Attempting to take GMAT between graduation and full time start date

I am a senior at a Public Ivy graduating this May, and beginning work full time at Big 4 Consulting firm the last week in July (I was originally under the impression I'd be starting in October.) With the adjustment in my start date, I am now unsure how realistic it is for me to try and get the exam done before I start.

I would have all of June and the majority of July to study essentially 7 days a week with no other responsibilities. Would love an opinion on the matter---- part of me thinks this is possible as I've read study time is suggest at 2-3 months for people who are working full time.

 

I disagree with this. Don't know who works 80 hour weeks in consulting but other than PE DDs I've never worked that long. Learning curve is tough but don't write the GMAT in your first 6 months on the job then.

Some firms have free gmat prep classes that are immensely helpful in your prep. It also helps if you're studying with others in your class.

It is tough when you write your GMAT while working full time but as long as you plan ahead and study for a while it really isn't that bad. You should essentially have free weekends to study, unless you really want to go out every single Friday/Saturday, in which case that's on you.

 

Agree with this 100%. Not only because of what aspiringchimp said, but also because this also will be one of the few times in your adult life where you have some money (signing bonus) and zero commitment.

In the month and a half or so you have free (assuming you need a couple weeks to move, get settled before work, etc), go travel, see your family, visit friends, go do something crazy. Last thing you should do is to spend it inside studying the GMAT. It'd be a different story if you had more time before starting, but oh well.

 

I have had those thoughts exactly, but I figure if I was disciplined enough to put in 3-5 hours a day, I'd be studying more so than someone working full time, and personally I feel it wouldn't be hindering anytime with my friends or family.

I just know that I am in pristine test taking form right now exiting college, and the difference of 10-20 points could mean a lot down the road.

Maybe an option could be beginning studying now with my light course load and feel it out early summer, if my practice scores are good--then lock down and take the test. If not, then continue on as I begin work and finish them off late summer early fall.

I just have a fear of trying to work and study it seems like a really unhealthy combo in my eyes.

 
Best Response

Speaking as someone who is already working: I 1000% promise you that you will regret wasting your time right now studying for the GMAT than having to work and study at the same time. Believe me, it is very manageable to study and work at the same time. Go travel, party, hang out with friends and family, go on dates, do whatever. Hell, if you want, do nothing and just Netflix all day and come in super relaxed. Just do not waste your time on the GMAT right now.

 

I'd agree that if you can squeeze it in during your final semester in college, that is the best time to do it.

Also, having gone through the b-school process very recently (this cycle), I would say people in general hype up too much the difference 10-20 GMAT points can make. The whole b-school process is a giant crapshoot anyway with many factors totally out of your control, and I don't think 10-20 points on the GMAT makes or breaks an application (assuming you clear a certain threshold)

 

I did it during my last summer of undergrad and I think it felt less of a hassle since you're still used to taking somewhat standardized tests. Sacrificing your summer for it? That sounds harsh. See if you can already start getting acquainted with the format and see what you can improve.

 

I followed a similar path to what you are looking at (B4 consulting after undergrad, now at an M7) and I would advocate a middle path. You could begin studying now while you finish up undergrad (your grades basically no longer matter...) and then give yourself 1-3 weeks of time for intense study after graduation. Then take the test and you will still have a few weeks for an epic trip before you start working (also well worth it). I took the GMAT just before spring break of my senior year after studying during winter break and during the semester and was certainly very grateful to not have the GMAT hanging over my head while I was working. Yes - I probably could have studied effectively while working, but it would have been quite painful/exhausting. Instead, I was able to use my spare time to do other things to prepare for the application process (extracurriculars, research schools, write applications etc.)

Also - the amount of time needed to achieve your best possible score really varies by person. Do 5-10 hours of basic studying (I recommend Manhattan GMAT books) and then take a practice test or two to see where you are scoring and how that measures up against your goal. I found that I hit my peak score pretty quickly and and didn't really make any major gains in score after about 1-1.5 weeks of intense studying...

 

I'm not wanna b MBB, but to answer your questions:

1) I got a 770; started off in the low 700s when I took the practice test before studying 2) I studied for 3 weeks 3) Definitely. And do the full exam, with the time limits and everything. Too many people take "practice exams" in a non-exam setting, which doesn't give you an accurate picture of what your score would look like.

 

For me:

1) Started off with a 720, pretty quickly worked my way into the 740-760 range on practice tests and ended up with a 750 on the real thing. 2) I studied on and off during winter break (~8 hours per week) and then did about 3 weeks of fairly intense study (~20 hours per week) leading up to the test. 3) Yes and I echo pnb2002's advice to take the practice like it is the real thing.

