This guest post comes to you courtesy of Brent Hanneson, course developer for GMAT Prep Now. Thanks, Brent!

So, how is junior girls volleyball related to doing well on the GMAT?

I’ll let you decide.

Several years ago, I took a teaching position at a private school in Victoria, Canada.  In addition to performing my regular teaching duties, I was expected to “volunteer” for an extracurricular activity.  As the new guy, I was volunteered to coach the junior girls’ volleyball team.

I started the process with a respectable amount of enthusiasm and determination.  I was no volleyball aficionado, but I did my homework and soon had the girls running drills and looking like a legitimate team.

After a few weeks of practicing, we were ready to play against other schools.  So, each Wednesday, we hopped on the school bus, united by our shared purpose and matching uniforms, and traveled across the city to show off our newly-acquired skills.

It turns out we weren’t that good, and we lost our first few matches.  But that was okay, because we were having fun.  Right?

As the losses mounted, the girls’ enthusiasm waned.  After each defeat, the bus ride home slowly turned into a venue for complaining, finger-pointing and moping.  The girls were miserable, and nobody was having fun.  In fact, the weekly games soon became the object of my dread.

By the end of the season, we had lost every match and most of our self-respect.  The girls had become major league sore losers, frowns included.  Fortunately, it was almost over.  Only the post-season tournament stood in the way of hanging up my whistle and passing the wretched job to the next new guy.  Of course, the tournament meant a weekend of playing every team that had beaten us during the regular season, so I wasn’t pleased with those prospects.

I had had it with the girls and their dramatic pity parties, and I vowed not to let their miserable attitudes ruin the weekend.  Then, on a whim born out of pure frustration, I issued a last-minute ultimatum right before our first game.

Smile or sit on the bench.

The girls didn’t know what to make of it, but they acquiesced.  As usual, the game started poorly, and the smiles began to fade.  However, when I made good on my word and pulled our top player because of her gloomy disposition, the others started taking me seriously.  They began to smile—big, fake, sarcastically outrageous smiles, but it didn’t matter—at least they were smiling.  It was the most ridiculous spectacle you could imagine, but I didn’t care.  Anything was better than watching those glum expressions.

Then, something strange happened.  The girls played better.  They played so well that they won that game and the second game for the match.  The match!  Did we just win our first match of the year?  We were more surprised than elated.

Then we won the next match, the one after that and the one after that—this from a team that hadn’t won a match all season (against the same teams).  Soon, the girls’ smiles became genuine.

We won every match we played that weekend, right up to the finals, where we lost the match and finished second in the tournament.  I can tell you that it was a much different bus ride home that day.

So, what happened to these girls?

I believe that their story supports the idea that emotions and their physical manifestations are not necessarily a one-way street.  Sure, happiness can cause someone to smile, but smiling can also cause happiness and, in turn, help reduce stress and, in turn, help a group of 14-year-old girls overcome anxiety and frustration to achieve something remarkable.

This isn’t a new idea.  Some call it “fake it till you make it.”  Others, like members of laughter clubs around the world (yes, laughter clubs – Google it), don’t call it anything at all.  They just know that sometimes, oftentimes, it’s the tail that wags the dog.

So, whether you’re going to an interview, lining up a 10-foot putt, or striving to beat your target GMAT score, remember the lesson that I learned from a girls’ volleyball team in Victoria, British Columbia.  Serve up a smile, whether you feel it or not.

It certainly can’t hurt, and it might just relax you enough to improve your concentration, and ultimately, your score.

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

As Round 2 decisions start coming in, many applicants are shocked by the option they had not even considered – a waitlist decision. First of all, a waitlist selection by your target school is definitely a good sign. You wouldn’t be on the waitlist if you were not someone they want in the class. You may not be feeling good if you are on the waitlist, despite the vote of confidence, because it keeps you in limbo for a completely undetermined period of time.

Our client Max signed up for the Stacy Blackman hourly service after preparing his applications to Duke, HBS, Darden and Columbia on his own. He was disappointed to receive two deny decisions (Darden and Columbia) and two waitlist decisions (Duke and HBS). When his consultant reviewed Max’s applications to Duke and HBS to help him formulate a waitlist strategy it was clear that his key strengths were a strong undergrad GPA (3.7) and interesting work experience in the renewable energy sector. However, Max had limited extracurricular involvement and a GMAT that fell below the mean for both programs (680). We decided together that Max needed to highlight his academic potential and leadership in any waitlist strategy.

After we reviewed Max’s applications with him we discussed the schools. HBS does not allow any additional materials for waitlisted candidates. Max was discouraged from contacting the admissions office or submitting recommendations or updates. Duke, on the other hand, welcomes additional information.
Max decided to take the GMAT again as he believed that he could increase the score with better time management. Though he could not guarantee HBS would receive the new score, he decided to automatically submit it through GMAC just in case. Max was fortunate to achieve an increased score of 710 on his second attempt. For Duke we additionally crafted an update letter that talked a bit about an organization he started at work to develop junior employees, and asked a mentor to submit a letter on his behalf that spoke to his work ethic and leadership.

When Round 3 decisions were released Max was surprised to be admitted to HBS. He decided to attend, and took himself off the Duke waitlist at that time. We can’t know for sure if the additional material submitted during the waitlist process had any impact on the end result, but it certainly helped Max to feel more in control of his own destiny as he waited.

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

Samita engaged with Stacy Blackman knowing that her undergraduate GPA of 45% from a well-known engineering program in India was one of the largest challenges in her application strategy. Samita was only slightly interested in engineering, and as the program continued she started to spend less and less time studying, and more and more time volunteering. The result was an unimpressive GPA, but quite a lot of extracurricular leadership.

