GMAT test taking pros give advice

I'm Diana Jordan with MBA Podcaster. I'm working on an upcoming show about the GMAT. I've been talking to several GMAT experts, asking them for advice on how you can improve your score.

This morning I spoke with Jon Denning of PowerScore. He says the company was founded in 1997 and focused on the LSAT at that time. PowerScore swooped into the GMAT market about six years ago. One of Denning's strongest points -- one he emphasized throughout the interview -- is that if you are taking the GMAT, self-knowledge is critical. He says whether you have two months or two years to prep for the GMAT, you must know your starting point. Take a few practice tests at the very beginning of your process -- it will give you a ballpark for your score, as well as familiarize you with how this test works.

One comforting thought -- Denning believes that it is possible to make giant leaps in your GMAT scores. That is very important, given this competitive environment. Denning says with the economy so rocky, the landscape has changed dramatically. Grad schools' number of applicants are skyrocketing...which means you have to shine. And that means you must do all the prep you can before your GMAT test -- this includes making a trial drive to your test site the day before your test. He says he just assumed he knew where his test site was, and he got lost...getting more and more anxious as the minutes to the start of his test ticked away. He arrived with just moments to spare. Denning says the days of just walking into a test without any prep, are long gone.

On this show, you'll be hearing from experts from Veritas, Manhattan GMAT, Kaplan and others, and I'll be blogging about their test-taking wisdom. The finished show should be posted in a few weeks at MBA Podcaster.

(Updated! Listen to the completed show here: http://www.mbapodcaster.com/MBA_MoreInfo/gmat-test-taking-tips.asp?iEpisode=77)