Do You Want To Kill The GMAT/GRE Writers?

No matter how naturally gifted one is at tackling GMAT questions, there comes a point during everyone's test preparation when they wonder where these diabolical questions come from and what the whereabouts of their creators are.

Because they need to be killed. Now!

No joke. It happens all the time. At some point, a student who had until then been cruising along fine with their preparation, will have seen one tricky question too many and think to themselves, “I'm gonna KILL the GMAT!” It's normal; even common. So don't beat yourself up if this is how you feel from time to time.

In fact, your feelings may even be justified. After all, it can be infuriating to have your future hang in the balance of some arbitrary test that you suck at.

Besides, who's to say that a high GMAT score necessarily translates into being a successful Business School student? And vice versa: Does a low GMAT score indicate some fundamental skill deficiency that should preclude the applicant from considering business as a career?

For an answer, let's take a look at two facts from the latest at the arbiter of all things business–Forbes:

• Of America's 400 richest people, a whopping 63 don't even have college degrees.
• Less than a quarter of the Forbes 400 have MBA's (84).

Okay so what's the message here? Clearly, an MBA is not a prerequisite for becoming laughably wealthy. Nor, in fact, is a college degree. That much is obvious. But what else? What does it say about those people who lack a formal education–and who, had they ever taken the GMAT would have assuredly bombed it–and yet are big successes in business and in life?

The only thing we can say is that we see these instances all the time. Many of our clients possess some of the God-given personality traits, social skills and intuitive gumption that no 700 GMAT score can buy. And in fact, if we were the betting type, we would sooner wager on these street smart go-getters over some of our 700 GMAT-ers to make it big in business.

Be all of that as it may, if your desire is to get an MBA, you will still need to hit a home run on the GMAT. Are there ways to do that if you aren't naturally inclined to take standardized tests? Sure. But remember: Whether you score a 350 or a 750, the test says absolutely nothing about you or your skills other than the following:

Are you good at the GMAT? That. Is. it.

It bears no reflection on your business savvy, your money-making potential, your future fit in corporate America or, not least of all, your entrepreneurial spirit. You must keep this in the back of your mind while you study. If you do, it will make it less likely that you'll want to kill the test writers. Sure, those math geeks would all get perfect scores on the test. But that doesn't change the fact that they're making mediocre salaries and likely have the social skills of a potted cactus.

Don't forget: You shouldn't put too much stock in what the GMAT says about who you are or what you are capable of.

The GMAT: Designed to test how good you are…at the GMAT.

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