Retaking the GMAT - Advice? - First Attempt 650/5.0

Expert replies

srama: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2007 6:44 am; Location: Bangalore

by srama » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:36 am

Dear All

I came to Beat the GMAT the first time in February. I was preparing for the March 12th GMAT attempt and came across Eric's flashcards. I took my GMAT on March 12th and scroed a dismal 650. I understand that this score is clearly not enough for any of the top 50 schools, taking into account the pool (Indian IT Male) I belong to. I have 8 years of experience by now. It felt quite down just after, and after a lot of thought in the past week I have decided to retake.

Before I register this time, the general advice was to be 100% sure that I have the skill sets to crack a 700+ score.

My plan of study is as follows

1. Solve all of OG 10
2. Run through Kaplan 800 twice.
3. Take Kaplan, Princeton, GMAT Paper tests, 1 GMAT Prep and Power Prep tests.
4. Ensure that I score more than 700 in every test.
5. Register for the GMAT exam, revise and attack the test!!

Please advice whether my strategy is right above. I also need loads of help in getting my focus. I would love to hear from a GMAT expert who can help me towards my goal

Thanks
Ram

Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:36 am

GMAT/MBA Expert

beatthegmat: Site Admin; Posts: 6778; Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:30 amFollowed by: 994 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 1249 times

by beatthegmat » Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:27 pm

Hi Ram:

I would push back against your assumption that a 650 is not good enough for a top 50 MBA program--I think that's not the case at all.

A 650 is a very competitive score, even for top 10 programs. You may be better off spending your time focusing on other aspects of your application.

If you do decide to prep again for the test, your plan looks fine but it's missing one thing--it doesn't emphasize analysis of your errors. Check out the resources here, https://www.beatthegmat.com/resources.html, to get some help on how to analyze practice tests and how to track errors.

Good luck!

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II: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 400; Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2007 1:35 pm; Location: London, UK; Thanked: 19 times; GMAT Score:680

by II » Sun Mar 23, 2008 3:53 am

To add to Eric's comments ... the top-tier business schools look at your whole application ... not just the GMAT.
- you academic history
- your work experience (how many years ? type of experience (international, leadership, etc ?)
- references
- your answers to the essay questions
- and of course, the GMAT

Getting a 700+ will not (by itself) guarantee you a place on the top-tier programmes. Of course it will certainly help !

I agree with Eric ... that it makes sense to focus your time and energy on your application.
Maybe worth look at the MBA admissions section of this forum for some advice/tips on how to differentiate yourself and make your application stand out.

hope this helps ... and good luck.

zoom2anil: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 3; Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:34 am

by zoom2anil » Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:42 am

my 2 cents on this:

For
• How old is your GMAT score? If your GMAT score is older than a couple of years, think about retaking it. GMAT is a reflection of your current abitiles. A 2 year old score does not reflect your current abilities.
• Target schools? Which tier schools are you targeting? Look at the average scores of those schools and add 30 points more. That should be your target. If you are a Indian/IT/Male/4+ work-ex, then add 50 points more at least and start praying.
• Skewed score? Do your verbal and quant scores differ a lot? From what I have read & heard is that most schools look for a balanced score.
• How much do you think your score will increase? Do you think taking a GMAT again will increase your score by 40-50 points? If your really confident of this then retake it.
• Weak undergrad scores? Ideally speaking, GMAT is in no way representative of your future performance at b-school. But if you have a weak undergrad score due to unavoidable circumstances, then a strong GMAT score can cover it up.
• How do your target schools treat multiple GMAT scores? Most of the colleges take the highest score or the one you select as your GMAT score. But remember that all your scores are sent to the college. Be really sure how your college treats multiple scores. Maybe they only consider the latest score? Or do they average it?

Against
• Wasted valuable time for peanuts? You might have wasted valuable time which could have been used to write your b-school essays.
• Another 250$ down the drain? This money could be used towards your applications

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