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650 twice with the same breakdown...

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650 twice with the same breakdown...

by Hessegebbabel » Thu Aug 12, 2010 6:22 am
Hi,

I just took the GMAT for the second time and received exactly the same dissappointing score of 650 (Q44, V35).

The worst thing is that I felt considerable room for improvement during my first try but for my second attempt I thought I did quite well and am not sure I can improve in a subsequent session...

My question would be to know how do business schools view this kind of performance?

I had the desire to apply to top 5-15 schools and thought to possess a very competitive profile (Work Experience, International , Languages, Extra Curricular, Academic), but am now very much held back by that poor GMAT performance.

What kind of people score outside the 20-80% range?

Thanks for your evaluation of my chances...
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by Tani » Thu Aug 12, 2010 10:31 am
Interesting questions. Generally I find that people who score outside the range have some overpowering attribute that appeals to the school. Most often, it is a career background that the school feels would represent a valuable point of view that would otherwise be absent from the classroom. I've seen successful entrepreneurs, labor union leaders and other "non-traditional" candidates who have a great story to tell overcome a borderline GMAT. As you recognize, 650 is borderline for the top 15, but there are excellent schools in the 25-40 range.

That said, admissions is not a science and we constantly see "anomalies" in an acceptance list, due in part to the competitive pool. The difference seems to be a "difference"--something that promises to bring a new dimension to class learning.

Did you study for the GMAT on your own, or take a prep course? If you haven't worked with a tutor, that might be worth the investment. A good tutor will work not with problems, but with concepts. He or she will look to find areas where you are consistently making mistakes. By identifying trends, he or she can point to leverage points from which to improve your score. Often it takes an outsider to catch your blind spot. Are you misreading questions? Are you rushing and settling for imperfect answers before reading all the options? Are there content areas (punctuation, verbs) that are messing you up? Do you have (and use) a method for attacking each section and problem type? A good tutor will have many tricks for helping you to find areas susceptible to improvement. Building your score is about far more than just doing more of the same type of practice.

Again, it's the "story" that sets apart those who overcome any single application deficiency. Go back over your experiences and learning and find that thing about which you can talk with passion and credibility and use that to guide your essays. Good luck.
Tani Wolff
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by Hessegebbabel » Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:03 am
Thanks for the reply Tani!

I think I'll focus on my Essays for my first Round applications and then see if I re-take the GMAT (after getting some help from a tutor) to apply for R2.
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by Tani » Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:31 am
A wise approach! Good luck!
Tani Wolff
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