Samita’s additional strengths included work experience and recommendations. Samita had an intriguing career at an NGO working across Asia and Europe, where she had progressed from program coordinator to director of development over four years. She was exceptionally skilled at working across a disparate group of people, and had a strong mentor in her manager, an HBS alum, who had encouraged her to seek a top-tier MBA in the United States.

Because she had limited time in her schedule, we advised an online program to boost Samita’s academic profile before she submitted her application.

When we started working with Samita she was preparing for the GMAT and scoring between 660 and 700 on her practice tests. We knew that her low GPA and potentially low GMAT were challenges to overcome, but we were all surprised when Samita scored a 590 on her first GMAT attempt. Samita was incredibly disappointed and frustrated and thought about abandoning her application. We discussed her options: re-evaluating schools, taking the GMAT again or taking the GRE.

Samita decided to schedule another GMAT session in thirty days and focus her time on putting together an exceptionally compelling application. We mined her experience for evidence of her potential and leadership, ensured her recommendations were stellar, and refined her resume and career goals.

Only a few days before the deadlines for HBS, Yale and Stanford Samita took the GMAT again. She was disappointed to increase her score only to 620. She submitted her applications anyway without much faith that her hard work would pay off.

Samita was shocked to be admitted to HBS! We were thrilled to be part of her success, and gratified that her exceptional accomplishments wouldn’t be undermined by her academic challenges.

Should I Budget more Time at the beginning?

Despite what you may have heard, do not spend a majority of time at the beginning of the test. Many people subscribe to this belief in hopes that they can game the system. The misconception is that the first few questions weighted more heavily then the subsequent question, with the last few questions having almost no impact on score. The algorithm, however, doesn’t fall asleep once it’s got you “figured” out. You can “bomb” the first part of the test, but as long as you do well on the rest of the test, your score should be no different from a student who misses the same amount, but misses most of them at the end.

Skipping a Question

First off, you must answer each question on GMAT before you are able to move on. By skipping a question, you are essentially randomly guessing because you have absolutely no idea.

As to how many questions you should skip, and how long you should spend on a question before skipping, there is no perfect answer. But if you have spent more than a minute on a question without being able to devise a solution path, then you may want to skip this question. However, if your first attempt did not yield you one of the answer choices, do not simply give up. Check your work. Figure out if there is another way to approach the problem. If at this point you are stuck and the clock is ticking inexorably to zero, then you may want to make an intelligent guess and move on.

How many questions should you skip?

Again, there is no perfect answer to this question. Factors to consider include your target score and your score on practice tests. For the latter point, know how many questions you’ve skipped on practice tests and how that affected your score. For instance, if you skipped two questions on a practice test and still scored close to 700, then you should be able to do the same on the real test (of course the practice test you use should not be a Manhattan GMAT or GMAC test – the algorithms on other tests are less trustworthy.

Use Practice Tests to Work on Time Management

Beyond determining how many questions to skip, you can use practice tests to get a feel for how you should manage your time. Reading about time management and theorizing on the best approach is moot if you do not actually take practice tests to determine what works for you. For instance, you may find that you are making careless mistakes at the beginning of the test, and finishing with time to spare. You clearly need to slow down. Missing many questions toward the end because you are short on time will require you to speed up at the beginning.

Takeaway

Time management can play an important factor in your score. While there is no one magic mantra, keep the points above in mind as you fashion your own approach using practice tests.

This post was written by Chris Lele, GRE and GMAT Expert at Magoosh Test Prep. Magoosh offers hundreds of practice questions and video lessons, as well as free resources and tips on how to master the GMAT and GRE.

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.

This time of year there are only a few weeks until many top MBA’s Round 2 deadline. Is it worth putting together a last minute application?

Vipul came to us last year with this very question. He had originally planned to apply earlier, but he had to re-take the GMAT after a disappointing 660 on his first attempt. He improved his score significantly, and with a 700 GMAT score, 3.6 GPA and career progression on his resume he felt ready to try for admission to McCombs (UT Austin), CMU Tepper and Ross.

In our first conversation with Vipul we gave him the honest feedback that three weeks to complete three entire MBA applications would be unlikely to result in the best outcome. Typically we work with clients for several months honing essays and ensuring recommenders are engaged in the process. Vipul was confident that the timing was right for him, and he had already done the necessary soul searching on his future career goals, school selection, and recommenders. Most importantly, Vipul was willing to re-apply the next year if necessary because he enjoyed his job and knew he could continue his career there.

We decided that the hourly service would be the best option to assist Vipul with his limited time. With limited time to devote to his essays and recommendations, Vipul first contacted all of his recommenders and asked them if they were able to submit by his deadline. After a quick brainstorming session to determine his essay topics, Vipul got to work on his essay drafts. We focused on the key content Vipul needed to make his case for submission and he was able to quickly turnaround his drafts of the essays. Three iterations of his essays later we felt good about his final product and he was ready to submit after only three weeks of work.

Vipul’s dedication paid off and he was admitted to McCombs.

Rushing to make a deadline isn’t always the right course of action. For example, our client Michael made the decision to postpone to the next round in order to strengthen his application.

While Derrick Bolton, MBA admissions director of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, may advise applicants not to try to stand out, most b-school hopefuls would like to distinguish themselves from the thousands of fellow candidates vying for a seat at one of the top programs.

In the video below, Dawna Clarke, admissions director at the Tuck School of Business, answers questions from prospective students wondering how they can stand out in the applicant pool. As you’ll learn, there’s no easy formula for success…but she does provide several examples of areas to look for greatness within your own professional and educational background.