The Dominate Test Prep Podcast - podcast cover

The Dominate Test Prep Podcast

Brett Ethridge / Dominate Test Prepwww.dominatetestprep.com
This show is designed to take the guesswork out of preparing for your standardized test and equip you with practical how-to's for getting more right answers on test day, successfully navigating the admissions process, getting accepted to your dream school, and succeeding in the classroom. Our episodes deliver expert advice from the industry's top test prep instructors and admissions consultants as we endeavor to prepare you for success not only on test day, but also in your future profession and life beyond. Oh, and did we mention that we have a lot of fun? You will too, as we embark on this important next chapter of your education together. Thanks for listening!
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Episodes

42. GMAT vs. GRE for MBA Admissions

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 competitive score. This episode compares and contrasts the two tests and gives you important things to consider so that you can...

Apr 14, 202140 min

41. SAT vs. ACT for College Admissions, with Amy Seeley

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 hear us discuss: Whether the school(s) you're applying to has any bearing on whether you should take the SAT or ACT; ...

Mar 18, 202143 min

40. Proven Principles of Perfect Practice, with Mike Bergin

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 that your practice sessions are as effective as possible and will translate to a high score on test day? To help shed light on ...

Mar 02, 202140 min

39. What Should I Be Reading? [Mailbag]

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 Pride and Prejudice and OMG!!!!!!!!!! It is the most boring book I ever read, so I stop. Do you have any suggestion? I n...

Feb 16, 202122 min

38. 3 Ways to Worry Less for Better Test-Day Performance

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 episode of the Dominate Test Prep Podcast we examine the concept of worry and share three proven ways that you can r...

Jan 21, 202129 min

37. When is the Best Time to Take Your Exam?

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 standardized tests. We then drill down and walk through a specific example showing how you can work backwards fr...

Jan 05, 202130 min

36. Logical Fallacies from the Mouth of an 8-Year-Old

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 fallacies and help you more easily identify an argument's underlying assumption(s). After unpacking key learnings from...

Dec 22, 202037 min

35. Understanding the Executive Assessment, with Manish Dharia (GMAC)

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 process, and what's the best way to prepare for it? To help answer these questions -- and more -- w...

Dec 07, 202042 min

34. How to Determine Where to Apply, with Linda Abraham

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 are joined in this episode by Linda Abraham , founder of Accepted , who shares anecdotes, insight, and key...

Nov 10, 202043 min

33. How to Get Started Again if Something Derails Your Prep [Mailbag]

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-part plan to help you get back on track -- and stay on track -- so that you can put your exam in the rearview mirror onc...

Nov 02, 202015 min

32. Should You Retake Your Exam?

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 not be necessary to get you accepted to your target program(s). There's a lot to consider when thinking about retaki...

Oct 13, 202027 min

31. Do's and Don'ts for Reviewing Your Practice Results [Mailbag]

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 standardized test, and a big part of effective practice is reviewing your results and learning from your mistakes. How do yo...

Sep 21, 202012 min

30. 5 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Starting Law School, with Dave Hall

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 from law school himself, Dave shares five (5) key "lessons learned" in this episode -- 5 things he wishes he had known before starting l...

Sep 09, 202050 min

29. How to Answer Questions Faster [Mailbag]

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 I get very anxious with the time and end up doing everything quickly and with less attention and get more answers w...

Aug 24, 202017 min

28. The Value of an MBA, with Tim Munyon

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? To shed light on this important topic, we've invited Tim Munyon , Associate Professor of Management at the Hasl...

Aug 10, 202033 min

27. "7 Days Out" from Test Day

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 many practice tests you should take in the final week of preparation -- and when you should take them How to r...

Jul 14, 202045 min

26. To Defer or Not to Defer [Admission], with Diana Jones

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 and lingering concerns about the safety of live, in-person classes, it's a question that a lot of students are wres...

Jun 24, 202032 min

25. How to Find the Motivation to Study

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 you get it back if you've lost it? That's the question we tackle in this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast ....

Jun 16, 202035 min

24. 10 Tips for a Perfect Essay Score

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 can craft your strategy for writing an effective essay yourself. Knowing is half the battle, as they say....

Jun 02, 202041 min

23. Should You Hire an Admissions Consultant? with Barbara Coward

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, many turn to admissions consultants for help. Is working with an admissions consultant right for you?...

