The number one questions that MBA aspirants ask when they browse through hundreds of MBA Admissions Consultants emerging in the market every year is “Is it worth it?” That is an important question. If you invest in the wrong consultant, the loss is not limited to money but time, and a chance to get into a top Business School. Here are some best practices to pick the best consultant.
1) Proven Expertise
The number one thing that you have to research before selecting a consultant is proven expertise. Find out whether the consultant has experience in reviewing essays in MBA Admissions Committee or experience in guiding students through the admission process. Essay is one aspect of MBA Admissions that is vital, and where the consultants has to play a major role both in mentoring the applicant, brainstorming to find the right experience for essays, and keeping a check on the timeline, and deadline for the writing process. Ask for testimonials and check whether they have guided applicants with similar profile as that of yours into top MBA program. There is no true value from a consultant who has helped 720+ GMAT scoring 3.5+ GPA student with diverse experience into a top program. Ask for testimonials of students who made it to top schools despite median, average or below average GMAT or GPA score. The essays, and how it was framed made the difference for those applicants, and that is where consultants add real value.
2) Review or Complete Application
Essay review services differ across consultants. Some consultants will only review the essays without giving any input during the writing process, while others will guide the applicant through the entire process right from brainstorming. We help applicants right from the start till the final version of the Essay is crafted. No extra billing. Check our Essay Review Service. Understand the expected service from the consultant before you sign up for any service or buy their hourly services. Remember most top consultants charge anywhere between $250 to $300 per hour. The price decreases per hour as you buy more hours. We recommend that you start with 1-2 hours before buying larger packages just for the simple reason that you have to work with this individual for at least 5-10 hours excluding the communication that you might have otherwise. Are you comfortable with sharing your thoughts, and apprehensions? If there is a lack of coordination and communication both from the consultant, and the team members, it is better to invest in other consultants.
3) Flexibility and Leadership
When you sign up for 1-2 hours, try to get a feel on how flexible they are with the communication or appointment. Consultants who are too rigid or charge for extra seconds are not the right people that you should depend on. Also find out whether the consultant will be in charge of your essays or someone from the team will do the leg work. In any case, do a background check on the credibility of each team member. You don’t want the initial appointment with the star consultant, and most of the real work to be done by less experienced consultants. There will be an editing team in any consulting services but when you are paying $250 to $300 every hour, make sure that you get maximum time from the star consultant.
4) Read Blogs and Tips
Another way to find out whether the consultant knows what he or she is saying is to read their blogs and tips. If it looks like any other general tips without any additional value - avoid those consultants. Look out for specifics about each school. Most experienced consultants cannot avoid mentioning their experience in helping a candidate in their blog post or tips section, and listing qualities that Business Schools look for.
5) Great Editing and Review Skills
This might seem a trivial tip but answer the shortest essays that require very little introspection or research, and buy the consultant’s minimum hours, and see how they help you out. Most top admission consultants have excellent editing and review skills. If you are not satisfied with their work, we don’t see how they can do a great job in essays that require lot of brainstorming, and rewriting.
Related F1GMAT Services
MBA Application Essay Editing (1 School Multiple Essays)
MBA Application Essay Review (1 School Multiple Essays)
About the Author
I am Atul Jose, Founding Consultant of F1GMAT, an MBA admissions consultancy that has worked with applicants since 2009.
For the past 15 years I have edited the application files of admits to the M7 programs: Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Kellogg School of Management, and Columbia Business School, together with admits to Berkeley Haas, Yale School of Management, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, SDA Bocconi, IESE Business School, HEC Paris, McCombs, and Tepper, plus other programs inside the global top 30.
My work covers the full MBA application deliverable: career planning and profile evaluation, application essay editing, recommendation letter editing, mock interviews and interview preparation, scholarship and fellowship essay editing, and cover letter editing for funding applications. Full bio with credentials and admit history is here.
I am the author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, the best-selling essay guide covering M7 MBA programs. I have written and updated the guide annually since 2013, which makes the 2026 edition the thirteenth.
The reason I still write and edit essays every cycle: a good MBA essay carries a real applicant's voice. Writing essays for F1GMAT's Books and Editing essays weekly is how I stay calibrated to what current admissions committees respond to.
Contact me for school selection, career planning, essay strategy, narrative development, essay editing, interview preparation, scholarship essay editing, or guidance documents for recommendation letters.