an informational interview is the best way to talk to someone who knows first-hand what it’s like to work for a company. The key to securing an informational interview is making your role as a curious, ambitious and motivated student known to them. Remember employers, when you start getting requests from students for informational interviews, don’t forget what it was like during your own job hunt!

To all of the MBAs this year and anyone looking to start a new career, good luck!

(Editors’s note: Don’t forget to follow the Business Career Expo and SFU Beedie’s Career Management Centre on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.)

Once I had a look through the brochure, and looked through the website, I decided I wanted to apply. I had been out of full-time school for six years, it was definitely a big change to crack open the GMAT books. I highly recommend taking a GMAT course. I took a course from Kaplan, and found the teacher extremely helpful. In addition, to class time, Kaplan has a partnership with Pearson Testing Centres, and through this partnership, Kaplan students can write up to eight practice test at your actual testing location. I found this to be hugely beneficial to me. By the time my actual write date came around, I was familiar with the staff at Pearson, and I knew the check-in procedures. These little things definitely helped to keep me calm.

If a Kaplan course is not within your budget, I recommend purchasing a Kaplan book, as well as “The Official Guide for GMAT Review”. The Kaplan book will give you some test writing techniques, while the GMAT Review, published by the writers of the GMAT, gives you past test questions. You must also take advantage of the two free online tests offered by mba.com. The format of these tests is identical to the actual test, and they will give you a relatively good gauge to what your actual score may be.

Once you have written your GMAT, the rest of the application will feel like a walk in the park. Make sure you ask your referees for your reference letters long before the due date. You want to give them as much time as possible to prepare their letter. Lastly, be yourself in your self-evaluation. The admissions committee will be able to see the effort you put into your application. If you have any questions, the staff at the Segal office is always happy and willing to help!

This MBA Program Blog has been recently touting the SFU MBA program as a good option for someone looking to do an MBA that emphasizes corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The Corporate Knights Magazine, from what I’ve seen so far, seems to have the most comprehensive and exhaustive research methodology for their study. The research focuses on 3 core areas of the MBA program: institutional support, student-led initiatives (thought to be supported and endorsed by the program’s culture), and course work. While institutional support and course work are controlled mostly by the business school itself, student-led initiatives tend to be an interesting measure of how the school and the curriculum has influenced the students, along with a measure of the type if students the MBA program attracts. Since the SFU MBA Program is located in Vancouver, along with UBC’s Sauder, there exists an automatic advantage that comes part in parcel with the culture of sustainable business in British Columbia.

Interestingly, something that is not considered by the study is the duration of the MBA programs and how that might effect a “culture” within the institution. Since the SFU MBA Program is a 1 year full-time program with very little immediate interaction between cohorts year after year, this student culture tends to get reset after each cohort graduates. There are two student-led groups at SFU Graduate Business that work to minimize this effect and carry on the student culture, be it with ethics and sustainability, social and networking programs, or simply student advocacy. The first program is the SFU Graduate Business Chapter of Net Impact, a group of emerging business graduates committed to making a positive environmental, social and economic impact in the Vancouver community. Net Impact at Segal has a group of advisers that carry over for a number of months in order to coach and assist the new Net Impact leaders. The group is growing in popularity and membership at SFU Graduate Business, and promises to continue its upward trend with this year’s leaders. Be sure to click on the link above to learn more about this group and to get involved.

The second group that works to acculturate SFU Graduate Business cohorts is the Graduate Business Student Association (GBSA). The GBSA is the Graduate Business arm of the SFU Graduate Student Association, which organizes social events, extra-curricular learning experiences, and advocates student rights and awareness. The GBSA also has a group of executive directors that carry over and advise the incoming student executives.

The Corporate Knights has also published a list of best practices for creating a more sustainable university program. The following A Few Good Minds article highlights the business program related tips, and provides a commentary as it relates to SFU Business specifically. Read about Best Practices for Sustainable MBA Programs – derived from the Corporate Knights.

I was very impressed after the presentation by Associate Dean Dr. Ed Bukzar, during which he described in detail what the SFU MBA program offers, and what the one-year curriculum looks like. The fact that the program is built around students with vastly different backgrounds and diverse personalities is very impressive, as I want to be in a program that provides me with the opportunity not only to enrich my education but also to expand my personal horizons. The opportunity to do this with people similar in age and years of work experience only enhanced the appeal of the program.

