Episode 0320

My name is Catherine and today we have a special dialogue for you all about this important test that you need for going to graduate school.

That's right. So today we're going to talk about the famous or very scary uh GMAT.

All right, so the GMAT, GMAT is the test that students will take when they want to go to graduate school for business management, so an MBA program.

That's right. And uh it's a pretty much a standard test uh that you have to take as you say to get into one of these programs. And so today we're going to talk a little bit about the sections of the test and uh uh more or less how it's structured, but not too much in depth.

That's right. So let's take a listen to our dialogue. We'll be back in a moment.

Well, have you thought of getting an MBA? I heard it does wonders in getting you to the top.

An MBA, hey? Well, my degree wasn't in business. The business schools won't be interested in me.

Nonsense. The business schools measure your ability through a test called GMAT.

GMAT? What does that stand for and what will the test contain?

Graduate Management Admission Test. It contains three parts: analytical writing assessment, the quantitative section and the verbal section. Not only does the test score you on the number of questions answered, but also on the difficulty.

Okay, this sounds a little tough. How am I supposed to practice for this?

Up to you. You could have a one-on-one session with a tutor or group sessions. You can also use free or private computer software. Going to church might help as well.

All right, we're back. So now let's talk about some of the language we found on language takeaway.

Language takeaway.

All right, so there's a lot of great stuff here. The first one we've got is actually more about a job than school. This is the career ladder.

That's right. Ash is complaining how he can't seem to make any progress in the career ladder. So, what is a career ladder?

Well, we know what a ladder is. A ladder is a a tool that you use to climb from a low place to a high place. So, for example, if you want to go on the roof of your house, you have to use a ladder. A career ladder is it's like an an analogy. You know, when you start a career, you start at the bottom, and you'd climb up, up, up to the top. So going from the bottom to maybe the president of an organization.

So that's called a career ladder.

Yeah, climbing from the bottom of a of a career area like um for example, uh being the the the mailman at a in an office building to being the president of that office.

Okay. So this is what Ash is complaining about, that it's hard or he can't really seem to go up the career ladder. And so Mindy suggests that he should take the GMAT and go into graduate school. So, as we said, the GMAT is a test that you take, but what does it stand for? What is GMAT?

GMAT stands for Graduate Management Admission Test, okay? So that's the test that you take when you want to go to school. So you have to send your scores to, uh, to the admissions office of the school you want to go to, and they will decide if they're high enough or not.

Okay, very good. So, uh, not everyone can go to graduate school and you have to take this test and pass it, basically.

Well, there's no pass fail, but certain schools will say that a score is high enough and other schools will say that a higher score is more important. So, uh, you can maybe go to a better school if you have a better score.

Okay. And uh well Mindy went to went on to explain the three parts of this test. The first one she said is analytical writing.

All right, so analytical writing is a very common part of a test. For example, I think the SAT also has analytical writing. And basically, you're asked to read something and then write about it. And analytical means that you have to really use your mind to make an argument. It's not just uh read and repeat, read and repeat.

Right. So it basically comes from analyzing. You analyze what you read and then you write about it.

That's right, you have to think. And you have to make you have to understand what what you read and then you have to write uh something that makes, you know, makes sense. It's logical.

Do you put your opinion in analytical writing?

No.

No, so it's all based on facts.

Based on facts and logic and argument.

Aha, okay. So you have this part of analytical writing. And then Mindy talks about the quantitative section of the test. So what is this?

So the quantitative section, you think of the word quantify, quantity, quantitative has to do with numbers. Okay. Basically. Uh, so you have to be able to understand basic math, um, some algebra, some arithmetic, um, some statistics, for example. Um so quantitative sections on tests are the math sections.

Now, from my understanding, even though it is a math section, it's not really uh like they give you a problem, an equation, and you have to solve it. It's more like analysis, right? They give you some information and you have to uh use math to solve it.

That's right. So there are a number of different parts. One of them is like what you say, it's kind of a uh it's about logic while using um algebra to solve these problems. Um I think the other part of it has to do with statistics and being able to understand trends, graphs, things like that.

So this is the math section of the exam. So not only do you have to be able to read, understand, and analyze what you're what you're reading, you have to be able to be good at math. And then finally, we have a verbal section. What is this all about?

This is about your English language and grammar skills. And so the verbal section will test your um your vocabulary knowledge. Do you do you understand what, you know, big words mean? Uh also will test your ability to read um passages and analyze them.

So I guess this part is uh the most important, one of the most important parts for foreign students who obviously don't speak English as their first language. Uh that this makes sure that you have a good enough English level to be able to take a graduate program in English, right?

