Guidance needed-Urgent

[just_nishu4u]

Hello sir/ma'am,saw your post on a GMAT forum.Would be grateful if u can guide me a bit.M an Indian mechanical engineer with 14months of work ex. in production,but had been involved in my own business(retail,wholesale & a bit of manufacturing) due to some family concerns,since the end of 2011.M planning to give GMAT in jan 2014.M new to GMAT and was thinking asto which mock tests/papers should I buy? Gave a free test and got very low score of 630marks.I have heard about GMAT800,KAPLAN,etc But m confused.

2)Secondly,working in my own business.Can I show this as work ex. while applying to international b schools?? Basically,we have retail outlets in Calcutta(India).

3)Lastly,since m going to give GMAT in jan 2014,m I too late for admissions in the 2014 session of MBA in international universities??
Sorry for a long post and thanks for being patient to read this!

[Gowri@CrackVerbal]

Let me answer your questions one by one:
1. 630 is by no means a bad score to begin with, especially since you've done no preparation for the GMAT yet. The best sources to prepare from are official sources - you should begin with the Official Guide and the Quant and Verbal Reviews. Put together, these have about 1500 official GMAT questions, and are a great place to start. After you practice from these, take another GMATPrep test to see how much you have improved.

Do remember that analysis is as important as practice. So make sure you analyze the questions you have solved to understand where you are going wrong. This article will definitely help you make your prep more effective: https://www.crackverbal.com/effective-gmat-prep/

2. Yes, you can definitely show that you have been an entrepreneur or have been managing the family business. In your B-school application, you will need 2-3 recommendations. So, if you are planning to get one recommendation from a vendor, business partner or client, make sure that they have an official email address, as recommendations submitted through personal email IDs (such as gmail or hotmail) are not accepted.

3. Yes, you will not be able to enroll for the Fall 2014 admissions in international schools. The admission cycle for 2015 admissions schools in North America begins in August 2014. Round 1 deadlines for ISB in India will also be in mid-September 2014. However, let this not deter you. If you take the test in January, you will have plenty of time to research schools and prepare your applications. his is a good thing!

Hope this helps.

[Sophia007]

Hi Nishu,

1)I'm not clear with the first point. What kind of resources do you need to help you with GMAT?

2)Yes - but you'll need to justify who will maintain and run the business while you are gone? Why aren't you heading for Entrepreneurial program and choosing b-school? Why are you selecting that specific program and school? Your case will need to clearly explain in your application.

3) Nope. However, many admissions will close their 2nd round early in Jan itself. Can you plan to take your GMAT in December? This way at least you'll know your score and in parallel be able to apply to some of the best schools.
Hopefully, this helps.

[Umang.Garg]

Hi Nishu,

We are MBA students at ISB, Wharton, Bocconni doing an academic project as a part of our course.

You can touch base with some of us at www.mbastudents.tk

Choosing an MBA programme and going through the rigor of the admissions process is challenging. I went through that process last year. I had offer of admissions from ISB, HKUST and Oxford. My other class mates went through same rigor at other B-schools.

There is no doubt that schools look at an all round personality (academics, GMAT scores, work experience and many other attributes). There is never a perfect candidate or a perfect application. I am not perfect !

Regards,