money9111 wrote:Quick and simple... No need to retake!

Nice way to put it.

Since you already scheduled it- good luck!

Just consider that your score will be within 50 points of where it belongs. That statistic is straight from the horse's mouth (GMAC). It looks like your true score is around 750. Maybe you can get the right questions and pull an 800, but you can also get a 700. Set your expectations accordingly.

Just food for thought...

Thanks a lot Vidya for those points. I will surely seek out views from an expert on my candidature.

As far as extracurriculars are concerned I have average while in college and school. But, in the last 2 years have built up on some key areas and performed well in those.

NGOs : Have been into it since class 2 . Have been socially conscious since childhood and continue to do the same till date. Am contributing in significant ways to the society in the last 2-3 years. Do this not because for an MBA application, but out of pure interest.

Work Profile : I believe this is the differentiating factor for me. Have got fantastic achievements to talk about here : Awards, Leadership position, visibility in org etc.

International experience : Almost nil ( just 3-4 weeks of some trainings in China/Hong Kong/Singapore). This is somewhat discomforting me.

Recos : Have already talked to 2-3 recommenders. Have got really good rapport with them and all of them have actually agreed to provide me recos with any specific points that I might want to highlight.

Essays : Yet to start on these. Have started jotting down points about myself and my views on various things. Hope this will help, when I actually start typing out the whole essay.

GMAT : The hot topic on this thread . Well, I talked to some of my seniors who had applied, and as per them if I am confident of improving then I should. No harm in writing the gmat 2 times. As such, am studying very less as I remember almost everything. I would have loved to take it in the next hour, but CAN'T... Urgh.. They have this policy to wait for atleast 31 days.

viidyasagar wrote:it's clear that a 740 hurts your ego more than your application

If you've decided to retake the exam, do it asap before you lose your magical powers.......if the night before your retake is a repeat of the old, then evaluate deferring your appointment.......a higher score is always better than a lower score, especially for an Indian IT Male (IIM)

having said that, catch hold of an expert and seek his/ her view (not yours) on your overall candidature......given that you are an IIM, you have to have an exceptional story to stand out.....

what are your extracurriculars like? how socially conscious are you (NGO etc.), how solid are your goals???? how coherent are they with your experience, if not how clear are you about the transition? are critical questions to answer...and they take time to attain shape....

We are still in June....you can take the test tomorrow also, if you so wish...coz dates are always available for the next 2-3 days....i don't think schools will scold you for retaking....

In summary, go to a counsellor, discuss your profile, estimate time to write a good application, address weaknesses....(there will be many, no matter who you are)....if time is sufficient, retake the test...

Well, while I was starting this thread, I knew there will be strong reactions as 740 is a good score(I know that). But, my only point was that it really doesn't reflect my true prep (may be 20-30 points), but still it isn't my personal best.

I was going through Duke's site yesterday and found two points :

1) GMAT
We admit applicants with a range of GMAT scores. There is no minimum requirement. However, if you feel that you have not scored your personal best or that the results are not representative of your ability, you may re-take the exam (before you submit your application).

2)We will accept GMAT scores up to five years old. If you have taken the GMAT multiple times, please report your highest score.

The second point is something new to me. I thought that your last score is reported to schools. Well, if the highest score is reported, then even if in worst case(which I am 101% sure won't happen) my score goes below 740, then I get to report 740 and not the lower score.

Are there other schools which have the same policy? Am sure some of you might know about this. Please throw some light or point me to a thread which has this info already.


Thanks in Advance,
gmataspirant123

(I am a bschool student and this post is a bit harsh. Take it with a pinch of salt.)

Honestly, if I were a bschool adcom, I would ding you whether you score a 800 or a 600 in your second attempt. This is because you seem to not know how to prioritize your time effectively and are running after inconsequential metrics.

1. Given that a 740 GMAT score is a more than sufficient to meet the filter criteria at every business school, you could (and should) be focused on understanding your "fit" with the schools you are applying to, preparing an application story and in ensuring that the rest of your application is top notch.

