Disaster! - Should i still pursue mba ?

Question

Just came out of GMAT.
After almost 1 year working hard, maybe 1000 hours studied, at least 4000-5000 exercises done it, I started to do the practice test of gmat prep and veritas in the beggining of december.
Well, after 7 tests Veritas with average 590-670 and 4 gmat prep practice test(+exam pack1) 640-680 , I went this morning expecting a miracle to reach 700.
The least I got was 590 in veritas, (one day i did the test at midnight!) and the maximum 680 (on gmat prep)
Never reached 700, so I was counting on it.
My surprise when I finished, 520!Q35V27! 
Ridiculous, just lost the all year. 
And about my data:
age: 30years
brazilian
GPA 2.52 (worked integral job 8h/day for the 5 years, so i could not focus on university)
Experience; 1 year in a startup payment industry in Brazil (field sales), 2 years as project manager in Sudan (managing over 700 employees, ethiopians, sudaneses,brazilians, among war, conflicts, etc.. maybe my best story), 1,5 year as trainee in a multinational, and 1 year in a ex-mit and ex-harvard startup (i was the first employee) today startup valuations up 10mm. (plus 2 year intern (in brazil before they change the legislation we were doing 8h/day for internship)
Extra activities: 8 months in Malawi as volunteer working for HIV project, 4 months in north of south africa for same project, 6 months in Saint Vicent and Granadines (caribbean) with the same organizations and 7 months in Morocco learning french.

I sincerely would like to know if i have chances to get a top10 school. And honestely i am completely chocked with this 520 i dont know even from where to start to plan myself.
Thanks in advance for your time and considerations in reading this text.

gmatFalcon · Answer

You should follow your passion 
MBA is a great degree to build and enhance leadership skills.

Sent from my iPhone using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi felipelevigurgel,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. When these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day. If you can answer a few questions, then we should be able to figure this out:

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as when you took your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE (re: in an online forum or in a practice set)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

felipelevigurgel · Answer

gmatFalcon , do you think i do have a chance?

felipelevigurgel · Answer

Hi empowergmat.

I did read many of your posts, so i was training exactly as i was supposed to do at real gmat.
i dont know what to do, what happened.

jkolachi · Answer

Hello 30 year old Brazillian guy. I am sorry to hear about your GMAT experience. First let me commend you on all the hard work you put in. 1 year, 1000 hours studied is very very impressive. Let me say that I envy your dedication and commitment to your goals. No matter what you score in GMAT, I can assure you that if you continue to put in that level of effort, you will succeed in whatever you wish to pursue.

First, let me say that you have the raw potential to score 700+. You've got the grit and determination but I wonder if you choose to invest the time wisely. That is more of a strategical question. After you lose a battle or suffer a setback, its always best to gather your advisors/Generals to evaluate the battle plan and strategy. I think you need to spend 2-3 weeks doing that. Evaluate your gameplan and find out what exactly went wrong. 2nd I want you to make a new, solid, bullet-proof gameplan that is sure to succeed. learn from all the mistakes yo made and make sure you don't make those mistakes again. Incorporate all the learnings into the new gameplan.

If you've already invested 1 year of your life, think about it. If you give up then thats 1 year of your life wasted. But if you continue perhaps it takes another 6 months but you will succeed and that 1 year will be converted into an Investment. So think hard and carefully about how to turn this setback into a win. GMAT is not a test of intelligence so I would say that if you get back in the game and make a good plan then you can conquer the GMAT.

I would recommend going over  GMATNinja  's posts. Go over Ron's Thursday videos. Maybe get some tutoring from GMATNinja or read his articles. Whatever it takes to get over the hump. Maybe sign up for GMATCLub tests. Read some inspiration debriefs to see how other people got past obstacles. One thing I can guarantee you is that if you commit yourself 100% to getting a 700+ then you will accomplish your goal no matter what happens.

Do not let this one setback define your MBA journey. Take control of this situation and knock this thing out of the park.

