Getting my "unofficial" scores

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Getting my "unofficial" scores

by max1201 » Fri Jan 15, 2016 4:01 am
Hey guys,

I am pretty new to this forum as well as to the whole GMAT thing in general. I just started studying a few days ago, but have a pretty tough schedule, since I have to meet the application deadline which is March, 31st. To have as much time to study as possible, I was wondering how long it takes to get the results of the GMAT?

I know, on the mba.com website it says "within 20 calendar days". But a friend of mine, and also someone from my university's admission office told me, that you get an "unofficial score report" (consisting of the quant and verbal section) right after taking the test, on the same day?! According to my university's guidelines, this would be enough for the application process.

When I contacted the GMAC team, of course they only told me about the 20 days, which is why I am asking you guys now. Can I really count on getting these unofficial scores right away, which would basically mean I could take the test sometime around the 20th of March and still meet the deadline??

Thanks for helping me out!

Max

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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Fri Jan 15, 2016 7:07 am
max1201 wrote:Hey guys,

I am pretty new to this forum as well as to the whole GMAT thing in general. I just started studying a few days ago, but have a pretty tough schedule, since I have to meet the application deadline which is March, 31st. To have as much time to study as possible, I was wondering how long it takes to get the results of the GMAT?

I know, on the mba.com website it says "within 20 calendar days". But a friend of mine, and also someone from my university's admission office told me, that you get an "unofficial score report" (consisting of the quant and verbal section) right after taking the test, on the same day?! According to my university's guidelines, this would be enough for the application process.

When I contacted the GMAC team, of course they only told me about the 20 days, which is why I am asking you guys now. Can I really count on getting these unofficial scores right away, which would basically mean I could take the test sometime around the 20th of March and still meet the deadline??

Thanks for helping me out!

Max
Yep, you'll get the unofficial score report as soon as you finish the exam. (IR/Quant/Verbal)
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by [email protected] » Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:15 am
Hi max1201,

On Test Day, at the end of your Official GMAT, your Unofficial Scores will appear on the computer screen and the front desk will likely have a print-out waiting for you when leave the Computer Lab (so that you have a physical copy of those same scores). Unofficial Scores tend to be remarkably accurate, so you will likely end up with the exact same Official Scores several weeks later.

Business Schools tend to offer a bit of 'wiggle-room' when it comes to reporting the GMAT Score. As long as your application is in on time and you've taken the GMAT before the deadline, then you can input your Unofficial Scores on your application and you should be fine. The interesting thing is that some Schools will even allow you to take the GMAT AFTER the application deadline, as long as the rest of the application is in on time. As in all cases, it's best to confirm with the School directly before making any of these scheduling decisions.

1) Since you've just begun your studies, have you taken a FULL-LENGTH CAT yet? How did you score?
2) What materials are you studying with?
3) What is your goal score?

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by max1201 » Sat Jan 16, 2016 11:55 am
Thanks for you answers! Knowing this will at least give me about 2 more weeks to study ;-)


To answer your questions Rich:

I took one practice CAT so far, about a week ago, and scored 540. I was a little shocked of how bad I did, but I already figured out that I missed some easy questions by making stupid mistakes and totally missed some of the geometry questions by not remembering basic formulas and not even knowing some of the specific math terminology since it has been quite a while since I last did math in English (I am a German native speaker). So I think that I could have done a little better, even on my first practice test, but I still was somewhat disappointed.

My actual goal score is around 690-700. For my application I have to be in the 85% percentile and according to some statistic that I found online, a 690 should pretty much do the job here. But considering how low I scored on my first test I am not really sure anymore if I will be able to get there in just 8 weeks.

So far I am following the "beat the gmat 60 day study guide" (day 5 today) together with the manhattan prep guides and of course the official GMAT review guide. I also have the official quant and verbal review guide but haven't started working with these yet. Since I am working full time, I have about 3-4 hours to study on weekdays plus Saturday and Sunday.
Do you think following the 60 day study guide is enough to get me to my goal score or is it too basic?

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by [email protected] » Sun Jan 17, 2016 9:46 am
Hi max1201,

A 540 is a solid Diagnostic score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). To improve that score by 150+ points in 8 weeks will be a challenge, but it is doable. If the application deadline isn't until March 31st though, then you could conceivably study for 10 weeks and still take the GMAT before the deadline, so that's something to consider.

There are a variety of ways to study for the GMAT and many different materials to choose from, so I can't say whether the materials that you're currently using will be right for YOU. Since you've been studying for about a week, you should have a decent idea of whether you're 'learning' or not and how comfortable you are with the concepts/Tactics you've covered so far. If you're thinking about investing in other resources, then you should know that most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at out website (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one(s) that best match your personality, timeline and budget.

If you have any additional question, then just let me know.

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Rich
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