Indulging in a pointless GMAT retake exercise to satiate your ego demonstrates that you don't value the most precious aspect of a business school student's life: time.

2. Its great to be optimistic, but there is no way you can claim with certainty that your score will not go below 740.

Also, fyi, schools receive ALL past score reports for a candidate, though they generally consider the highest score as part of the candidate's file.

You can't 'improve' your quant score. Ok get a 51 instead of a 50. 50 or 51 in my view is the same. It shows you are a Quant monster. 51 is rare but 50 is stellar.

So you want to get your Verbal up from 39? You will be better off channeling your verbal abilities to the essays. Going through this process I feel the most challenging aspect of the process is tackling the essays. To sell your unique story to the ad com. You are Indian Male IT --- probably the largest applicant pool to global MBA programs. You can check with an admissions consultant but your biggest challenge will be in writing compelling essays that distinguish you from your other IT brothers. Your 740 or 780 GMAT won't probably make the difference on that front.

Hi,

I think 740 is a great score. The schools are not that finicky about the score as we consider it. 740 with good credentials and spot on essays makes a perfect profile. Dnt worry about the IT/Indian/Male category. I know that's pretty common and can give u tough competition but as long as you have a good profile schools will not reject you because of that. I know lot of people who are in this category and all of them (those who aspired for) got their desired schools. So I would suggest start preparing your applications. You may want to think about the following:

1. Which school you want to go and why? Every school has a personality (for example, LBS for finance, INSEAD for strategy, Oxford for social entrepreneurship) and there has to be a personality match.
2. What can you offer?
3. Is this the right time for you do do MBA? why not next or next.
and most importantly....

4. Why MBA? If you are doing so great, why screw it and pay for it as well.

All the best for your applications.

P.S. Please share your prep strategy for verbal.

gmataspirant123 wrote:5) Have read on some sites, that schools do take it negatively if you already have a great score and improve my just ~20-30.

I know, I need to take the final decision of whether to retake or not, but would really really appreciate if you guys can help me out in assessing the pros and cons keeping in mind the above 5 points.
Thanks in Advance!!!!!

your profile is very competitive. 740 is slightly above average for the schools you've indicated. i don't think there is any real benefit in re-taking. schools don't look for perfectionists -- there are other aspects to b-school applications like essays, recommendations, etc. +/- 30 points is a standard deviation on GMAT scores. still, if you really want to retake, do it if and only if you can cross 750, else don't!

U used this site for ur prep that lasted 3 months and u just posted 9 messages since 24 may 2011 . Are u ising a proxy username to post the message in this section ?

tomada wrote:You should keep taking the test until you score 800.

lol.....sounds as if the poster is gonna do this for real.

As for your signature, you're assuming that for all people, they read target score as "highest possible score I can get on the test", when in fact some people (like me for example) read it as "lowest possible score I am satisfied with".

@OG poster:

Honestly, if I were an admissions officer and saw that you retook it after getting a 740, you better have a GOOD reason for me explaining why you retook it, such as you bet your rich billionaire friend 100k that you can get above a 770 or something like that. If you don't have a really good reason, why bother? I don't think possessing a perfectionist/egotistical personality comes off as a quality admissions officers admire.

mundasingh123 wrote:U used this site for ur prep that lasted 3 months and u just posted 9 messages since 24 may 2011 . Are u ising a proxy username to post the message in this section ?

Well no bro.. am not using any fake id to post in this particular thread..

I used this site as an explanation to most of the answers which I couldn't understand on MGMATs, OGs, Kaplan etc. i.e. if I got an answer wrong, then I just googled the question and looked up the threads on this site. Yeah, during the prep, I was more of a passive reader rather than a contributor to the site.

gmataspirant123 wrote:

mundasingh123 wrote:U used this site for ur prep that lasted 3 months and u just posted 9 messages since 24 may 2011 . Are u ising a proxy username to post the message in this section ?