Another appealing feature of the MBA program is the fact that it is a one-year MBA program. Obviously, this is advantageous as it allows me to re-enter the workforce within a reasonably short period of time, significantly lowering the opportunity cost.

The international field study trip to the Pacific Rim, as well as the internship opportunities that are part of this program are of great interest to me because I have already worked in Asia and look to maintain a business relationship in that geographical area.

Having been enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (GDBA) program at SFU for the past two semesters, it’s only logical that I continue my educational advancement with the SFU MBA Program. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience so far at the Segal School of Business and I cannot imagine myself completing my MBA at any other school.

*Used with Permission

There is a full gamut of MBA program choices in North America and Internationally. It’s important to evaluate a number of programs, especially with regard to their length and intensity, to find the one that best suits your profile and personal needs as a student.

One-year and two-year MBA programs are both full-time, however they can be quite a bit different. The main difference of course is the time spent out of the workforce, studying instead of gaining practical industry experience and a salary. As a business student this becomes a very relevant issue, referred to as Opportunity Cost. Opportunity Cost represents the salary or wage that you could be making if you were not studying. Opportunity Cost could also come in the form of making a decision to take one MBA program over the other.

There should be no question then why more and more prestigious and established business schools are adding a one-year MBA program to their offering. Kellogg, Stanford, Cornell, and Oxford, among several others have all designed and are offering a one-year MBA program. Interestingly, Insead (with campuses in Paris and Singapore), one of the most globally recognized business schools, has completely replaced their MBA program with the one-year offering, and continues to have this as the only full-time program at the institution. Simon Fraser University, here in Vancouver also has only one full-time MBA offering, which lasts for one year.

It might seem ridiculous and highly biased for a small, somewhat internationally unknown Business School in Vancouver to be included in a list like the one above. The administration, students, and most importantly, the alumni would argue that SFU Business fits right in there. The business school is accredited by both EQUIS and AACSB, a rare double-certification that places SFU business among few in the world. To this the school adds a list of professors such as Gervase Bushe, Leyland Pitt, David Thomas, Andrey Pavlov, and Ian McCarthy, all working on unique and current research on a breadth of relevant international business issues. The resulting product is a highly competitive and well placed MBA program, located in one of the greatest cities in the world.

The program’s alumni network, though still relatively small is growing stronger with each cohort that is released into the workforce. SFU MBA Alumni like Lindsay Angelo, Michael Underell, and Alexandra Chu will make this a program that breeds proven young successful business people.

The SFU Full-Time one-year MBA program concludes with a rigorous final paper / project and a six to eight-month internship that rounds out the program by allowing the students to narrow in on their personal interests. The program represents a very broad-based, comprehensive lesson plan that the student can specialize through the completion of very flexible project and paper topics. To learn more about the program, feel free to explore the SFU MBA website. You can also email us here at questions@afewgoodminds.com or leave a comment below.

I recently attended an information session for SFU’s Graduate Business programs to chat a bit about my experience and answer any questions from prospective students. These monthly sessions are lead by the program’s Associate Dean, program founder, and principal admissions officer. What I liked most about sitting in on the 1 hour seminar was the distinct absence of cheesy promotional videos and unclear statistics about how easily grads found jobs, and how successful the alumni were. Instead, the session focused on the type of experience a student might have if they were to enroll in SFU’s Full-Time MBA program.

One aspect of the session that I found interesting was the Associate Dean’s honesty and frankness about admission criteria. As with any other MBA school, SFU has rather stringent admission criteria which looks at GMAT score, undergraduate GPA, references, and life experience, among other things. When I was applying for the SFU MBA program, I, like hundreds of other MBA applicants, got very caught up in my upcoming GMAT test. (The Authors of this blog have compiled several GMAT related posts, including: GMAT CAT exam tips, as well as the best GMAT review books, and a huge list of free online GMAT tests). While your GMAT score is an important admission criterion, it’s certainly not the “be-all and end-all”, and this is especially true at SFU’s Graduate Business School. So, is it possible to get into a great MBA program without a good GMAT score? It is, as long as there are some other factors that might counterbalance. More specifically, look at school’s like SFU Business which use a compensatory model of admission. Let’s explain this concept further, using the example given by the Associate Dean of the SFU MBA program.

