Can a slacker get a high GMAT score?

Good luck!
Sounds like you may need to change your study habits a bit and put some hard work. So, a slacker probably could not get a 700+ score, but a hard worker could easily do it

Keep in mind that 700+ scores are the top 10 percentile, so you have to be better than 90% of the other test takers

You should probably take some personable responsibility. You did bad on the SAT because your parents ONLY spent $900 dollars!?!?! You probably did bad on the SAT because you were a slacker. My parents didnt spend any money on courses for the SATs.

With that said, I think that a slacker can get as good a gmat score as a 4.0 student but they can't slack off during their studying. You don't have to be a genius and be super motivated in everything in your life. But you do have to be able to stay motivated for the gmat for 2-5 months.

I was a slacker in high school and then stepped up in college. It sounds like your problem is similar to mine, you are just a slacker. You just have to motivate yourself. Sounds like you have some big goals, so just keep those goals in mind throughout studying to keep yourself motivated.

You probably don't need expensive courses and private tutors, like you think you needed for the SAT. However anyway to keep yourself motivated could be considered.

Just remember that the gmat tests a broad base of basic skills that most of us have forgotton anyways. So, the best scorers are probably the most motivated students and not necessarily the genius or "more exposed" students. Im going to a third tier college and was a B student in high school and I just got a 660 in a practice CAT. So a slacker, who isn't shelling out his or his parent's cash for courses or tutors or the most prestigous universities can get 650+. Also it is your job to keep yourself motivated, and money isn't going to necessarily do that- as you well know from your parent's $900. Good luck!

Great post testday!! +1 for you & welcome to gmat club!

hey man. you and i are in the same boat. graduated from a tier 3 university - biggest one in virginia - that should give you a pretty big clue haha. but yeah, i wasn't too serious in high school or for the first 2 years of college either. however my last two years i've began picking things up and good things do come to people who work hard. I'm actually still preparing for the gmat after graduating back in may and have improved 100+ points!

Now with that said, here's the harsh part. People like us, tier 3 university undergraduate graduates with a lower gpa will have a much harder time getting into some ivy league schools - hands down - because there are too many "dents in your armor" is what they told me. Which roughly translate to having too many flaws and holes in your application. Why should they pick you when they have access to other students whom worked hard, got better grades, and "wants" it more than you - especially since you don't have anything to prove that you want it as badly.

Now, that's not to say that your life is written in stones. Just means you have to work 10x harder than those around you for the next x years to climb out of the whole. And rest assure, there's a lot of folks that are in the same boat. Folks on this forum makes it looks like 700+ is a cake (as every other day someone posts up a debrief about 700+ scores...sometimes i wonder if they're for real or not) but in reality, it is an immense achievement.

I would recommend you to talk to some of the folks at the universities you are trying to apply to and see what they are willing to work with you. Some of them will turn you down straight up - and that's ok. I've talked to several universities that's told me that even if i score a 800 they still won't take me. Better to learn that now then later - while some other universities are more eager to work with me and see what they can do to help.

When you generalize, slackers (heck even the normal test takers) will find it hard to get a good score. However the amount of effort does not always transform into a good score.

When it comes to seeing all of the high scores in the debriefs, you have to remember that it is a very skewed sample. Those that score poorly are unlikely to post their results. While it may seem that 75% of the posters score 730+ only 10% of the test takers actually do. Also, since you've already found this site you're already moving in the right direction. I've been lurking for a while and finally started to buckle down and study for the GMAT.

What I did wrong (for me) at first was to buy a few books and just read through different parts of them. This unfortunately meant I wasn't focused while studying and was just spinning my wheels. Life then got in the way and now i'm circling back to take the exam. I decided to sign-up for a class (3 weeks in) and am now focused and driven to take the test in the next 8 weeks. I'm currently averaging around 15 hours of study per week and have made considerable progress. It doesn't take a genius to score well on the GMAT, it takes hard work, smart studying, and dicipline.

Best of luck on getting accepted to one of your top choices.

Sorry for replying late. Hussain1, you are an inspiration of a true worker in this very competitive world. I read your post on your success story and I admired it. You showed that even a person who came from other fields, through hard work, people can achieve much through hard work and never doubt yourself in your current position.

Being young and having low self-esteem can make person less mobile, but the advice of someone who had a tougher situation makes me act otherwise.

For now, I am going to refresh my basics in reading and math after getting the right books.