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URGENT: Is September too late to take the GMAT?

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URGENT: Is September too late to take the GMAT?

by Pdgmat2010 » Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:15 pm
Help pls!!!

Background : Took the GMAT once on 2nd of june 2010
Score : 660 ( Q49 , V33)
Now lost all mojo but need to gear up and retake the GMAT ( started revising a few verbal concepts)

Now, my major issue is , is September too late for me to take the GMAT again?
My friends suggested that to apply for early rounds i should be done wth the GMAT by 30th august
I am too scared to do that because i want to practise properly and do the CATs etc and then take the GMAt by Sep end considering 2 mnths from now.

( I will be changing jobs and will have 6-7 weeks in between).

Is it too late for me?
Should i take my time to put up a decent score on the board ( upwards of 720) and then go about the application process?

or , should i work back the dates and keep 15-20 days for the essays for atleast 2-3 univs and then take the GMAT accordingly ( not my preferred option though).

P.S I need a score of 730+ as i am an Indian applicant and i've been informed that since Indian applications are extremely competitive i will need a high score to be in d good leagues.

pls help me..

Cheers,
pd
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by sumanr84 » Tue Jul 13, 2010 12:49 am
I don't know about your experience level, but I feel anything above 700 or near is good score for >3 years experience professionals. This score will push your application into the selection pool of Top 20 B-schools, and then comes the major part - Application Essay.

My personal suggestion, Aim for August and keep 15-20 days for Application.

Prons of taking exam early:
If you could pull off your score to 700 by Aug and put a solid work on essay then good chances of admit in 1st round and better chance for scholarship as well.

Cons of taking exam late :
In worst case, if you could not achieve 730+ score and land up around 700(Aug case), then you are doomed as you won't have a stellar score as well as an impressive essay.
Ideal case, a 730+ score and 2nd round, if you don't want to take chance with your application.
I am on a break !!
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by Pdgmat2010 » Tue Jul 13, 2010 2:16 am
thanks but my confidence has taken a major hit due to the first attempt ... 660
and now am scared to do the test under such time pressure ( 6 weeks)
my weak area is Verbal but i will need to brush up on Quant as well..

and yes, you have provided the pros and cons of both cases...
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by sumanr84 » Tue Jul 13, 2010 2:44 am
Your score is not as bad as you are feeling it. Q-49 and V-33 are good score and not many people get that in 1st attempt.

I would recommend you following in case you haven't done so far,

1. Stick around with official problems. ( Use www.flipkart.com to buy - 25% off, 3 days delivery - I ordered yesterday)
Official Guide For GMAT Quantitative Review, 2nd Edition, and
Official Guide For GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition

2. For tough and tricky Quant
https://www.beatthegmat.com/manhattan-gm ... 61399.html

3. Do Full CATs from MGMAT and Kaplan

I think you just need little practice to hit 700+ from your current level.

~All the best.
I am on a break !!
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by Pdgmat2010 » Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:37 pm
hi. thanks for elaborating
i have used all of these resources in my first attempt..
and i have exhausted all my official resources of questions
OGs , Kaplans, MGMATs, CATS of MGMAt , Kaplan, GMAT Prep

I have finally started solving some 1000CRs, RCs and SCs ( i know some questions r truly questionable and i generally browse the forums to check if the question is trash.. then i ignore it)

other resources i now have are GMAT paper tests, a few Barron's GMAt tests and 800 score ( 800 score is offbase )

i am planning to take all the MGMAT and GMAT prep tests in the last 1 month of prep keeping 10th Sep as my tentative test date,

any more suggestions on what i should be doing for the retake to score upwards of 720??

Cheers,
pd
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by TomGreen » Wed Jul 14, 2010 3:43 am
My 2 cents - ( discretion advised )

( And I agree with sumanr84 )

Your decision to devote time on GMAT depends on
a) what schools you are targeting ( check their GMAT average for Asian applicants )
b) what your background profile is .. ( -ve if you fall under those run-of-the-mill profile pools )
c) how many schools you are applying to ( you need good time for essay/application preparations )

Having said , yes , it is better to have a good score . and yes it is better to attempt GMAT again . I dont see any reason why you should not give another try by Aug end or early Sep .

