Took GMAT for the first time. Got 460. Expert help needed.

[Divya Ann Chacko]

Hai,

I took GMAT exam on july 30th. Got only 460. AWA score is 4.5. Can I get admitted to any college with this score? I have two years of work experience.
I am completely lost. Books from where I prepared for GMAT are MGMAT guides 5th edition, OG-13, OG verbal and quant review, Power score critical reasoning bible. Can any one help me to reach my target which is above 680. I also followed Beat the gmat 60 day study guide. I also referred counting and theory on combinatorics from gmat prep now. I don't know what to do further. I don't know whether i need to take any coaching or not sure whether I am in focus.

Help of any sort will be appreciated.

Thanks
Divya

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Hi Divya,

First off, as low as you might be feeling from this result, there are some positives. First, you now know what the full GMAT experience "feels like", so you should be better prepared for it when you retest. Second, Business Schools don't care if you take the GMAT more than once, so doing so is not a big deal.

What was your Score Breakdown for this Test? And how do these scores compare to your individual practice CATs?

Since your goal score is over 200 points above this Official Score, chances are that you'll need a full study program to help you to achieve your goals. That could be an instructor-led Course or a Guided Self-Study Program, but self-studying from just books clearly did not have the intended effect, so some new products are required.

To determine whether your score is competitive enough to get you into an MBA program or not, you'll have to do some research into the various options. That score is not high enough to make you a competitive applicant at a Top20 School, but there might be some smaller local schools that don't require a higher-end score as part of the application. You can decide if you'd rather go to a higher school or invest some more time, money and effort to score higher on the GMAT and increase your options.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[Divya Ann Chacko]

Hai Rich,

Thank you Rich for a detailed advise.

My score is Quant- 37, Verbal- 17, IR- 3 and AWA-4.5. Total 460. I only took two practice tests just before my exam. My official test 1- 480 and test 2- 450

What can I do further for my preparation

Thanks
Divya

[[email protected]]

Hi Divya,

Your Official GMAT Score is right in line with your practice CAT scores, so it might be that you "rushed in" and took the GMAT too soon. Using the 460 as a baseline score and a 680 as the goal, I'd suspect that you need 3 months of consistent professionally-guided prep to help you succeed.

If you know for sure that you're going to retake the GMAT, then you can start researching the various GMAT Course and Guided Self-Study products. Most GMAT companies off some type of free resources (practice problems, CATs, Trial accounts, etc.), so that you "test out" a product before you buy it. We offer a trial account that should help you to immediately improve (on our main page at www.empowergmat.com).

After trying out the various products, you should pick the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

Remember that the GMAT is a consistent and predictable exam - it's okay if you're not comfortable with it yet - but you CAN learn to CRUSH it. You just have to be ready to put in the necessary work.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[Divya Ann Chacko]

Thank you Rich again for a detailed reply.

Can you please suggest from where can i get courses free sources? Also can you please suggest some good courses? I am a non native English speaker. My verbal is bad. My Critical reasoning and reading comprehension is poor.

Thanks
Divya

[[email protected]]

Hi Divya,

I've sent you a private message with some suggestions.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich