Joel Vertin discusses his experience in preparing and taking the GMAT exam for entrance into the Michigan Tech MBA program. The interview answers:

• What resources did you use to study for the GMAT?
• How much did you prepare?
• What should you know about the day of the exam?

In this video, Joel highlights resources such as the Crack the GMAT book, Veritas Practice iPhone app, and the GMAC practice test software.

“Study hard, and you’ll do just fine.” -Joel

Also be sure to check out how to “Prepare for the GMAT®” for preparation software, check lists and FAQ’s and services offered from MBA.COM

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.

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)

Echo SmartPen – by Livescribe – $149.95 (4GB)/$199.95 (8GB)

Record everything you hear, write, and draw. Tap your notes to play back your recordings. Save and share interactive notes to your computer, iPad or iPhone. The Echo is a 4GB/8GB Smartpen that stores up to 400hrs/800hrs of audio. The microphone allows you to capture lectures, interviews, meetings, or personal recordings.

Living in a digital world any set of notes need to be captured digitally. The Echo SmartPen makes the analog-to-digital conversion easy. For those who take notes with pen and paper primarily this is a great idea for updating your technique.

Driven the Book (Audio Book) – Daniel Pink  – $9.95

Forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate people–at work, at school, at home. It’s wrong. As Daniel H. Pink explains in his new and paradigm-shattering book, the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today’s world is the human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

• Autonomy – the desire to direct our own lives
• Mastery – the urge to get better and better at something that matters
• Purpose – the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.

This is a great book to help you identify what drives you.

iPad WI-FI (32GB) – $599

The iPad is a great tool to collaborate with colleagues, deliver and display presentations, and access, create and share business information. The large, high-resolution display allows users to work like never before. The iPad is thin, light, and provides instant-on access at the press of a button, so work is almost always at-hand.

• Organize your work/student goals and tasks
• Identify the right MBA for you and apply, all on your iPad!
• PC/Mac Compatible.

GMAT Practice Quiz (Free)

As the world’s largest privately-owned GMAT Prep and admissions consulting provider, Veritas Prep maintains a large network of instructors, consultants, and students. The Veritas Prep GMAT Practice Quiz iPhone App has been downloaded more than 50,000 on the iTunes store!

The app lets you practice all five GMAT question types — data sufficiency, problem solving, sentence correction, critical reasoning, and reading comprehension. Practice with the app on your own time from where ever you are this holiday season!

Happy shopping!!!

Online MBA Events

• #mbachat: Building your Network for Professional Growth – 12/02/10 8p-9p EST
• Webinar: Choosing The Right MBA Program – 12/09/10 6p-7p EST
• #mbachat: The Value of an MBA – 12/09/10 8p-9p EST
• Webinar: Using an MBA to Change your Career – 01/11/11 6p-7p EST
• #mbachat: How to Apply for an MBA Program – 01/13/11 8p-9p EST
• #mbachat: GMAT Tips and Links – 01/27/11 8p-9p EST

For all MBA Chats follow the hashtag #mbachat on Twitter to participate in the discussion.

On-Site MBA Events

• ESD: Social Media Event – Southfield, MI – 01/18/11 8a-10a EST
• 2011 Re-Tool Career Panel – Southfield, MI – 02/01/11 5:30p-7:30p EST

Priority Registration

Also, a quick reminder that the fall 2011 priority enrollment deadline is approaching.

• If you are enrolled by January 15 you are eligible to receive our Dean’s Scholarship for $2,000 off the cost of the program. More information about this MBA scholarship. Or contact us to make sure you don’t miss out on this opportunity! (mba@mtu.edu or 906-487-3055)

For more information about the Tech MBA Online program, visit www.mbaonline.mtu.edu.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Discussion with Mike Vigrass

A major point of emphasis in Mike’s program experience is time management. He discusses how balancing his education and career is a family commitment that is supported by his wife. Making sometimes tough decisions on how he spends his weekends and downtime are offset in the short-term by his long-term career goals.

Technology plays a large role in Mike’s activities. He uses Toodledo, a free To-Do-List software applicatioin that can be accessed on mobile devices (iPhone and Android), and Google Calendar. Both of these tools help him to track the busy parts of life and effectively meet his MBA requirements. Mike also uses Skype for virtual collaboration with classmates which has made the interaction and engagement with other students quite seamless.

An interesting point that Mike makes is that he  has had more interaction with classmates in his online classes than in some of his on-campus classes as an undergrad at Michigan Tech. Watch the full interview.