In-class preparatory programs are available in most areas from established international companies such as Princeton GMAT Preparation, Knewton and Kaplan, among others. These courses offer in-depth practice and tips for passing the GMAT, and offer immediate feedback from the instructor. Interaction with other students is also valuable. Courses cost from a low of $1,000 to a high of $1,600, as of 2011, depending on the program, the length of study (30 to 60 hours of class room instruction) and the company offering it. Classroom times generally include options for evenings and weekends.
Self-study guides are available from the same companies that give in-class programs. The Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), which administers the test, also offers several study guides. All guides offer a selection of typical questions from the exam. However. only GMAC offers questions from old tests, and even ones which may re-occur in current tests. Advantages of self study are the flexibility of study times, and the price. Books cost from $20 to $60 each, and several may be needed. A middle option of online classes is also available at $45 to $900 and offers some advantages of each other option.
Students in humanities programs are generally well schooled in the verbal and communications skills, but have less exposure to mathematics. According to research from Harvard, philosophy students in particular score well in all grad school aptitude tests. However, if the last math test taken was in high school, the humanities student will need to concentrate some time on the quantitative section of the test. Choose classes that give emphasis to the quantitative section of the test.
The typical curriculum from GMAT preparatory programs includes a copy of the GMAC general guide in their course fee. For humanities students, taking a practice test online from GMAC will allow the student to test where weaknesses exist, and concentrate study there. If finances allow, an in-class course will help, but many students reviewed in online chat rooms or book reviews had found practice and self-study to work best, if motivation is high.
Since most humanities programs include options for classes outside of the core curriculum, a humanities major thinking of choosing a graduate program in administration would do well to take one or more math or business classes as electives. Typical MBA courses include microeconomics and statistics, which require intermediate math and calculus skills. Many sociology programs do include a statistics course, but if the core program does not include one, it is a good idea to take it as an elective.