Tanked on the GMAT...now what?
Hey guys,
Bit of a backstory: 3rd year in a corp finance role, was looking to go into an MBA program this upcomng year. Submitted all my documents etc to the schools i was applying for, however I scored poorly on the GMAT exam (530).
My question is, what now? its obviously too late to rewrite before decisions are made...so do I just suck it up and try again next year?
BTW I am in Calgary AB, so i applied to University of Alberta, University of Calgary, Queen's and University of Toronto.
Thanks in advance for any helpful input
Depends how shitty the schools you are expecting to get into are... Kiss Stanford goodbye, but if you were just planning to go to some shit-tier, middle of the road school you'll prob be okay, assuming strong undergrad GPA, good experience and some differentiators
Rewrite and get out of Calgary...heard that city is sooooo boring
Retake.
What you want to do after MBA ?
What SECfinance said: Retake.
Is this for fall entry? I don't understand - are Canadian schools still accepting scores and vetting candidates for the fall? If so that's quite different from US schedule.
To answer your question - there's not much you can do. If you don't have time to retake for fall entry then you don't have time. Let the chips fall where they may and retake next year if you need to reapply.
Yes they are for the most part, they stop their intake around June. Yes it is a bit different then US schools, US cutoff is way earlier probably due to huge number of applicants. Canadian schools definitely don't have as much demand as the US, hence longer intake dates.
How much prep did you do before scoring 530? I imagine you can score at least 600 with some prep.
530? dude, just quit. u def don't have the brain power
on a related note, i just put my manhattan gmat books up for sale. they took me from 590 to 720. saddle up
Just did the Manhattan GMAT 9 week course as well... went from 560 on my first practice to 730 on the actual exam 2.5 months later (last week). You clearly just need to study harder as the GMAT is not a test of intelligence, just of how well you can study.
MGMAT is solid. I recommend too
Their strategy books are incredibly well written text books
PM me if you want my books. they are collecting dust and i'll eventually unload them on amazon / craiglist
Is the GMAT really that difficult? How hard is it to get say, a 700?
depends on your intelligence and willingness to learn the material. i believe 700 is approx 90th percentile
Is it more of a learnable test or an intutive one? (Or in other words, could an average guy study extremely hard and get a 750? Could a genius with no college degree get a 700? Etc).
There's obviously an intelligence component (as i mentioned). In my opinion, it's highly learn-able material, and the people i know who got average scores largely did so because 1) they didn't commit to learning the material AND 2) they don't think.
What do i mean by that - my observation was (and is) that people get to a point where they are comfortable with an answer / solution and stop thinking - they handicap themselves because they are unwilling to think. I don't understand it but it happened all the time in my classes.
On that note - could a genius with no college degree get a 700? Yes - a college degree is not required for a good score, especially for a genius. A genius without a college degree could get an 800.
^Off of that, for the average person, the GMAT is not easy. If you want a good score, you will have to work for it. There is a reason 700 is in the 90th percentile, the majority of people taking the test just can't cut it for basic difficulty reasons or their inability to try as stated above. I probably invested 100 hrs. in my 730 and most of the people I know consider me very intelligent (not sure if that is a good thing). Getting above a 700 is VERY hard, but not impossible if you really want it, the GMAT is everything but intuitive - that is why it is so difficult. The math is easy, the concepts are straightforward, but the way they try to mind fuck you during the test makes it challenging.
Ah, thanks for the advice. SBs for both of you. So, as a rising junior, should I start studying for the GMAT now or should I just relax and study the summer after I graduate?
That won't do you any good, you'll just forget what you already learned; 2-4 months is probably the ideal amount of study time since you don't start forgetting things you did a while ago. I'm about to start full-time and just did it during my last few months of college. My course load was light and I was able to give it a solid 3 months of attention. Now I have a 730 in my back pocket for when I apply to business school 4 years down the road.
Anyone know how long GMAT scores are viable for? Like can you apply for an MBA with a 6 year old score?
Thanks for some of the positive comments fellas. I will rewrite it once I study properly and throw my hat in the ring for the next academic year.
FYI, I didnt use the manhattan books, i just worked through the GMAT 12th edition Review, for about 2 weeks. I guess I need to put in alot more effort (obviously)
Hmmm, 4 months of intense studying huh? Did you take practice tests in between or did you just study, take it once and be done with it? I'm worried I'll get something really low, but at the same time, not really that concerned about it. It's a strange feeling.
Which practice test(s) is(are) most similar to the GMAT?
69 days actually - started the course March 3rd, ended the course April 28th, then took the test May 11th. I did all the Manhattan GMAT books cover to cover, the Manhattan GMAT 9-week online course, the entire OG 12, and the OG Archer included with the Manhattan 9-week course. As for practice tests I scored the following:
Manhattan CAT 1 - 560 - begin course Manhattan CAT 2 - 640 - mid course Manhattan CAT 3 - 700 - end course Manhattan CAT 4 - 680 - 1.5 weeks out GMAC Practice Test 1 - 680 - 1 week out Manhattan CAT 5 - 730 - 4 days out GMAT - 730 AWA 6.0
Manhattan is literally all you need, only costs 1,000 for everything, as long as you give it your all (review every missed problem religiously, and take detailed notes on everything you do) it is well worth the money.
^ had to laugh at that but on a serious side note - don't think about quitting just try harder
Blackid - Don't take it now. I have one friend who took it summer after junior year and scored a 760, but he's extraordinarily smart and his score almost expired on him before he finally went to b school (Harvard). in my experience, i think waiting helping me and my score, as i was more mature and more committed to studying after a few years of work and without the distractions that come with summer.
@ bagelbittes 5 years
Agree with that. I will say that I found that Manhattan is VERY strong on Verbal and just above average on Quant (which was reflected in my scores).
My trajectory was: CAT1: 590 CAT2: 670 CAT3: 710 CAT4: 720 CAT5: 720 Actual exam: 720
My quant was 77th percentile at CAT 2 and never got higher, whereas my verbal was 99th percentile by CAT3 and never went lower
^That's interesting yours stayed so stable, my scores fluctuated way more than that. I scored anywhere from the 77th percentile quant to the 83rd percentiile, and 93rd percentile verbal to 99th. I lucked out on test day and scored my 730 with 80th percentile quant and 95th percentile verbal - the 80/80 barrier is a bitch.
University of calgary MBA is not worth......The quality of students go there is too low. If you wnt to work and do MBA then its fine...
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