And… we are one month in to 2013. For many institutions, Round 1 applications start coming due in October—just eight short months away. For organized aspirants serious about being competitive at top institutions, the Road to Business School is underfoot and the march to a complete (and stellar) application package is in full swing. The actions taken in January have set the agenda for February and folks are continuing to gather massive amounts of information as well as begin the long, hard battle with the GMAT.
Lots of folks—even perhaps most folks, sadly—put off GMAT study until the end of spring or beginning of summer. Since applications are not due until the fall, studying hard for and completing the GMAT test before spring flowers bloom seems crazy. Instead, it is lots of talk and maybe some reading about b-school. That is about all many will take on in light of a target start date for MBA study set for Autumn 2014. Then, as time moves relentlessly forward, these people are blindsided by what they always knew was there.
Graduate aspirants should, at this point in the game, be doing four things concurrently: clarifying goals, researching programs, assessing academic and professional performance, and studying for the GMAT. The first three items on the list are important and cannot be passively done. However, the real heavy lifting lies in that fourth item. GMAT study is arduous. GMAT study is not fun. GMAT study is very easy to not do—at least, not right now.
But, now is the best time. A GMAT study schedule should consist of 150 hours of total prep time spread over 2-3 months (three is better than two). One should allow enough time to study for and take the GMAT again if the first attempt is not as successful as it could or needs to be. Further, the closer to the Round 1 deadline, the more demanding other aspects of an application package become. Adding GMAT prep to writing application essays, collecting letters of recommendation, and conducting on-site program research while also fulfilling all the other demands of life and work is simply too much. The cumulative strength of the application will suffer, Round 2 will start to look more attractive, and “I wish I had started this earlier” will be the phrase of the day.
Encourage your advisees to start taking GMAT prep seriously and to get moving on it as soon as possible.
