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By on September 18, 2015 in Applications, Tests
gmat

By Moyan Brenn on Flickr

The following GMAT infographic highlights some of the most crucial facts about the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) that you need to know.

Background Information
The GMAT is a computer adaptive test which adapts to the examinee’s level. This means that based on the responses, the computer automatically adjusts the difficulty of questions throughout the assessment. The GMAT is used to assess a student’s readiness for over graduate level business programs in 1500 universities worldwide.

Test Content/Timing
The GMAT takes a total of 3 hours and 30 minutes, and is made up four sections: Analytical Writing Assessment (a fancy way of saying essay), Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal. The Integrated Reasoning section is most unlike other tests that applicants may have taken – this section requires the test-taker to reason through and analyze the data provided to answer the questions. The Quantitative and Verbal sections are similar in style to other standardized tests such as the SAT, but with a higher difficulty level.

Final Thoughts
From a basic overview of the GMAT to a list of 10 highly selective MBA programs, this infographic covers the most important topics and relevant information about the GMAT. Feel free to explore it below and share with your friends!

GMAT Infographic
Infographic by LA Tutors 123

By on August 31, 2015 in Applications, Programs
SAT-NEW-LARGE-

By EdTech Stanford University School of Medicine on Flickr

The new SAT is fast approaching with the first version available for testing in March 2016. The infographic below outlines the most important things you need to know about the new SAT. Feel free to explore it below and share with your friends.

Background information
The SAT was first introduced in 1926, and is used to assess applicants to undergraduate programs after high school. Over 2,000,000 students take the SAT worldwide and over 6,000 colleges and universities consider SAT scores for admissions purposes.

Major Changes
This the first time in eleven years that the SAT has had a major overhaul. The most important changes include more time per question, no more penalty for guessing, less obscure vocabulary, calculator free math sections, and four answer choices instead of five.

Content/Scoring
Math questions will be reformatted to be more content-based, and the previous Writing questions will be incorporated into the new Reading and Writing sections. The new SAT score will no longer be out of 2400. Instead, each section will be scored out of 800 for a total of 1600. Additional scores that will be provided are individual test scores (Reading, Writing and Language; and Math), cross-test scores (Analysis in History/Social Studies and Analysis in Science), subscores (scores based on specific content in each section), and three Essay scores (Reading, Analysis, and Writing).

Final Thoughts
From a basic overview of the new SAT to a list of 10 highly competitive universities and their relevant admissions statistics, this infographic covers the major changes and other relevant information that you need to know about the new SAT. For a more detailed breakdown of the test, please visit the new SAT resource page.

New SAT InfographicInfographic by LA Tutors 123

By on November 26, 2013 in Applications
Image by Oran Viriyincy, Flickr

Image by Oran Viriyincy, Flickr

You may have applied to your program, but you aren’t finished with your application just yet – for many university programs, you’ll need to submit a supplementary application. Don’t take these lightly. Several schools will give equal weighting to grades and supplementary apps. So, even if you have stellar grades, a poor supplementary application can cost you. Depending on the program you’re applying to, the supplementary application can take many forms, from a few short essay questions, to a list of your extra-curricular involvement, to submitting recommendation letters or even an art portfolio. This is your time to shine, and for those of you who may not have received great marks in high school, a well-written supplementary essay can help you rise above the rest.

Brainstorming

  • Do some research on the school and program you are applying to. This will help you answer questions and show admissions that you are passionate about attending their school.
  • Start your supplementary application as soon as you can. Before you know it, your schoolwork will start to pile up, and the last thing you want to do is completely forget about your supplementary application.
  • Make a list of all of your extra-curricular activities, awards, certificates and skills that you feel would be useful to describe in your essays.

Writing

  • Be creative! Create a story with your essay. Essays don’t need to follow the traditional formula of an introduction, body and conclusion. Especially with the “creative” essay question, admissions officers want to see fresh ideas and thought processes.
  • Remember your audience. The admissions officer isn’t looking for Pulitzer-prize winning work and they definitely don’t want to see essays that grossly abuse the “Synonyms” tool. They read plenty of essays. You need to clinch them within the first few sentences and that means giving a clear and concise, yet inventive, opening.
  • Always bring it back to the school/program you are applying to. Explain what the school has to offer you and what you can offer to the school. Show them how you are a perfect fit.
  • Make sure you are answering the right question. Although the questions are left fairly open-ended, be sure to answer the question asked, not the question you want.
  • Back it up! You say you have leadership experience, communication skills and high attention to detail, but what evidence do you have? Explain how you exhibit these traits through your extra-curricular involvement.
  • Quality over quantity. You may have been very involved in high school, but some of your activities are definitely more impactful than others. Focus on how your involvement in an event positively affected others.
  • Like a resume, stick to your most recent and relevant activities. There is no need to include your involvement in the fifth grade.

