Devastated yet hopeful?

Question

Hi,

I gave my real GMAT today and scored a mere 640 - Q44/V33(lower than any of my GMAT practice tests. )

I wanted to apply for R2 in Darden, ISB, Rotman and Queens. Do you think if I support my App with strong essays, I stand a chance at any of these universities?

Profile 
GMAT score - 640
Female,Indian
B.Tech (7.8/10) 
Electronics and Communication Engineer
6 years Work-experience 
Working for world's topmost Telecom equipment provider company
Onsite experience of around 3 years (in 7 different countries in total, mainly Middle-east and South east Asia)
Currently working as Pre-sales Engineer in same company (Youngest member in the team)
Extra-curricular - Above average

Post MBA goal - MBB consulting

Any hopes for me this year or should I retake GMAT?

Thanks.

Sent from my iPhone using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

MG4MBACrystalBall · Answer

Consider the following points hsambiguity:
 
  Your work profile, especially the fact that you have transitioned (?) into pre-sales sounds pretty good. The international experience will add oodles of weight to it. This is clearly your spike area.  
  The GMAT will be a BIG hurdle even then I am afraid. Not directly relevant, but read  this . International adcoms have come to have almost ridiculously high expectations from the Indian applicant pool on the GMAT bit. So ideally you'd have to start working on your apps together with the GMAT prep - tough I know, but possible. 
  Finally, it'll be important to understand what's behind that 'above average' rating on ECs.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers,

VantagePointMBA · Answer

Hi there,

I know this is not the answer you want to hear but yes, I do suggest re-taking the GMAT for a couple of reasons. 
1) You scored  lower  than your practice tests. So unless your practice tests were inaccurate, you already know you have it in you to do better. So there shouldn't be that much more leg work on your part to re-take it and obtain a better score. You could also do a hail mary attempt at the GRE and see if that lands you in a better place in the short-term. 
2) Besides your total score, your quant score in concerning, particularly given your engineering background. Remember who you're competing against in the applicant pool - engineers from India tend to have high quant scores across the board.

Your work experience is solid, including a breadth of international experience, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be enough to offset a score so far outside the average for your target schools. I know it's painful to consider a re-take but it'll be short-lived in the long-run with a high stakes payoff.

Good luck to you!

Best,
Melody

hsambiguity · Answer

Thanks Melody and Manish for your reply. Very Helpful and realistic! I am planning to take another shot at GMAT before R2 deadlines along with working on my Apps.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

MBB requires a 700 + if you're at a top 10 school, and 720 + if you're at a top 20 School. You might look into the GRE if you think that might be a better fit for you.

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA
Admissions Consultant & Verbal Strategist MBAPrepCoach.com

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

You're going to need to re-take the GMAT, your score will really hinder you when applying. Also, it seems you can probably score higher given your performance on your practice tests

hsambiguity · Answer

Thanks for replying Farrell and VeritasPrepDozie, retaking my gmat after a month. *Fingers crossed*

StratusDonna · Answer

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Please let us know how things shake out with your GMAT. Rooting for you!

tugbuck · Answer

I'm afraid GMAT is "THE" first things schools consider (Do not blindly believe the "holistic mumble jumble"), mostly when it comes to profiles from India and other parts of Asia.
We saw that you are retaking the GMAT and wish you all the very best!

Please feel free to get in touch with us.

Devastated yet hopeful?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards