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Hi all,

I'm at a crossroads in my MBA journey and would like some advice.

As background, I first took the GMAT about three years ago. I took it twice, both resulting in relatively poor scores (570, 610). I was so disheartened, I took this as a sign to give it some more time and reconsider my plans.

Earlier this year, I visited several schools and needless to say, I was inspired to get back on track with my MBA dreams. I also made the decision to pursue my MBA part-time with my targets being UCLA FEMBA, USC PM and NYU Stern PT.

After more than three months of diligent study, I took the GMAT this past weekend and the results were pretty shocking, to be honest: 610 39Q 34V 8IR.

In terms of studying this time around, I truly felt that I had made incredible strides. Among my study materials were the Manhattan GMAT Quant Strategy Guide set (which I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone struggling with quant) and the OG Review book. Not only was I feeling good about my progress, but my practice test results were looking better and better every week:

Veritas, Jan 27: 690 44Q 41V
MGMAT, Mar 1: 630 39Q 37V
MGMAT, Mar 22: 660 44Q 36V
GMAC, Apr 12: 650 45Q 34V
GMAC, Apr 18: 700 47Q 40V

That all said, I'm deciding between retaking the GMAT once more in hopes of scoring 660+ -or- moving forward with planning a stellar business school application (background below). I feel that I can do better than 610 but but also know that part-time programs ultimately tend to focus more on work experience anyway.. but I'd like to hear what others think.

W/E: 4 years @ top PR agencies where I represented and helped lead award-winning campaigns for Fortune 500 companies; and most recently, 2 years @ hot new media startup managing brand communications. Most recently, I was promoted to a senior manager role and successfully spearheaded new programs both internally and externally.

GPA: 3.8 at liberal arts college

Addl. Info: I'm passionate about mentoring and have been active in local professional organizations for women.

Dear Maple5115,
Consider the following points:

1. Given the fact that you have time on your side and you believe you can do better, I would certainly recommend giving it another shot - worst case, you can also cancel the score. It is not clear whether you took professional coaching - if not, try it out
2. In terms of the choice of program, you have not mentioned your geography but I am going to assume it is US otherwise a part-time course won't make sense. It is not very common to have folks with your years of experience take up this route though. This is usually for people with 8-10 years of experience. So make sure you have done your research and know what you want to get out of the program. Else convincing the adcoms won't be an easy matter. Read here for a recent success story to get a flavor of it.
3. Your profile certainly sounds pretty interesting and non-common. As mentioned in the point above, think hard and deep about what you expect the part time course for you to do and then decide wisely

Cheers,

Thanks! I'm leaning towards retaking the GMAT, though I'm getting pretty eager to work on the rest of my application.

Can you clarify what you mean regarding years of experience? According to the programs' websites, the average number of years is six so any further insight you can share on work experience would be great.

mcbMcK wrote:Dear Maple5115,
Consider the following points:

1. Given the fact that you have time on your side and you believe you can do better, I would certainly recommend giving it another shot - worst case, you can also cancel the score. It is not clear whether you took professional coaching - if not, try it out
2. In terms of the choice of program, you have not mentioned your geography but I am going to assume it is US otherwise a part-time course won't make sense. It is not very common to have folks with your years of experience take up this route though. This is usually for people with 8-10 years of experience. So make sure you have done your research and know what you want to get out of the program. Else convincing the adcoms won't be an easy matter. Read here for a recent success story to get a flavor of it.
3. Your profile certainly sounds pretty interesting and non-common. As mentioned in the point above, think hard and deep about what you expect the part time course for you to do and then decide wisely

Cheers,

Maple5115 wrote:Thanks! I'm leaning towards retaking the GMAT, though I'm getting pretty eager to work on the rest of my application.

Can you clarify what you mean regarding years of experience? According to the programs' websites, the average number of years is six so any further insight you can share on work experience would be great.

Well averages can be deceptive as we all know. The point is, with your years of experience, you are perhaps at the cusp of a regular full time MBA and an Executive one. An Exec MBA can only do so much in terms of career enhancement and hence, more preferred for senior folks who are looking at it from a knowledge enhancement perspective primarily. Of course, that may be your intent too in which case such a program would be good. The post here should bring some more perspectives.

Hope this helps.

Maple5115 wrote:Hi all,

I'm at a crossroads in my MBA journey and would like some advice.

As background, I first took the GMAT about three years ago. I took it twice, both resulting in relatively poor scores (570, 610). I was so disheartened, I took this as a sign to give it some more time and reconsider my plans.

Earlier this year, I visited several schools and needless to say, I was inspired to get back on track with my MBA dreams. I also made the decision to pursue my MBA part-time with my targets being UCLA FEMBA, USC PM and NYU Stern PT.

After more than three months of diligent study, I took the GMAT this past weekend and the results were pretty shocking, to be honest: 610 39Q 34V 8IR.

In terms of studying this time around, I truly felt that I had made incredible strides. Among my study materials were the Manhattan GMAT Quant Strategy Guide set (which I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone struggling with quant) and the OG Review book. Not only was I feeling good about my progress, but my practice test results were looking better and better every week:

Veritas, Jan 27: 690 44Q 41V
MGMAT, Mar 1: 630 39Q 37V
MGMAT, Mar 22: 660 44Q 36V
GMAC, Apr 12: 650 45Q 34V
GMAC, Apr 18: 700 47Q 40V

That all said, I'm deciding between retaking the GMAT once more in hopes of scoring 660+ -or- moving forward with planning a stellar business school application (background below). I feel that I can do better than 610 but but also know that part-time programs ultimately tend to focus more on work experience anyway.. but I'd like to hear what others think.

W/E: 4 years @ top PR agencies where I represented and helped lead award-winning campaigns for Fortune 500 companies; and most recently, 2 years @ hot new media startup managing brand communications. Most recently, I was promoted to a senior manager role and successfully spearheaded new programs both internally and externally.

GPA: 3.8 at liberal arts college

Addl. Info: I'm passionate about mentoring and have been active in local professional organizations for women.

Your 610 will not be the reason to get your application rejected! The admissions committee will consider your overall profile and the diversity of your academic and professional background. I have had clients in the past with similar GMAT scores get into part time programs of top 15 b-schools with scholarships. However, if you want to prove to yourself that you can do better than a 610, then please go ahead with the re-take. Good Luck!