1. Use your time wisely.

2. Answer practice questions ahead of time.

3. Read all test directions carefully.

4. Read each question carefully and thoroughly.

Before you answer a multiple-choice question, determine exactly what is being asked, then eliminate the wrong answers and select the best choice. Never skim a question or the possible answers; skimming may cause you to miss important information or nuances.

5. Do not spend too much time on any one question.

If you do not know the correct answer, or if the question is too time-consuming, try to eliminate choices you know are wrong, select the best of the remaining answer choices, and move on to the next question. Try not to worry about the impact on your score—guessing may lower your score, but not finishing the section will lower your score more.

Bear in mind that if you do not finish a section in the allotted time, you will still receive a score.

6. Confirm your answers ONLY when you are ready to move on.

Once you have selected your answer to a multiplechoice question, you will be asked to confirm it.

Once you confirm your response, you cannot go back and change it. You may not skip questions, because the computer selects each question on the basis of your responses to preceding questions.

7. Plan your essay answers before you begin to write.

Th e best way to approach the two writing tasks that comprise the Analytical Writing Assessment is to read the directions carefully, take a few minutes to think about the question, and plan a response before you begin writing. Take care to organize your ideas and develop them fully, but leave time to reread your response and make any revisions that you think would improve it.

Sentence correction questions make up approximately 14 of the 41 questions in the GMAT verbal section. They present a usually knotty sentence with all or a portion underlined. The answer choices present five versions of the underlined portion and your task is to select the best. Note that the first answer choice always repeats the underlined portion of the original Written English. This is not entirely true. You’ll need a strong grasp of proper style and a taste for clarity in writing to do well. Here’s a list of useful GMAT tips that apply specifically to Sentence Correction questions (Verbal section):

1. Familiarize yourself with the GMAT verbal section, specifically the sentence completion questions. This can be accomplished through specialized books, courses or tutoring.
2. Don’t bother to read answer choice (A). It simply repeats the underlined part of the sentence.
3. Do not worry about spelling or capitalization errors.  The test writers do not test for these 2 errors.
4. Eliminate any answer choice that distorts the intended meaning of the sentence.
5. Test-takers have a natural tendency to hyper-correct — to find fault with the original version (the first answer choice). Keep in mind that, on average, in 1 out of 5 Sentence Correction questions the original version (the first answer choice) is the best among the five choices.
6. Some answer choices might contain internal grammatical errors (they’re grammatically improper, even apart from the sentence). Eliminate them right away to narrow down the viable choices.
7. You’ll always encounter a second-best answer choice as well. Resolve close judgment calls in favor of the version that most effectively and concisely expresses the intended meaning of the sentence.
8. Just because an answer choice is a bit wordy or awkward, don’t assume it’s a wrong choice. If it contains no grammatical errors, while each of the other choices do, then it’s nevertheless the best of the five choices.
9. Just because an answer choice is grammatically correct, don’t assume it’s the best choice. It might be a bit wordy or awkward; or it might contain a redundancy; or it might employ the passive voice. Another choice might be better overall.
10. Trust your ear. If an answer choice sounds awkward in the context of a sentence, don’t bother to analyze it — eliminate it and move on.

By USNews, the best 20 MIS (Management Information System) graduate programs in 2009 are (from best to least) :

The GMAT exam is made of three parts: GMAT Verbal, GMAT Quantitative (Math) and Analytical Writing. For American GMAT takers, a high GMAT score is largely dependent on high GMAT Math score. (For Indian or Chinese takers the story is totally different.) Let’s take a look at the GMAT Math first.

The GMAT Math section doesn’t test your advanced knowledge in mathematics. Rather, it tests your problem solving ability. Therefore, calculus or another advanced math topic is never covered on GMAT math. The high school math knowledge is sufficient to answer GMAT math questions. Picking up the correct answer, however, is not as easy as its knowledge base. As said, only the basic math concepts are chosen so that everyone taking GMAT is put on a fair arena. What makes the GMAT exam difficult is the way questions being asked. How often is an individual required to resolve a ‘data sufficiency’ question, either during high school days or now? Likely never! Similarly, the word problems in the GMAT Exam require a good understanding of the way the question is being asked. Needless to say, a majority of high GMAT scorers do familiarize and train themselves in understanding the format of GMAT exam and practice working within the framework of the GMAT format.

So, first of first, you must be familiar with the format of GMAT math questions. There are 2 top categories: Problem Solving and Data Efficiency. Problem solving questions are common math questions while Data efficiency is very special. Please read How To Resolve GMAT Data Sufficiency Questions if you are not familiar with it yet.

Last and most important, practice, practice and practice!!. Take the official practice tests at least twice and study every math question. If you have time, you can find some valuable free GMAT math practice tests online. Take those practice tests and try to understand each question.

