Forty times three is one hundred and twenty. Divide that by two and you get sixty. The answer is sixty. Just find the letter for the answer “60” and bubble it in. What? Why is there no “60?” Make sure that you are looking at the right problem. Yes, you are on the right problem. You must have made a mistake.  Do it again. That is right; you forgot to divide sixty by two. Okay the answer is thirty. No “30” either, what’s going on here?

Stop where you are. The second you saw the answer wasn’t there, you are done. The more time you spend trying to figure out the answer, the less you have for the other questions. It is even worse when you discover that you do not know how to do the problem. All that time goes to waste.

Whenever you do a problem on a standardized test, make sure you only try it once. If you do not get it the first time, move on to the next problem. You can always go back and try it again. It is better to get to all of the problems because there may be some extra points you can earn towards the end of the section. If you spend too much time on one then you may never get to see the others.

This is not an easy thing to do. Most people are too determined to leave a problem, but that will only hurt them. Trust me when I tell you that you have to move on. Ignore your instincts this once and move to the next question.

Practice this at home. Time yourself and go through each problem once. If you have time left over at the end of a section, go back for a second round to give those ones you got wrong another try. This is much more efficient and will most definitely increase your score and time management skills.

-Andrew Verdino

Upon checking up on some business schools, I noticed something interesting. At many of the institutions, the mean and median GMAT scores did not match up perfectly. While I wouldn’t call the gap a “chasm,” by any means, the slight mismatch in mean and median GMAT scores shows that the scores of admitted students can be slightly skewed.

Looking at some data for a few schools we find a sample where the mean score is 715 while the median is 720. This school is fairly consistent with the GMAT scores of admitted students. While slightly more students might score closer to a 710 than a 720, the mean and median are relatively close, and the data is only slightly skewed. If the mean was a 650 and the median was a 730, the bigger gap would show that this school accepts more of the lower scores in exchange for outstanding experiences or other qualities. The Middle 80% means that 10% of the admitted class score below the range and 10% score above. At this sample school, the middle 80% range is 660 to 760. This means that 10% of the admitted students score between a 770 and an 800, while the final 10% score below a 660.

While the range is a pretty good indicator of what qualifications and scores that the school looks for in prospective candidates, being outside of the 80% range is not the end-all-be-all of the application process. There are, in fact 20% of the applicants who do not land in the range. If your scores are slightly outside of the 80% range of your dream school, you might be looking for some sort of insurance policy, or safety net to fall back on. Our advice: be different.

Business schools admissions staff reviews thousands of applications each year in an attempt to form the incoming class of MBAs. The reviewers check over GMAT scores, essays, undergraduate GPAs, extracurricular activities, and work experience, until eventually all of the information blends together. In truth, there is no single model candidate for a school, and with admissions becoming increasingly competitive, more and more students are achieving “perfect” credentials for admittance to schools, but are still receiving rejection letters. While being able to keep up with the MBA curriculum is a concern of the admissions staff, it is also important for you, as a member of the new class, to add something to the team. Whether it be an outlook on life, an interesting work experience, or a rare hobby or passion; make sure your application is memorable. The admissions team is more likely to remember the applicant with a 610 GMAT who worked to help struggling businesses in Malawi than fifty other applicants with 770s who worked as analysts at fortune 500 firms. While this example might be extreme, it proves something: these schools want people to be who they are to the best of their abilities. If that means embracing a strange hobby or taking the path less walked upon, you should always follow your heart.

What is it about tests? You would think that after all the tests that we have taken in our lives, we would know exactly how to master them. Yet, is it not strange that most people ignore the basic strategies to do this?

Parents, teachers, and maybe even tutors have all advised us on the dreaded process of test-taking since our early years of schooling. Often times we forget that tests were not invented as a means for students to be forced into failure, but rather as a way to allow students to demonstrate what they have learned. Therefore, when you step into your test room on the big day, bring with you a cheerful attitude because this is your chance to impress your teacher and maybe even your peers. First, make sure you get to class early so you can make sure that you are fully prepared. I really hope you got those eight hours of sleep, a substantial meal, and some caffeine before-hand because it will really help you bang out an A. Test-taking is like a sport and this is your big game; you want to win, not lose!

When the teacher or proctor tells you when the exam starts and ends pay close attention. Time is a determining factor in how you should take your test. If you are not given much time, start by taking a minute to look over the different sections and realize how much time you will need for each. Always put the most time into the section that is worth the most points. Staying focused and clear-minded is necessary because you don’t want to make any mistakes when skipping from section to section, especially if you don’t answer them in order. One tip to help you save time is to fill in the bubbles for a particular section all at once after you have answered a section or page of questions.

Tests for your classes are a little different from standardized tests. Regular in-class tests contain everything you have learned in class. However, when it comes to the standardized tests such as the SATs, your knowledge of basic concepts and test-taking abilities are evaluated, as well. Often times, great students perform horribly on the test because the SAT is a matter of time management, knowing how many questions to answer, and how many to leave blank in order to receive the best score. For this type of test you need to practice and get use to the format. With practice tests, you are given a grading rubric, which will explain how much each question is worth. Using your own judgment, you should be able to realize which questions will be worth the most based on the difficulty. Reach your desired score by answering the ideal balance of easy, medium, and difficult questions. Do not answer too many difficult questions if you are not sure because you will lose more points then you want. Also, use all the time you are given on your tests and always look over your answers when possible.

The most important advice is to never doubt your capabilities. Hard work is just as great as “natural smarts”. Tell yourself from the start that you can and will get the grade you want. Positivity is one of the best ways to success. You can do it!

Within the past few years I was lucky enough to have someone share the famous words of Pedro Arrupe with me. He wisely said, “What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”

When trying to adjust to college life, one of the biggest struggles that many freshmen face is the lack of motivation to do work. There are simply far too many fun distractions to prevent you from doing that 15 page paper on Henry the VIII. Going to the mall, playing Frisbee on the quad, and watching that new movie in the common room are just too tempting. Falling in love is the easiest way to fix that.

Peoples’ productivity increases when they have more things to do. If you’ve ever noticed, at finals time, even the kids who love to watch TV all day or play Madden somehow find themselves at the library for hours on end to catch up on some light reading about micro-organisms and lyophilization. Normally, the people who are active in extracurricular activities and internships have the drive and time management skills to do this throughout the semester. They’re the ones who are less likely to spend time in front of the TV and more likely to start studying for the exam early.

Falling in love with a cause, a club, or a sport will not only fill up your time, but it will also bring you closer to people who have similar interests to you and it will help you find your place in this new society. People who fall in love have a greater sense of their purpose on their campuses, tend to know more people, and have a much clearer sense of what they want to do once the four years is over.

Undergraduate and graduate programs love to see when applicants have fallen in love with something, as well. Sometimes it’s not the number of extracurricular activities that you do, but the amount of dedication that you have for the things you are passionate about. Having a passion not only shows that you have an understanding of yourself, but that you are able to balance school and extracurricular activities, as well. So fall in love and give your free time some meaning.