Want to get into a top B-school? Yale MBA and co-founder of GMAT prep company Veritas tells you how

To get into these coveted institutes, it is important to understand the admission process, to know the key requirements. Experts can help. While conducting a GMAT seminar in New Delhi, Veritas founder and an MBA from the Yale School of Management, Chad Troutwine offered his advice to aspirants on preparations and how to get into top B-schools. Veritas is one of the fastest growing GMAT-prep companies in the US.

Here are six points that aspirants should keep in mind:

GMAT Test Score is Key:
The GMAT score is the most important thing. Troutwine informed, GMAT is different from a traditional test. It is a Computer Adaptive Test and your scores will depend on your progress through the test. The paper is different for every test taker. In GMAT, as you answer the questions, the level of questions will change according to your answers in previous questions.

Students have to be confident about their preparations. They should focus on speed and the accuracy of their answers while solving a problem.

How should aspirants prepare for GMAT? Students should follow a structured study plan, make use of practice tests for the format of the paper, understand both the correct and incorrect options the questions have, take advantages of guidance as much as they can and finally study efficiently, said Troutwine.

In 2006, the average GMAT score of Indian candidates was 572. Aspirants from New Zealand scored the highest while aspirants from UAE scored the lowest.

Essay should be genuine and rich:
The next thing that matters most is Essay Writing for global MBA aspirants. While giving tips to students to write a dynamic essay, Troutwine said, The essay must be written to reflect the genuine and real picture. It should give details of who you are, how you think and make decisions. Always use active voice and correct grammar in essay writing.

According to Harvard Business School, the typical topics of essays can be on What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? and What have you learned from a mistake?
While talking about the length of the essay, Troutwine said, You should follow the ten percent rule while deciding on the word length of your essays. It can be 10 percent less or 10 percent more.

Work Experience:
Work experience is mandatory in international B-schools. According to Troutwine, a candidate must have at least three years of work experience. Stanford University and University of Pennsylvania, he said, accept average work experience of six years while Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dartmouth College and New York University will accept average work experience of five years.

Academic performance matters. If not good, improve:
International B-schools will check your performance with the help of the database of major institutions and colleges. B-schools have a huge database of major institutions and colleges. They will benchmark your performance with that database, said Troutwine.

Additional qualifications and management related courses add value into your academic record. While encouraging students with weak academic records, Troutwine suggested, Students with weak academic record can also secure high scores if they have additional qualifications like charter accountancy or a diploma in management related courses like business statistics or economics and do well.

Find the perfect fit:
Before preparing their applications, students have to first analyze themselves and understand the school in which they want to get admission. They have to decide their way to achieve their goals. Different B-schools have different types of vision for students. They have to decide which B-school will suit them.

While giving the examples of differences in approach at international B-schools, Troutwine said, Chicago focuses on developing individual excellence, while Kelloggs emphasizes on teamwork. Virtually half of the course grades are given by peers, not professors.

One-year vs two-years: make an informed choice:
How should aspirants choose between one-year and two-year management programs? Students have to decide which program is appropriate for their goals. According to Troutwine, Both programs may be of equal ranking but it depends on your career goals. If you are looking to work for a company that will not hire without evaluating on-the-job-performance, then summer training can be an opportunity to show your skills.In this case you should choose a two-year MBA program. Top investment banking companies generally recruit in this way.

What is the order of importance? Troutwine said: GMAT score, essays, work experience and finally your academic performance.

Chad Troutwine completed his BA from Arizona State University and holds an MBA degree from Yale School of Management.At Yale, Chad met Markus Moberg and together they launched Veritas five years ago; today, it is one of the leading GMAT-prep companies in the US.