*Please note that no client details are ever shared in SBC Scoop or otherwise without complete sign off from client.

Our client Jillian thought she had the recommendation portion of her applications locked up. A few years into her career, she had in hand a strong recommendation from her current supervisor attesting to her leadership skills, and a former boss happy to emphasize her communication skills in a second recommendation.

Jillian was aiming for some top schools, and as she combed through the requirements for Harvard and Stanford GBS with her consultant, they found the catch. Each school asked for not one, not two, but three recommendations. Harvard simply asked for a current or recent supervisor to write one recommendation, and Stanford was a little more specific, asking for the third recommendation to come specifically from a peer and not a supervisor.

“But I work eighty hours a week!” was Jillian’s first reaction. “I’ve made sure to focus on my job the last few years and give it everything I’ve got- I barely have time for anything else so I’m not sure who to ask.” Jillian’s consultant first advised her to look at the problem the other way around: she already had two home-run recommendations ready, so this might be an opportunity to show off a side that hasn’t been showcased elsewhere in her application. They went through all the possibilities, from colleagues at her current and former companies, to her church volunteer work, to her Friday night bowling league.

What they found was Jillian had missed an answer that was right in front of her. At a previous position, she had worked extensively with a peer on several projects in a row, and in the process had become good friends outside of work, continuing their friendship even though both had moved on to other companies. Jillian hadn’t even thought of Grace as a peer anymore since they spent more time at the movies than working on spreadsheets nowadays, but of course Grace was delighted to write her recommendation, and was able to provide personal insight that even Jillian’s supervisors could not.

After digging deep for that third rec, Jillian felt great about sending off her applications to Harvard and Stanford, and as a result of her participation, Grace is now thinking seriously of going for her MBA as well.

Are you having trouble deciding who should recommend you for business school applications? Sign up for a free consultation to talk to one of our experts.

Aside from manipulating the GMAT’s favorite numbers (72, 64, etc.), one of the calculations you’ll do most often when working through GMAT problems is dividing and multiplying by five. It’s common in the real world, too. As with most common calculations, there’s a better way to do them than long division or traditional multiplication.

For both division and multiplication, the key concept here is that 5 is simply 10 divided by 2. So, anywhere you see a 5 in an equation, you can substitute (10/2). You won’t always want to do that, but in some cases, I guarantee you that working with 10s and 2s is preferable to working with 5s.

Using that trick, consider multiplying 36 and 5. (If you automatically know that, work through the example with a less common number, like 47.) Using the trick outlined above, 36(5) = 36(10/2). You now have two options: you can multiply 36 and 10 and then divide by 2, or divide 36 by 2 and then multiply by 10. Either way, both steps are quite simple.

This is an excerpt from a longer article by Jeff Sackmann, originally published at GMAT Hacks.  Jeff has created several valuable GMAT-preparation resources, including Total GMAT Math and Total GMAT Verbal.

Interested in reading more? Click HERE to see more test prep advice.

*Please note that no client details are ever shared in SBC Scoop or otherwise without complete sign off from client.

Anthony was about to wrap up his first career as an officer in the Army and wanted to apply to MBA programs as his next step. He was worried about exactly how to make the transition and how to make his military experience fit into his application, and worked closely with his Stacy Blackman consultant to answer his questions.

First off, Anthony had to put away some unfounded worries. In his research he found that he was already several years older than the typical MBA candidate, and in fact older than the high end listed in a few programs’ data! His consultant assured him admissions departments would be well aware of the fixed length of military service, and consider him equally among typically younger applicants. He was also concerned that his experience as an infantry officer would be very different from the typical background of an MBA applicant in a field such as finance. His consultant helped him to look at his background the other way around- as a unique and positive experience, and one that involves leadership and responsibility roles well beyond those entrusted to a typical applicant. They also discussed that there would likely be other applicants with military experience at larger programs, and how to highlight his own particular experience.

