As an MBA or Master’s applicant, you must be well aware of the value of the GMAT exam for successful business school admission. But did you know that there are plenty of opportunities after GMAT test taking that can impact other aspects of your life and career?
The Graduate Management Admission Test is designed to assess your potential for success in business school. It measures the analytical, writing, and quantitative skills in English needed to thrive in an international business and management program. Thanks to the often rigorous preparation heading up to the exam, the GMAT will help you develop those personal and academic qualities that are universally valued.
Finding your dream job
The GMAT may have been designed specifically for business school admission but test scores are also appreciated by employers. Some organizations, especially in industries and roles related to finance, accounting, and business and management, may use them to filter job applications they receive. Although we cannot be sure of the exact type or number of companies that show interest in GMAT scores, it’s likely that they are especially relevant for job positions with analytical or Quant-related work. For these roles, the founder of MBA Crystal Ball Sameer Kamat believes that your GMAT Quant score will be more indicative of future performance on the job than your Verbal score.
Check out: GMAT Timeline: How the Test Has Been Evolving
But why would recruiters care about your GMAT performance? For example, if you are a Master’s graduate but you are applying for a job in a different country, your GPA from university may not be presented in the same format as in that particular region. Grading policies are not always uniform which could be a nuisance for organizations that employ international graduates. By comparison, the GMAT exam is universally and globally known and it can be used as an easy way to compare job candidates across its standardized scale.
Increasing your chances with campus recruitment
Similarly to business school admissions, however, test scores are just one of the factors that could aid your application. Your profile, experience, motivation, and suitability for the role will always count for more when making your next career move. There are even companies that have explicitly said they don’t consider GMAT scores to be important when making hiring decisions. Instead, the exam can be a decisive factor at an earlier stage in the process, when companies choose which business schools to partner with for on-campus recruitment according to their class average GMAT scores. In any case, as BusinessBecause editor Marco De Novellis points out, performing well in the test can only elevate your job candidacy:
Ultimately, if you’re going for a competitive job – especially in finance or consulting – you’re better off taking the GMAT than not taking it, and that’s even if you don’t end up going to business school. A good GMAT score is one way of proving you have some of the core skills needed to succeed in an organization.
Getting an internship as a business school graduate
The post-MBA or Master’s internship is a common learning method encouraged in business school because it is the perfect stepping stone to a more serious career or industry switch. Depending on the circumstances, some internships last just a few months and they can be easy and straightforward to arrange. However, others are much more competitive, especially in industries with high starting base salaries, and in these cases a top GMAT score could help distinguish you from other potential interns. Hayley Milliman, author at the test prep center PrepScholar GMAT, agrees:
After all, consulting firms receive applications from students from many different business schools. There may be hundreds, or even thousands, of applicants all competing for one internship.
Check out: How Your MBA Internship and GMAT Score Come Together
Younger Master’s applicants in particular may want to consider how a good GMAT score can aid their career. As they are still at the start of their professional path and mostly have academic rather than work experience, having taken the GMAT will add more substance to a junior CV/resume.
Elevating your confidence and learning routine
The GMAT can get you into a reputable business school and even help you secure a respectable internship or a full-time position. Does it have any impact on a more personal level? Preparing for MBA and Master’s admissions tests is usually a lengthy process that requires self-discipline and excellent time management. The content in the exam does not focus on topics that require specific expertise and it does not test mathematics that is too advanced. However, the format and logic of the GMAT are distinctive and require practice, especially for non-native English speakers.
Coupled with other responsibilities, such as a full-time or part-time job, studies, and personal matters, GMAT preparation will inevitably teach you how to be efficient and organize your time. A successful test taker learns to keep up the hard work and stay concentrated when they have to. All of these interpersonal qualities should be nurtured throughout the GMAT prep time and after it, as they are highly sought by employers of all types and sizes.
Taking the GMAT is a smart decision far beyond securing your admission to business school. Explore what a good score can do for you and put in the effort necessary to achieve it.
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