The best way to explain what a compensatory model is to first describe a “non-compensatory” model. In a non-compensatory model, if the applicant falls below ANY of the objectively measured admissions criteria (often GMAT, Undergrad GPA, essay scoring, years of work experience) they will immediately be disqualified from admission to that particular Grad School. Even if the MBA applicant is a perfect fit in all other areas, yet has a low GMAT score, they stand no chance of admission. It’s becoming quite clear now why SFU does NOT use this model, isn’t it? Admitting students using the non-compensatory model severely restricts the diversity and breadth of talent within the applicant pool, and ultimately, in your MBA class.

The SFU MBA admissions team does not want to make this critical admission error, and therefore uses a compensatory model for admission. What results is an MBA cohort which is widely diversified and talented in more than than simply test-taking and essay writing. In the past 3 graduating classes, SFU’s Full-Time MBA has admitted professional athletes, medical doctors, musicians (including a world famous opera tenor), astro-physicists, dot-net geniuses, and film producers, to name a very small few. It’s an exciting and interesting study environment; one perfect for creating lifelong dynamic business partnerships.

Don’t worry if you fall slightly below the minimum GMAT, GPA, or other measurements. The SFU MBA program looks at the applicant with a more holistic eye, they’re not trying to maximise GMAT scores. All this said, the average GMAT score in the current full-time MBA class is 615, and has been rising each year. This average appears to be growing naturally as applications become all-together stronger. Chances are you’re a pretty interesting person, so feel free to attend an information session or contact the SFU MBA admissions department. I look forward to seeing you at the next info session!

I totally understand that if you’re like myself, and avoided math until now, that you probably need to emphasize study on math skills and logic. Also, with regard to structure, logic, and pure calculation of the problem, the math section is more difficult. All this said, when the GMAT scores come in, and the percentiles (the true measure against peers that took a test in the same time frame) are calculated, the verbal section is more important to your overall GMAT score. This fact is especially true in the 700 – 800 scoring range. Lets look at some well known data that backs up this postulation… because after all, we are MBA students, and we need the facts:

First, put yourself in the position of scoring in the 99th percentile in Verbal. Now consider your Quant score is in the:

57th percentile = Total (730, 96th percentile)
63th percentile = Total (730, 96th percentile)
70th percentile = Total (740, 97th percentile)

In this case as you can see, even a large percentile difference in Quant will only advance you a percentile or two in overall score. In this case having that high verbal score has benefited the test taker even though their math scores are just somewhat above average.

Now lets take a look at the opposite scenario. If the test taker scores extremely well on the Quant section but average on the Verbal section what happens?

A 99th percentile in Quant, with a Verbal score in the:

57th percentile = Total (670, 85th percentile)
65th percentile = Total (690, 88th percentile)
70th percentile = Total (710, 92nd percentile)

So nearly acing the Quant section, in this case with a decent Verbal section only scores a 710!!! Something uneven is definitely at play here, and it’s clear that more weight falls onto the Verbal section, there’s a clear bias. This begs the question, what exactly is going on here, and why?

The best explanation probably stems from the very common (and soon to be more common once you get into business school) concept of adjusting for supply. There is an uneven number of test takers that do well in the Quant section compared to test takers who do well in the verbal section. If you account for international students who have English as their second language, along with the fact that with math, there is always a formula to find the correct answer, suddenly it’s not so surprising that scores for the Quant section are by and large higher. Now, add self-selection bias, which means that people who are likely to want to attend business school are also likely to have analytically focused minds.

The best advice that we can give you if you are one of these people, is to focus on perfecting your sentence correction. With SC questions there are comparatively limited permutations with regard to the questions. Also, there is a very distinct formula that exists with these questions. Memorize the formula, and these questions become just another type of “math” question. This of course is not the case with critical reasoning or reading comprehension, where the questions take a high amount of judgment and practice.

We’d love to hear your thoughts or even stories about your Verbal / Quant experience, and how it affected your GMAT score. Also, feel free to ask specific questions or address concerns as they relate to the GMAT and admission to SFU Graduate Business.

