Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Hello,

I would be extremely thankful if anyone of you could offer your 2 cents.

This is my Profile -

I am a 22 year old Indian male working as Product Development Engineer for a leading Japanese appliances manufacturing firm in Singapore.

*GMAT - 720 (94th percentile), Q51 V35. Just took the test today and I am extremely disappointed with my scores considering that I was consistently scoring above 740 in mock tests, with a 760 in GMATPrep. My verbal score of 35 corresponds to 74th percentile, which is poor. I've read/heard that schools require at least an 80/80 split for Quant and Verbal. I am falling short on that front. Please advise whether I would have to re-take the test.

*Undergrad - National University of Singapore - Majored in Mechanical engg. Scored 3.9/5. roughly 3.12 on 4.

*Extra-curriculars - I was the Vice President of a performing arts society in NUS. I was involved in event management, publicity, ticket sales, sponsorship activities. Besides this, I was in the publicity committee of a couple of other clubs, took part in voluntary activities.

*Work Experience - 2 yrs (as of today) in R&D (New Product development) in a Japanese B2B business. I don't think I can brag much about work because there is no talent recognition award scheme in the company and it typically takes 8-9 yrs for anyone (even top performers) to get to a managerial rank (infrequent promotion in other words). You may find it funny but the only things that are worth mentioning are - i was chosen to lead a team representing R&D in an annual Continuous-improvement activities presentation, i was chosen to undergo training in specialized techniques applicable to new product development.

*Post MBA Goals - to get into Manufacturing-specific Consulting, Strategy Consulting, gain some experience and then expand businesses of manufacturing firms in emerging markets.

*Hobbies - Open water diving, Music Production for short films

I have not really come across another profile like mine (i.e. Product development engineer) on any of the forums. So, I have absolutely no idea whether mine is even considered competitive, which are the schools that I have a shot at etc. Please help me out!

Thank you so much for your time and advice

Regards!

subramanian1408 wrote:Hello,

I would be extremely thankful if anyone of you could offer your 2 cents.

This is my Profile -

I am a 22 year old Indian male working as Product Development Engineer for a leading Japanese appliances manufacturing firm in Singapore.

*GMAT - 720 (94th percentile), Q51 V35. Just took the test today and I am extremely disappointed with my scores considering that I was consistently scoring above 740 in mock tests, with a 760 in GMATPrep. My verbal score of 35 corresponds to 74th percentile, which is poor. I've read/heard that schools require at least an 80/80 split for Quant and Verbal. I am falling short on that front. Please advise whether I would have to re-take the test.

*Undergrad - National University of Singapore - Majored in Mechanical engg. Scored 3.9/5. roughly 3.12 on 4.

*Extra-curriculars - I was the Vice President of a performing arts society in NUS. I was involved in event management, publicity, ticket sales, sponsorship activities. Besides this, I was in the publicity committee of a couple of other clubs, took part in voluntary activities.

*Work Experience - 2 yrs (as of today) in R&D (New Product development) in a Japanese B2B business. I don't think I can brag much about work because there is no talent recognition award scheme in the company and it typically takes 8-9 yrs for anyone (even top performers) to get to a managerial rank (infrequent promotion in other words). You may find it funny but the only things that are worth mentioning are - i was chosen to lead a team representing R&D in an annual Continuous-improvement activities presentation, i was chosen to undergo training in specialized techniques applicable to new product development.

*Post MBA Goals - to get into Manufacturing-specific Consulting, Strategy Consulting, gain some experience and then expand businesses of manufacturing firms in emerging markets.

*Hobbies - Open water diving, Music Production for short films

I have not really come across another profile like mine (i.e. Product development engineer) on any of the forums. So, I have absolutely no idea whether mine is even considered competitive, which are the schools that I have a shot at etc. Please help me out!

Thank you so much for your time and advice

Regards!

Two things.

First, don't retake the GMAT. It's not going to make a difference -- a low score (below 700) can keep you out, but a high score (760) won't help you get in. It's about being in range, and your score is in range. If you retake it, it'll be a negative (b-school isn't a math competition like engineering school) - basically the adcoms will think you're a bit of a dweeb for retaking it given your current score.

Second, you simply need more work experience. There's a tons of engineers applying (to be blunt the only way you'd be less conventional is if you were NOT an engineer at all, which is more unusual amongst Indians who apply to b-school), and most of them have around 4-8 years of experience when applying. There's no rush for you to get an MBA now, and given how young you are, use that time to build a solid professional career before going back to b-school.

I agree with Alex that you should get more work experience before applying. Continue seeking leadership positions. I respectfully disagree, though, about retaking the GMAT. For any other applicant group, I would not recommend retaking the test. But for an Indian applicant a 720 is below the average for successful Indian applicants to top 10 MBA schools. One admissions director of a top 10 MBA school told me that the Indian average is around a 740. So, if you were continually scoring a 740+ in your mock exams and were able to score a 740 in a real exam the 20 point increase would represent a significant percentage jump. And if you were to score a 760 you would be moving from the lower half to the upper half of successful Indian applicants. Since you will likely not be applying this year that gives you sufficient time to study for and retake the exam.

Best of luck,

Hi Subramanian,

I agree with other folks. Rather than writing GMAT again, I would suggest you to focus on building your profile by heading a team, awards/achievements in or outside work place & potential as a leader. These are crucial while writing application essays and preparing for interviews. However, you may try your chances in b-school(s) by clicking https://tinyurl.com/pretzmp.

Let me know in case of further queries. You may PM your details for free profile evaluation or discussion in length.

Regards
Erina

subramanian1408 wrote:Hello,

I would be extremely thankful if anyone of you could offer your 2 cents.

This is my Profile -

I am a 22 year old Indian male working as Product Development Engineer for a leading Japanese appliances manufacturing firm in Singapore.

*GMAT - 720 (94th percentile), Q51 V35. Just took the test today and I am extremely disappointed with my scores considering that I was consistently scoring above 740 in mock tests, with a 760 in GMATPrep. My verbal score of 35 corresponds to 74th percentile, which is poor. I've read/heard that schools require at least an 80/80 split for Quant and Verbal. I am falling short on that front. Please advise whether I would have to re-take the test.

*Undergrad - National University of Singapore - Majored in Mechanical engg. Scored 3.9/5. roughly 3.12 on 4.

*Extra-curriculars - I was the Vice President of a performing arts society in NUS. I was involved in event management, publicity, ticket sales, sponsorship activities. Besides this, I was in the publicity committee of a couple of other clubs, took part in voluntary activities.

*Work Experience - 2 yrs (as of today) in R&D (New Product development) in a Japanese B2B business. I don't think I can brag much about work because there is no talent recognition award scheme in the company and it typically takes 8-9 yrs for anyone (even top performers) to get to a managerial rank (infrequent promotion in other words). You may find it funny but the only things that are worth mentioning are - i was chosen to lead a team representing R&D in an annual Continuous-improvement activities presentation, i was chosen to undergo training in specialized techniques applicable to new product development.

*Post MBA Goals - to get into Manufacturing-specific Consulting, Strategy Consulting, gain some experience and then expand businesses of manufacturing firms in emerging markets.

*Hobbies - Open water diving, Music Production for short films

I have not really come across another profile like mine (i.e. Product development engineer) on any of the forums. So, I have absolutely no idea whether mine is even considered competitive, which are the schools that I have a shot at etc. Please help me out!

Thank you so much for your time and advice

Regards!