Got my butt handed to me by the GMAT.. what now? :(

[sev]

Well I just got back from a well earned holiday, but before I left I ended up taking the GMAT on June 15. Two and a half month's worth of studying, nearly every day for 2-5 hours a day and I did pretty crappy.

I hadnt practiced the AWA at all, and looked over some essay prompts the night before and took the exam.

I thought I did horribly on the math, like I'm talking literally bombed it with a 10 or something, so bad that I decided at the break to cancel scores, then I thought I might as well try the verbal, and if I do horrible there, I'll cancel.

So I go through with the verbal and read through it very slowly and methodically. I felt I did excellent on the verbal, so I decided to take the score... Which I was terrible, but given the circumstances, I did better than i thought on the quant, but much worse than I thought on the verbal.

I got a 460

26 Q

28 V

I know that's a garbage score, but I dont know what else to do. I took a prep course, a very intensive one, I spent hours studying, I went through the OG11 and the official prep CATs (several times). I cant seem to improve my score at all, and what's more is I cant fathom torturing myself again with studying and taking the test.

I did rock the AWA though, I got a 5.5. Ironically, that's the one part B. Schools dont even look at.


I have a 3.0 GPA from my UG and have several years experience working IT at a major law firm. Should I bother applying for b. schools? Maybe Im just not cut out..

[Prasanna]

Well I just got back from a well earned holiday, but before I left I ended up taking the GMAT on June 15. Two and a half month's worth of studying, nearly every day for 2-5 hours a day and I did pretty crappy.

I hadnt practiced the AWA at all, and looked over some essay prompts the night before and took the exam.

I thought I did horribly on the math, like I'm talking literally bombed it with a 10 or something, so bad that I decided at the break to cancel scores, then I thought I might as well try the verbal, and if I do horrible there, I'll cancel.

So I go through with the verbal and read through it very slowly and methodically. I felt I did excellent on the verbal, so I decided to take the score... Which I was terrible, but given the circumstances, I did better than i thought on the quant, but much worse than I thought on the verbal.

I got a 460

26 Q

28 V

I know that's a garbage score, but I dont know what else to do. I took a prep course, a very intensive one, I spent hours studying, I went through the OG11 and the official prep CATs (several times). I cant seem to improve my score at all, and what's more is I cant fathom torturing myself again with studying and taking the test.

I did rock the AWA though, I got a 5.5. Ironically, that's the one part B. Schools dont even look at.


I have a 3.0 GPA from my UG and have several years experience working IT at a major law firm. Should I bother applying for b. schools? Maybe Im just not cut out..

Hi

Don't lose heart. I understand how you would be feeling. And remember quitting never helps one to reach the goal.

Think pragmatically on what areas you need to improve. You have observed that you could not score in the practice tests. Ideally you should have analyzed and taken action before taking the actual test. Have your target score in mind.

IMO getting a score of 600-700 would not be difficult for anyone with reasonable preparation. We have learnt the concepts in English/maths back in school. So dont take this result as an indicator of your capability but definitely take it as an indication of the flaws in your preparation methodology. You continue to focus on OG. Understand the basic concepts well. The you should focus on the tricks GMAT plays on us by using ONLY the simple concepts ! This is where the secret of the success would be. You would have seen this in postings of people who have been successful. These have helped me a lot.

The people in this forum are always there to help you in direction of effort.

[sev]

Thanks alot for your words, Maybe it's best that I take a break from the GMAT for a bit and then try again.

I probably shouldnt bother applying anywhere with such a dismal score, right?

[Prasanna]

Thanks alot for your words, Maybe it's best that I take a break from the GMAT for a bit and then try again.

I probably shouldnt bother applying anywhere with such a dismal score, right?

You could give it a break. If I were you, I would make an assessment of what went wrong before the break. That way you would have the task cutout !

Reg applying to schools, think it depends on your target schools and the score statistics the participants have. There are admission experts in this forum who can evaluate your profile and guide you on this.

[cheteb]

If going to mba school is a passion of yours, DO NOT EVER GIVE UP.
I got into a top 38 school in Information Systems with a 500 GMAT score. My letters of recommendation were great and I was dedicated in my undergraduate.

There are some MBA schools just getting started, like the one at SUU
www.suu.edu
You don't have to go to a top score to go to B-School!!!

[cheteb]

If going to mba school is a passion of yours, DO NOT EVER GIVE UP.
I got into a top 38 school in Information Systems with a 500 GMAT score. My letters of recommendation were great and I was dedicated in my undergraduate.

There are some MBA schools just getting started, like the one at SUU
www.suu.edu
You don't have to go to a top score to go to B-School!!!