Does the attempt we put on for this GMAT exam really helpful in later life?

There was a period in my life when I quit my business and started my journey to an MBA.
The main obstacle is usually the GMAT exam, which is really challenging.
I like the saying that “GMAT is an Ironman for nerds”.
One crucial part of my preparation was participating in the GMATClub site/forum, where people solve tasks, share their expiriences, and discuss nuances of preparation.

I have one post on this forum describing my tips and tricks about preparation.
The winner of the “Best of GMAT stories in 2015”
740 (Q50, V40, AWA 4.5, IR3) – anti-debrief 😉

It was ten years ago and I just came to reread it. I saw a fresh comment from December 2023. It wasn’t the usual stuff about GMAT preparation. Actually, it had a really cool question that I had asked myself not just once.

Does the attempt we put on for this GMAT exam really helpful in later life?

To my opinion, this exam is very rubbish and wasting time. I wish I wouldn’t have wasted my time reading bushtit reading about biology passages or humanitarian passages related to 1700 BC. (I mean ridiculous passages topic which does not have anything related to business!)

Here is my answer:

Really good question. I even restored my GMATclub account to answer it because I’ve thought about it a lot. 

I’ve invested a huge amount of time – more than a year, six days by week, 7-8  “clear” hours of work per day.
It’s been overkill. I don’t know how I’ve done this. Maybe burning all bridges helped (I completely quit my first business without any shares) 

But I don’t regret it at all.  I didn’t achieve an MBA but I achieved much more. 

Before GMAT, I was often “bullied” at work for my lack of education. 
When I criticized some illogical decisions made by top managers, I frequently received this response:
You don’t have a college education; that’s why don’t you understand this idea. 

After GMAT I started to believe in myself.
I finally received a reference that I am smart.

And what’s more. I’ve received evidence that our brain is really flexible and awesome, and we can achieve almost any results in any domain that requires study.
People can constantly study something new, but they often get bored and start making excuses like “I’m too old to learn something new”

You are not too old. You are not dumb. You don’t need any special talents. You don’t have a humanitarian brain. 
You just don’t really want it. Making excuses and having fun are always simpler than studying. 

Was the GMAT useful from a practical point of view? 
Yes, especially in business. 

To pass the GMAT, you need to have excellent time management. 
You need to understand which tasks you can solve and which tasks are too hard, and you need to acknowledge when to surrender without missing other tasks. 
You need to listen to or read new and often unexpected or unknown information, summarize it in your head, and make decisions based on it. 
Critical reasoning isn’t about biological species or strange situations; it’s about a logical approach that you should apply to almost all domains of your life. 
The GMAT teaches you how to learn, and in business, you need to learn a lot.
Not just theory, but also how to apply it in real life. If you learn or apply it incorrectly, your business could die. 

Also, the GMAT teaches you to be patient. You need a lot of patience in business and in life )

So, in my opinion, the GMAT is brilliant. It’s not just another test. It’s like a Zen tale – simple on the surface, simple at first glance, but with a lot of deep meanings.

As usual, it’s your choice. If you want it to be just “some stupid exam that requires a lot of cramming” it can be that.
If you want to take away a lot of priceless lessons from this preparation period of life, you certainly can.  

Thanks for your question. It really gets my thoughts going.
It also brings back a lot of memories from those times – almost like a stranger’s life from today’s perspective.