Before submitting applications, I would treat myself to a guided prep class. If you have only ever prepared on your own, you might be pleasantly surprised at the progress you can make on your score with a good prep course. Well worth the expense I assure you. If you are not at least cracking 600, you will have a very challenging time applying to top schools, so get all the help you can first before you give up on the GMAT. I applaud your persistence--it will pay off!

I know of one school that does NOT require a GMAT score for admissions - Dominican College: https://www.greenmba.com/ and there are probably more out there, maybe not in the top 20. Another idea is to take some of the courses at a JC to maybe improve your skills, then try taking the GMAT again? Just a few ideas Good luck!

Thanks guys. I will analyze my tests and post my results.

Hi Chykie,

I just saw this thread pop to the top, and figured I'd weigh in, as well. Like Stacey, I'm a GMAT instructor and will have similar advice. I agree wholeheartedly with her article, and also add this - on a standardized test, you'll make a standardized set of mistakes. Part of the key to success, if you're already capable of scoring in the high 600s on practice tests, is to minimize the number points that you "give back" to the test via error.

I'd suggest this - go back to your most recent practice tests and jot down a few keywords for why you got each problem wrong. Something like "assumed x was positive" or "incorporated statement (1) in to my assessment of statement (2)" should work, and you can then go back to that list of mistakes and determine which errors you tend to make. The timed component of the GMAT will only exacerbate those mistakes - the more pressure you feel and the more quickly you have to work, the more likely you'll be to fall in to those same traps.

If you even know of 3-4 mistakes that you commonly make, you can jot down quick reminders to yourself on test day to be aware of them, and have a quick-check process to make sure that you at least take those points back. It worked for me - I had a nasty habit of assuming that variables were integers (or, better put, failing to consider nonintegers) in practice, so I made a quick note "Integer" at the top of my noteboard and made sure to look at it before submitting my answers. Sure enough, at one point in the first ten questions, I was about to submit an incorrect answer, having made that mistake, and was able to catch it and correct my answer. Knowing that I had saved myself from at least one wrong answer, I was a lot more confident through the rest of the test...the GMAT was going to have to beat me with creative questions, and not the types of traps that I was primed to avoid!