This morning I learned that I was featured in a press release for an MBA resource called MBA Business Schools. This is the first I had heard of the website, but it may be a good resource for those of you who are just now beginning research MBA programs.

There is a wealth of information on the web, from blogs to news sites to dedicated MBA resources such as this. You could spend all your time researching, rather than actually doing, and that can be dangerous. However, if you are going to do your research, which I certainly recommend, now is the time. If you do your homework now, you will be ready to knowledgeably attack your applications come Summer.

MBA Business Schools has some good articles, book reviews, MBA profiles and a very undeveloped search (we will have to see if they fill it out). It’s worth checking out and some of you may choose to bookmark it.

At this time of year, lots of people are starting to think about submitting Round 1 applications in Fall 2007. While new applications are not yet posted, there is a ton that you can do to improve your candidacy. Read this post by Jeremy Dann for thoughts on candidacy issues. I view the GMAT as one of the most important things to get out of the way NOW. If you are planning to apply this Fall, ideally you would not be juggling your full time job, outside commitments, school visits, essays, managing recommenders AND studying for the GMAT. If you do the GMAT now, it’s just one less thing to focus on in a few months.

To help kick start your GMAT planning I thought I would share with you a couple of excellent and unique GMAT resources. There are many resources out there and you really need to decide what is best for you. Here are two that I think are great.

Beat the GMAT – I have mentioned Beat the GMAT before, partially because I moderate a forum on their site. However, I want to draw your attention again to this very rich and *free* resource. Actually, Beat the GMAT is better than free, because all profits are given back to members in the form of scholarships (including a monthly mini scholarship) and services. Manhattan GMAT serves as a resident expert answering GMAT questions. The forum a useful place to interact with others studying for the exam and get your most challenging questions answered. Beat the GMAT also offers a resource wiki, a blog and of course, the scholarships, which are a valued aspect of this very unique site.

Grockit – Grockit is a new, online test prep company. Grockit’s founder, Farbood Nivi, has been teaching test prep for close to ten years. He worked for Kaplan and Princeton Review and then decided to create an alternative. All of Grockit’s classes are online, which is obviously extremely convenient. Farb also explained to me why this can be a better way to interact, teach and learn. For example:
- everyone can answer a question simultaneously without chaos in the classroom
- someone who might be too timid to ask a question can easily and privately do so
- the teacher can utilize prepared slides and a white board
and more…
Grockit has office hours outside of class, and records all classes so that you can go back and review. The price is also a fraction of the competition. Definitely worth checking out!

Good luck with your GMAT prep. Remember, the time to start is NOW. I firmly believe that everyone benefits from some form of help, so investigate the offerings and avail yourself of the best resources for you.