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Hi

I just gave my GMAT exam and scored 690. My breakup is Q:48, V:35.
However, in practice I was getting GMAT score of 720 or 730.
So I am not able to decide whether I should retake the exam or go ahead with this application.

Below is my profile please advise whether there is any chance of getting in top B-schools or should I take GMAT exam again.

I am female of 24 yrs, having 2 yrs of experience in IT firm. I have been working in the same company for two years.

Part Time:
Apart from working with IT firm , I am working as Maths Tutor for Online Tutoring Company.

Academic Qualifications:

I have completed my B.tech in Electrical and Electronics from UPTU, Lucknow with 72.5%.

Extra-Curricular:

During School and College for around 6 years, I have organized cultural events(Group Dances) to represent my Society on various occasions.
In college I helped in establishing a school for poor people.
Also for 3 years I had taken care of franchisee of my own and because of job I had to hand it over.


Achievements:

I had topped my training batch of my Company.
I was also awarded the Star Performer of the month for the work I did.


Please let me know what are the chances of getting into top B-schools in US. There are some suggesting that GMAT score of 690 is not that bad but I am not satisfied as I am aiming for only Top B-schools. Please suggest what are my chances.

Thanks
Anukrati

Thanks Precision Essay for the suggestion.

I have one more doubt what is the difference if you apply in R1, R2 or R3.
As I was planning to retake the test in a month or so time. If there is no much difference in applying in different rounds then I would plan to take little more time to retake GMAT and apply to those colleges.

Also I am planning for top 10 university. So any suggestion according to my profile what will be the required score to have a fair chance to get through them.

Ideally you want to get your applications in sooner, given no or fewer "seats on the bus" have been taken, but you should apply when you are most competitive. Round 2 is real and so is Round 3 for a few schools, so there is no problem applying outside of the first round for most schools.

Given your age/few years of work experience, you could wait until next year to apply or push for this year. Just remember that the GMAT has become even more critical for the top programs, and the unpublished average for Indian IT applicants is even higher vs the general average.

R1, R2, R3 varies by school.

For certain schools like Columbia and Duke making their Early Decision or Early Action round helps your admissions chances. For other schools there is not much of a difference between rounds but the last round usually accepts a significantly less percentage. For schools with 4 rounds like Haas, we have experienced much success with applicants applying to their 3rd round.

So, you need to create an application strategy of which round to apply while determining which schools to target.

Good luck,

Since you are aiming for top schools then a score above 700 is desirable. However GMAT alone won't determine your chances of admission; beyond the academics will also help you in determining your candidature and your work experience plays a vital role as well. In general most of the Indian applicants are from engineering background with a good 4-5 years of work experience. So you would need to differentiate yourself from others . Start thinking what makes you unique and what's that 'hook' that will be key to your application. Make sure you follow the 'show rather than tell' principle so that the admissions committee could really understand your strengths and differentiating factors Although it is not just the work experience that counts but also what you did there like-what were your achievements, what initiative you took, what changes you drove in your workplace etc. So you need to ensure that in 4 years of work experience you have demonstrated the skills business schools are looking for. This could still put in a strong set of essays for you.