Sort of Beat the GMAT

[ACNAndy]

Well everyone, my long journey is now over. I'm not 100% satisfied with my score, but its high enough that I don't think its worth a retake.

Breakdown of my Practice Tests:

Kaplan:
Diagnostic: 590
CAT 1: 700
CAT 2: 670
Ultimate Practice: 640 (Started to get nervous here)
CAT 3: 710
CAT 4: 700
CAT 5: 710
CAT 6: 710
CAT 7: 710
CAT 8: 710

GMAT Prep:
CAT 1: 750
CAT 2: 720

And finally, DDay: 710.

I guess I'm happy, not thrilled. Hoping to get into Notre Dame's 1 year Accelerated MBA Program, do you think I have a shot?

[beatthegmat]

Congrats on your GMAT, it's definitely a great score!

Is it good enough for Notre Dame? Let's put it this way: your GMAT score will NOT be a barrier to your acceptance, at all.

Hope to hear about your successful admissions in the future. Good luck!

[ACNAndy]

I've been thinking about this a lot this past week. I was originally very happy with my score, but looking over my practice tests I expected more. I keep hearing that you can expect to do about 50 points better than your Kaplan CATs, and as you can see, that was not the case for me. Would any of you advise taking it again?

I'm also considering Duke, Northwestern, Chicago and Stanford (I might have a connection...if that means anything) and think I might fall short. You guys seem as knowledgeable on this stuff as anyone out there, what's your take?

[canada_sms]

In kind of depends on your background. If you're in an over subscribed pool like Indian IT Males then a 710 might not be good enough. Also, for what it's worth, Stanford's avg GMAT seems to be creeping up and I'm guessing that it might even hit 730 for the 2009 admissions cycle.

In general, I think you're competitive anywhere with a 710 and a strong undergrad GPA, solid work experience, recs and extra currics.

[Roshan2611]

Hi,

Did you join Kaplan Test Prep classes by any chance.

I have recently joined their classes and am looking for feedback from test takers.

please do let me know.

Regards,
Roshan

[ACNAndy]

Hello,

I did take the Kaplan Premium Online classes. Overall, the classes and lessons themselves were not overly helpful. However, the access to all of the CATs as well as many quizzes was definitely beneficial. The CATs themselves are apparently harder than the average test, so don't let them discourage you. I was still scoring well on them, and expected to do very well by the end on the actual test. As you can see, from the diagnostic to my actual test though, I gained nearly 120 points. I'd recommend it for sure in that regard!

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,

Andy