Intro

All of these tests are slightly different from each other and from the real test at the testing center (closest to the real thing is the first link to the GMAC test). Barring this first link, all the others are ultimately trying to sell you something. They offer “free samples” for you to try however, hoping you’ll buy their software. If you’re studying on your own, which is more than common, and still very effective for getting a good score, make sure you read our Best GMAT Prep Books post.

Official GMAC Test

This free online GMAT test is the official GMAT preparation software from the Graduate Management Admissions Council, makers of the GMAT. They require you to sign up, which you have to do to register for the GMAT test as well. The same user name and password can be used to register for the GMAT and to download free practice exams.

Manhattan Test Prep Free GMAT Test

One of the big three test prep vendors and a bit of a process for this free online GMAT practice test. Yes, they’re trying to sell their test prep software, however the free GMAT Practice test is well done, and quite realistic. Be sure to use your non-primary email address, as they will send you promotional materials. Better yet, use mailinator.com to keep your inbox clear, and still receive the necessary verification links.

Princeton Review Free GMAT Test

Another big test prep company, the Princeton Review looking to get you to buy their GMAT study course. The course is really expensive, however they offer a great free online practice exam.

Kaplan Free GMAT Test

Like all of these other GMAT tests, for a company other than GMAC to get a scoring algorithm that matches the real GMAT is really difficult. As a result, Kaplan makes a good GMAT Practice test, but it yields a typically low score. Expect to get 20 to 40 more points on the actual GMAT test.

Veritas Free Online GMAT Test

Veritas Prep advertises that they provide pacing information and comprehensive feedback after their GMAT practice tests. It’s a well made test, and actually might prompt you to buy the other tests if you want more GMAT practice.

GMAT Score Free GMAT Test Software

This link is for a small test prep company called GMAT Score that makes good software for a decent price. They offer fair value, and a few math and verbal-specific free GMAT Practice Tests along with this full length GMAT practice test.

Crack the GMAT – Test Prep Software

Crack the GMAT is a well known site that provides a blog and other resources to help successfully conquer the GMAT. This GMAT practice test can only be used once, and you download a little client that allows you to access the test online. It only works with Windows based operating systems. This same site allows you to buy five other full length tests for $20. I doubt after doing all the free tests that you’ll need to spend any money, however if you’re a GMAT practice test addict, this may be for you.

Peterson’s GMAT Test Preparation

Peterson’s offers more GMAT practice, and while the software isn’t very good, the more GMAT practice the better.

Miscellaneous Online GMAT Test Prep Software and Advice

The format of these practice tests are nothing like the real GMAT, however the actual questions are like those you would find on the real test. Use these free GMAT practice questions to get your brain going, and get used to answering questions using a computer interface.

This link brings you to a page with a list of many downloads. Stick to the practice books for actual GMAT review questions, but download 2 and 10 on this list for a couple of good GMAT practice tests. Download #6 is the same as the official GMAC link above.


The math and the verbal sections are separated for this free online GMAT practice site, you get access to one of each to try yourself. There’s lots of other material on this site, some good, some not so good. I recently lost a bit of faith in the site when I found a math practice question that would never be on a GMAT.

There are many GMAT prep books and study guides currently available to help you prepare for the test. Make sure you check out the other posts in our “Tips for Applying” section for other GMAT tips and lots of ideas to help you with your application to SFU’s Graduate Business programs, or any other MBA program out there including application tuning, essay writing, references, and interviewing. We here at A Few Good Minds think that our advice is pretty universal.

In the end, I couldn’t choose just one GMAT prep book, so I took a poll and found the top 3. Check them out here:

The Official Guide for GMAT Review – Link to Amazon.com

When it comes to preparing for the GMAT’s questions, and answering real examples of questions you might answer on test day, the Official Guide (OG) is the only way to go. The OG is published annually by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), the makers of the GMAT exam. In the opinion of all the SFU Grad Business students I polled, each of which have taken the GMAT (a few of them more than once), the OG is the most important book to have as your study companion. (The average GMAT score between the eight polled students was 727.5, with one 790) We suggest you read the OG cover to cover and do every single question within it (about 25 hours all together). The questions are ordered by level of difficulty within each section, the most difficult questions being near the end. Along with being the only book that can use real GMAT questions, the OG vividly describes (almost as well as Dave of AFGM) what will happen on test day, and introduces the format of the computer adaptive exam.