Editing

  • Nothing signals a poor student more than simple spelling or grammar mistakes. Be sure to proofread plenty of times!
  • Get help with proofreading by asking others to look over your essay.
  • Follow the rules! If it says they want an essay under 250 words, make sure it is under 250 words.
  • Spend plenty of time on each supplementary application. Don’t make one generic application that you think you can send to all of your prospective schools. Admissions officers have read brilliant essays, where, unfortunately, the wrong school was mentioned! Don’t let that happen to you.

Hopefully these tips have helped you and will bring you closer to that coveted acceptance letter!

By on September 5, 2013 in Resumes & Cover Letters
Image by Gangplank HQ, flickr

Image by Gangplank HQ, flickr

In school, you’ll see plenty of opportunities to apply for jobs – full time, part time, internships, co-ops – even an application to attend a conference or be a club executive may require a resume. Use the beginning of the school year to freshen up your documents so if something does come up, you’re not rushing to complete them. Here are a number of tips we’ve compiled from @wisebread‘s weekly #wbchat – this one on modern tips for resumes.

  1. Eliminate the Objective

    2. This one will come as a surprise to those of us (myself included) stuck in our standard resume format ways. Look at the objective on your resume. Chances are it says something along the lines of “To use my skills to help your company succeed.” If everyone applying for the position has the same cookie cutter sentence, it won’t help any of you. Remove the redundancy and use that space for more important information. Perhaps, add in a section with your unique skill set.

    objective

  2. It’s Okay to Brag, But Be Honest

    3. Your resume is one of the only places where it’s deemed acceptable to brag about yourself. This is your time to shine. List all the qualities that will tell an employer why you’re amazing at what you do. That being said, keep them accurate and honest. Don’t exaggerate; if you get to the interview stage, you’ll spend more time trying to cover up your little white lies than talking about the job. If there is a gap between jobs in your resume, explain what you did during that time. Chances are you weren’t on the couch day after day (we’d hope) – were you volunteering? Writing/blogging? Travelling? Be sure to include these – they might be just as interesting as another job to your interviewer.

  3. Eliminate the Fluff

    4. Bragging about yourself is great, but no one wants to read a five-page resume. Cut out anything you’ve added as filler. Keep it simple and concise. If you can get your resume down to one page (without eliminating important information), do it. Instead of writing about your job description, include accomplishments and numbers wherever you can – here’s an example:

    Written as a Job Description Written as an Accomplishment
    Responsible for promoting the conference to peers Promoted the conference to peers, resulting in a 25% increase in attendance

    quantify

  4. Tailor Your Resume

    5. How many resumes do you have? Is it necessary to have more than one? It depends on the job you’re applying for. If you’re applying to anything and everything, yes, you may need different resumes for each industry. The majority of people have one; but as standard as a resume might seem, it should always be tailored to the industry and the job you’re applying for. Highlight different skill sets and add descriptions that may apply to the specific job. Consider creating a LinkedIn profile; it can be updated more easily than a resume and you won’t forget new job responsibilities when the time comes to refresh your documents. Remember though that a LinkedIn profile is not a replacement for a resume.

    tailor

  5. Proofread, Proofread, and then Proofread Again

    6. A number of hiring managers have mentioned that if a resume has a spelling mistake on it, it immediately goes into the trash. As harsh as this may seem, the logic makes sense – if you don’t have the time or care to proof your resume – a document that could essentially start a new career for you – how do they know you won’t be as careless with the work you’re given at their company? Always proofread your resume. Send it to a peer to make sure that not only are there no mistakes, but that the content is applicable to the job you’re applying for.

    relevancy

  6. Stand Out, But Keep it Professional

    7. Everyone wants their resume to stand out. But is printing it on pink paper with a spritz of perfume (Legally Blonde style) really the way to do it? Always look at the type of company you’re applying to first. If you’re applying to a law or accounting firm, you’re best to use a standard black and white format. If you’re applying to an ad agency or web design firm, you can probably afford to be more creative. If you’re not sure, play it on the safe side.

    format

  7. Critique It As If You Were the Hiring Manager

    8. Our last piece of advice, and a very important one, is to take a step back. Read it with a different mindset. If you were a big shot hiring manager and you could pick anyone to work for you, would reading that resume sell you? Would you be excited for an interview with this student? If not, try to figure out what would entice a hiring manager to talk to you. Do you need more facts and figures? Do you need to talk more about your accomplishments? Ask family or friends if there’s a better way to word your skills.

    hiringmanager

    If you need more assistance, check out your school’s career centre. The counsellors will be more than happy to review your resume with you and provide suggestions for improvement. Once your resume is finalized, you’ll need to start your interview prep. Here are some tips to get you started!