Help with a stagnant GMAT score
I have a very unusual career background. I have a tight narrative and strong essays, but my 3.5 GPA and 720 (Q45, V44) last year placed me right in the middle of the range at top ten schools, and that's really not enough for someone with an untraditional work history and no hooks. I have to compete with consultants and bankers, after all.
Some people recommend you quit at 700+, but a former, top 10 admissions officer I spoke with recommended I retake. He claimed a 730+ would make me stand out as a domestic applicant and would give me a shot at the top schools (otherwise a reach). This also seems to be verified when you look at the data for top schools, where a 730 doubles your chance of acceptance over a 720. My guess is 730+ people are placed in a different pile:
http://www.mbadataguru.com/blog/admissions/tuck-admissions-analysis/
I've submitted 4 applications so far, two in the top 10. I prepared on and off over the summer, mostly practice tests. My average for quant ranged from 46-50, my averages for verbal from 41-46. My totals ranged from 710 to a 770. But when I took the test today, I walked out again with a 720 (Q47, V41). I realize that's a great score, but it's not enough to get me into the top 10s where I applied.
Since I thought this might happen, I scheduled a second test date before taking it yesterday for late November. That will give me a chance to score higher before final decisions are made in December. But I can't waste my last chance. What can I do in the next six weeks to really improve my score so I don't have to rely on "getting lucky" on the test day? I want to walk in there confident I'll do really well and not just hope I get the right questions. Without a better score, there's a chance I won't get into any of my schools, so the pressure's on.
check out these threads
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/cold-hard-gmat-how-to-tell-if-youre… http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/how-i-got-a-770-on-the-gmat-with-mi… http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/phantombankers-gmat-study-guide http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/my-gmat-study-plan http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/760-on-gmat-game-plan
This might seem like obvious advice (forgive me if it is - I'm not assuming you've missed it) but just in case you have actually missed it, have you isolated exactly which questions are tripping you up and are you focusing on those? I'd do a few "regular" questions that you are fine with, but spend most of the six weeks literally slamming the questions that trip you out the most (if there are certain types) - this might increase your score by a couple of (raw) points, which might be all you need for the boost you want.
The trouble I have is that my mistakes are in every category. I can't isolate "geometry", for example, and work on those problems specifically. If anything, I'd say it's data sufficiency as a whole that tripped me up yesterday, but I can't know without knowing what I got wrong.
Sounds like you just need more practice overall...as your score improves it becomes harder and harder to increase your score by each 10 points. Have you done every single official GMAT problem? I read there are something like 1500 official problems, and a common theme in see in posts by top GMAT scorers (780+ in many cases) is doing every single GMAT problem available
also not sure if you've exhausted all other resources like dominate the GMAT, GMAT pill, etc., there's plenty of threads out there as well as advice. you're clearly intelligent and don't suck at test taking (given your 720), perhaps trying something new will make the difference.
It appears that you sir are doomed.
How do bankers actually find the time to study for the GMAT?
bankers and consultants actually need higher GMAT than non-traditional applicants, I wouldn't worry about a 720...as long as your non-traditional isn't code word for "shitty job"
Good luck on the GMAT. Consider early decision at Columbia.
Early decision has a higher acceptance rate than regular admission. Given your non-traditional background, I assumed you would pursue ibanking, and Columbia is right at the top with Wharton and Harvard for IB.
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