We’ve received word through the grapevine that GMAC is shortening all break periods during the test by a total of 15 minutes, effective July 17th.  This change has yet to be confirmed – we’ll update this blog post as soon as we receive official confirmation.

The primary change for students is that breaks between sections will be 8 minutes each instead of 10 minutes.  Those 2 minutes can be significant, as most people go to the bathroom between sections.  So it’s something to be aware of.

The other 11 minutes come from the time allocated to read Instructions, fill out background info, and decide whether to see your score.

However, none of the allotted times for GMAT Content areas will be affected (i.e. 2 30-minute essays, 75 minutes for Quantitative and 75 minutes for Verbal).

Why is GMAC making this change?  Hard to say.  It could be that shortening the total appointment time by 15 minutes would allow more appointments at the margins.  Or it could be an added security measure so that people have less time to do anything non-test related during break periods.  Whatever the rationale, a stressful experience just got a little bit more intense.

Andrew Yang (NY) and Tom Rose (Boston) commemorate the passing of Big Orange

Among the many topics of discussion at the Manhattan GMAT Instructor Convocation was what happens to the 11th Edition of the Official Guide now that it’s about to leave print.  Here at Manhattan GMAT, we have something of a library of the various editions of the OG, starting with the 4th Edition or so (our copy of that one is pretty tattered).

Most students automatically gravitate toward the 12th Edition of the Official Guide for GMAT Review as soon as they hear about it, because, well, the newer the better.

But the fact that the 12th Edition is one-third new questions also means that the 11th Edition has several hundred other fairly representative problems of recent vintage for the thorough student to pore through.  So if you’ve got Big Orange lying around, don’t punish yourself for having an earlier edition.  Instead, praise yourself for picking up what could soon be a Collector’s Item.

Erica Lee (NY), Alex Cappy (DC/Phi), Robert Wilburn (NC) and Danielle Diciaccio (NY HQ)

The 3rd Annual Manhattan GMAT Instructor Convocation took place this past weekend. Dozens of Instructors came from across the country (and Canada) to mingle and share best practices with some of the brightest teaching minds anywhere.

The topic of the afternoon was how to deal with students whose issues are not primarily content-related (i.e. understanding GMAT-tested concepts), but rather issues surrounding the test-taking experience (e.g. stress management). Some very interesting themes came out of the Convocation – we’re going to be compiling some of these ideas to help our Instructors coach students moving forward.  Some good suggestions came up for us incorporate into our upcoming books.  We’re also looking at putting together a series of essays that may be helpful directly to students as well.  An essay will likely appear in this space.

The Convocation was then followed by a massive Company dinner and a party at the CEO’s apartment, so it wasn’t all work and no play.   Perhaps there will be more pictures to come . . .  🙂

Application season is starting to heat up again! For those of you just getting started, here’s an overview of “what’s what” with the GMAT.

What Is The GMAT?

The Graduate Management Admissions Test is a standardized test that many English-speaking business schools require applicants to take. The test is called a CAT, or Computer Adaptive Test, both because it is administered on a computer and because the test actually changes based upon how we answer the questions. The computer chooses what test questions to give us based upon our performance up until that point in the test. In a sense, we all take a different test, because the specific mix of questions any one person sees is based on that person’s performance during the test.

To register for the test or learn more information straight from the testwriters, go to www.mba.com.

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Manhattan GMAT was featured in Crain’s this past week. We’re happy to say that the article drew attention to some of the things we’re proud of here at Manhattan GMAT. 🙂

Another fantastic account from a student who went from a 570 to a 720. Hats off to Dan Patinkin for his tremendous work!

I am so proud of myself, but more just relieved – I knew I was capable but after struggling for 2 years, I was beginning to doubt myself.

I don’t know if you are familiar with my story, but I have ADHD and severe test anxiety. I had started studying for the GMAT in September of 2007 and had been through two different courses, all of the MBA guide books and 2 poorly attempted official tests before I got to Dan. I had called Manhattan GMAT as a last resort – mainly because my parents were convinced I had to try “everything” before I gave up. I expected nothing because no matter how much I had known in the past – my test score never showed it.

