The GMAT Pill Study Method » Post GMAT / PreMBA Interview Blog Series

Boston U Graduate Debates GMAT Prep Options, Chooses GMAT Pill, Scores 750

TheGMATPill — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:48:15 +0000

Thanks to Leon Yang for taking the time out of his busy schedule as a full time entrepreneur to make this video just as a thank you to GMAT Pill. Leon is a Boston University graduate who majored in Economics.

Leon’s GMAT Prep Experience

Transcript

Hi everyone, my name is Leon and I got a score of 750 on my GMAT. So like everyone else I wanted to get a great score on my GMAT to get into my dream business school. And so I decided–what was the first thing I needed to do–to find some sort of guide or material that I could study my GMAT on.

Hearing About GMAT Pill | GMAT Prep

So I asked around some friends about some prep courses like Kaplan or Princeton and Manhattan GMAT, of course. A few of them actually recommended that I should look into the GMAT Pill. At first I wasn’t really sure what that was so I did a bit of research and looked into what they actually do. It was quite interesting–the approach that they took to teach me what I needed to do because instead of having a lot of reading materials, they’re really composed of a set of videos of tutorials and the types of questions that you really needed to know.

Also, it was a lot cheaper than the classes from what I paid compared to thousands of dollars. Like everyone else, I didn’t really have a lot of time to study. So I figured, instead of devoting that much time to the entire Kaplan or ManhattanGMAT score, I decided to take the GMAT Pill. And what the GMAT Pill does is that instead of teaching you so many things, it really helps you to tackle each different question specifically based on what type of methodology you wan to use. I was especially weak in sentence correction, so that was really helpful because it showed me every strategy to tackle every type of question.

When I actually took the test, a lot of times the same concepts appeared in the GMAT Pill as it appeared on the actual GMAT test and I thought that was really helpful. And I would say the same about everything else–the math problems, etc. Everything was a whole set of concepts, they broke it down piece by piece.

GMAT Videos

It’s very easy to study because every concept was broken down into a video. So if you spent an hour or two a night or day you could go over certain concepts daily. It’s very easy to watch and learn instead of reading because it’s kind of interactive. It shows you visually how to attack the problem so I thought that was extremely helpful for me. And I have to say for everyone else, I understand that I can’t guarantee to get higher than 700 or 750 from just going GMAT Pill, but what really helped me was combining the tricks and tips from GMAT Pill with going over the OG guide–the 12th edition, 11th edition. Just practice some of the problems.

And even when you’re practicing some of those questions, I saw a lot of times the same concepts that the GMAT Pill taught me–it just comes up again and again and made it extremely easy. So I have to say you have a limited amount of time to really get the most out of the time you study, I would say you should really go with the GMAT Pill and you could get some really good results.

Also I must say that just trying to do GMAT Prep questions–those questions really correlate with the actual test. You study that and you supplement with the GMAT Pill–you could really get a great improvement in your score really quickly. And so I think if you want to save some money and you really want to be more efficient in your studying, go with the GMAT Pill and I hope you get a good of a score as I did.

Thank God I Did GMAT Prep With GMATPill

Thank god I took that–GMAT Pill program and not Princeton or the Kaplan courses. I don’t think I would have—I’d say maybe I’d do as well, but for the amount of time that I would’ve spent I could’ve spent doing something else. To me, GMAT Pill was really valuable in that aspect. It really saved me a lot of time and it was really easy to learn. I hope that you will have the same experience that I did and hopefully you will get a really good score as well.

Additional GMAT Prep Resources:

GMAT Test Dates
The 1 GMAT Strategy You Need To Know
Online GMAT

How To Write Your Resume For Business School

TheGMATPill — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:44:37 +0000

There are a lot of elements related to your resume submission during the business school application season.
Most business schools have an online system where you upload your essays, questionnaires, and yes—your resume.

Before we get to the actual resume, let’s talk about what you should name your resume. Usually, you can upload your word (*.doc) document to the online system. Occasionally, you may need to convert your DOC file to a PDF and upload the PDF instead.

What should the filename of my resume be?

Good question. This is often overlooked, but it does make a difference!
Most candidates will give the following filenames to their resume:

“John Doe – 091009.doc”
“Resume – bschool.doc”
“resume for harvard Fall 2010.doc”

This is NOT what you should do. Sure, having the “091009″ system is good for your own personal tracking system to keep track of which dated version you saved on–091009 –September 10, 2009. However, business schools do NOT want to see this.

Let’s look at what is good from the above. The John Doe part is good. Why? Putting your name in the filename immediately brands you as a unique candidate. One thing you should know about the entire MBA application process is that branding is everything. If you do not brand yourself, you will be just like the thousands of other generic guys who give their resume the name: “resume091009.doc”

Brand yourself! Put your name there and attach the name of the company you worked at for 4 years. You can even put the name of the school you are applying to–it gives a slight impression that this particular resume was specially customized for the school–rather than just being your generic resume that you hand out everywhere.

For example, use the following formats:

“John Doe Resume – Goldman IB – Harvard R1 2010.doc”

or if the online system does not allow [spaces] in the title, then use underscores like this:

“John_Doe_Resume_Goldman_IB_Harvard_R1_2010.pdf”

Notice the name “John Doe” is in the beginning. You can also put the word resume in the beginning like this: “Resume – John Doe – Goldman IB – Harvard R1 2010.doc”
Notice “Goldman IB” utilizes the recognized brand name in the title.
Notice “Harvard R1 2010″ indicates this resume was customized for Harvard. And R1 signifies that the resume was submitted as part of Round 1 in the application process (as opposed to Round 2 or Round 3).
Without even opening your document, the admissions director will already know who you are and what your general trajectory is. They know your name. They know the name of the firm that you probably spent a good portion of your career at and they also know which application round you belong to.