Well no bro.. am not using any fake id to post in this particular thread..

I used this site as an explanation to most of the answers which I couldn't understand on MGMATs, OGs, Kaplan etc. i.e. if I got an answer wrong, then I just googled the question and looked up the threads on this site. Yeah, during the prep, I was more of a passive reader rather than a contributor to the site.

Only goes to show that you dont need to be authoritative and pretend to be an expert on this forum to Beat the Gmat

Its not only about revenue generation. When you rate any company you need to factor in so many things like employment the company generates, the processes the company follows, kind of work it does etc etc. And trust me companies like infy,tcs score exceedingly well in these matters. Managing 1lk + ppl is not a easy job. Trust me managing even 25 ppl is not easy. And as much as we ridicule the way these companies work, end of the day we should appreciate that they have done great service for the society.

And as far as the people you work with is concerned,its again something you cannot generalise. Managers from Indian companies are sought out by Multinationals, doesnt this showcase the quality of employment development Indian companies do? And more than the company I feel there is a problem with graduates who join these Big 4 companies. If the graduate has the right attitude he or she can learn a lot in these places.

maihuna wrote:well all businesses are inspiring only if u mean money making any how, that way 2G 3G Balwa/Raja/Chawla everybody is inspiration.

Even a prostitute has certain quality, as long as she boast of those qualities I do not have any issue,but otherwise I must comment out on the flaw/gap i see.

this gentlemen, though not from this lot, but many others come with this attitude that they are working for best companies, in the sense, the kind of work and collegues that they are having are the best of the best. I completely disagree that these companies have any such abilities. these companies are like carrying daily wage laborers at the best in white collar jobs.

you may disagree but on what fact, i will welcome any thing if that is a miss from my side.

topalankar wrote:

maihuna wrote:

gmataspirant123 wrote: Working in one of the biggest software makers in the world/3 years experience till date.!!

and one of the worst....if it is one of those infy/wipro/tcs/mahindra's or like. do u guys really take pride in working for such menial work env just because its largest...size do matter but does it really at all scale and type...

Wonder what makes you feel they are the worst...All the above mentioned companies have great success stories to boast of. And are indeed inspirations for thousands of entrepreneurs like me.

P.S: sorry could not stop myself from replying after reading the post.

If you're trying to flaunt your score, you've succeeded- this has become a popular thread. If you're looking for people to advise you to take the GMAT again, you've failed- but you were going to take it anyway.

I have one question for you, and everyone else who reads this: Which applicant looks better to an admissions officer?
Applicant A: 740 GMAT score. Took it once and was comfortable (perhaps hardly studied). Rocked the rest of their application.
Applicant B: 760 GMAT score. Took it twice (obviously studied). Scored 740 the first time but felt insecure. The rest of the application was good, but could have used an extra month of preparation.

As long as you're improving their GMAT stats, your score is a plus for the school. I hope you crush it and prove us all wrong, but I don't think you're focusing your efforts properly.

@CSU.SCM

Applicant A: 740 GMAT score. Took it once and was comfortable (perhaps hardly studied). Rocked the rest of their application.

Ah... Rocked his/her application.

I'm only kidding. Your post makes a lot of sense!

CSU.SCM wrote:If you're trying to flaunt your score, you've succeeded- this has become a popular thread. If you're looking for people to advise you to take the GMAT again, you've failed- but you were going to take it anyway.

I have one question for you, and everyone else who reads this: Which applicant looks better to an admissions officer?
Applicant A: 740 GMAT score. Took it once and was comfortable (perhaps hardly studied). Rocked the rest of their application.
Applicant B: 760 GMAT score. Took it twice (obviously studied). Scored 740 the first time but felt insecure. The rest of the application was good, but could have used an extra month of preparation.

As long as you're improving their GMAT stats, your score is a plus for the school. I hope you crush it and prove us all wrong, but I don't think you're focusing your efforts properly.