Part of it's that, there's a special test that will test your English abilities, but this is absolutely an important part for a non-native English speaker on the GMAT. You have to it's hard for English speakers who are born speaking English, even native English speakers, yeah. So it's something that really you should devote your time to if you are a non-native English speaker because there will be some very challenging words there.

Hmm. Okay, so those are the three sections of the GMAT. And so to finish off language takeaway, Ash said that he's going to take this test because he wants to become a corporate fat cat.

All right. Now this is an interesting term. This is not something we talk about in the office. This is something we talk about with friends. So corporate fat cat, you think corporate corporation, this has to do with business. So basically we're talking about very important businessmen. But fat cat's not a good thing, right?

No, it's not really. You're you refer to a fat cat, a corporate fat cat, is a businessman who you consider to have a lot of money, but obviously you make the analogy that they're fat because they have so much money and uh it's kind of a way of saying that uh businessmen are not the corporate fat cats are not the best people around.

No, you're basically saying that these guys, these men on top, they're rich, but they're kind of lazy. And so you he wants to be a corporate fat cat, he wants to be very rich and powerful and not have to work so hard.

Which obviously is not really the case always, but uh this is a common term that as you said, you wouldn't really mention it in the office, but it's more of a of a satirical way of of speaking about businessmen.

All right. So now let's uh finish off language takeaway and move on to some phrases on fluency builder.

Well, have you thought of getting an MBA? I heard it does wonders in getting you to the top.

An MBA, hey? Well, my degree wasn't in business. The business schools won't be interested in me.

Nonsense. The business schools measure your ability through a test called GMAT.

GMAT? What does that stand for and what will the test contain?

Graduate Management Admission Test. It contains three parts: analytical writing assessment, the quantitative section and the verbal section. Not only does the test score you on the number of questions answered, but also on the difficulty.

Okay, this sounds a little tough. How am I supposed to practice for this?

Up to you. You could have a one-on-one session with a tutor or group sessions. You can also use free or private computer software. Going to church might help as well.

All right, in fluency builder today we have a number of really great phrases you can use. The first, the first one is a is from Mindy. She says, I heard it does wonders in getting you to the top.

Right. She suggested getting an MBA. I heard it does wonders to, you know, improve your career.

All right, this is actually something that you might hear in a commercial. Um, so it does wonders means it really helps. It's really beneficial to you. Um, you might hear it in a commercial, for example, with a face cream. It does wonders, you know, to your skin. It really makes your skin look looks good.

So you by using this phrase it does wonders, you're basically saying it's fast, it's effective, it's almost a miracle of how much it can improve your career or in this case of the cream, how it can improve your face.

That's right. So the MBA does wonders, it's almost miraculous how positive and effective it will have on your career. Exactly.

Okay, it does wonders. And then Ash was asking that how he's supposed to study for this and Mindy answered, well, you know what, it's up to you. You have a lot of options. So, up to you.

Up to you. This means it's your decision, okay? So, uh, we can use this in normal life, you know, you and I are out, Marco and I say, well, I don't know what to eat. What do you want to eat?

I guess, whatever, it's up to you.

Okay, very good.

All right, so up to you is a way to say, no, you decide.

Mhm. It's up to you. It's your decision.

Okay, and for our next phrase, um, Ash was saying that he's going to study really hard and he's going to ace the test.

All right. Now to ace a test, this is a this is a phrase that we use. We can use it in high school and college as well, not just MBA programs. Um, and to ace a test means to do perfectly on it.

Okay.

Okay, that means to get an A or even 100%. Um, so it's important to remember that we have this grading system, A, B, C, D, F. A is the top. All right. And so you ace it means you don't make any mistakes. And remember that A for ace.

Okay. So you can even use it if it's not really a test like a job interview, you say, I aced that job interview.

I aced it. And in sports, oftentimes we we see this tennis, it's it's a sports analogy, tennis, um, when someone serves a ball and the other player is can't even hit the ball back, it's an ace, you get a point.

That's right. So it's uh ace for for that or even good sports uh athletes, do you call them aces?

That's right. Okay, and Mindy says, well, you know what? Uh, that's really good. That's the spirit.

Nah, you could say, that's the spirit. That's the spirit. That means good attitude. That's the right way to think about this.

So you're kind of even encouraging that person, you're saying, you know what? I really like your attitude, that's the good way of of thinking.

Exactly. So you if you want to if you want to push someone and say, you know, good good for you. This is a good way to approach it. You say, that's the spirit.

Okay. Awesome. So this is all the language that we have for fluency builder. When do we take a break and we'll be right back?

Well, have you thought of getting an MBA? I heard it does wonders in getting you to the top.