The one key downside to the OG is that it doesn’t provide any conceptual knowledge or techniques around answering the questions. It provides an answer and a very brief explanation. For a more comprehensive guide, and lessons on how to approach GMAT questions one or a combination of the next books are the way to go.



Crack the GMAT by Princeton Review – Link to Amazon.com

Of my eight respondents, five of them had some experience with the Princeton Review prep books. The reviews were all very positive, with an emphasis on the unique teaching strategy found within the book. These guys share the title with Kaplan for the undisputed champions of test prep, and depending on your learning style this could be the comprehensive book for you. We recommend that you go to a bookstore and flip through it a bit a get a feel for the teaching style before you buy it. The book contains detailed lessons and tricks to solve advanced problems as well as four full length sample tests, questions, and information on how to gain entry into the best business schools – Like SFU’s Segal School of Business.

Kaplan GMAT Advanced 2009-2010 Edition: Intensive Prep for Top Students – Link to Amazon.com

Apparently this book should come with a disclaimer, it’s an advanced guide for students who dream of 700+ GMAT scores. Most notably however, the book goes into specific detail around how to solve the most difficult GMAT questions. Kaplan is notorious for their 3-step, 4-step, and 5-step (for the more complicated questions) methods of solving GMAT questions. With hundreds of the most difficult practice questions (with highly detailed answers) the book focuses on math tactics, critical reasoning, and data sufficiency problems.

Along with the book, you also gain access to Kaplan’s website which has some of the best practice tests I’ve seen. Remember though, it’s impossible for any outside company to perfectly calibrate the score to GMAC standards. It’s important that you don’t get too caught up in your score on these exams as much as you simply use them as a way to get accustomed to answering GMAT questions on the computer .

Overall Review of GMAT Books Overall Practice: Official Guide, both old and new editions (including the specific quantitative and verbal books) Overall Practice: Barron’s book is the most comprehensive “all-in-one” books (The CD is a bit lacking) Overall Practice: Princeton Review’s 1,012 Practice Questions book – Second best to the OG for practice, practice, practice. Specific Math Review and Techniques: Kaplan’s Math Foundations review book Specific Verbal Review and Techniques: Kaplan’s Verbal Foundations review book

Even if you were to buy each and every one of the books listed in this post your total cost will be below $500. Remember though, you don’t necessarily have to buy every one of them. It might be more advantageous for you to focus on one specific section. (Want to know the most important GMAT section to focus on?) If you are focused and dedicated to achieving a high score on the GMAT, you might want to consider self-study over an expensive prep course. These books are by far and away best in class and you may surprise yourself with how focused you can be on self-study for this important test.

Understand the concept of state-dependent learning (memory), and how you can benefit from it on test day:

It has been shown that when trying to recall information, or even perform cognitive tasks, it’s best to do so in the same mental and environmental state as when you encoded the information, or practiced the tasks. What does that mean? It means if you usually have coffee before studying, have coffee before the test. If you usually study in the afternoon, book the test in the afternoon. If you wear comfy clothes when you study, do so also for the test. Remember, the university doesn’t see what you’re wearing, but they will see that you didn’t answer a question correctly [because you were distracted by itchy pants]. State dependent learning can be used in the reverse sense as well; in this case we have an advantage because we know almost exactly what the testing environment is going to be like. Make sure you study in a quiet, well lit area that has a desk and a chair which you aren’t totally comfortable sitting on. Mix it up for different practice tests, do them in different places with other furniture. This will teach you how to be comfortable with an unfamiliar testing environment.

Do at least one or two practice tests at home, simulating test conditions:

If you read Dave’s post about what it’s like to go to a testing center and take the four hour exam in a little cubicle with cameras and people watching you, you’ll know that this is a very unique experience. Try to simulate as many of the possible variables at home before you take the test. For this practice test we recommend you use one of the tests provided by GMAC. be sure to lock yourself in a room with your computer and without distractions. You might want to take this opportunity to determine whether you feel comfortable wearing ear plugs during the test. When I took the test I found earplugs helped me zone in on what I was doing, and forget about everything around me. It’s important that you try them out before the test, as they could end up being added stress if you don’t like them.

