640 Q48 V29 good/bad?

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640 Q48 V29 good/bad?

by pramod_d » Tue Aug 31, 2010 11:51 am
Hi,
I have been following this site for quite some time and in a way it was an inspiration for me to see many people scoring well in GMAT and posting their strategies. So, i thought of posting my score as well.

Right now, i have two contradicting thoughts. One says, take the test again. Because, i have put in decent amount of preparation and did very methodical preparation as compared to my previous attempts with CAT(Indian GMAT). I have completed manhattan SC, power score CR guide and OG12. This is all i did for GMAT preparation. I have scored 620 in GMAT Prep exam 1 week before actual GMAT. Understood that DS, SC (and to some extent RC) are my weak areas. I have used the error logging tool from this forum and analyzed all the mistakes i have made. Tried learning from every question i have answered incorrectly. Thanks to 60 days study guide from this forum, i was able to do some systematic preparation. Used pacing techniques from one of the articles. I knew i was not completely ready for the exam but went ahead and took it. I needed to do it, because i was postponing the exam for past 1 year. I had to take this step. I also thought i will retake the test if something goes bad. I felt that this is a crackable exam. I observed that my answering methodology is flawed and inefficient. I need to find ways to improve my score. Anyways, in my first GMAT attempt, i got 640.

I went thru an article in BTG forum sometime back where one person got 640 in first attempt and got lesser scores in the 2nd and 3rd attempts. Finally, he started applying with 640 score and got admit in a reputed b school. I want to get into a decent b school(~20k $ tuition fee) , give my best there, don't mind a moderate salary and start building from there. As per my initial research, HEC montreal, York university from canada, Asian institute of technology philippines looked like a good deal for a 650 score. ISB India and HKUST hongkong , a bit ambitious. BTW i must go to a business school by next year, i don't have any reservations whether it is 1 year or 2 year program as long as i find some value in it.

I have set 1 week time to decide on whether to re-take GMAT or to start applying for b schools. Just to complete the discussion, i have average acads 2.5/4 undergrad and 5 years of work ex in IT(telecom). I am currently in a lead position and i work on both technical as well as project management areas. Any suggestions are appreciated on,

1. whether to retake GMAT test or start applying to b schools and
if 1. Any tips/references on improving my verbal score?
if 2, any good b school is more suitable for my profile?

You can consider this as an Analysis of issue question :) I have always looked at BTG for help. Hope i can find one this time as well and make an informed decision. Thanks in advance for your response.
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by outreach » Tue Aug 31, 2010 12:11 pm
i feel first u shd relax urself first :) ..
check the schools which u want to apply and do little bit of more research abt it...u seem to have made a list of some schools..but check for more good school..
good gmat score always helps but it is not the only criteria. u have not mentioned anything abt ur prep scores..did u cross 700+ anytime?

regarding improving ur verbal i feel u can try some online coaching
all the best for ur apps
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GMAT Score:640

by Mo_Star » Tue Aug 31, 2010 6:01 pm
Hi.

I went through a similar analysis just a week ago - I got a 640 too. It is a bit lower than I would like for the schools I would like to attend. That being said, I received feedback from some people that said I should try and raise my score. However, others have said that they know people with even lower scores that have gotten into good schools and it really depends on the quality of the rest of my application.

I am not sure what the average GMAT scores are for the schools you are applying to (definitely worth looking into), but if you are near the range I would go ahead and apply for some of the schools for first rounds (especially since you say your goal is to start MBA next year). Then, if you wanted to, you could see if you can improve your score in time to apply for second rounds for some of the other schools you are interested in. I do think if you want to raise your score a decent amount (raising it only 20 points won't really do much) then it will take some intense study time...so after first rounds you would have time to focus on this. (Plus, then you will hear back from first round schools - and maybe find out you don't need a higher score after all!)

Just an idea. Overall, it really depends on the strength of the rest of your application and the average GMAT scores of the schools you want to apply to.
Monika

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by aim_gmat720 » Thu Sep 09, 2010 7:59 am
Absolutely similar case admission to be taken by Sep 2011. Score 640. In dilemma for retake/
Please let me knnow the status how are you planning.
However liked Monikas idea.
Apply in round one with this score may be by that time round 2 better scores are ready.
But then lot of uncertainities and confusion involved in this.