TAKING THE GMAT WITHOUT A BACKGROUND IN BUSINESS

The majority of people who take the GMAT have a business background. Their studies were business related or they already have working experience. But, those who decided to switch jobs- or to take a different study path might lack this background. In this blog, we discuss the consequences of taking the GMAT without any business background. 

WHY IT IS NOT A PROBLEM

The GMAT tests your higher reasoning abilities. How well you perform on the Verbal- and Quantitative sections will determine your score, which is always somewhere between 200 and 800. This score is a prediction of how well you will perform during your master’s or MBA, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). But, to perform well on the Verbal- and Quantitative sections of the GMAT, specific business skills are not required. You do need mathematical knowledge, extensive vocabulary and you have to have sufficient knowledge of English grammar. Besides this gained knowledge, you need to be able to recognize and solve specific GMAT problems. The aforementioned skills and knowledge are not specifically taught in business schools. So, achieving a higher score on the GMAT should not have to be more difficult if you have no background in business at all.

THEN WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

The problem might appear after you have started with your new programme. Even though you have obtained a high score on the GMAT, it can be difficult for you to get accustomed to the new subjects. For example, if you have studied in the faculty of social sciences, subjects such as marketing might be challenging for you. Therefore, it is recommended to explore the possibilities of following subject which form a bridge towards your master’s, if you follow a bachelor’s in a completely different field. In this way, you can make sure that you are perfectly prepared for your master’s. In a more general sense, it is wise to consider if the gap between your bachelor’s and a study in business is not too big.

Are you in doubt if you are preparing for the GMAT in the right way, or if you should take the GMAT at all? Feel free to contact GMAT Amsterdam. We are glad to inform you about which preparation suits your situation best.