FAQ

FAQ / PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES

What is the GMAT?

The Graduate Management Admission Test is a computer adaptive standardized test for measing aptitude to succeed academically in graduate business studies, that is, MBA programs. It is widely used for admissions purposes by business schools throughout the world. “Computer adaptive” means that the test, which is administered by computer, adapts its problems in real time to your performance. The better you’re doing, the tougher the problems will become - but the better your score if you answer them correctly. The exam is composed of a mathematical and verbal section, as well as an analytical writing assessment (AWA). In a nutshell, the GMAT is a tough test that is required for admission at a majority of prestigious business schools.

What is the GRE?

The Graduate Record Examination is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools principally in the United States, but also in other English speaking countries. Similar to the GMAT, the GRE is focused on the areas of math, vocabulary, and analytical writing. Also like the GMAT, most of the test is computer adaptive. GRE is not an easy test although it is usually considered to be mathematically less demanding than the GMAT. In addition, graduate schools will often weigh GMAT scores differently (i.e. verbal vs. math) depending on the nature of each academic program.

What is a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT)?

It is an examination format intended to reveal your true competency level. Essentially, to do well you must answer increasing difficult questions and be more often right than wrong at a high level of question difficulty; if you want a 680 (around the top ten percent) then you have to be consistently answering questions in that ballpark of difficulty. Their are a number of fallacies that people believe will give them an edge, such as (1) the first ten questions are more important than the subsequent ones, and (2) it is best to do the examination in December. It is best not to think this way as it is not really possible to gain an advantage over the examination with such methods.

Should I take a course to prepare for the GMAT or GRE?

Not all people need exhaustive test preparation to do well on the test, but a majority of applicants seeking to enter the most competitive MBA and Graduate School Programs do take one or several test prep courses. Demand for quality graduate education is also rising across the world and this helps explain why average GMAT and GRE scores are also increasing. In other words, competition is becoming tougher. In fact, many students prepare to distinguish themselves not just through their test scores, but also through their essays, résumé (CV), interviews, and letters of recomendation. At Nuovaterra® we provide excellent courses and services to prepare you for both the GMAT and GRE, as well as for the admissions process. (In fact, we are the creators of the Tu Admisión al MBA/Posgrado weekend course, included in all our standard GRE and GMAT courses.)

Alternatively, you can visit our library section (Librería) where we suggest many very good books you can use to prepare on your own.

I’ve noticed there are other test instructors and schools in Mexico (and abroad) that also prepare you for the GMAT and GRE. How can I differentiate between them?

We are certainly not the only providers of test and admissions preparation in Mexico, although we do believe ourselves to be #1 in this industry in many ways: personalized attention, thoroughness in preparation, range of services, and overall quality for money.

When choosing the right school or instructor, we recommend you consider...

✓Duration of courses (we currently offer an incredible 112 hours for GMAT and 122 for GRE at a very accessible price)
✓Experience of professors (never, ever, fail to ask for the CV of your would-be instructors)
✓...or whether they actually have an MBA or graduate degree (our staff includes MBAs from top ten schools with solid admissions consulting experience)
✓If you will only be prepared for the test or also for the rest of the admissions process (we are the proud creators of the very succesful Tu Admisión al MBA/Posgrado weekend course, included in each of our GMAT and GRE courses, which shows you exactly what the admissions process is like and how you can “sell your best you” to each school)
✓School location (we’re in the heart of Polanco)
✓Size of class (our groups are small because we’re serious about learning)
✓Materials used or provided (our courses include imported study materials, as well as sample tests, problems, examples, and supplementary publications)
✓Breadth of follow-up services to assist you even after you’re done with the test (we also provide excellent 1-on-1 admissions coaching, advanced course modules, and private tutoring.)

We invite you to put other instructors to the “test”!

I’ve heard friends/acquaintances/work colleagues speak of how thorough Nuovaterra’s courses are... or that Nuovaterra treats its students like adults, not children. What are they referring to?

They’re probably talking about our comprehensive and integrated approach, which includes both the GMAT/GRE preparation course and an Admissions workshop. We also have a commitment to our participants to treat them as individuals and to help them gain confidence in assessing their own strenghts and weaknesses; our participants tend to be independently minded and self reliant and we show them how to best take advantage of those traits. The quality and relevance of the material we used has given many people the opportunity of quickly reaching their goals. We show you how the examiners think and what they expect from you, and you will learn to take advantage of that. The problem solving approach that you will learn from us will serve you well in other aspects of your career. We give you ownership of the entire application procedure.

Other schools offer a Diagnostic Test. Why don’t you?

We feel the official, free CAT tests provided by the GMAT/GRE examiners is a more objective and realistic measure of your (initial) strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, you will have a trust-worthy standard to compare your subsequent progress against.

To be blunt, though, other schools often use “their” diagnostic test to intimidate students into thinking they are helpless without the school’s professional advice. To put your mind at ease, you should enquire as to the provenance of each and every question –they should at least be sourced from official questions, and the school should be able to show you those questions in one of the official guides or official on-line preparation tests. Furthermore, for a non-CAT test you should have at least 5 questions to fairly access if you have a weakness in any particular topic, and those questions should span something like the 25 percentile to the 75 percentile. (This is why official questions are important, they offer us teachers some guidance as to the difficulty of a particular question.) When you consider that for the Math we teach some 35 different themes and sub-themes, you can see that the number of questions is becoming excessive. Admittedly, it can be easier to assemble verbal diagnostic tests from official sources, but the official practice CATs will still do you more good in the long run.

