Need some encouragement - Show me that there is light

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My journey to GMAT began 3 months ago, when I started the 9 week MGMAT course. Doing an MBA has been a dream of mine, and I have never felt the desire so strong to finally go for this dream till now.

I am a stay at home mom of a 2 year old (Advice to anyone who doesn't have kids yet - it's not easy with kids.. so finish up time consuming things, such as MBA, prior to having kids!), undergrad in business with decent GPA, 10 years experience, roles included: Business Analyst and Product Manager. Being out of college for 10 years and being at home with a child, has made studying VERY HARD.

So, I went online to research on how to study the right way given my situation and decided on MGMAT course to get back into study mode. IT was helpful, but I think I would have gotten more out of it, if i had spend a few weeks studying on my own. THe course jumps right into it..and perhaps I needed a little slower pace. I study at least 2-3 hours in the mornings when everyone is sleeping.. and studying definitely is helping, but I am getting overwhelmed with something, that I am not able to figure out what it is... my goal is 700+



Here are my results of MGMAT CAT:

9/21 - 520 (Q29, V32)

10/21 - 420 (Q19, V27)( Got too hung up on the timing and frantically started guessing in the middle of the exam)

11/29 - 640 (Q37, V39) (felt confident, timing was good; made some silly mistakes in recognizing some of the questions)

12/7- Attempted but couldn't finish it.. was too overwhelmed/overloaded with studying for almost 8-9 hours the day before. Also, I took this around 4pm, which is my scheduled GMAT time.. boy, was i tired by then..I'm rethinking the date/time.. i'm definitely not a late afternoon person..


I feel I am in a Catch 22 situation. If I study too much; my brain gets too tired to attempt to take a practice test. If I do not study; I feel I am not giving my best shot at this! Situation at home isn't that encouraging either - husband travelling and my kid being sick. :(

I planned to take the gmat on DEC 20, but don't think I'm ready for it.


AHHHH!

I am not quitting till I get this score...but I need to hear it from someone who has gone thru this.
HELP, please!!

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by essaysnark » Thu Dec 08, 2011 1:10 pm
trinity22, we're not currently going through the GMAT test prep travails that you are (we did our GMAT long long ago) but we wanted to reach out and say YES! There is hope! And light! :-)

It sounds like you're doing all the right things. If you don't feel ready yet, maybe you can postpone a bit? And certainly you're getting very valuable information throughout the process - like don't take the test in the afternoon!

No matter what, this test is HARD - and you have shown remarkable progress on your practice tests. If you end up with a score in the mid-600s, you will likely be qualified to apply to many of the top programs!! The GMAT is of course just one component to the application, and as they say, a high score can't guarantee you'll get in but a low score can keep you out. So all the work and effort and stress that you're putting in is surely worth it!!

We had to laugh about the advice you offered about doing the MBA *before* having a baby - we agree! Things get complicated once children are on the scene, it's harder to focus. If you're pulling an all-nighter these days, it's likely due to the baby instead of cramming for your test!! :wink: All of this studying is most definitely a good preparation for bschool itself, too - you'll have so much to juggle once you're IN bschool, that it's good you're getting a "dry run" of what that will be like now, with the GMAT studying!

Anyway, don't despair, this is super-stressful for everyone and it really sounds like you're doing everything right!!

Hopefully some others will wander along with more practical advice for how to approach all these priorities you've got going.

We hope you're able to come back in a few weeks and tell us about your awesome score!! Keep us posted and good luck with it!
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by trinity22 » Thu Dec 08, 2011 6:44 pm
Thank you, essaysnark.

It is amazing to see how GMAC can ask about some very easy concepts in a very tough way. you are right, it definitely is giving me a dry run of things to come in b-school. It'll be tough, but as you said - it'll be worth it.



:)