Devastated applicant. Please help!

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Devastated applicant. Please help!

by trueblue10 » Sun Feb 21, 2010 12:13 pm
Hi all,

I recently went to take the GMAT with the hopes of applying R3. I am a non-traditional applicant and feel that I have a unique story that will make me somewhat stand out from the rest of the R3 crowd.

My problem is that when I went to take the GMAT, I was asked to leave for supposedly "accessing my cellphone." After finishing quant, I went to my locker (outside the testing room) to get a quick snack. However, for me to remove the bag from the locker I had to move my cellphone. The testing administrator saw this and stated that this was a violation and had my exam canceled! I pleaded with her, but she said I should take it up with Pearson on Monday.

I was hoping to get candid feedback as to how adcom would view such a cancelation? Furthermore, would this incident take me out of the running for top B-Schools, especially when spots are limited in R3?

I thank anyone who can take 10 seconds to provide feedback to help a truly devastated applicant.

TrueBLUE
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by v1shwanath » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:27 am
retake your gmat asap.
when you apply to universities, you get one optional essay where you can address any issue you wish to; you can mention about your cancelled gmat experience in that essay.
as to how the schools will take it, i dont know. but i do not think it would be held against you if you can clearly explain your innocence.
all the best !!

regards,
vishwa

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by Anurag@Gurome » Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:57 pm
I agree with Vishwa, TrueBLUE. I also strongly advise you to approach Pearson (if you haven't already done so) to request them to not classify this as a M or S as the reasons for score cancellation (M is the code for Misconduct and S is for Serious Violation).

More on this at this link: https://www.mba.com/community/blogs/offi ... cores.aspx

In the meanwhile, retake your GMAT and address the incident in the optional essay (but only if the reason for score cancellaltion is reported as M or S). You can also address it in the interview, when you get to that stage. Business schools take ethics very seriously. Hope that helps.
Anurag Mairal, Ph.D., MBA
GMAT Expert, Admissions and Career Guidance
Gurome, Inc.
1-800-566-4043 (USA)

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