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Should I take the GMAT now?

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ry
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Should I take the GMAT now? [#permalink] New post   25 Jan 2011, 11:09
I am hoping to apply to business school 4-5 years from now. I have a really low undergrad gpa and less than 3 years of work experience. What are some things that I can work on right now to make me a stellar candidate by the time I apply?

I am planning on returning to school for a graduate program in Economics this fall. I'd like to try to take the GMATs before then, but how would taking the GMATs now rather than before applying to bschool look?
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Re: Should I take the GMAT now? [#permalink] New post   25 Jan 2011, 12:04
I don't think it looks positive or negative, the score is the score. I think it'll be easier to get a good score sooner rather than later, since most of the math is actually high-school level content. The longer you wait, the more time you may need to refresh yourself. The danger is if it takes you more than 4-5 years to apply to an MBA program, your score will expire.

Low GPA = build alternate transcript, so focus on doing exceptionally well in your economics program.
Do some community service for something important to you; take leadership positions if you can.
Maybe take a stab at a few entrepreneurial ideas.
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Re: Should I take the GMAT now? [#permalink] New post   25 Jan 2011, 12:24
hey there, ry,

I want to chime in and let you know some important changes to the GMAT. If you decide to take it now and "settle" with a score, know that by June 4 of 2012, the GMAT is going to get a makeover. What does this mean? Well, it's going to be different. How different? I don't think anyone can tell you that yet (but you can google some of the changes to see it). My point is that if you're scoring a 750 right now, I'd go ahead and take it. However, if you score a score that you're happy with right now (i.e. 660), but ultimately decide to retake it later on, the test is going to be dramatically different. This means that all the preparation you had put in would be "semi-wasted". In addition to the dramatic shift in GMAT testing in 2012, keep in mind that your score is good for only 5 years. If you're planning to apply in 4 or 5 years, you may be pushing yourself to the limit. What happens if you don't get in in 4 or 5 years? Your test would be voided once it passes the 5-year date. Anyway, you should keep all of these in the back of your head when you make your decision.

Cheers! :-D
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Re: Should I take the GMAT now? [#permalink] New post   25 Jan 2011, 12:56
Thanks for the advice. That is really good to know.

bakfed wrote:
hey there, ry,

I want to chime in and let you know some important changes to the GMAT. If you decide to take it now and "settle" with a score, know that by June 4 of 2012, the GMAT is going to get a makeover. What does this mean? Well, it's going to be different. How different? I don't think anyone can tell you that yet (but you can google some of the changes to see it). My point is that if you're scoring a 750 right now, I'd go ahead and take it. However, if you score a score that you're happy with right now (i.e. 660), but ultimately decide to retake it later on, the test is going to be dramatically different. This means that all the preparation you had put in would be "semi-wasted". In addition to the dramatic shift in GMAT testing in 2012, keep in mind that your score is good for only 5 years. If you're planning to apply in 4 or 5 years, you may be pushing yourself to the limit. What happens if you don't get in in 4 or 5 years? Your test would be voided once it passes the 5-year date. Anyway, you should keep all of these in the back of your head when you make your decision.

Cheers! :-D
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Re: Should I take the GMAT now? [#permalink]
25 Jan 2011, 12:56

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