GMAT Strategy

Hello ..I just knew today from my target school that I have till the end of May (deadline for application is the 1st of May) to submit my official score . This is my current situation :

https://www.beatthegmat.com/from-570-to-640-t208952.html

Yesterday , I took a GMAT Prep test scoring 650 .My target score is 600-650 . Do you recommend postponing the test and taking benefit from this opportunity or going on ? My test is on April the 3rd

Thanks in advance

First off, congratulations on hitting that 650 on the practice test - sounds like you've made some huge strides toward your goals!

As far as postponing the test, here are some questions I'd ask yourself:

-What would you do with that extra time? Are there glaring weaknesses that you wish you had more time to work on? If it's "yes", then maybe it's a good idea. If you know, for example, that you've been trying to avoid ever having to do the algebra on quant questions and that you've been lucky to backsolve word problems and that kind of thing, but you'd feel exponentially more confident if you buckled down on algebra for two more weeks...that's a reason to postpone.

On the flip side, if you're looking at the extra time as just "more practice" but you don't have any concrete vision of what to practice, it might not be the best idea. It sounds like you've put a ton of targeted work in and have started to really see that improvement. With one more week to go to keep that forward momentum charging, you can solidify what you've learned and go into next week's test on the confidence-high of having hit your target score just now.

-How would having a backup plan affect your confidence next week? It sounds like you have a full month between your April 3 test date and when you absolutely need your score (am I right? You say late May even though the application date is May 1). If you do, indeed, have until late May, there's something helpful about going into the test with over 31 days until you *need* that score. That gives you a safety net, via which if next week's test falls short of your goals you always have one more opportunity. There's often something psychologically relaxing about that - knowing that the test isn't your last chance helps you to stay upbeat and positive.

-How realistic was that 650 yesterday? If you had reset the GMAT Prep software a few times and saw a bunch of repeat questions, then maybe it's a little inflated. But if not - if that was your first time taking that test or you had taken it before but didn't see many repeats - that test is pretty good evidence that you're hitting your stride right now. And if you feel confident that that 650 is pretty representative of your ability right now, I'd also ask:

-How likely is delaying the test a few weeks to slow your momentum? If you're peaking right now, you may not want to delay and lose that positive inertia in your favor. There may well be a downside to delaying.

So I guess in summary I'd ask yourself this:

Would you be delaying the test because you have specific and strategic goals to hit over the next couple of weeks? Or would you be delaying because you're a little nervous that test-day is coming up so quickly? If it's the former...I wouldn't stop you but I also wouldn't pressure you into delaying. If it sounds like it's more the latter, don't do it. Take the test - delaying won't relived your nerves at all and it may actually exacerbate them since then you'd have put that much more time and effort into that final test. At least this way you may well have that retake safety net.


My hunch is that you should just take it next week as planned and ride this wave of confidence and positive trend. But hopefully the above thought process helps you make the decision that's best for you.