I was mentally prepared, had rested enough last night and was ready to tackle the test at 8:00 a.m. I arrived about 45 minutes early and they took me right away, so I got to start before any other test takers got there.
The essays were really easy. I didn't get a topic I couldn't handle. It felt good to get those out of the way. I then started quant and was amazed at how easy some of the questions seemed (verbal is my strength, not quant). Granted, I told myself to watch out for that, but I felt nearly all but a few questions were manageable.
I wasn't nervous, had great focus and was timing myself perfectly. I then moved on to verbal and thought almost all of those questions seemed quite difficult (and this should have been my strength). At the end of the test, I felt pretty good. I knew I guessed on some questions, but overall I felt like I had given it my absolute best. (I have never excelled at standardized tests, by the way.)
When I clicked to see the score, I was shocked to see 540 (Q34/V31). The fact that I did better on quant than verbal is actually quite funny! (At least in my world!
)So, I am torn between being okay with my score and feeling bad about it. I studied extensively for the past 10 weeks, which was a challenge given my busy work schedule. But, I made the time for it and really gave it my best.
So, please talk me off the edge of the cliff ... here's where I stand in terms of my application:
- The school I'm applying to (part-time program) has an average score of 610 and the mid-range/80th percentile is 560-680.
- When I went to an information session, the admissions director stressed (multiple times) not to worry only about your GMAT score, even if you don't think it's all that great -- it's only one component -- no matter the GMAT score, submit your application (um, okay)
- I have 15+ years work experience and am an executive
- I have great leadership experience and currently lead a team of 9 people
- My 5 essays are fabulous (my expertise is in internal/external communications) -- I spent 3-4 hours on each one and feel like they are top-notch
- I have 3 exceptionally strong letters of recommendation (two from high-ranking female executives -- one of them is C-level, the other one is from a Fortune 100 company)
- My GPA in college was 3.4
I have no interest in retaking the test. I would have loved a score in the low 600s, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. On any standardized test I have ever taken, I have always scored right around the national average. That's exactly what I did with the GMAT.
So, I shouldn't feel bad about this, right!?!?!?!?!?
(BTW, thanks for this great forum. I really appreciate all of the support I've gotten here!)
