jasongmat2010 wrote:I have completed numerous practice test (Kaplan ranging from 520-620 and GMAT Prep 630 and 610). Today I took the real thing and received a 600 (Q39 V34).
What do you think? Should I take three months to review and re-test before the 2010 application cycle begins?
I would ideally like to go to: Berkeley, Columbia, NYU or LBS. My undergraduate GPA was 3.75 and I will have four years strategy consulting work experience.
Any suggestions?
I would say yes but you have to intensely prepare in 3 months. There is no point in retaking the test until you are absolutely certain beyond a certain threshold that you can better your previous score by more than 75 points. Your goal is to search for parameters that enable you to make this determination. The problem with you is that your GPA stands out so if your GMAT doesn't, it may raise some red flags. So you need a GMAT score that measures up to that GPA, at least a 700. My advice to you is forget taking many test over and over in short time periods and get down to serious study and mastery of all sections of the GMAT. Examine all the Kaplan and Power preps you have taken and make a long list of all the reasons why you missed those questions. You know the questions you encountered on the test so you will be looking to master the skills and timing techniques needed for the GMAT. Identify how many of your misses are due to careless errors, insufficient timing and how many are content related- you just don’t have any clue how to solve the problem or answer the question. If your problem is content, then you have to study rigorously. I would begin by drilling every question or trick on the GMAT Prep and on Kaplan into my head. I mean if you are walking and are not thinking about the nuance of all these questions; if you don’t see PS, DS, CR, RC questions/problems coming at you from moving objects, roof tops, people’s sentences, TV, then you know you are not there yet. In short, if B-school is your goal then let it consume the 3 months ahead. Superficiality will not get you where you want.
Know that you are quite capable of getting 730 on the GMAT. You are the only judge of how bad you want it.
Now Soldier, assemble all your Boot Camp Took Kit And GO GET THEM GMAT!!