Look at it this way - Your essays would take you at least 1 month plus, the early action round deadlines happen somewhere at the end of sept ( sept 30 for Duke ) , OR ( some schools which do not have EA )- 1st rounds of few schools end by oct 1st week . ( So if you are looking at Round 1, or Early action , .. it would be a stretch .. to do everything the way you want )

Round 2 deadlines are somewhere in the early / mid December- And if you are looking at Round 2, you can easily take more time for your GMAT prep and do it well ... ( and avoid having the guilt of not devoting more time for prep ) ..And also give a good go at your app process.

So in a nut shell - GMAT by Sept + Round 2 - + Good time for essays + App !
( All the best )

Maybe seasoned mentors can add more thoughts.
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by Pdgmat2010 » Wed Jul 14, 2010 4:50 am
thanks a lot Tom.
really appreciate your detailed response.
My confidence is at an all time low and so i think that starting from last week , if i am unable to devote around 8 weeks to the test, i dont think i will be able to score well. So if i do it in a hurry and only see a 40-50 point improvement then am stuck again. for a huge improvement to get in mid 700s i will need work ( and have started it)!

could you clear one more doubt i have?
Is it true that if i target R2 , then my chances for a scholarship are reduced?

As of now, am planning 1st or 2nd week of Sep as my test date.

Cheers,
Pd

TomGreen wrote:My 2 cents - ( discretion advised )

( And I agree with sumanr84 )

Your decision to devote time on GMAT depends on
a) what schools you are targeting ( check their GMAT average for Asian applicants )
b) what your background profile is .. ( -ve if you fall under those run-of-the-mill profile pools )
c) how many schools you are applying to ( you need good time for essay/application preparations )

Having said , yes , it is better to have a good score . and yes it is better to attempt GMAT again . I dont see any reason why you should not give another try by Aug end or early Sep .

Look at it this way - Your essays would take you at least 1 month plus, the early action round deadlines happen somewhere at the end of sept ( sept 30 for Duke ) , OR ( some schools which do not have EA )- 1st rounds of few schools end by oct 1st week . ( So if you are looking at Round 1, or Early action , .. it would be a stretch .. to do everything the way you want )

Round 2 deadlines are somewhere in the early / mid December- And if you are looking at Round 2, you can easily take more time for your GMAT prep and do it well ... ( and avoid having the guilt of not devoting more time for prep ) ..And also give a good go at your app process.

So in a nut shell - GMAT by Sept + Round 2 - + Good time for essays + App !
( All the best )

Maybe seasoned mentors can add more thoughts.
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by TomGreen » Wed Jul 14, 2010 5:16 am
Pdgmat2010 wrote: could you clear one more doubt i have?
Is it true that if i target R2 , then my chances for a scholarship are reduced?

As of now, am planning 1st or 2nd week of Sep as my test date.

Cheers,
Pd
Hey Pd,

Sorry, Iam not the right person to comment on that question.

But you can save these questions for the frequent Web Chats with Admission officers from different B-Schools. Would be interesting to know the answer :)
Good Luck.
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by TomGreen » Wed Jul 14, 2010 5:24 am
I got curious on that and searched for Berkeley's scholarship offers LAST YEAR ...
Here is a list of them .. ( These are the ones given by organizations outside the University )

https://www.haas.berkeley.edu/mba/finaid ... adline.pdf

A quick look would say that almost all of them had their deadlines between December and April Time period ; which means that the scholarship deadlines almost coincides with the Round 2 and Round 3 application deadlines .
This is the case of Berkeley though.

I guess you need to do some due diligence and check out for the options for each school you are interested in.
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by Pdgmat2010 » Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:53 am
Hi Tom,
Thanks a lot for taking the effort of sending me this doc & replying to my thread . This attachment was extremely useful to me.
I will check out options for the colleges am interested in.
Will watch out for your posts.

Cheers,
Pd

TomGreen wrote:I got curious on that and searched for Berkeley's scholarship offers LAST YEAR ...
Here is a list of them .. ( These are the ones given by organizations outside the University )

https://www.haas.berkeley.edu/mba/finaid ... adline.pdf

A quick look would say that almost all of them had their deadlines between December and April Time period ; which means that the scholarship deadlines almost coincides with the Round 2 and Round 3 application deadlines .
This is the case of Berkeley though.

I guess you need to do some due diligence and check out for the options for each school you are interested in.
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