- csysantos85
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:49 pm
- Location: Oklahoma City, OK
I'm posting on here because I need help and this community seems to be the foremost experts on helping with the GMAT. I'll try to provide as much background as I can and I am certainly open to any and all suggestions. I originally scheduled the GMAT in February of 2014 after doing a month of studying from the Manhattan GMAT prep guides (all 8) but I was distracted by my job due to a promotion to a new position. On test day I had just gotten over Strep throat and my score ended up being a 400. I was disheartened and seriously considered giving up but decided to try one last ditch effort to make a high enough score to possibly get into a MBA program at nearby OU during the third round. I rededicated myself and studied for another month and retook the exam this past April. I felt confident and the nerves at the test center were gone but when I finished, I was staring at a 410 overall and I felt crushed all over again.
I've come close to giving up on the MBA dream but I can't because I know that I am better than a 410 and I certainly don't want to live my life with that on the back of my mind. I recognize some of the mistakes I made, notably not placing enough time between studying at the test and becoming desperate to get into any MBA that I can just for the sake of getting the MBA to better my career options when I should have just taken the time to strive to get into the school that is the best fit for me and where I want to be. I have to score high on the GMAT because my undergrad GPA was not that stellar due to me transferring colleges 4 times.
I've decided to retake the test again but this time I am aiming for a late August date to give me over 90 days to study at least 2 hours a day if not more. What would people suggest to help me get that dream score over 700? I know my Quant is incredibly low and I am considering buying the Manhattan Foundations of Math or the Total GMAT math. Any recommendations? My verbal is horrible as well, to the point that I might as well be a foreign student in the eyes of the test makers, that mostly could be attributed to me not investing as much time into Verbal as I should. I am also considering using a online test prep service like Kaplan or EMPOWERgmat after I have seen so many success stories from using them, notably joshcollins.
Here is some background to help:
Degree: Political Science - George Washington University BS 2012
Undergrad GPA: 2.7
2+ years of professional employment; 7+ years total employment
Dream MBA programs Fall 2015:
Anderson - UCLA
Haas - Cal-Berkeley
Kenan-Flagler - UNC
McCombs - Texas
I welcome any advice, help, criticism, motivation etc. I'm here to learn and beat the GMAT like everyone else.
I've come close to giving up on the MBA dream but I can't because I know that I am better than a 410 and I certainly don't want to live my life with that on the back of my mind. I recognize some of the mistakes I made, notably not placing enough time between studying at the test and becoming desperate to get into any MBA that I can just for the sake of getting the MBA to better my career options when I should have just taken the time to strive to get into the school that is the best fit for me and where I want to be. I have to score high on the GMAT because my undergrad GPA was not that stellar due to me transferring colleges 4 times.
I've decided to retake the test again but this time I am aiming for a late August date to give me over 90 days to study at least 2 hours a day if not more. What would people suggest to help me get that dream score over 700? I know my Quant is incredibly low and I am considering buying the Manhattan Foundations of Math or the Total GMAT math. Any recommendations? My verbal is horrible as well, to the point that I might as well be a foreign student in the eyes of the test makers, that mostly could be attributed to me not investing as much time into Verbal as I should. I am also considering using a online test prep service like Kaplan or EMPOWERgmat after I have seen so many success stories from using them, notably joshcollins.
Here is some background to help:
Degree: Political Science - George Washington University BS 2012
Undergrad GPA: 2.7
2+ years of professional employment; 7+ years total employment
Dream MBA programs Fall 2015:
Anderson - UCLA
Haas - Cal-Berkeley
Kenan-Flagler - UNC
McCombs - Texas
I welcome any advice, help, criticism, motivation etc. I'm here to learn and beat the GMAT like everyone else.













