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The Valuable Skills You Gain from Taking the GMAT Exam
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For many students, the idea of taking the GMAT™ exam can feel daunting. With the amount of study and preparation required, many would rather forego taking a test at all.
However, the lessons you gain from studying for the GMAT go well beyond the exam itself. The GMAT prepares you for life. By preparing for the exam, you will sharpen valuable skills that will make you a better learner in the classroom and employee after you earn your degree.
Do not let fear stop you from taking the GMAT exam. Instead, focus on the wide array of long-term benefits that you will achieve.
Here are four of the valuable life skills that studying for the GMAT will give you.
1. Decision-making skills
Being able to think on your feet is critical for business professionals. The GMAT test will push your reading and critical thinking skills to the next level, helping you to make better informed decisions in the workplace.
During the test, you will be tasked with reading complicated business and non-business related scenarios. You must quickly determine what the most important details are and use them to think critically through challenging, analytical questions.
Being able to efficiently solve problems as they arise is integral to a career in business. For example, the pandemic required many managers to be creative about how to lead their teams remotely. Fast thinking and thoughtful decision-making were key to maintaining a business’ success during these unprecedented times. The decision-making skills you will improve by studying for the GMAT test will provide you with the opportunity to excel at your career in business in the most unexpected circumstances.
2. How to deal with pressure
Taking the GMAT exam is no simple feat. To succeed, you must invest significant time into preparation. You will also have to answer difficult questions while coping under stressful, timed conditions.
Studying and taking the GMAT test will teach you how to deal with pressure. Succeeding in a high stakes environment is a foundational skill necessary for building a career in business. As a business professional, you must be on your best game when you have a deadline coming up. You need to effectively execute your tasks while keeping a level head.
When your performance can have big implications for your company, your employer needs you to excel during crunch time. In any big project, last minute changes may throw your plans off track. To reach your goals, you need to be able to handle the high level of pressure that comes with complicated business projects. Finding solutions when you are facing a tight deadline requires patience and reasoning, which the GMAT will prepare you for.
3. Strong communication skills
Communication is a key life skill. In business, you will constantly be communicating with team members, management, clients, stakeholders and business partners. Whether you are emailing co-workers, hosting team meetings or preparing a pitch for a potential client, clear communication will help be more efficient, solve issues quickly and effectively reach your business goals.
The Verbal Reasoning section the GMAT exam will transform you into a stronger communicator.
You will learn new vocabulary and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different arguments. Strong communication is a skill that will continue to be valuable during your MBA and throughout your future career.
4. Argue like a pro
When you are running a business, you will often be challenged by issues that have more than one solution.
For example, your company could be going through a public relations crisis. What are your options? You could run favorable advertisements, create a social media campaign or host a press conference. Your job as a manager is to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of arguments for taking different approaches to the problem.
Learning how to make a compelling argument and evaluating points made by others is a key skill that you will develop by studying for the GMAT exam. On the test, you will critically assess the merits of various arguments and learn how to be persuasive. As a business professional, it is imperative that you critically analyze and create thoughtful arguments.
Why you should take the GMAT exam
The important skills you will gain from taking the GMAT test will stay with you for life. During your MBA and throughout your career as a business professional, the lessons you take from studying for the GMAT test will continue to prove valuable. The exam will make you a better decision-maker and communicator, while also teaching you how to deal with the types of pressures you will be facing in the world of business. You will also learn how to persuade others through high-level argumentation.
The GMAT exam is by no means easy. But the long-term gains outweigh the short-term challenge of studying and taking the test. With the right preparation and attitude, the GMAT is an excellent learning experience that can set you up for future success.