Gmat

[LordShiva]

Nice. Are you doing an Executive/part time program?

The weakest part of my application is going to be work experience. Good GMAT and GPA scores will help, but I fear 2 years won't be enough.

Also, I only have a month to write like 8 essays

[VetLegion]

Contact Pekka, I think he tried that last week or thereabouts

[Japher]

It's an evening program; 4 hours per night, 2 nights a week for 2 years. It's not an executive program as that program takes less time, and it's not a part-time because it only takes two years and is a lockstep program (the class stays together). So, I have no idea. I think they just call it an evening program.

It's at Xavier University, and they have a good reputation around here so I'm sure it's no University of Pheonix or anything like that.

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Jon, it doesn't penalize you that way. One question doesn't severely penalize you - you just have to answer one more hard question to move back up. As long as you keep answering right you'll keep moving up. The idea is you'll reach a poitn at which you start answering right/wrong/right/wrong (give or take) and that's your actual score. I think the number of questions actually varies based on when you reach this point (though it's not unlimited).

That's not quite true, as I understood it. The way the CAT system works puts much heavier emphasis on the first few questions. Get those wrong, and no amount of correct answers thereafter will recoup the lost ground.

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by LordShiva
The weakest part of my application is going to be work experience. Good GMAT and GPA scores will help, but I fear 2 years won't be enough.

Also, I only have a month to write like 8 essays

Meh, the essays are a breeze. The work experience should hurt you, but you may be able to make some of that up with your GMAT score and a very high GPA, which I assume you had. I can tell you from my experience I would rather have a bunch of people with 650 GMAT scores and lots of work experience than lots with 800 scores and little to no work experience. But I'm not an admissions officer, so take that for what it's worth.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Kontiki


That's not quite true, as I understood it. The way the CAT system works puts much heavier emphasis on the first few questions. Get those wrong, and no amount of correct answers thereafter will recoup the lost ground.

Hmm, perhaps on the first few, but those are typically fairly easy ones...

[Pekka]

LS, dude don't worry about the essays. What you need to do is to realize that you have to make it. It seems impossible but hey, stop thinking and start writing/reading. Just go on super mode and don't sleep. It's just that easy. Forget about sleeping and anything else as well and just sit. Rest is allowed after 30 hours.

This way you will make it.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Kontiki


That's not quite true, as I understood it. The way the CAT system works puts much heavier emphasis on the first few questions. Get those wrong, and no amount of correct answers thereafter will recoup the lost ground.

According to GMAC, that's a myth popularised by Princeton Review and Kaplan. Nobody knows their exact algorithm, but it's supposed to be based on item response theory. So if you're going to make, say, 5 mistakes, it's better to have them spread out over teh test (including at teh beginning) than clustering them at teh end.

[snoopy369]

I suppose you could take a practice one and figure it out (or do the practice ones use kaplan-generated or PR-generated formulae?)

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by LordShiva


According to GMAC, that's a myth popularised by Princeton Review and Kaplan. Nobody knows their exact algorithm, but it's supposed to be based on item response theory. So if you're going to make, say, 5 mistakes, it's better to have them spread out over teh test (including at teh beginning) than clustering them at teh end.

What if they are clustered in the beginning?

JM