from 520 to 650 for a Master in Finance in ESADE.

Question

Hi there,

I would like your advice on what to do after scoring a 520 in my first diagnosis test without studying a bit.

I am preparing by myself, I am from Spain and I scored a 7 in IR and a 30 in the verbal but I scored poorly in the Q part with a 31. I need a 650 and I only have a month to prepare. That is a 35/36 in the verbal and a 47 or so in the Q part, correct?

I am not working, I have every morning from now to the day of the exam free to prepare.

Doable? I would like to get into ESADE's Master in Finance, they required a 650 but I find pretty difficult to believe that they require this score for a pre-experience Master degree. Does anybody here had a prior experience where they were required a high score for a pre-experience Master degree?

Best!
Alejandro

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Alejandro,

You bring up a number of different subjects, so I'm hoping that you can provide a bit more information about your timeline and goals. To start, there are a variety of score 'combinations' that will get you to a 650+, but they all include a strong performance in the Quant section, the Verbal section or both.

1) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on the CAT in which you scored 520?
2) Why do you have just 1 month to study? I ask because many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores. Limiting yourself to just 1 month of study will almost certainly limit how high you could score on the GMAT.

Since you have admissions questions about a specific School, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

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

alexbarranco · Answer

Rich,

Thank you for your quick respond.

1)
I scored:

7 in Integrated Reasoning which is in the 81%

31 in the Quant section which is in the 26%

30 in the Verbal which is in the 58%

520 I believe is in the 35%?

2)
I only have a month because it's the deadline to submit your application for most schools here in Europe.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Alejandro,

1) What is your EXACT Test Date?
 
I ask because raising your score 130+ points in "about" a month will be challenging, so it's important to be efficient with your studies. In that same way...

2) What is the exact application deadline(s) that you're facing?

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

alexbarranco · Answer

1) May 3rd. Take into account that I studied 0 for the diagnosis test. I don't know if it matters but I am guessing that it also depends on how fast you learn.

2) There is no exact deadline. Whenever the class is full they stop getting applications. It is normally around May when they fill all the spots but "officially" you have until June. This is another uncertainty that I am facing, of course.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Alejandro,

With your current Test Date, you only have about 5 weeks of study time remaining. Since you're interested in a Masters in Finance Program, I have a few questions about the School you're interested in:

1) Does that Program expect you to score at a certain level in the Quant section?
2) When you say that you "need" a 650+, is that because the average score for that Program is 650?

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

alexbarranco · Answer

Dear Rich,

To answer both questions I need to explain my background first. I am doing a international dual degree. I spent two years in the US and two in Spain studying. At the end of this year, I will receive the Juris Doctor from Stetson Law and the law degree from Granada, Spain.

So.. a lot of law. I demonstrated my passion for finance to the admissions team but they said "you need to demonstrate you are good at this, so take the gmat and score at least a 650" which is the average score. They did not specified the Quant score but I am guessing it has to be good enough for a 650? Maybe they know that you need at least a specific score in the Quant section to score a 650 and that would be good enough to do the master.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Alejandro,

There are a variety of different score 'combinations' that will total 650, but since we're discussing a Finance Program, it's likely that the Admissions Officers at this Program would expect you to score at a certain level in the Quant section (and scoring 'too low' might make them question if you will be able to handle the schooling). As such, you might want to reach out to the School directly (contact the Admissions Office) and ask about the Program's "recommended" score goal (and specifically for the Quant section).

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

alexbarranco · Answer

Rich,

I just checked the charts.

We could say 46-47 it's the minimum score in the Quant section. Just to try to get to an answer to whether I should do the investment on this knowing every you know now.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Alejandro,

While I agree that a Q47/V35 (give or take) would probably get you around a 650, your initial Verbal Scaled Score was stronger (relatively speaking) than your Quant Scaled Score. As such, you COULD still score 650 with a higher Verbal and a lower Quant. However, since you're interested in a FINANCE Program, that Program might expect a stronger Quant performance out of its applicants, which is why I suggested that you contact the Program and ask.

I still think that 5 weeks will be a bit challenging to get up to 650. Given what you've described about how admissions are handled for this particular Program, you could study as much as you can, then take the GMAT... and if you don't score high enough, study and retest and still have a chance at making the end application deadline (whenever it is).

1) How many hours do you think you can study each week?

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

alexbarranco · Answer

Hi Rich,

I will have basically 6/7 mornings per week so.. 4ish hours per day during the week and 9-10 hours on the weekend which is around 4 hours x 4 week days x 4 weeks + 10 hours weekend x 4 weeks= 104 minimum because there is more than 4 weeks between now and the exam date.

I agree with you in one thing. I should just study like crazy and take the exam. But the thing is that I do not have that much money to spend on this knowing that I am most likely leaving my home town again after two years in the US (Im from Spain) and well, the thought of needing to retake the exam and spending $250 more..

I actually believe that I can do it. I was never afraid of math, I actually like them and studied them until I started studying law. Even while studying in law school I still studied corporate finance and fundamental analysis by myself (Basic though) so.. it is just a matter of whether is doable or not with the hours of study I have and the score the require. (I just sent them an email asking about the Q score required ).

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Alejandro,

I actually do NOT recommend that you study a lot in a short period of time, take the GMAT and then re-take it later... but I think that that is the 'path' that you're on. I mentioned it to say that while you COULD continue studying in that fashion, you would likely be better served by planning for a longer study schedule (since you're likely to end up studying longer anyway) - in that way, you would be less likely to 'burn out' by studying so much so quickly and you would likely save some money (by possibly NOT having to take the GMAT more than once).

While you certainly can get a lot done in the 100+ hours that you think you have available, the process of honing GMAT 'skills' has a lot to do with having the necessary overall time to properly absorb all of the material. As an example, you'd likely score better by studying 100 hours over the course of 1.5 months than by studying 100 hours in 20 days.

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

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