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Advice Please

by rossmj » Thu Feb 26, 2009 2:54 pm
Stacy,

I took the GMAT today and scored a 680 (Q45,V38). I'm a bit gutted by this result as I have been scoring much higher in practice exams and know where I went wrong in the verbal section.

My concern is due to my low, GPA 2.91. I won't make excuses, the reason for the low GPA was my immaturity. I would love to attend USC and would be very happy with University of California Irvine. I have good extraciricular activities and will have 3 years of experience as a trader by the time I would enroll in school.

The question is should I take the exam again or concentrate on other areas of my application? I am confident that with some work in the verbal section I can get above a 700. Please advise me how to proceed.

Matt
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by Lisa Anderson » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:53 pm
Dear Matt,

A 680 is a great score, so you should not feel bummed at all. I think you are definitely in range for both USC and UCIrvine. The question you need to ask yourself is whether you can wait another month to submit for maybe a 20 point increase or if you think the rest of your application (quality of work experience, recommendations, essays) will be compelling enough to go ahead and apply with a 680. Time is of the essence as it is basically March if you are wanting to start school this fall. Think about the rest of your background and your rationale for wanting to get your MBA, how well you can present yourself in your applications, and how confident you feel you can increase your score---then weigh the risk of waiting against the possible increase to know what to do.

Best of luck,
Lisa
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by rossmj » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:35 pm
Lisa,

Thank you for your prompt response. My intention is to apply next fall and start school in the fall of 2010, so timing isn't so much of an issue. I am pretty confident that I can raise my verbal score, I have been weak with SC but my RC and CR has been able to carry me on practice exams. Today my first RC passage was a comparison and I flipped the things being compaterd in my notes and correspondingly answered 3 of the 4 questions wrong. Additionally I feel I can improve my SC abilities if I truly focus.

My essays should be interesting, after college I spent a year working and playing high level rugby in New Zealand and currently play for one of the top teams in the US. I work as a futures trader and want to go into portfolio management, so my work experience is relevant. The flaw is that my job doesn't provide much opportunity for leadership. I've done some things to remedy this, but with my low GPA i'm not sure it will be enough. A 680 is at the median score level for both of these schools and my GPA is below the median level. I'm not dead set on taking the exam again but would a 720 eliminate some of the doubt about my academic ability and ensure me an interview?
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by Lisa Anderson » Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:26 pm
Dear Matt,

There is not a GMAT score that will definitively get you an invitation to interview. Whether or not you need to increase your GMAT score--no way to really know. A higher score will definitely make you more attractive, but it is unclear that a 680 is not enough. Since you have time, it would seem taking it another time might be worth it if you are confident you can bring your score up. Worst case scenario--you apply with a 680 which is not shabby.

Good luck,
Lisa
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