Interview with TestSoup co-founder and Ask the Harvard MBA Chris Yeh

Chris Yeh has been building Internet businesses since 1995. He has been a founder, founding employee, or seed investor in almost a dozen startups, and advises a wide array of startups ranging from network equipment makers to vertical search engines. When he is not answering the world’s questions, Chris is the VP Marketing for PBworks, the world’s leading provider of on-demand collaboration software.  He is a co-founder of TestSoup, a web and mobile-based flashcard study system for the GMAT and other standardized tests.  He maintains two blogs:  Ask the Harvard MBA and Adventures in Capitalism.  Chris earned two degrees from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.  We interviewed Chris and here is the transcript.

F1GMAT:  You stress the importance of learning core concepts when studying for the GMAT.  How can TestSoup GMAT help students learn core concepts, test strategies, and test hacks for the GMAT?

Chris Yeh:  The key to doing well on the GMAT, as with any other standardized test, is practice.  If you were crazy enough to take the test without any preparation, you’d probably achieve a mediocre score.  5 hours of practice would produce a much better score, and 20 hours even better than that.  It’s not just a question of knowledge—it’s also a question of getting used to the process so that it becomes second nature.

I’m a big fan of the NBA, and the thing that makes Kobe Bryant such a great player is that he practices different shots for different scenarios.  When it’s crunchtime during an important game, he can select and execute his offensive move at an near-unconscious level, making his chances of hitting the game winning shot much better than those mere mortals who are thinking to themselves, “Okay, now what do I do?”

The more “reps” you can put in, the better you’ll do, and TestSoup puts GMAT practice right in the palm of your hand (or in your pocket…or in your purse…or even your man-purse) so that it’s easier to get in your reps.
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Recommended for Harvard MBA Aspirants


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F1GMAT: If someone signs up for the TestSoup flashcards, is it true that you will personally review their application essay(s) after he/she dominates the GMAT?

Chris Yeh:  I’m a very busy guy, and given the number of people who are using TestSoup, that would make it a full-time job, of which I already have several!  But I’ll tell you what—we’ll hold a drawing, and we’ll pick three TestSoup customers who score a 700 or above on the GMAT, and I will personally review their essays for them.

F1GMAT:  As a Baker Scholar (Highest Distinction) from Harvard Business School, what advice do you have for applicants who think they are unfortunately the “typical” candidate?

Chris Yeh:  It’s a fact that every year, more people score an 800 on their GMATs than are accepted into the Stanford GSB.  So obviously, simply dominating the GMAT isn’t enough, though it sure helps.  If you’re already taking the GMAT, it may be a little late to make an impact on your CV, so your best bet is to stand out based on what you plan to do at the school, and what you want to do afterwards.

If you’re a “typical” candidate, and you write on your essays that HBS will help you develop the leadership skills you need to succeed in investment banking or consulting, you might as well take your application fees in $20 bills and burn them.You need to tell a story that makes the school think that you’re going to stand out from the crowd and be enormously successful in your life.

F1GMAT:  You stated, “Business schools aren’t actually looking for “typical” candidates.”  Please explain.  

Chris Yeh:  Think of business school admissions as investing, because that’s what it really amounts to.  Every year, the admissions office gets to invest its fat envelopes.  The return on investment is determined by two things: Will this person go on to add to the prestige of the school?  And more importantly, will this person make a boatload of money and donate some of it to the school?

To a business school, MBA students aren’t the customer—they’re the asset. Students are just future alumni that need to ripen on the shelf for a few decades before being harvested for millions of dollars.

As an investor, your goal is maximize total return, and since the portfolio effect of investing in hundreds of students per year helps diversify your investment, you’re better off gambling on riskier students with a higher beta, which are more likely to result in both strikeouts and home runs.  Business schools like students who stand out because they have a much better chance of someday donating a building to the school.

F1GMAT:  How important is the interview process at a top-tier B-school like HBS?

Chris Yeh:  The interview process is VERY important.  Once you realize that schools are trying to invest in your future career success, rather than rewarding you for past performance, you understand the importance of the interview.  The school wants to see if you have “it,” where “it” is that undefinable quality that leads people to say, “So-and-so is a rockstar.  I wouldn’t want to bet against him/her.”

The school doesn’t care whether you can make it in the classroom—they’ve got a phalanx of tutors and other resources for that.  The school cares if you’ve got what it takes to either claw your way to the top of the corporate ladder or start a billion-dollar company.  Nothing else matters.