GMAT Strategy

I took the GMAT August 2011 and my score was lower than the national average. This discouraged me so I waited a while, saved up money and took a Kaplan course. After the Kaplan course, I took the GMAT again on last Saturday. My score dropped 70 points. My score was already below the national average and far below the score needed to get into my desired schools.

Does anyone have any advice? Do you think I should change the schools that I am trying to get into? I visited McCombs and Kelley, and I really think both schools would be a great fit for me! I plan to apply Round 1 - 2013. I want to also ensure that I can handle the rigorousness of either one of the schools (especially during the first semester). Do you think the GMAT reflects my ability to compete with others in B School?

I know I can do this, but I don't know if my study strategy is off.

Please help!

Hi gabrielaaustin -

You've put a lot of time into the GMAT prep, but for some reason it's not coming out as you had hoped. I know how disappointing this is for you.

I have some more questions to explore before I share observations.

- It would be helpful to know the breakdown of the sections (including the raw and percentile scores), so that we could identify if one section is pulling down your overall score.

- Did you run out of time on any of the sections during the exam? Running out of time can really impact your score in a negative fashion.

- In my experience, when a score was low, it was typically the quant section that was dragging the rest of the score. If that is the case for you, what kind of quant background do you have? Have you had quantitative courses and quant-based responsibilities at work?

- Does your Kaplan course come with any "guarantees" that would allow you to go back and get more coaching and analysis of your past performance?

My overall advice is that you want to prepare the strongest possible application, and you want to apply to the best schools possible.

If UT Austin and IU Kelley are your top choices, then you'll need to retake and improve your GMAT scores. However, I recommend that you retake the exam (after conducting more evaluation as noted above), and work to improve your score regardless of the school choice.

I hope this has been helpful to you, Gabriel. I know that this can be difficult. Stay strong, and please let me know if I can help further.

Best wishes!

Wendy Flynn
MBA Admissions Coach
[email protected]