Work experience gives students a reference point to use as they study business. When experienced students share what they have observed while working, it adds depth to the educational experience of the entire MBA class. In addition, work experience provides a means of demonstrating personal performance..

All of these factors make work history an important consideration in admission decisions. Schools vary considerably as to the weight given to work experience, and admission officers recognise that the abilities developed through employment can also be obtained in other ways.

I suggest thinking about the work experience requirement from the schools end. Most MBA programs involve a lot of case work and case discussions in class. Given 2 students with identical GMATS, GPAs, and quality shcools for undergrad whom is more likely to bring relevant experiences and more well-thought out positions to these classroom discussiions … a student who just graduated with the BS/BA and has a had a couple quality summer jobs or someone who has worked 3-5 years in industry and can bring that experience to the classroom?

What’s more, it’s not just about the quality of class discussions. It also has to do with the quality of the NETWORKING, which I think is probably the most valuable aspect of a top B-school. B-schools want people who have had successful careers not only because they can add to the discussions, but also because they bring a valuable Rolodex of industr contacts that other students can access through them. It’s not just about who you know, but who those other people know. For example, if you want to get a job at Microsoft, and your B-school friend used to work at Microsoft, then that’s your “in”. If you want to meet some powerful industry figure, and your B-school friend actually used to work with that guy, then that’s your “in”.

So basically, when B-schools admit you, they are not admitting just you, they are admitting your entire network of industry contacts. If you don’t have any industry contacts because you’ve never actually worked, then you’re obviously a less valuable asset to the class.

Presentation of MBA Application Preparation for international students. MBA Application prep includes why MBA, is MBA woth it, MBA scholarships loans; GMAT prep; MBA application essays; scholarships for international students.

MBA Application Prep

The definition of entrepreneurship vary. Here are some examples:

Entrepreneurship, the pursuit of opportunity beyond the resources you currently control, is now a subject with segmented interest across a wide variety of fields and topics, including new venture creation, venture capital, social ventures, business model innovation, open software, internet, corporate entrepreneurship, global business, and biotechnology. — Haas School of Business

The concept of entrepreneurship was first established in the 1700s, and the meaning has evolved ever since.
To some economists, the entrepreneur is one who is willing to bear the risk of a new venture if there is a significant chance for profit. Others emphasize the entrepreneur’s role as an innovator who markets his innovation. Still other economists say that entrepreneurs develop new goods or processes that the market demands and are not currently being supplied.

In the 20th century, economist Joseph Schumpeter viewed entrepreneurship as a force of “creative destruction.” The entrepreneur carries out “new combinations,” thereby helping render old industries obsolete. Established ways of doing business are destroyed by the creation of new and better ways to do them.

Business expert Peter Drucker took this idea further, describing the entrepreneur as someone who actually searches for change, responds to it, and exploits change as an opportunity. A quick look at changes in communications – from typewriters to personal computers to the Internet – illustrates these ideas.

From Business Week (JAN 04, 2010): Six universities have joined a new program of “no co-signer” loans for international students at U.S. B-schools, and more are on the way.

By January 2009, Booth School of Business became the first school to sign onto the Affiliated Loan Program for Students (ALPS), a pilot program financed by Deutsche Bank (DB) which makes it easier for international students to come study in the U.S.

Nearly a year later, the loan program is starting to gain traction at schools across the country. A number of top schools signed on to ALPS in 2009, including Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, the University of Rochester’s Simon Graduate School of Business, and UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management, among others. Six universities and 15 graduate programs are now using the lending program, most of them business schools. The program holds appeal for international students because it doesn’t require them to have a U.S. co-signer to take out a loan, a crucial requirement for many students, schools say.

Over the past year, ALPS has so far issued about 3,500 loans to foreign and domestic students, and loan volume is upwards of $100 million, organizers say. Business schools are not the only ones taking an interest in the loan program; graduate law and medical programs are also taking note, and more schools are expected to join in 2010, says Kevin Moehn, president of Moehn & Associates, the loan program’s administrator, who’s in the midst of signing agreements with at least four other universities.

“As a result of the global financial crisis, we saw some of the country’s most prestigious schools struggling to replace student loan funding that had been restricted or discontinued by previous lenders,” says Brettschneider in a statement. “By utilizing our resources to create and invest in ALPS, Deutsche Bank is able to help students around the world further their education despite the challenges of the current lending environment.” says Fred Brettschneider, head of global markets for the Americas at Deutsche Bank.

The ALPS program is by far the largest of the business school international student loan programs currently available, and it replicates some of the popular features of the old loan programs, such as not requiring students to have a co-signer or established credit. Interest rates for the student loans are less than 10%, though rates vary depending on the school, and organizers hope rates will be even lower in 2010.

