By Nathaniel Luce
Aaron Dorn is a Vanderbilt MBA student in the class of 2017. The Nashville native and Florida State University graduate helped launch Avenue Bank, which was founded with the mission of celebrating and supporting Nashville’s unique creative spirit. In 2009, he left the bank for four years to join the U.S. Marine Corps as an intelligence officer. For his accomplishments, Dorn was recently named one of Nashville Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and was also honored at their 2015 Veterans Awards ceremony. Now Dorn has his sights set on an MBA, with the goal of running his own business upon graduation. But before he could step foot on Vanderbilt’s campus, he had to take—and do well on—the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The exam is daunting for anyone, let alone someone that has been out of school for several years. Here is Dorn’s GMAT success strategy.
How many times did you take the GMAT?
I took the GMAT three times. Each time, I scored over 700. Why three times? The first score expired after five years, the second score got me into school and the third score helped me finance my MBA with a scholarship. Needless to say, I am well acquainted with that agony-inducing test.
What’s your biggest piece of advice for doing well on the GMAT?
My advice to achieve a 700+ score is to realize that you are not really being tested on quantitative and verbal skills. Those are simply the prerequisites. You are being tested on your ability to quickly triage a puzzle that needs to be solved and to decide on the most efficient approach to solving the puzzle. Only then can you use those prerequisite skills as tools in your solution. That perspective only comes when you have studied the puzzles themselves enough to identify and categorize them by type.
Describe your strategy for learning how to quickly triage a puzzle.
At two minutes or less per problem, you have approximately 30 seconds to identify the approach and 60-90 seconds to execute it. So, that first 30 seconds is critical, and mastery of basic math and language rules will not be enough for you to see the approach that quickly. As such, each GMAT study session leading up to the test should include a slow, reflective mental review of how the puzzle was set up to be “unlocked” in the first 30 seconds. Take notes. Patterns will emerge. Then, you will begin to see the puzzles more clearly. Be sure to use that two-minute time limit in practice sessions.
What other strategies did you use when preparing for the GMAT?
I spent a lot of time researching the test itself. There are a lot of good blogs, YouTube videos and paid programs available that will teach some great GMAT-specific test techniques. At the end of the day, unless you are a true outlier and genius, you will need to invest hours of disciplined, structured practice to achieve a 700+ score. In the words of Vince Lombardi, “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”
Contact Person: Brett Israel Director, Business News & Communications Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management
Contact Phone: (615) 322-3469
Contact Email: brett.israel@owen.vanderbilt.edu
