Archive for January 2011

Michigan Tech’s MBA admissions team is hosting a webinar to help you BEAT the GMAT on February 9, 2011. Learn more and sign up today.

Change is imminent. Technology and the workplace aren’t the only things that are changing. The GMAT, the test that evaluates how prepared a potential candidate is to be admitted into MBA school is changing as well.

In June 2012 the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) will officially implement a new section, integrated reasoning, into the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The upgrades to the test are part of the continuous improvement process of the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), owners of the exam.

The changing business environment is being impacted by technology and is creating an information rich environment. The GMAT test upgrades are designed to prepare candidates for the changing workplace that is more complex and information driven.

Test Changes

The current GMAT test consists of a quantitative, verbal, and two analytical writing sections. However, on the new version of the exam, one of the writing sections will be replaced with the integrated reasoning section.

• Changes take place in June 2012 for the 2013-2014 class.
• Replaces one of the essays and part of the analytical writing section
• The scale (200-800) remains constant.
• The length of the GMAT exam (3.5 hours) remains constant
• The new integrated reasoning section of the test is 30 minutes

The changes are in alignment with the changing workplace and should give candidates a prospective of what they are preparing themselves for in the world of management.

Michigan Tech’s MBA admissions team is hosting a webinar to help you BEAT the GMAT on February 9, 2011. Learn more and sign up today.

Most established business schools recognize the GMAT test as the top indicator of success for graduate school candidates. The Tech MBA Online Admissions Team has put together a list of tools to help prepare candidates for the GMAT test and to help them get the most out of your study time. There are many resources that you can use to prepare for the test including: practice exams, iPhone apps, self-study books, and informative blogs. Try not to limit yourself to using just one or two, instead explore all of the options for GMAT preparation.

Upcoming Webinar: Beat the GMAT – February 9, 2010 at 2pm EST hosted by the Tech MBA Online program.

GMAT Prep Resources

Blogs

1. The Official GMAT Site: The official GMAT resource website. The website provides information about testing centers, books, and other resources. Test Centers: There are 400 test centers that are generally open 6-days a week. You can to to MBA.com to access the list of test centers to identify a location close to you.

2. Graduate Management Admission Council: The GMAC is the organization that is responsible for the GMAT test. This website is a great resource for testing trends, data, scores and updates to the GMAT assessment test.

3. BeattheGMAT.com:  Beat the GMAT is an online community that empowers people to learn, share, teach, and support each other through the MBA admission process.

Practice Tests

4. Free Veritas Prep GMAT Practice Test:  The Veritas Prep GMAT Simulator™ allows you to practice for the exam under realistic conditions. It is a computer-adaptive test (CAT), just like the real GMAT exam, and delivers questions of varying difficulty based on your performance – as you answer questions correctly, you receive more difficult questions.

5. Prepare for the GMAT Exam:  MBA.com provides a list of resources to prepare for the GMAT test: free software, test prep checklist and analytical writing Assessment.

6. Kaplan 20-Minute Workout (GMAT): A short GMAT test prep exercise by Kaplan that allows you to test yourself and compare your scores to other test takers that day.

iPhone Apps

7. Veritas GMAT Practice Quiz (Free) iPhone App:  – The Veritas Prep GMAT Practice Quiz iPhone App lets you practice all five GMAT question types and do it on your own terms with multiple customization features.

8. Beat the GMAT Flash Cards:  – A free set of nearly 300 GMAT Flashcards, covering math and verbal concepts. This popular flashcards set has been downloaded over 100,000 times.

Books

9. The Official Guide for GMAT Review (Hard Copy) – The Official Guide for GMAT Review (12th Edition) is published by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).

10. The Official Guide for GMAT Review (Kindle Edition): The Official Guide for GMAT Review (12th Edition) is published by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is delivered wirelessly for those to need to study on the go.

Videos
11. Grockit TV GMAT Test Prep (YouTube): Grockit video courses are free to watch in YouTube. The short videos give provide valuable incite about typical GMAT questions.

Next Generation GMAT: Note if you are considering the GMAT, the test format is changing in 2012: All the resources listed above are designed for the current test structure. (Link to article about new testing format)

Meet Assistant Professor of Management Andre LaPlume at Michigan Technological University’s School of Business and Economics. This interview provides a perspective that covers the academic and practical aspects of the subject of innovation and technology management. Listen in as we cover the following questions:

1. What is technology and innovation management?

Most people have a misconception of the definition of technology. If the question is asked, “What is technology?” You will probably hear typical answers like: iPad, Smartphone, and Bluetooth. Technology is not limited to one industry, but crosses over many domains. The true definition of technology is anything that extends us; our eyeglasses would be an example of this.

2. How does technology and innovation management apply to students with non-engineering backgrounds?

Another misconception is that innovation projects consist of a bunch of engineers huddled together to solve a problem. In reality a project that is innovative should be comprised of a multi-functional team. Innovation management is about developing non-engineers into tech savvy people who can lead technical projects.

3. What is the significance of technology and innovation to the Tech MBA Online program?

The goal is to develop well-rounded graduates who can manage and lead projects within their organizations, whether it be Fortune 500 companies or nonprofits. In a knowledge based economy many of the projects will be impacted by technology and innovation. Our desire with the Tech MBA Online  is to prepare our students for what will be, not what already exists.

Biography

Dr. Andre LaPlume is an assistant professor of management at the Michigan Technological University School of Business and Economics. He is interested in how organizations gain competitive advantage, the process and outcomes of innovation and technological change, as well as stakeholder management and environmental sustainability. His current research examines how organizations balance exploration and exploitation over time in varying environments to achieve competitive advantage through innovation. Prior to joining Michigan Tech, he worked as a business and information technology consultant.