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Disappointing Q42V34 620 Where Could I go?

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Disappointing Q42V34 620 Where Could I go?

by yearzack » Thu Sep 17, 2015 12:50 pm
So I took the GMAT for the first time today and received a very disappointing 620. This is quite disappointing in that I had been scoring higher on my previous CAT exams. I had the test at 8am so decided to try get to bed early and ended up getting less than 4 hours of sleep :cry:. I understand the importance of sleep and could feel myself making simple mistakes on the test. I felt as if I prepared for the exam but not necessarily for the actual test day (If that makes any sense). I am definitely going to be taking the exam again, just curious as to see some thoughts as to where I could get into with my first attempt. I am 24 year old White male, first person in the family to graduate from college. Active Duty Marine officer with over 6 years experience. GPA 3.54 in Economics from a state school in California ( was completed in two years while on active duty).
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by [email protected] » Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:33 pm
Hi yearzack,

First off, a 620 isn't a terrible GMAT score - it's certainly above-average and it might be enough to get you into your first-choice Business School. I personally know applicants who have gotten into Top25 Schools with GMAT scores less than 620, so you might be 'fine' with this score.

Your post 'hints' at a number of things that you haven't fully described, so I'd like to know more about your situation:

1) In a prior post, you mentioned that you were planning to take the GMAT on August 19th. Did you take the Test on THAT date, did you push it back or did you take it twice (on that date and more recently)?

2) How were you scoring on your practice CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

3) When are you planning to apply to Business School? Do you have any specific Business Schools in mind yet?

A poor night's sleep and/or a lack of sleep could certainly have impacted your performance. You CAN use this as something of a learning experience though, so you can better train for your next attempt (if a re-attempt is even necessary).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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by yearzack » Fri Sep 18, 2015 2:02 am
Thank you for the fast response Rich. I had to postpone my test date for a month. I would have been unable to take the test so I chose to push it back. As far as the CATs go I was usually about Q44-46 V35/36. I understand that there is a 30 Point SD for the test. I took the Manhattan CAT5 about 5 days prior and received a Q44V35 650. This was my last actual practice test. I plan to apply to business this year or next year. If I apply this year however I will not be able to retake the GMAT. However if I were to defer my applications for a year, this would allow me to retake and apply. The schools I am looking at USC, UCLA, Columbia, Indiana, Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, University of Texas. I understand that a lot of these schools have average GMAT scores that are in the 700s, which is why I believe I need to retake it. There are also some "dream" schools on that list. A quick side note of my performance is that during the test I was able to see a lot of holes in my strategy that I did not know were there. I completely agree with using this test attempt as a learning experience, even if I decide not to take it again.
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