An MBA, hey? Well, my degree wasn't in business. The business schools won't be interested in me.

Nonsense. The business schools measure your ability through a test called GMAT.

GMAT? What does that stand for and what will the test contain?

Graduate Management Admission Test. It contains three parts: analytical writing assessment, the quantitative section and the verbal section. Not only does the test score you on the number of questions answered, but also on the difficulty.

Okay, this sounds a little tough. How am I supposed to practice for this?

Up to you. You could have a one-on-one session with a tutor or group sessions. You can also use free or private computer software. Going to church might help as well.

All right, we're back. So now talking about the GMAT and an MBA. This seems to be a very popular topic nowadays. Everyone wants to get obviously a good education and go to graduate school, which means getting uh your master's degree or or your doctoral degree. Um what do you think about uh the GMAT and the MBA? Is it uh is it a miracle worker like this girl says she does, it does wonders for your career? Do you think that's really the case?

I don't know, you know, maybe if you ask me five years ago, I would say yes. But I really believe that it depends on the person. Um nothing is a miracle cure. I do think that if you if you really have a good attitude and you work hard, you'll get a lot out of it. But if you think it's going to get you a job, you're wrong because you you have to get yourself a job. So I think it depends on the person.

Now, obviously, also it depends on the uh country, right? Now, how popular or how important is it for people to have a, let's say an MBA to get ahead in business in in the United States?

I'd say it's pretty important. You don't have to have an MBA. I mean, you can start your own business and if you're successful, you'll probably start more businesses. Uh but getting an MBA is also a very good opportunity to network, to meet people, to find out more about the industry that you want to start out in and so, I think in that sense it's pretty important because it's a way to start making contacts.

Mhm. Yeah, you you definitely meet a lot of people uh with work experience from different backgrounds, international students. So it's obviously a great thing, but obviously to be able to do one of these uh programs, like uh get an MBA, you have to take these tests, which I understand are very, very difficult.

They are very difficult and it can be very expensive. I mean, graduate school itself is $100, $200,000. And uh then to prepare for the tests, you could spend another thousand dollars just getting classes or tutoring. So I I do think that uh it can it can be a lot of uh it can be a lot of money up front, but there are there are places that you can go to to study and um you could even study on your own using your computer. So.

Yeah, exactly. I think this is a very interesting topic because in many different cultures, in many different places, education or, for example, uh higher learning like getting an MBA is has different levels of importance. Like in Europe, a lot of Europeans maybe don't really even pay too much attention to getting an MBA, whereas in other countries they might really emphasize like, you have to have an MBA, it's really good, it's going to be good for your career. So it's very interesting to see how in different places they handle it.

It is interesting, and I'm actually very curious to hear from our users. Have you ever thought about getting an MBA? Are MBAs important to do business in your country? Let us know. Our website is Englishpod.com.

The English part audio review.

Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.

Related to business.

Corporate.

The action of controlling an area of a business.

Management.

Person who finished university.

Graduate.

Graduate management admissions test.

GMAT.

Pertaining or proceeding by analysis.

Analytical.

Type of information based in quantities.

Consisting of or in the form of words.

Verbal.

Master of business administration.

MBA.

A wealthy and privileged person.

Fat cat.

Let's try that faster.

Graduate management admissions test.

GMAT.

Person who finished university.

Graduate.

Related to business.

Corporate.

Type of information based in quantities.

A wealthy and privileged person.

Fat cat.

Pertaining or proceeding by analysis.

Analytical.

The action of controlling an area of a business.

Management.

Master of business administration.

MBA.

Consisting of or in the form of words.

Verbal.

Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.

Fat cat.

Look at all those fat cats in the government.

Fat cat.

I bet they only got into university because of their fat cat parents.

Fat cat.

The poor get poorer because of fat cats like you.

Graduate.

Now that I've finished my undergraduate degree, I think I might do postgraduate studies.

Graduate.

There are many graduate entry jobs after university.

Graduate.

Though graduates may look good on paper, they don't have much real world experience.

Management.

Our management is really tight when it comes to the budget.

Management.

Management has decided to lay off some staff in order to cut down costs.

Management.

She has been with this company for four years now and management still hasn't given her a raise.

Verbal.

He gave the verbal command to shoot the prisoner.

Verbal.

I believe I can teach better verbally than visually.

Verbal.

Although he saw the visual command, he was still waiting for a verbal order.

Corporate.

I don't like this corporate culture. It's always about money.

Corporate.

These corporate guys think they're so good.

Corporate.

The corporate watchdog was introduced to ensure proper ethics and laws were being obeyed by firms.