Beat The GMAT

darklord · Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:44 am

Hi All,
Please suggest whether I should apply for top 15 US MBA programs or not.
I am an Indian male with 3.5 years of investment banking experience.

GMAT 610 (48Q, 26V, Essay 4.5)
Experience:( 4 years by june 2010)

Director of Trading(responsible for starting the trading desk of this chicago based proprietary fund in India), Previously I was Senior Associate with another chicago based trading firm in India.

Qualifications:

Masters of Technology(Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur) CGPA 7.5/10
Bachelor of Technology(Jawaharlal Nehru Tech University Hyd, University Gold medalist)

Also I have a good research paper (engineering) published in an international journel, Good academic record (state 7th Rank) during my schooling.

My low score in GMAT is majorly because of my hectic work schedule. As I am good at Math I could get good quant score but I couldn't do well in Verbal.

Please suggest me whether should I apply or should I retake the GMAT.

Regards,
DarkLORD

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stacey · Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:28 pm

Hi darklord,

Thanks for your post. While your academics and work experience are solid, your GMAT is a bit on the low side for top 15 programs. Most programs draw a mental dividing line around 620. What this means is that your application runs the risk of not getting a full read/evaluation.

While it sounds like your work schedule is quite demanding, I strongly recommend that you try to study and retake the GMAT before beginning your application process.

If you would like a free assessment of your profile, please send your resume to info@clearadmit.com.

Best,

Stacey

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darklord · Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:38 am

Thank You very much Stacey.

Reappearing for GMAT is a too big leap for me Smile

. I am pretty much sure that I can improve my Verbal score but hardly any time left for the first round of applications.

I am more interested in a solid finance program. Can you please suggest me some good MBA finance programmes within my score range. I am ready to compromise on the rank of the college.( Is this advisable?)

Apart from good academics and solid work experience also I have good extracurricular activities.

My future goals are to get into hedgefunds, private equity or treasuries of top investment banks.

Thanks and Regards,
Darklord

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stacey · Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:57 pm

Hi Darklord,

I understand your concern around timing and round 1 applications. However, many round 1 application deadlines have already passed or are due in the very near future (a matter of weeks). This doesn't give you a lot of time to put together solid applications. My advice would be for you to retake the GMAT and apply with a stronger score in round 2. Not only will a higher score help strengthen your applications, but also the round 2 deadlines will give you more time to prepare solid applications. It's always better to apply when you are ready than it is to rush an application for round 1.

That being said, some schools that you should consider: Georgetown, Kelley, Emory and USC. I suggest that in addition to the curriculum and post MBA career opportunities that you also decide what type of program you want to pursue in terms of location, class size, etc.

Best,

Stacey

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darklord · Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:08 am

Once again thank you very much Stacy.

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stacey · Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:33 pm

I'm glad I was able to help. Best of luck!

Stacey

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