Articles published in August 2016

University of Pennsylvania Wharton School Essay Analysis, 2016–2017

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - University of Pennsylvania Wharton School Essay Analysis, 2016-2017How can you write essays that grab the attention of MBA admissions committees? With this thorough analysis, our friends at mbaMission help you conceptualize your essay ideas and understand how to execute, so that your experiences truly stand out. You do not need to be actively working on a $5 billion deal or have won an Olympic gold medal to go to HBS. You just need to have done the everyday things remarkably well, and you must make sure that your essays reflect your actions.


By today’s standards, the essay questions for the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania are remarkably vast. The school presents candidates with two mandatory essays and, if needed, an optional essay that applicants can use to address any extenuating circumstances. Wharton provides applicants with a fairly extensive opportunity to tell their whole story, which is quite rare these days. So take advantage of it! Brainstorm thoroughly before you start writing, and carefully consider how to optimize your best anecdotes to showcase yourself in full. Read more

What You’ll Really Learn from the GMAT

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - What You'll Really Learn from the GMAT by Chelsey CooleyDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


When you leave the testing center, you’ll probably be ready to forget the GMAT! However, some of the lessons you learn from the GMAT while studying shouldn’t be left behind. They’ll help you even more during the rest of your MBA journey than they did on test day. Read more

Here’s How to Get Ready for Your Online GMAT Course

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - Here's How to Get Ready for Your Online GMAT Course by Stacey Koprince

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Maybe you just signed up for a 9-week online GMAT course, and you’re wondering what to expect. Or, maybe you’re considering taking one, but you aren’t sure whether online GMAT learning is right for you. Here’s the low-down on preparing for and successfully completing your online class. Read more

MBA-Seeking Women: Discover the Value of an MBA at the 2016 Forté Forums

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - 2016 Forte Forums AnnouncementRegister for free and learn more today at fortefoundation.org/aimhigher.


Forté Forums are designed for standout women considering an MBA, whether you’re a high-achiever looking to change careers, a college student planning for the future, or a professional ready to take your career to the next level. Read more

GMAT Critical Reasoning: Infer like a Master

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - GMAT Prep Critical Reading: Infer Like a Master by Stacey Koprince

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Inference questions can appear in GMAT Critical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Integrated Reasoning, so it’s crucial to master what the test is—and is not—asking you to do. The good news? Your goal is the same, regardless of the question type. Read more

Which GMAT Problems Should I Guess On? – Part 3: Making Great Guesses on Quant Problems

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - Which GMAT Problems Should I Guess on? - Part 3: Making Great Guesses on Quant Problems by Chelsey CooleyDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


You’ve read a Quant problem, and you’ve realized that you don’t have a plan. How do you make the smartest, fastest guess possible, and increase your odds of salvaging the problem?

Let’s start with Quant Problem Solving problems. Let’s also assume that you’re actually guessing, not using an alternative strategy, such as Backsolving or Choosing Smart Numbers! The following three methods are good ways to make a decent guess even if you don’t have a strategy at all. Read more

Stanford Graduate School of Business Essay Analysis, 2016–2017

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - Stanford Graduate School of Business Essay Analysis, 2016–2017 by mbaMissionHow can you write essays that grab the attention of MBA admissions committees? With this thorough analysis, our friends at mbaMission help you conceptualize your essay ideas and understand how to execute, so that your experiences truly stand out. You do not need to be actively working on a $5 billion deal or have won an Olympic gold medal to go to HBS. You just need to have done the everyday things remarkably well, and you must make sure that your essays reflect your actions.


The Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) may be known for educating great innovators—think Phil Knight and Jacqueline Novogratz, just for starters—but this year, the school’s admissions office is leaving the innovating to others and keeping its essay questions the same as last year’s. In fairness, maybe we should assume that the admissions office finished its innovation phase years ago and has iterated and tweaked its essay prompts enough to have arrived at its version of perfection. Who knows? And more importantly, does it even matter? The Stanford GSB’s task is to craft the questions, but your task is to answer them. With this essay analysis, we have done our best to help you do so successfully… Read more

You’ve Just Taken Your First Practice GMAT. Now What?

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - You've Just Taken Your First Practice GMAT - Now What? by Chelsey CooleyDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


So, you’ve just finished your first practice GMAT, and you’ve reviewed your assessment report. (If you haven’t generated an assessment report yet, do it now, before you keep reading!) If you’re like many of my students, you may have more questions now than you did beforehand. In this article, I’ll share some of the most common questions raised by the first practice GMAT, and how to answer them. Read more

Which GMAT Problems Should I Guess On? – Part 2: When to Guess

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - Which GMAT Problems Should I Guess On? - Part 2: When to Guess by Chelsey CooleyDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


If you read the previous article in this series, we hope you’re ready to start using guessing as a first resort! Guessing is a critical and necessary part of getting the GMAT score you deserve. But how do you know that a problem is ‘guessable’? After all, the tough problems aren’t labeled on the test. They look exactly the same as every other problem…or do they? Read more

Fixing your GMAT Quant Timing Problem (Part 3: Test Day)

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog: Fixing Your GMAT Prep Timing Problem Part 3: Test Day by Chelsey CooleyDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


You’ve been trying to improve your timing on the Quant section of the GMAT. You’ve already gotten into a timing-oriented mindset, and you’ve adopted the recommended study habits for better Quant timing. But what should you do when you’re actually taking the test? Follow these guidelines to maximize your Quant timing on test day. Read more