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Ok to take GMAT now?

by modo » Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:07 am
I'm currently studying for the GMAT and plan to take it sometime this spring. However I won't be able to start B-school until the Fall semester of 2014. I know this sounds strange but I'm currently a military officer and my service commitment ends in April 2014. However, since I'm at a point in my military career where I have more time to dedicate to studying for the GMAT than I would in the next couple of years I figure now would be a good time to dedicate myself to the GMAT.

I know that your GMAT score is good for 5 years and that the test is changing in June of 2012 but I've heard that some schools might require a somewhat recent score. I'm worried that I'll take the exam this year, and then be asked to take it again in order to provide a more recent score with the new format. Any thoughts on this? I'd love to take it this Spring and be done with it, but I don't want to waste my time if I'm going to be ask to take it again later.

Many thanks!
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by dmateer25 » Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:38 pm
modo wrote:I'm currently studying for the GMAT and plan to take it sometime this spring. However I won't be able to start B-school until the Fall semester of 2014. I know this sounds strange but I'm currently a military officer and my service commitment ends in April 2014. However, since I'm at a point in my military career where I have more time to dedicate to studying for the GMAT than I would in the next couple of years I figure now would be a good time to dedicate myself to the GMAT.

I know that your GMAT score is good for 5 years and that the test is changing in June of 2012 but I've heard that some schools might require a somewhat recent score. I'm worried that I'll take the exam this year, and then be asked to take it again in order to provide a more recent score with the new format. Any thoughts on this? I'd love to take it this Spring and be done with it, but I don't want to waste my time if I'm going to be ask to take it again later.

Many thanks!
Hey modo,

I would recommend taking the GMAT now and getting it done with. I understand your concern about the new GMAT format, but I think it would be safe to take the GMAT now. It's pretty much a standard that GMAT scores are valid for 5 years. I actually took my GMAT almost 2 years ago now and it was the best decision I made to get it out of the way. That is one less thing I have to worry about when I am completing my apps.

I haven't heard much about what will happen when the GMAT format changes, but I assume schools will still accept the old one as long as it is no older than 5 years. Maybe one of the experts on the forum can give their take on this.
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by Kaneisha Grayson » Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:07 pm
DMateer25, you gave Modo great advice, and I agree with you.

Modo, you're making a great decision by proactively thinking about managing your time well for your MBA applications. Studying for the GMAT can be one of the most stressful, time consuming parts of applying to business school, and you would be doing yourself a huge favor to get that part done and out of the way. That way, you can focus on what I KNOW is the most important part of your application, which is your essays. Once you've jumped the hurdle of the in-range GMAT score, it's up to you to convince the AdCom (and yourself) why you, why now, why this program, etc.

I understand your concern about the test changing, but as we saw with the changed SAT format for college applicants, as well as the new GRE General Test, you have the option of submitting either score. The important thing is that your score is ready in time--which if you take your test during the timeframe you mentioned, is great.

Best of luck with your application!

Kaneisha
Harvard Business School MBA 2010, Harvard Kennedy School MPA 2010
Founder, The Art of Applying
Admissions Consulting for MBA, MPP, Joint Degrees, and Fellowships
https://theartofapplying.com

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by modo » Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:31 am
Thanks so much for the replies. That was exactly the info I was looking for!
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