This is what the scratchpad and pen in the test center will look like

Remember, in the GMAT testing center the scratch paper that is provided is laminated and you are given a sharp-tip erasable marker to use. When I was practicing for the GMAT I used a piece of paper that I had laminated, and a similar marker to simulate the experience. I don’t know about you but I HATE getting ink on my hands, it takes some practice to make sure you don’t. If you have any more questions, feel free to comment or email us.

Make a trip to the test center a few days before the test:

Sometimes the Pearson (GMAT test administration company) testing centers are hidden away in office buildings, or are in parts of town that aren’t easily accessible. Make sure you go to the testing center using the same transportation you’ll use day of, a week or so before the test day. If you’re in Vancouver, the testing center is really close to a Skytrain station, but remember public transit can be delayed too, so give yourself some extra time. Also, be sure to make the trip on the same day and time as you’ll be making it on test day, this should give you an idea of traffic conditions, etc. Aim to arrive to the test center about 15-30 minutes early.

Stop studying or spending time looking at a computer monitor at least 24 hours before the test:

You wouldn’t run a marathon the day before you race in the actual Boston Marathon, right? Just like your body, your brain needs time to rest and recover between training sessions and before a test. With this in mind, do something other than studying and looking at a computer screen the day before your exam. Enjoy the outdoors, have fun with friends, or listen to some music and relax. It is well documented that people who have had a good night’s sleep and are well rested do better at cognitive tasks.

Bring a snack and a sweater with you to the test:

In between sections you’ll be able to take a 10 minute break and leave the testing area, bring a light snack for you to nibble on during this break. Also keep in mind that the testing center is likely heated differently that what you’re used to. Wear layers and bring a sweater in case you get cold.

If you have any questions or thoughts, be sure to leave a comment below. We respond to comments immediately and love to hear what our readers have to say. Bonus points if you come back after and tell us about your GMAT test-day experience.

Good Luck on the test – even though I know you don’t need it!

Be sure to read the other 2 posts in this 3 part series:

GMAT Tips Part 1 – Computer Adaptive Test Strategies

GMAT Tips Part 2 – How it Works: GMAT Computer Adaptive Test

Unfortunately, the test centre's computer likely won't be this nice...

This is the second part of a three part series on the CAT. This post goes into technical detail about the inner workings of the unique test. The other two parts include a description of the Computer Adaptive Test Experience and a section about tips and tricks to help you feel comfortable with the Computer Adaptive Test. My sources include the GMAC website, as well as several SFU MBA students who scored an average 727.5 between the eight of them. This group also wrote up an article on the best GMAT Study and Prep Guides.

The CAT format for the GMAT exam is still relatively new, which means that many potential GMAT test takers still don’t know that the entire GMAT exam is done on a computer. The brains at GMAC have done this in order to create a test which has both increased accuracy and validity over a traditional pencil and paper exam. This makes university admissions departments rely very heavily on the GMAT, maybe moreso than they should. One nice thing about SFU’s Grad Business admissions team is that they look at the entire student and not just at their GMAT score. Lets start by making a list of the more unknown CAT facts.

• Each new question is based on how you answered the last, making the next question harder or easier




• You can’t skip around from each question or go back, once you’ve answered a question it is scored




• There is a large penalty for not answering a question, or not finishing a section




• You only need a basic knowledge of computers to navigate the computer adaptive test




• The essay section of the test is also typed, and while it is usually at the beginning of the test, it could     be placed anywhere

So, now that we have a basic understanding of what the computer adaptive test is, and you’ve read about a test experience, lets get into some more technical detail.

On the GMAT’s Computer Adaptive Test, the computer will give you a new question based on how you answered the last question. The first question in any section has an average level of difficulty (500 level). Closer to the beginning of the sections the increase or decrease in difficulty will be greater, because they want to quickly place you within an appropriate broad difficulty level. With this in mind, it’s important to spend a little bit of extra time on the first 10 questions or so. After that the computer does more of a “fine tuning” job with each question until you reach the end.