May 12, 20201 hr 1 min

22. A Peek Behind the MBA Curtain, with Sam Klein

It has been said that while it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. If you want to get a feel for what business school is really like before embarking on the journey yourself, why not pick the brain of someone who has gone before you? That's exactly what we did in this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast . We caught up with Sam Klein , a current second-year MBA candidate at the Duke Fuqua School of Business , and asked him everything from w...

Apr 28, 202043 min

21. Taking Your Exam At Home? Do These 3 Things for Maximum Success

In response to test center closures resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, most standardized tests have released an at-home version so that candidates can stay on track to hit their application deadlines and continue applying to graduate school. While there are a lot of advantages to taking your exam from home, there's at least one glaring disadvantage -- and you need to make sure that you're preparing accordingly so that you can overcome it and maximize your test-day results. If you're going ...

Apr 16, 202036 min

20. MBA Admissions Myth vs. Reality, with Duke Fuqua

The best way to learn what business school admissions officers are looking for is to ask them! So that's exactly what we did. In this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast, we sat down with Lauren Sutherland, Associate Director of Admissions at the Duke Fuqua School of Business , and discussed a wide range of admissions-related questions including: What differentiates Duke Fuqua from some of the other top business schools How a school's ranking should factor in to your decision of which scho...

Apr 07, 202039 min

19. Preparing for Your Test — and Future — Amid COVID-19

As with most industries, the standardized test and college/graduate admissions industries continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With exams being postponed, test centers closing, and admissions deadlines being pushed back, test takers face a new level of uncertainty as they're preparing for test day and thinking about their futures. In this episode we address those challenges head-on, help you make sense of the current landscape, and empower you with practical next steps as you're pre...

Mar 23, 202045 min

18. "I've Been Waitlisted! Now What?" with Hillary Schubach

Being put on the waitlist at your dream school isn't ideal. You were hoping to be accepted outright, after all. But it's not a death knell, either. Plenty of people are accepted off the waitlist each year, and there's no reason you can't be one of them. In fact, there are a lot of practical, actionable things you can do to increase your chances of getting off the waitlist in a favorable way -- and Hillary Schubach of Shine MBA Admissions Consulting is here to break them down for you. In this epi...

Mar 11, 202040 min

17. Nutrition Hacks for Improved Focus, Memory, and Mental Clarity, with Dr. Barrett Deubert

A big part of maximizing your score on test day is how well you're able to focus and concentrate throughout the entire exam. You've spent months learning all of the how-to's for answering questions correctly, but if you have "brain fog" and aren't able to think clearly and remember everything you've studied when it comes time to actually sit down and take your test, it's all for nothing. Optimal nutrition can play a huge role in maximizing your brain's performance so that you can maintain mental...

Feb 25, 202044 min

16. Is Harvard Really Worth It? with Jake Taylor

A lot of people believe that if they can't get in to a top-tier college or graduate school, it's not worth going. Yet, there are a lot of considerations that play into your decision to go back to school, and the prestige of the program is only one factor in choosing the school that's right for you. In this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast we catch up with Harvard Kennedy School of Government alumnus Jake Taylor who recounts his journey from working on Wall Street to teaching middle scho...

Feb 11, 202043 min

15. Overcoming Test Anxiety, with Bara Sapir

Conventional wisdom tells us that if we study hard, high test scores will inevitably follow. But what if we are unmotivated to study or hampered by fear of failure? Or what happens if when we do study, we are plagued by feeling nervous and anxious, and we are not able to perform to our potential? It's no surprise that if you enter the test feeling anything but focused and calm, you risk a subpar performance. But how does one easily get there? We answer those questions -- and more -- in this epis...

Jan 28, 202042 min

14. How to do Social Media Right for an Admissions Edge, with Taylor Siebert

A recent survey shows that 40% of admissions officers reported to have looked at a candidate's social media while reviewing his/her application, a trend that is expected to continue and even grow in the coming years. What does this mean for you? We invited Taylor Siebert , co-founder of Class Intercom and social media expert, to weigh in on how you can use social media to your advantage as you position yourself holistically during the application process. In this episode we discuss: Why and how ...

Jan 14, 202049 min

13. Reading Comprehension Strategies for ESL Students (and everyone else!)

Struggling with reading comprehension questions on your standardized test? Often that's the case when you're not reading the passages in the most effective way. In this episode we share three strategies for improving your overall reading proficiency, for reading the passages in a way that sets you up for success on a majority of questions, for quickly and accurately determining the author's primary purpose, and for adopting the right mindset when you're dealing with reading comprehension passage...

Dec 23, 201936 min
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