Some features of the program also make it especially appealing to graduate schools. For example, the program leverages a participating school’s credit rating, not its cash, to meet the level of student financing that the school determines. Schools also don’t incur any up-front expenses and don’t need to commit to any minimum or maximum level of loan volume, though they are required to act as co-signers on the notes for the loans, which students obtain from Liberty Bank, an Ohio-based lender. Deutsche Bank purchases the student loans from participating universities and bundles the loans into securities, which are then sold on the capital markets.

From ArticleBase: Graduate school scholarshipsare fast becoming more valuable with the costs of education expected to rise in the coming years. Therefore, students who plan to advance into graduate school are looking at these scholarships as a valid option to produce enough funding. When it comes to your search for graduate school scholarships, there are only a few places to go.

Financial Aid Programs

If you want to apply for graduate school scholarships, the first place you must go to is the university or college’s financial aid office. Most of them have a list of possible scholarships and grants that you can apply for. You can also express your desire to acquire financial assistance for your graduate school studies to any one of your acquaintances so they can inform you of potential graduate school scholarships you can attend.

Government Programs

The government provides funds to send individuals to school, especially those who are in deep financial need. Therefore, make it a point to file your application at FAFSA to qualify for any form of student assistance provided by the federal government. If you can find grants and other forms of graduate school scholarships, it is best to opt for them over student loans as the latter needs to be repaid.

Individual Scholarship Groups

If you know of any scholarship group, visit their office and ask around for any open graduate school scholarship that you can apply for. Associations like the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA) were intended specifically to provide funding for students.

It takes more deliberate planning to join in and finish an MBA program than most graduate courses. Oftentimes, the high cost of MBA programs from good schools can put much strain on the student’s finances.

The first place to look for an MBA scholarship is in the different business schools, colleges, and universities. The MBA scholarships offered by these institutions are normally available to students that have excellent GMAT scores. An inability to afford the expenses that comes with completing an MBA must be proven together with merit. Nonetheless, other specific eligibility criteria vary with each institution. It is best to consult each business school’s details regarding their scholarship either through phone or through their website.

Apply to as many business schools as you can to increase your chances of getting a scholarship. Consult the school’scounselors or their designated staff regarding their scholarship to give you professional information on their requirements and criteria.

Some banks also provide scholarships and loans to MBA aspirants.

Applying for a scholarship typically requires you to submit a completed application form together with other necessary documents. Keep track of the dates and deadlines set by the institutions you’ve applied to.

According to Business Week, The average cost for a 2-year MBA (excluding room and board) at a Top 10 b-school has nearly doubled since 1998, jumping from an average of $52,000 in 1998 to almost $95,000 in 2008. Meanwhile, the differential between pre- and post-MBA salaries has narrowed. Ten years ago, the average jump in median salary after earning an MBA from a Top 10 school was about $51,000. Now that number is just under $39,000. Based on these numbers, it would now take almost 2.5 years at the increased salary to cover b-school costs vs. 1 year ten years ago. Taking into account opportunity cost (i.e., lost salary during business school), the total cost today grows to ~$242 thousand vs. $149 thousand a decade ago. Again, based on the incremental salary gains, a current MBA would need 6.3 years to pay back the total cost of a Top 10 MBA vs. a 2.9 year payback a decade ago.

So does this mean that an MBA is not worth it?

Many people mistakenly think that an MBA is the golden ticket to whatever they want afterwards — especially those who are going to a top school.  They think, “If I can get X University on my resume, I’m set for life!”  As with everything we pursue, from careers to relationships, there is no such thing as “set.”  Your success and fulfillment in the business world are dependent on what you do with the degree.  To the person who complains that after the MBA he/she is still in a dead-end job, I would say that is not your business school’s fault.  It’s your job to take your credentials, your network, and the knowledge you gained during your MBA program and go out and make the most of it.  I cannot believe that knowledge, networks and alumni resources hurt someone’s situation.

In fact, in these difficult times, a lot of schools are going the extra mile to help their alums.   If you’re looking for a new job, or a better job, this is absolutely the time to leverage your MBA network.  Contact classmates and alumni networks, set up informational interviews, and get moving.  The degree does not open up doors – the person does.  But an MBA can increase your muscle.

To sum up,  I think an MBA is useful for future success, but I don’t think it’s a requirement. I guess you’d have to look at your own case and figure out where you want to go with your career and whether the time and money spent would add value to that process. That said, though, there are plenty of good executive MBA programs around that address exactly this issue and do a good job of allowing folks to continue to focus on career and work, while simultaneously building new skills.