I want you to know how unbelievable Dan was in helping me execute what had been stuck inside my head for 2 whole years. The Manhattan Gmat tests and questions adequately prepared me and I have never had a more positive experience with a tutoring company or with any tutor period – and I am speaking from 15 years of tutors. When I called your New York office – everyone was receptive and listened to my situation and was able to actually help me.

I cannot thank you enough for your companies services and how much they helped me reach my full potential. It is going to change my life.

Best,

We get good news from students quite often, but this e-mail today reminded us of how great it is to do what we do here at Manhattan GMAT. Kudos to Jonathan Schneider, Kate McKeon, and Horacio Quiroga for their tremendous work in contributing to yet another success story!

Hi all.

It’s with a lot of emotion that I write this email to you all -because each of you were instrumental in me achieving a fair GMAT score. Kate your teaching was always on point, so much so that I watched the replays of class long after class was over. Jonathan your teaching style in addition to your extra help throughout class is greatly appreciated, and I’m in gratitude to your constant interaction with me up to the hours before my exam. Horacio you were always so willing to help out in any way you could, including occasionally going beyond our scheduled time, and sending me much needed review documents.

As Jonathan said a few weeks ago, my goal is to “fire on all cannons.”

With that said:

Quantitative: 43

Verbal: 44

Score: 710 (92nd percentile)

Bear in mind my absolute highest combination of scores seen in the last five CATs were Q42 and V37. My first official GMAT taken in February was a 590. My goal on Saturday was a 650, yet I was hoping to break 630 on that day. With your help guys, I’ve blown away even the wackiest of expectations, with a 120 point increase and a 710 score.

Thanks to Manhattan GMAT, I now have crossed the academic bridge to getting into business school, and can at the minimum be taken seriously by any school in the country. I’m quite emotional about the whole thing – and want you all to know that you and your team were instrumental in me achieving my goals.

Sincerely – thank you. The direction of the rest of my life is now a bit different thanks to your support and teaching. Feel free to use me as a reference at any point. And feel free to forward this email to any of your supervisors, bosses, direct reports, proteges, references, or whomever. Thanks again.

—-

Naveed A. Khan

—-

As application season just starts to get underway, Manhattan GMAT is proud to host mbaMission events in its New York, Chicago, and Silicon Valley centers this Thursday, May 14th.

This is your chance to talk to an expert and get your application off on the right foot. Admissions consultants from mbaMission (each with an MBA from Harvard or Chicago) will be answering such questions as:

* “What do B-Schools want to see from me?”
* “What can I do to improve my chances of getting in?”
* “What sort of GMAT score should I be aiming for?”

Each session will also include a Q & A to make sure you get your questions answered.

Click on your city for event details in NY, Chicago, or Silicon Valley. Space is limited.

If you’re not located in one of those cities, you should feel free to visit mbaMission’s website for a free consultation. They’re very helpful over there!

The GMAT, like many things in life, is a stressful experience. We arrive and we’re handed a bunch of legal information that we have to read and sign. We have to empty our pockets and put everything in a locker, evoking feelings similar to going through airport security. A digital photo and a digital fingerprint or palm scan are taken. Every time we enter or leave the testing room, the digital fingerprint or palm scan is repeated. Oh, and then, the outcome of the next four hours could have a major impact on the success (or not…) of our business school applications.

It’s no wonder that, by the time the exam begins, we’re seriously jittery. But is there really anything we can do about that?

Carrie Shuchart, ManhattanGMAT instructor extraordinaire, thinks so and she recently wrote the article “Managing GMAT Stress: 7 Useful Tips” to share her great strategies with us (click on the title to read the article).

You may also be interested in this older article, “Stress Management,” which discusses some physical relaxation techniques that can help to reduce stress.

By: Carrie Shuchart

It’s an oft-quoted fact that the most common fear in this country is of public speaking. There you are, standing in front of a crowd, palms sweating, heart racing, voice cracking and every visible part of your body shaking. No wonder more Americans fear this scenario than fear flying, spiders, or (my personal phobia) snakes. The conventional wisdom for battling stage fright is to imagine your audience in their underwear…or better yet, naked.

Unfortunately for GMAT test-takers with anxiety, hardly any relief comes from imagining Jane, who is running at a rate of five miles/hour from the east, and Dick, who is walking at a rate of three miles/hour from the west, in their skivvies. So how do you battle those test-day butterflies (and the sleepless nights that proceed them)? Why, with the following seven steps!

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