The Dominate Test Prep Podcast

Application essays are an important part of the admissions process for all levels of higher education. Nearly all programs will ask you to write at least one "long" essay on a topic of their choosing. But many schools will also include one or more "short" essay prompts -- either required or optional -- that provide you with an opportunity to share additional bits of information...

If you've taken the same standardized test multiple times and your score isn't improving appreciably, you might be wondering whether there's still hope for you or if perhaps you've reached your upper limit. That's the question we address in this "mailbag" episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast in response to Dan, who sent the following e-mail: "After writ...

Let’s talk about money. Specifically, let’s talk about how you’re going to pay for your college / graduate education. If you’ve decided to go back to school, presumably you’ve determined that the benefits of higher education more than justify the costs. Yet, those costs still need to be paid. But what’s the best way to fund your education expenses? And can you do so without burning through all of...

You want to do well on your standardized test to get in to your target school/program. That's a given. But a high test score can also benefit you in other ways -- perhaps even helping you to land a high-paying job upon graduation. We talk about that in answering the following "mailbag" question submitted by Braden, who asks: "Is it true that consulting firms ask for your GMAT s...

While people go back to school for a variety of reasons, in many cases it's to enhance their career prospects with the long-term goal of landing a great job upon graduation. But what goes in to getting that dream job? What are the steps in the hiring process? Should you pursue an internship first? What exactly are potential employers looking for in candidates and what can you do to stand out...

You've decided that you're going to business school. Congratulations! That's step 1. Now you need to decide which standardized test you're going to take as part of the admissions process, the GMAT or the GRE. While similar in a number of ways, the two exams differ in several key ways, and you want to ensure that you take the one that gives you the best shot at getting a competi...

You have a decision to make when choosing which standardized test to take when applying to college. Should you take the SAT or the ACT? To help you make the most informed decision possible, we've invited Amy Seeley , founder of Seeley Test Pros , to discuss the key differences between the two exams and to overall help you choose the one that's best for you.  In this episode you'll h...

The great American football coach Vince Lombardi famously said, "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect." When it comes to preparing for your standardized test, practice is obviously an important component of your ultimate success. But how you practice matters. So what are the components of "perfect" practice and what should you be doing to ensure th...

The better you are at reading, the better you'll do on your standardized test. And the more you read, the better you'll get at reading. But what should you be reading? That's the question we seek to answer in this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast , in response to the following e-mail we recently received from one of our listeners: "I want to start reading and I bought...

Worry is a natural human emotion. But it doesn't serve you well when preparing for your standardized test and it doesn't have to be your story on test day. Doing well on your exam involves winning what we call the inner game of testing, and learning to control your anxiety so that you can perform with calm, equanimity, and confidence is a huge part of getting a high score. In this episod...

Determining when to take your standardized test shouldn't be an arbitrary decision. But while there are a number of important factors to consider, it turns out that there is an ideal time to prepare for and take your exam -- and this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast will lay it all out for you. Specifically, we discuss four key considerations that apply to test takers for all standar...

Sometimes the best way to learn something is to strip it down to its most basic elements. That's exactly what we've done in this episode to help you better understand logical arguments, key to getting a high score on many standardized tests. Host Brett Ethridge shares several revealing -- and funny! -- arguments that his 8-year-old son has made to tease out some common reasoning fallacie...

The Executive Assessment (EA) is an exam used by a growing number of top business schools around the world for admission to a variety of MBA and graduate business programs. As it has gained traction and become a viable alternative to the GMAT during the application process in some cases, inquiring minds want to know: What is the Executive Assessment all about, how is it used during the application...

One of the first and most important decisions you need to make on your higher education journey is determining which schools and programs to apply to. Once you figure that out, much of the rest of the application process starts to fall into place. Yet, deciding where to apply isn't always straightforward. There are a lot of factors to consider. To help shed light on this important topic, we a...

Life happens. No matter how hard you try to stay consistent with your test preparation, sometimes you get sidetracked and need to figure out how to get going again. Indeed, that's the question at the heart of this week's Mailbag Monday episode, as submitted by Jayant: "What do I do if something derails my prep? How do I reset and get started again?" In this episode I share a 5-...

You've invested time, effort, and money preparing for and taking your standardized test, and unfortunately the first attempt didn't quite go as planned. So, what now? Should you retake it? Or just apply with the score you have? The answer to those questions isn't quite as straightforward as it may seem. Even if you were assured of improving the next time around, a higher score may n...

In this "Mailbag Monday" edition of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast , we answer the following question submitted by Anne : "It seems kind of silly but how much time do you suggest people spend looking over questions they got wrong or even questions they got right?" It's not a silly question, Anne. Quite to the contrary, practice is a key component of preparing well for your...

It's one thing to get in to a top law school. But how do you succeed once you're there? The three years of law school are intense. It's like "drinking from a fire hose," says this week's guest, Dave Hall . Fortunately, there are some things you can do to ensure that you're prepared for the onslaught and maximize your law school experience. Having just graduated f...

In this first-ever "Mailbag Monday" edition of The Dominate Test Pep Podcast , we answer the following question from Isabella , a loyal listener of the show: "I would like to know if you have some tips on how to answer the questions in less time. I feel like when I am doing practice problems I get more answers correct because I have more time, but when I am doing the practice tests...

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is a popular route for advancing one's career, learning new skills, growing a network, and overall expanding opportunities in the world of business. Yet, there are significant costs associated with pursuing this level of higher education. So is it worth it? How do you measure the value of and MBA and determine whether it's right for you? T...

Test day is right around the corner. What should you be doing in the final week leading up to the big day to maximize your preparation and ensure that you have the best possible result on your exam? In this episode we break it down for you day-by-day, laying out for you exactly what you should be prioritizing each day starting "7 days out" to finish strong.  Specifically, we discuss: How...

In the immortal words of William Shakespeare, "To defer or not to defer, that is the question." Or something like that. We're talking, of course, about whether or not to defer your admission to college / graduate school given the uncertainty around what the learning environment will look like when classes resume in the Fall. With so many schools relaxing their deferral requirements...

Motivation is a key component of success on your standardized test because if it's lacking, you won't put in the necessary work to prepare effectively and your score will suffer on test day. Unfortunately, a lot of students struggle with motivation and consequently they have a hard time getting the score they need. Perhaps that's you. So where does motivation come from and how can y...

Most standardized tests have an essay component, and in this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast we're going to cover the 10 most important things you should do when crafting your essay response to ensure that you get a high score on test day -- perhaps even a perfect one! We start by explaining what the graders are looking for. Once you know the components of a high-scoring essay, you...

Applying to top graduate and business schools is a competitive affair, with qualified applicants from around the world vying for just a handful of spots each year. The difference between getting accepted and not comes down to your ability to highlight your personal, academic, and professional assets in a way that sets you apart from the pack. While some candidates choose to do that on their own, m...