We do have and we do intend to produce what we prefer to refer to as “Awareness tests”. These are based on official GMAT/GRE questions ranging from the 55th percentile to the 45th percentile, the range at which the official test is likely to begin. These are designed to show those who have had little or no exposure to the examinations just what they could expect to see, and to help them appreciate what is expected of them under timed conditions. Through these Awareness tests one quickly understands what is needed to be above average.

In conclusion, we have found that our participants very quickly understand what their limitations are by doing the official free CAT tests.

What were the keys that enabled your students to achieve their GMAT goals?

Perseverance, diligence and dedication. Successful participants typically attend all classes and review, more than once, the material covered. They make the entire process their main priority. They ask questions and are able to self-assess their own weaknesses, and to find ways to compensate and/or improve. They typically submit 4 AWA essays and 6 – 8 GMATPrep tests for feedback and guidance from us. They find at least 1 hour during a weekday to review and extend their knowledge. They complete the 11th Edition of the Official Guide 2 to 3 times. They take our suggestions about supplementary material seriously. They realize they are competing against very capable people from other cultures. Through all this, they give themselves the best chance at achieving the higher percentile scores, and they don't take the examination until they are certain they have a realistic chance of achieving their aims.

How long after the course has finished should I take the official examination? How much should I score in prep tests before taking the official test?

That depends largely on the individual and the time constraints involved. If you are not scoring some 25 to 50 points more than you need, you should be wary of taking the official test. For instance, if you need 650 then you should be aiming for somewhere closer to 700. Individuals who are good standardized test takers might have some more flexibility.

Is the preparation course all I need to do?

For the vast majority of people, no. You should aim for a least 5 hours of quality self-study time for every 1 hour with us. If you have two people of equal ability, then the one who puts in the more hours will, usually, do better. The more time you invest working on relevant material, the better you understand how to best take advantage of the question patterns that much exist in any standardized test.

Where in Mexico can I take the GRE or GMAT tests? How do I register for either?

For GRE, visit this site. For GMAT, see this site.

How many times should I take the official test to get the score I want?

Your score is unlikely to improve substantiately merely by repeatedly taking the test. As is mentioned elsewhere in this list, your first time should be the time that you believe that you have realistic opportunity of reaching your goal. But it is not uncommon for people to have to take the test for a second time. If you have conscientiously worked through the material we have provided and recommended to you, then you will have had a strong fonudation and an excellent chance of success first time. Four or five examination tries is something best avoided and may suggest you are a generally unsatisfactory candidate to an admissions committee.

I have not thought about mathematics for a long time and I wasn't very interested in it even then!

Since one-half of the examination is quantitative then you should do something. It is truism of these types of standardized examimations that those candidates from the Engineering or Physical Sciences faculties have an advantage and score (on the whole) higher than those from the humanitites. We have a number of resources we can suggest you begin to work through ,and you should take our 16 hour basic mathematics course seriously. You should perhaps be initially devoting some 70% of your time to improving your mathematics skills. As you gain confidence you can balance your time more evenly between the verbal and quantitative sections.

Are the AWA essays included in my overall GMAT score (620, 680, 730)?

No, they are given as a separate grade.

Should I then forget about the essays?

No. To begin with, they constitute the first hour of the examination. If you are well prepared and have confidence then the first hour will be your opportunity to settle into the examination and you will not needlessly exhaust your mental endurance. Furthermore, your essays are made available to the schools you apply to and will give them some idea of how well you can express-your-opinion/ challenge-an-argument in a limited time frame.

How do I obtain the free GMATPrep software?

Go to www.mba.com. Select the sub-menu "Tools to Help you Prepare" in the "Take the GMAT" menu. (This will also immediately introduce you to the menu you need to use to schedule and pay for your test date.) Scroll down the page until you reach the "Tools to Help you Prepare" and select the last item on the right-hand-side of the screen, "Free GMATPrep Test Preparation Software". At the top left you'll find the download arrow; click on "download" and you'll be prompted for log-in information and given the opportunity to becomes a new user. Follow the instructions from then on.

Are there other products from the mba.com site that I should consider?

Undoubtedly there are; you should always take the opportunity to look around the site and investigate what might be useful to you. One new product is "GMAT Focus". This gives you a much more tailored and accurate indication of your ability range, and it provides detailed explanations unlike the free GMATPrep software. GMAT Focus is a commercial product though and you'll have to pay for it.

How can I access the GRE PowerPrep tests?

When you have reached www.ets.org/gre, look for the “Test Takers” section in the middle of the main page. Click on the “Practice for a GRE Test” and you will be directed to the Test Directory. You are then invited to choose the test you wish to prepare for. Locate the “GRE General Test” heading and click on “Prepare for the General Test > “. You are now given access to “Free GRE General Test Preparation Materials”. The third paragraph has the link to the “GRE Powerprep Software”. Again click on that and find the “Test Taker” link. This link will send you to the “GRE Powerprep® Survey” which you must complete before the download is possible. Follow the instructions from this point on. A direct link to the survey is

http://ntis01.ets.org/onyx/powerprepTestTakers.htm

Admittedly, this download process could have been made more convenient for you. But investing the time and effort in extracting the practice tests and realistically attempting their completion will prove very beneficial to your success in the exam.