 

It's doable to do GMAT while doing consulting full time. I am currently in consulting and I studied for my GMAT on a traveling project for 5 months and got a 740 in one shot. I got lucky though since the project was relatively straightforward and I was able to get back to my hotel before 8pm most of the nights. I did 1.5-2 hours per day Monday to Thursday, an hour or two on the flight back to home and then maybe 8~10 hours total on the weekend. Pretty sure I skipped Fridays. On top of that I was doing some pro-bono consulting to build up my EC.

You just gotta be motivated, disciplined, set your priorities and study plan and great at time managing/execution. I had to miss a lot of social gatherings which sucked but at the end of the day it's just about doing what's more important to yourself.

 

Do it now brah. it's such a pain having to study for it on the weekends over a few months, when working;because unless you are naturally gifted, you may have to revisit topics.

Fuck my genius friend who got a 770 after doing just 4 practice tests and seriously nothing else.

 

OG mock tests are the best - so use them sparingly, since you only get a limited number of them. I used MGMAT the most even though they over complicate things. GMATclub's quant mock tests are very close to OG too. Also, read up on every possible article you can find on the popular GMAT blogs out there (magoosh, egmat, mgmat etc). It takes 5-10min to read one article so you can do them whenever you have some spare time (morning commute to work, in between meetings, on the phone with the gf). This is the order I did my mock tests in: OG test 1 MGMAT 1, 2, 3, 4 OG test 2 MGMAT 5, 6 OG test 3, 4

The most important thing is to keep an error log. I studied only using the error log for the last week.

 

I took the GMAT as a rising senior for the reasons you described and it definitely helped during FT recruiting. I had a 720 which isn't an amazing score but was still mentioned by several interviewers.The main reason that most don't take it seems to be the questionable return on your time invested. It takes some time to study to get a good score and you have no real guarantee that it will help you at all. I think it helped me but I already had a great GPA and a lot of other EC and work experience going for me.

 

Having a GMAT score on your resume can be a double-edged sword--some offices will question your long-term commitment to the position. The risk/reward might make sense, but it's also a pain in the ass to study for, and when you're a college senior, the last thing you want to do is spend time preparing for an exam that might possibly yield benefits a bunch of years down the road.

 

Thanks for the responses. The main issue I thought recruiters would have (as was brought up by jaschen27) is the whole "long-term commitment." How could one crush questions like, "Why did you take the gmat so early?" and "I see you've taken the gmat, where do you see yourself in 5 years?"

Always be improving
 

@GoIllini

Good point. I always wondered that as well, since us midwest kids take the ACTs over the SATs. Would it be too highschoolish to have the score listed on our Resume?

Always be improving
 

Too much effort for a minimal impact. I'd definitely advise against taking the ACTs, it's just not a highly looked at metric beyond college admissions. I suppose one could argue that the GMAT could help to make up for a mediocre GPA, but your time is probably better spent studying for classes or getting work experience. Also, there is no guarantee that you'll score high enough to tip the scales in your favor. I've heard countless stories about people who thought getting a 700+ GMAT was "no problem" only to find themselves with sub optimal scores.

Also, while the score is good for 5 years, you never know where your career will take you. I'm seeing more and more people go the three years IB --> two years PE route, which runs the risk of invalidating a score received as a rising senior.

I would recommend you don't take the test until you're ready to go to b-school. You'll take it far more seriously knowing that it could substantially improve your odds of getting into your target schools.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

@Compbanker

Thanks for the response. That makes sense. If the impact is indeed minimal then there's no point in stressing out about GMAT while preparing for FT recruiting

Always be improving
 

People who interview regularly are accustomed to seeing ACT scores instead of SAT scores. You can put your ACT on your resume just as you would put your SAT on your resume.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

CompBanker, why not take the GMAT at the end of senior year? The way I see it, I would rather take it during my last year in school instead of taking it while working in banking. I mean, you're already in the study-mode mindset and you have a lot more time to study as opposed to working 100+ hour weeks.

 

In reflection of CompBanker's point, I'll qualify my answer slightly: I think it's worth it to take the GMAT if you know you can do well without putting in a ton of time. The fact of the matter is that different people have different standardized test-taking abilities. If you'll put in 150 hours and then hope for a 710, it's probably not worth taking for recruiting purposes. But if you can study for 30 hours and be reasonably sure you'll hit 750+ (for example) based on your test-taking history, I think that changes the calculus.

 

Is there any correlation between the SAT and GMAT? ex. a 700 on SAT Math and 700 on SAT Verbal = 700 GMAT??

"Some things are believed because they are demonstrably true. But many other things are believed simply because they have been asserted repeatedly—and repetition has been accepted as a substitute for evidence." - Thomas Sowell
 

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