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13 Sep 2010, 12:42
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My background:
State School majored in Econ GPA 3.5, 3.9 in major
AA Male
25 yo
Industry: Car Insurance
After months of preparation I took the GMAT on June 26th at 8am. I did very few OG practice problems and took 5 practice tests. I studied pretty much the same way that I did in undergrad. I also outlined ever Manhattan GMAT book thoroughly and then read over my outlines 3 or 4 times. The last practice test that I took with MGMAT was on June 25th and I got a 690. I was well pleased with that and I heard that I should just relax before the test so I did.
When I took the test I was happy go lucky. I was always much stronger in the verbal than I was in the Quant despite my Econ undergrad (3.5 gpa and 3.9 in my major). Unfortunately, this caught up with me and I got a 39 Verbal (87th percentile) and a 42 Quant (61st percentile I think). This came out to a 660 which put me in the 81st percentile overall. When I talked to a wonderfully polite and astute admissions counselor from Tuck (my first choice among Consortium schools… it’s an amazing program and a brother wants to graduate with as little debt as possible) I told her my score and the breakout. She said that while a 660 is a decent score if I applied to the program with that quant score they would be concerned about whether or not I could handle the curriculum. Good thing that even before we had that conversation I enrolled myself into a MGMAT course (I figured that I’d missed stuff and could use the structure).
Well, I took the course and it was wonderful. The GMAT club discount came in very handy. I focused all of my time on the quant homework. I did almost no verbal. I even dropped community service activities in order to complete the practice problems. I took the very last MGMAT practice test and got a 690 when the class was done. I guess that’s my natural aptitude limit for MGMAT practice tests.
I retook the test last Saturday at 4pm. Because I live in the country, the nearest testing centers are 1.5 hours away in opposite directions. I decided to go toward DC. I studied the whole day. When I took the test I felt much more prepared for the quant. I saw significantly harder problems this time so I was happy with a 45. Oh but being rusty on the verbal came around and bit me in the hind parts. The first verbal question was a sentence correction question and though normally I would have clobbered it, this time I was so mentally tired and unprepared that I think I missed it. By the end of the test I think I got my swagger back but I screwed myself over. I got a 35, the 72nd or 73rd percentile. Of all of the practice tests I’d taken, the only one that I was ever got below the 80th percentile on the verbal portion was the one that I started at 1 in the morning.
Yeah well whatever. I did my best and it is well with my soul. I’m going to fully concentrate on my essays and recommendations from here on out. I’m going to strategically position my candidacy since I believe that I’m pretty rare among applicants and would definitely help the diversity of the class that I go to. I don’t simply mean diversity because of my race because that doesn’t necessarily equate to diversity. I mean diversity in the sense of things like my industry (car insurance.. who really comes from car insurance?), my functions in that industry (Product Mgmt, Planning, and Marketing), my life experiences (I’m from the same town as Michael Vick and Allen Iverson; athletics were definitely emphasized over academics so I bucked the trend), and my post MBA goals (to become a corporate officer at my current company after I move up the management ranks). If I market myself right then I think I can leave a distinct and memorable footprint in the hearts and minds of admissions committees even if my GMAT is lower than I’d like. I hope that I didn’t type your head off. We’ll see where I get in with my 660.
State School majored in Econ GPA 3.5, 3.9 in major
AA Male
25 yo
Industry: Car Insurance
After months of preparation I took the GMAT on June 26th at 8am. I did very few OG practice problems and took 5 practice tests. I studied pretty much the same way that I did in undergrad. I also outlined ever Manhattan GMAT book thoroughly and then read over my outlines 3 or 4 times. The last practice test that I took with MGMAT was on June 25th and I got a 690. I was well pleased with that and I heard that I should just relax before the test so I did.
When I took the test I was happy go lucky. I was always much stronger in the verbal than I was in the Quant despite my Econ undergrad (3.5 gpa and 3.9 in my major). Unfortunately, this caught up with me and I got a 39 Verbal (87th percentile) and a 42 Quant (61st percentile I think). This came out to a 660 which put me in the 81st percentile overall. When I talked to a wonderfully polite and astute admissions counselor from Tuck (my first choice among Consortium schools… it’s an amazing program and a brother wants to graduate with as little debt as possible) I told her my score and the breakout. She said that while a 660 is a decent score if I applied to the program with that quant score they would be concerned about whether or not I could handle the curriculum. Good thing that even before we had that conversation I enrolled myself into a MGMAT course (I figured that I’d missed stuff and could use the structure).
Well, I took the course and it was wonderful. The GMAT club discount came in very handy. I focused all of my time on the quant homework. I did almost no verbal. I even dropped community service activities in order to complete the practice problems. I took the very last MGMAT practice test and got a 690 when the class was done. I guess that’s my natural aptitude limit for MGMAT practice tests.
I retook the test last Saturday at 4pm. Because I live in the country, the nearest testing centers are 1.5 hours away in opposite directions. I decided to go toward DC. I studied the whole day. When I took the test I felt much more prepared for the quant. I saw significantly harder problems this time so I was happy with a 45. Oh but being rusty on the verbal came around and bit me in the hind parts. The first verbal question was a sentence correction question and though normally I would have clobbered it, this time I was so mentally tired and unprepared that I think I missed it. By the end of the test I think I got my swagger back but I screwed myself over. I got a 35, the 72nd or 73rd percentile. Of all of the practice tests I’d taken, the only one that I was ever got below the 80th percentile on the verbal portion was the one that I started at 1 in the morning.
Yeah well whatever. I did my best and it is well with my soul. I’m going to fully concentrate on my essays and recommendations from here on out. I’m going to strategically position my candidacy since I believe that I’m pretty rare among applicants and would definitely help the diversity of the class that I go to. I don’t simply mean diversity because of my race because that doesn’t necessarily equate to diversity. I mean diversity in the sense of things like my industry (car insurance.. who really comes from car insurance?), my functions in that industry (Product Mgmt, Planning, and Marketing), my life experiences (I’m from the same town as Michael Vick and Allen Iverson; athletics were definitely emphasized over academics so I bucked the trend), and my post MBA goals (to become a corporate officer at my current company after I move up the management ranks). If I market myself right then I think I can leave a distinct and memorable footprint in the hearts and minds of admissions committees even if my GMAT is lower than I’d like. I hope that I didn’t type your head off. We’ll see where I get in with my 660.
13 Sep 2010, 14:23
Kudos
Bookmarks
god luck on the rest of the app! glad you are moving forward and have accepted the score.
13 Sep 2010, 15:18
Kudos
Bookmarks
Sorry to hear it didn't meet your expectations, but it does sound like you've got a good angle on things. You might still adjust down a little bit (e.g. remove Stanford and replace with another Darden-esque school like Cornell or CMU). It sounds like being below average isn't necessarily a deal breaker with your background (both racial and work diversity), but it couldn't hurt to have another great school that's a bit closer.
Overall though, it sounds like it's a shame you don't have another month to do a third GMAT because your situation sounds like you'd have a huge chance of upping your score on a third try. Still, who can complain if you get into one of those schools?
Overall though, it sounds like it's a shame you don't have another month to do a third GMAT because your situation sounds like you'd have a huge chance of upping your score on a third try. Still, who can complain if you get into one of those schools?