Since Anthony was coming directly from active duty, he had formulated a goal for his post-MBA career, but hadn’t yet had much time to research good school fits. He’d heard of the top programs, but with a middle-of-the-pack GMAT score, his consultant urged him to expand his scope, retake the test, and at the same time take a special look into particularly military-friendly programs like Fuqua. She also encouraged Anthony to reach out across his military network- though his close contacts were not considering business school, by talking to other officers and their families he ended up in touch with several recent veterans now in MBA programs.

With a list of several hand-selected schools plus his favorite top program ready, Anthony and his consultant gave a special polish to his application. First, they scoured his resume for military acronyms and jargon that were second nature to Anthony, but might sail right past an admissions officer. Second, they walked through the process of coaching his recommenders on what to include in recommendation letters- since Anthony was asking his superior officer for a letter, this was a bit a of a reversal of their usual roles. Finally, since it had been years since Anthony had gone through a “civilian” interview rather than a formal military evaluation, they ran through a few mock interviews to make him comfortable.

Athough Anthony kept HBS on his list as a “stretch,” his impressive background netted him an offer of admission, which he happily accepted.

Do you have your own concerns about applying to an MBA program this year? Contact us to request a free consultation with one of our expert consultants.

This guest post comes to us courtesy of our friend Brent Hanneson of GMAT Prep Now. Thanks, Brent!

The scenario: For the past three months, you’ve consistently answered GMAT practice questions within the recommended times. Test day has finally arrived, and up to this point in the test, things have gone okay. Sure, you ran out of time on the Quantitative section and had to guess on the last 2 questions, but you’ve already put that behind you. Now, as you near the end of the Verbal section, you glance at the clock and realize that there are only three minutes remaining . . . . and you still have eight questions to answer!! As you struggle to figure out what went wrong, your target score quickly slips away.

 Perhaps you’ve already experienced this scenario.

If you’re lucky, these events happened during an unpleasant dream. If you’re not so lucky, they happened at the testing center.

This video provides a strategy to help you avoid unfortunate scenarios such as the one described above.

*Please note that no client details are ever shared in SBC Scoop or otherwise without complete sign off from client.

This time of year we hear from many applicants who have ended up on a wait list for their top choice programs. For our comprehensive clients, wait list strategy is part of the all inclusive consulting package. We’re also available to help new clients on an hourly basis – go ahead and contact us to hear more.

Our comprehensive client Abhishek had selected Wharton as one of his “reach schools” out of a list that included Duke, North Carolina, and UT-Austin. He had a stellar academic record in his engineering program, and an interesting work trajectory. Abhishek started his career at a large multi-national IT consulting firm, and then took a position as the third employee at a start-up providing services to small businesses. The company grew and as their client base expanded Abhishek was able to increase his responsibilities rapidly into project management and client facing services.

Abhishek’s work experience helped him stand out from similar applicants, and his MBA plans were in line with his future goal to be a C-level executive at the company. However, Abhishek had a hard time with the GMAT and had only a 680. The quant and verbal sections were also a bit uneven, and despite taking the test several times Abhishek had been unable to crack the 80th percentile barrier that schools like Wharton prefer to see.

Though Abhishek’s GMAT was lower than the mean for Wharton and many of his other target schools, we thought his excellent GPA and interesting work experience would be enough to get him a close read from the admissions committee. As results came in, Abhishek was admitted to UT-Austin, Duke, and wait listed at Wharton. Because Wharton was his top choice, and the reach school, Abhishek decided to remain on the wait list and see if it would come through.

Wharton specifically discourages additional information from wait listed candidates. Therefore we did not put together a wait list letter or seek additional recommendations to bolster Abhishek’s case. It was clear that Abhishek’s lower than average GMAT was likely causing question on his candidacy and making it difficult to choose him over similar candidates with stronger scores. Since this was such a clear weakness in his application, we encouraged Abhishek to take the test again after changing his study approach (he used a tutor who designed a personalized plan to address his specific issues). Though Wharton wouldn’t accept additional materials, they would see his improved GMAT score when it was officially submitted at the test site.

Abhishek successfully increased his score to 710 by focusing on some of his test anxiety. Later in the summer he was offered a spot in the Wharton incoming class and he decided to take it.

Though we can never know if his improved GMAT score was the reason Abhishek made it off the wait list he was glad to have taken concrete steps to improve his chances.