Should I use an Objective in my resume?

Objectives are useful only when you have a clear career path or field of interest. Since your intention is pretty clear for business school (to get into the school you are applying to), the objective is not necessary. So save yourself some room and leave out the objective for business school resumes.

How should I write the body of the resume?

This is the most important part. We can only cover a little bit here.
To start off, use effective verbs phrases, not generic ones like:
“responsible for”
“worked with”
“Handled”

Rather, you should use action verb like:
“Managed, Oversaw”
“Analyzed”
“Contacted”

Be specific as possible and quantify where possible.

So instead of saying
“Responsible for public relations activities of largest client account.”
you should say
“Developed and implemented a 6-month nation-wide public relations campaign for ABC Company, the agency’s largest client account, representing 65% of annual billings in the consumer products division.”

Much better.

What verb tense should I use?

Verb tenses are very important. A rule of thumb: If you have already done it, the verb should end in “ed”. If you are currently working on something the verb should end in the present tense. Do not lead your sentences with verbs that end in “ing”.

The pronoun “I”
The pronoun “I” does not belong on your resume.

How big should my margins be?

Your margins should be no smaller than .5 inch and no larger than 1 inch on all sides.

Do I list dates on my resume?

Yes, remember to list the dates of your employment, involvement in activities, as well as honors or special recognition.

How long should my resume be?

Your resume should be no longer than 1 page. If your resume is more than 1 page, it is very likely you are listing a lot of irrelevant or redundant information. Remember, business school admissions officers have thousands of resumes to go through. They won’t be spending all that much time analyzing your resume when they have piles of essays and apps to go through. They just want the quick scoop. They also want to know that you understand how to succinctly communicate what you did on one piece of paper.

WHAT size font do I use?

Size 11 is ideal, but anything smaller than size 10 is too small.

Help Me With My Resume

Step 1: Make your payment above.
Step 2: Send an email to zeke@gmatpill.com attaching your necessary materials (resume and cover letter).
Step 3: We will respond confirming receipt of your documents via email and then work together with you.

Interview with Kellogg MBA Admit

TheGMATPill — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:50:50 +0000

Today I’m really excited to talk with my friend Jennifer Tang, a Kellogg MBA just entering her first year. She tells us about how life has been after taking the GMATs and before entering one of the nations’ top MBA programs.

Jennifer is perhaps one of the younger members of her class but her drive to succeed and background as a nationally ranked chess player speak volumes. We weren’t able to get in an audio clip of our conversation, but here’s the transcript:

1)How does it feel to be going to business school? Do you think your emotions are any different from what they were when you were about to enter Stanford?

I am both excited and anxious to be going to business school. With just a couple weeks left, I’m definitely feeling the enormity of it all– the tremendous opportunities that this experience will offer. After signing my considerable loans, there’s also a tiny voice at the back of mind reminding me, “don’t mess up this once in a lifetime experience!” As a caveat– I deferred a year of business school so most of the heart-pounding excitement has dissipated to a more practical frame of mind. Both Stanford and Kellogg inspire an overwhelming sense of opportunity.. and humblness. I am very lucky! I’d be willing to bet that my Kellogg experience will be very similar to my Stanford experience just because of the collaborative, friendly culture that the two schools share in common.

2)How are you spending your summer before you begin your adventurous ride at Kellogg Business School?

I spent this summer traveling in Alaska and Asia, spending time at home with my family and gearing back up for Kellogg.

3)From the day you decided to do the MBA til now, there must’ve been some moments that made you second guess yourself and question what you’re doing. Perhaps you were stuck on application essays or frustrated with GMAT studying. Tell us about it.

For me, the process was difficult at two points: 1) writing the application essays 2) deferring. The applications are incredibly long and require a great deal of personal reflection and thought, not to mention great writing skills. I really couldn’t have finished them without the help of several truly great friends who not only were good sounding boards and critics, but also a source of much-needed encouragement and inspiration. The process of writing helped me clearly identify not only why business school but also what I truly wanted to do with my life, both short-term and long-term. But after meeting other accepted students, I knew that I would stand to gain even more from the business school experience with a third year of work experience. An exciting opportunity to work for a tech startup came up and after much deliberation, I put in a request for a deferral.

4)One good reason people pursue the MBA is for a change in lifestyle and career prospects. What kind of lifestyle changes and career prospects were you looking for when you took the GMAT and filled out your application essays?

I started this MBA process to gain essential business and quantitative skills to prepare me for a career change to marketing. Given that I’m in an early career stage with a liberal arts degree, I thought that the business school would be the right next step for me. Also, from my experience at Stanford and the working world, I know that I learn the most from my peers. So two fun years of learning from some of the best and brightest without the constraints of the work world sound pretty great to me!

5)Are there any specific events or programs you are looking forward to as you return to school? Classes? Trips?

I’m looking forward to going on a KWEST trip in August– Kellogg 2Ys organize about 30 pre-term trips to destinations around the world, from the Galapagos to Japan. Everyone I’ve talked to have said that their Kellogg experience was the two best years of their lives. I don’t think it can get better than that!

6)Lastly, do you have any comments for our students regarding GMAT prep? Perhaps on mental preparation or coming into the test with the right mindest?

In my GMAT prep, I used two books: 1) The Official Guide for GMAT Review 2) Kaplan GMAT 800. My recommendation is to isolate your weaknesses and focus on strengthening them. Lastly, I’d recommend to go into the test with a relaxed and calm frame of mind. Don’t overwork on the night before and the day of the test. Do something relaxing! For me, this meant watching adrenaline-pumping Kill Bill the night before and doing some casual shopping the morning of… You can never underestimate the psychological factor of test taking. Good luck!