This exposes that the test has two measurements to find your final score: number of questions correct, and difficulty level. There is also a third highly important measurement which is not as commonly known. The system will measure your range of cognitive abilities with different question types. For example, in the quantitative section you are measured on arithmetic, algebra, geometry, number theory, statistical reasoning, etc. By consistently answering questions correct in each of these sections, you are reducing the standard deviation of scores between the sections. This makes sense because the makers of the test acknowledge that effective managers are not good at one or two things only, they have a well rounded skill set.

To take this a step further, lets combine ideas and apply them to the verbal section, which takes into account this idea of “zeroing in” on your score with each question type. You should spend a couple extra moments with the first of each reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction question. Getting these first questions of each type correct will help boost your score by placing you into a higher level of difficulty. Remember though, one of the most important things on the test is to answer ALL the questions, so do a few practice exams specifically focused on the timing. This will help you determine how much extra time you can dedicate to the first few questions. I have a few GMAT timing grids for anyone who is interested. Feel free to email me or leave a comment if you’re interested.

With this new knowledge comes a BIG warning. If you come across a question in the middle of a section that you think is really easy, do not worry that you got the last question wrong. There are two potential explanations at play here, the first and most likely being that it’s just easy for YOU. Don’t get caught up in the level of difficulty of a question. Something that’s easy for you may be difficult for someone else that studied in a different way. The second explanation could be that it’s an experimental question, slipped in there in order for the test makers to determine the level of difficulty it should have on future tests. Experimental questions are common and can be anywhere, just focus on efficiently answering each question and not falling for an easy trick. Often the most obvious answer is wrong.

Last word of caution, that the sections could be ordered in any way, and may not be exactly like the practice exams. The key to this type of exam is to always be prepared to roll with whatever happens. The computer adaptive test can be used to your advantage if you understand it. For more information, and to view the references for this article go to GMAC’s Test Structure and Overview Page.

Be sure to read the other 2 posts in this 3 part series:

GMAT Tips Part 1 – Computer Adaptive Test Strategies

GMAT Tips Part 3 – Best Practices for Test Day

The first thing you’re going to have to do is visit the GMAT website and use their registration system to make an appointment to write the exam at a testing centre near you. The second thing you’re going to have to do is pay for it: $250 USD. The third thing you have to do is by far the most difficult: show up at the testing centre and actually write the exam.

No matter what you do to prepare yourself, nothing is as intimidating as taking the GMAT at the testing center. Show up 30 minutes before your scheduled testing time, with acceptable ID, so that you have enough time to complete the check in procedure, which includes having your picture, signature, and palm vein pattern recorded, before your test begins. Once you have checked in you will be instructed to empty your pockets and leave all personal items in a locker in the reception area, before you are escorted into the testing area. When you make it inside the testing area, you will be seated in front of the computer on which you will write the exam, where you will be under video surveillance the entire time. The whole point of this is that you will have to pull some Mission: Impossible type stunt in order to successfully cheat on the GMAT, so it’s probably easier for you to just study.

Once you’re in the testing room all you have left to do is take the exam. The most important thing you can do to prepare is to download the free test preparation software from the GMAT website and complete the two practice tests. This will give you a feel for the actual structure of the test and give you valuable practice at both doing the actual questions and completing them in the allotted time. The GMAT is done completely on a computer, to learn more about the inner workings of the Computer Adaptive Test, check out Part 2 of this series. For a review of the actual questions and strategies for taking the actual exam an excellent book is Cracking the GMAT from the Princeton Review.

After you’ve completed the exam you have to decide if you want your results to count or not. You make this choice after you’ve decided which schools you want to send your scores to, so if you picked an Ivy League school and you get a bad score they will see it. You still pay to take the test regardless of whether you decide to get your scores or not, so be aware of this when making your decision.

Despite all of this, it is possible to do well on the GMAT as long as you have prepared properly ahead of time by learning the strategies, practicing them with the free test preparation software, and finally using them on the actual exam.

Be sure to read the other 2 posts in this 3 part series:

GMAT Tips Part 2 – Computer Adaptive Test Strategies

GMAT Tips Part 3 – Best Practices for Test Day