Good Luck!

adkikani · Answer

felipelevigurgel

See if  this post helps. I would also request you to get an ESR and post on forum to get expert's reviews on the same.

All the best!

stonecold · Answer

Not to demotivate you or anything,but have you looked at the GRE?

Some students do well on the GRE some on the GMAT.
I have a feeling you might excel at taking the GRE.
Take in a practise test.See where you stand.

Remember a 315 GRE would sound much more dope than a 620-640 GMAT.
IF you certain about the GMAT -> Remember everyone struggles at first.You have the grit to get to a 700+
Hang in there my friend.
Look at the advice some of the GMAT-killers have posted above.

Best
Stone Cold

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi felipelevigurgel,

For anyone here to properly advise you on how to proceed with your studies, you're going to have to provide a lot more information on the work that you've done so far - and that will require that you answer the questions that are asked. The GMAT is a remarkably consistent and predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. That having been said, there were likely a number of factors that led to this 520 - and we need to define them all (and 'fix' whatever needs fixing) before you will be able to hit your Score Goal.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

gmatFalcon · Answer

I found this top MBA tour and signed up to attend an event and asked questions Check if there will be event near your area. https://www.topmba.com/events/qs-world-mba-tour

HanoiGMATtutor · Answer

Thank you for sharing your story, and sorry to hear you got a disappointing score. Many of us have been where you are now before, so you are not alone. As other posters have pointed out, you should take this opportunity to re-evaluate your approach and keep following your goals. There are many resources to help you achieve your goals.

Now to the brutally honest truth. You did this very wrong. Spending 1,000 hours on this exam is excessive. Practicing 4,000-5,000 questions is beyond excessive. I don't know how much you value your time, but remember that time is money. Those 1,000 hours can amount to tens of thousands of dollars. If you had come to this forum and told us you were planning to practice 5,000 questions over 1,000 hours of studying, most of us would have told you that's an insane plan.

And more importantly, your approach did not produce the desired result. Did you get personal help from someone? A tutor, or even just someone that has already taken the exam, can share with you a lot of insights about how to approach questions, how to plan your studies, how to simulate testing conditions, and how to best measure your progress and gauge your readiness. Not everyone is great with studying on their own.

Your work experience is amazing. You deserve to get into a good program. Keep your chin up and study again. Please do yourself a favor and get help from someone you trust. Study the right way this time, and you'll get there. Hope to hear good news from you in 2018!

felipelevigurgel · Answer

Hello guys!
I just got my head back to start to think over gmat, and what should i do.
I will tell everything I did, and i just hope i can see a way out of it.
I started at february, first error, i bought too many materials: magoosh, "a brazilian matematician course", Gmat Official Guide, and i was going nowhere.
So i bough MGMAT, and still was going nowhere. I need something like a roadmap, i guide, or something to show from where to start until where to end.
So in june i started private classes with 2 professors. I left all the materials, and focus only on the professors i hired. One for verbal, other for math.1 class for week and hundreds of homework to di.
Well, did not work out, and i spent all my economies on private classes, consultants for applying mba, materials, and even i left my last job on october to full study for gmat.
So when, i saw the 520, it was close to a colapse I threw it away everything I had, a job, a good ammount of money, for nothing.

I bough the ESR and it is attached.
I am sorry guys I did not answer before, I was not just ready to face again this, I was really really upset.
And i'm so thankful that you guys answered and send some helpful messages.

So right now, i have as materials.
MGMAT books
8 veritas prep tests
gmat prep test 4 tests (extra exam pack)
1 official guide
maybe 10 books from the english verbal teacher
and 5 books from math teacher.

Attached is my ESR, what should I do?

HannibalLecter · Answer

Sorry to hear about it. But 520 is not a bad score for the first attempt. My advice is to go for one more attempt. But yes, try to check the mistakes you are doing.

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Disaster! - Should i still pursue mba ?

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