Dear customer,

Welcome to the February edition of ICON+’s MBA Access Newsletter. You are receiving this e-newsletter because you inquired about our test prep and/or admissions consulting services.

We are coming up to Round Three of MBA applications, with the number of places getting slimmer, gaining acceptance is becoming increasingly difficult. We have provided some keys ways to help improve your chances during Round Three applications.

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As Round Three creeps up on us,  a lot of MBA applicants will be in the process of conducting their interviews and hearing whether they’ve been accepted or not. So what happens if you haven’t sent off your MBA applications yet and now fall into Round Three? Whatever your reasons for leaving it late, you have to be aware that gaining admission in Round Three is incredibly difficult. Having said this, there are some key ways to make sure you make the most of your chances.

Wise School Selection

School selection becomes an ever bigger factor. As the places for the MBAs start to dwindle down, you need to make sure your candidacy is up there with the best applying.  So if you are looking at an MBA program where your GMAT, years of work experience or GPA is below average for that program, you are putting yourself at an extremely slim risk of gaining acceptance. When searching for schools, be harsh with yourself and make sure you will stand out beyond the average applicant to that school.

In  regards to standing out from the crowd, ask yourself whether you have a unique selling point, be it an unusual life history, an interesting career background or a special talent that could spark the interest of the Admissions Committee. An example could be you are a highly internationalized individual who has lived and worked in over five countries. Everyone applying will have marketed their unique selling points, so before you start to write make sure you know exactly what yours are.

Having stated that Round Three is ridiculously hard to get into, keep in mind that some of the great MBA programs have a four round system. Places such as UC Berkeley’s Haas, Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper, Cornell’s Johnson and UCLA’s Anderson, all work on a four round arrangement. For these MBA programs Round Three is not the finally entry for that year, so your chances of getting in will be somewhat higher.  

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The IELTS writing section provides you with two independent writing tasks; your allotted time is one hour to complete this section. Dependant on whether you are taking the Academic IELTS or the General IELTS, you will be presented with a graph and an essay or a letter and an essay respectively. During the writing section you are advised to spend 20 minutes for either the graph or the letter and 40 minutes for the essay.

GRAPHS

Under the Academic IELTS exam, you will be required to analyze a graph and create a corresponding report. You’ll be presented with a university style graph(s); there is no way to predict the subject of the graph, but you can prepare for the types of graphs presented. Make sure you become familiar with the following types of graphs: a single line graph, multiple line graph, bar graph, pie chart, table or a process chart. Here are some key tips to follow.

· Figure out the main points of the graphs, what is being shown and the main trend or pattern.

· Make sure you structure your answer like an essay. Use the introduction to explain the purpose of the graph and the overall trend.

· Split the body of the essay into paragraphs; highlight the main points giving details and evidence for each point.

· Never include your own opinions or views on the graph as this will waste time and you will be penalized for it.

· Never use bullet points to describe the graph.

· Write at least 150 words, otherwise you will be penalized.

· Include a variety of vocabulary.

· The key is to select the important information; you do not need to list every single detail on the graph.

Some great Graph description vocabulary

· a sharp increase

· a steady rise

· dropped slightly

· a sudden fall

· a dramatic climb

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The quantitative section on the GRE is great for those who have a knack for mathematics. For the majority of takers this section may seem like a walk in the park, especially if you have been dealing with numbers throughout your academic and professional career. That being said, this section is not just about dealing with mathematical problems. It’s about avoiding the traps set out for you, as well as figuring out the answers under serious time pressure. With time in mind, under this section you will have 45 minutes to solve 28 mathematical questions. Here are some tips to make sure you ace the quantitative section on your GRE exam.

•  Firstly, do not waste time reading the instructions! You are under a significant amount of time pressure. Having done enough practice tests, you should know exactly what each section will be asking you to do. My best advice is to DISMISS DIRECTIONS as soon as they appear to give you more time to go and answer the questions on each section.

• Avoid resorting to random guessing. This is a common error made by GRE takers. They see a question they cannot answer, then simply circle an answer without thinking in order to move onto the next question as fast as possible. In this situation you should use your logic to deduce at least two wrong answers. Using this technique you can automatically improve your chances of getting the correct answers. Keep in mind that the GRE will adjust you down the ladder if you continually answer incorrectly, so make sure you at least try and use the process of elimination to prevent this from happening.

• They provide you with scrap paper for a reason, so make sure you use it! I know a lot of students like to do the working out of a question all in their head. The only issue with this, is you may forget the answer, or how you got to the answer in the first place. Scribbling down your workings out will help you to no end, as you’ll be able to retrace your footsteps if you do end up at the wrong answer.  

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