Five Ways the GMAT Prepares You for Business School

By Julia Gilmore Updated Aug 13, 2019

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Introduction
Verbal Skills
Critical Thinking
Quantitative Skills
Time Management
Decision Making

Five Ways the GMAT Prepares You for Business School

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Your GMAT score plays an important role in getting accepted onto your desired MBA program, with almost all top schools looking for a good score to offer you a spot. The better your score, the more likely you will be a standout candidate to recruiters and land a spot at a top-tier business school.

However, the GMAT is a very challenging exam, mirroring the demands students will face both in business school and in management positions in the future.

Preparing for, and taking the GMAT are very stressful experiences, which prepares you for business school and your managerial career where you will be involved in high stakes, high pressure situations. Aside from helping you get into your chosen business school; the exam helps you develop several skills that will assist you on your MBA program. Read on to find out more…

Verbal Skills

Good verbal skills are indispensable for MBA students. The Sentence Correction section of the GMAT helps you improve your written communication skills, an essential part of both business school and the wider business world. This skill will help you get your point across effectively and efficiently to fellow students, professors, colleagues and clients.

As a manager – and a business school student – you will be asked to absorb large amounts of written communication that you don’t necessarily have any expertise in, therefore, you need sophisticated reading skills to make sense of it. This applies to both the Reading Comprehension and the Sentence Correction sections.

Critical Thinking

As a manager, you need to be able to look at new pieces of information with a critical mindset. The verbal sections, and indeed some of the quantitative sections rely on critical thinking skills.

Even though the Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning sections of the GMAT are clear examples of critical thinking, don’t overlook the Sentence Completion section. This section catches students out with answers that although are technically grammatically correct, aren’t logically sound.

The GMAT verbal tests how effectively you communicate, absorb information, and analyze an argument. The more you practice, the more you’ll improve your skills in these areas.

Quantitative Skills

Quantitative skills are invaluable for business school students (and managers) as they are expected to be able to perform calculations, particularly related to finance, quickly in their head.

These skills are also valuable because they help with problem solving, abstract concepts, and precision. Additionally, pattern recognition will be particularly developed when practicing these sections.

Many MBA students say that the quant preparation for the GMAT is something that they use in their MBA studies every day, particularly if their previous degree or work experience hasn’t involved high levels of numeracy.

Time Management

Time management is a key skill you will pick up when preparing for the GMAT that can be transferred to your business school studies. When preparing for the GMAT you’ll realize how much time you need to dedicate to each section and ensure you have enough time for difficult questions. You’re on a very tight schedule for your MBA course, the reality of which you’ll come to terms with during GMAT prep and the exam.

Getting a good score requires putting the work in with your time and effort to fundamentally improve and develop both your quantitative and verbal skills. Committing your efforts will prepare you for business school as you can’t be successful at business school if you’re underprepared, you must put your heart and soul into it.

Decision Making

The Data Sufficiency section is exclusive to the GMAT because it’s very specifically relevant to managers – it makes you ask if you have enough information to answer a question. This reflects a manager’s day-to-day experience.

GMAT is also good for decision making. The Data Sufficiency section is probably the best example of this, as you must analyze the data in front of you and judge if it is enough for you to be able to make an educated decision.

The GMAT strengthens your abilities of self-evaluation. You will be able to identify areas you excel at, plus the areas that need more attention while you study. Consequently, this will help you at business school as you will be aware of what modules you may need to dedicate more individual study time to.

Written by

Julia G

Julia is a writer for TopMBA.com, publishing articles for business students and graduates across the world. A native Londoner, she holds an MSc in Marketing Strategy & Innovation from Cass Business School and a BA in Classical Studies & English from Newcastle University.