Dilemma whether to give GMAT again or Apply

[mail2niki13]

Hello,

I have given GMAT earlier and got a score of 570. I have work experience of about 16 months in the hotel industry as of now.
1) Would it be worth applying to universities now or should I give GMAT again? Would I be able to get significantly better universities with a score of around 650 with 2 years or work experience, than what I would with a score of 570 with 2 years work experience? If so, what would they be?
2) Say if I apply immediately (with 16 months work experience), would the university consider only 16 months or also consider the time from the time of application to the time of joining as time added to the existing 16 months of experience?
3) I have shortlisted the following universities according to my current GMAT score, please let me know if there are better universities for my profile:
a) San Francisco State University
b) Pepperdine University
c) University of Cincinnati
d) University of Iowa
e) California State Universities
f) Arizona State University

[Heidi Granner]

Hello mail2niki13,

Thanks for your post.

A GMAT score of 650 will give you significantly more opportunities than a GMAT of 570. It might also help earn you a scholarship. So if you feel that you "under-performed" on the test and could significantly increase your score, then I suggest re-taking.

Universities generally consider the length of work experience to equal months of full-time paid employment from when the applicant graduated college through the summer of when they would start the MBA program. Years of work experience is a very important dimension of the MBA application process, so if you are 2+ years below the average for your target schools it might be worth delaying applications by one year. Especially if you are likely to receive a promotion in the meantime.

Good luck!

Best,
Heidi