Maybe you’ve been out of school for a while—or maybe you’re coming from a field that doesn’t require much math. While it can be intimidating to enter an MBA program where quantitative skills play an essential role in the curriculum, don’t worry. You can still be ready to hit the ground running when your program starts.
MBA preparatory courses are a useful tool for brushing up on your quantitative skills, especially if you aren’t planning to take an entrance exam like the GMAT or GRE. While there is a variety of prep courses out there, the Wisconsin School of Business admissions team for the MBA and master’s programs particularly recommends two: GMAC Business Fundamentals and MBA Math.
GMAC Business Fundamentals
GMAC, the maker of the GMAT exam, has partnered with Kaplan to create an online MBA preparatory program consisting of three courses: finance, accounting, and statistics. The courses—authored and reviewed by faculty from various business schools—include self-paced, bite-sized lessons and lectures as well as regular assessments to test your subject mastery. Upon completion, you’ll receive a score report that you can share with as many schools as you’d like. You can buy individual courses for $99 or all three for $199.
MBA Math
The scope of MBA Math is a bit broader than the GMAC Business Fundamentals, covering finance, accounting, statistics, economics, and spreadsheets. The online course is 24 lessons and self-paced. You’ll watch videos, solve problems, and take quizzes—and when you’ve finished the course, you’ll receive a transcript that you can share with up to 10 schools free of charge. This program costs $149.
Are these courses for me?
Prep courses can be beneficial for any MBA student, regardless of your background or the program you’re entering. In addition to helping you grow your quantitative skills, these courses will serve as a refresher on how to “think academically,” preparing you for a smooth transition into the classroom. They can help you boost your application and start your program with confidence.
We especially recommend these courses, however, if you don’t have a quantitative background and aren’t taking an entrance exam. These courses are particularly relevant for our professional and executive MBA students, as the programs do not require a test score to apply. Similarly, our full-time MBA program offers a GMAT/GRE waiver policy for students with a U.S.-accredited bachelor’s degree and two years of experience; these courses can act as a lower-cost alternative to those tests.
Depending on your experience, the admissions team may recommend or require that you take a prep course prior to applying to or starting your MBA program.
Questions?
Get in touch! Our admissions team would be happy to discuss these courses and your background to find out if they would be a good fit for you.