GMAT 740 FIRST TRY - now what? What next....???

Please allow me to share my story. It's a bit long but worth the read, I hope.

I never thought a high score on the GMAT would leave me so conflicted. First I'll outline my prep process for everyone's benefit. Then I'll go into my background and other stats and ask for guidance from the community here.

I booked my test date 5 weeks in advance and started studying my ass off.

Materials used:

- Well, I didn't use the OG (blasphemy!) Didn't purchase it and never did a single 'real' GMAT question in my prep.
Downloaded the GMATPrep software that came with my registration, but it kept crashing so I never got to use the 2 tests.

- First three days I worked through all the strategy sections in Princeton Review Premium 2016.
My short 40-question "diagnostic" indicated I'd probably score in the 450 - 550 range. Disheartening.

- Next I ditched Princeton Review's guide and got the full Veritas course. I set a schedule, stuck to it religiously.
36 hours of classrooms and 800 out of 1000 practice problems. Completed the course in two weeks.
(I DO NOT recommend trying this. Set aside at least an entire month just for this).

- Next I took a full practice test diagnostic (should have done that first thing).
One of Princeton's. 600. Q40V34. Skipped IR and essays on all practice tests

-I hadn't been using a timer with Veritas and needed to work on my timing

- I took four more practice tests: three PR, one Veritas.
590, 660, 640 (on the Veritas), and 600 (two days before the test)

Quant was hovering around 39-41, peaking w/ the Veritas at 44.

Verbal was hovering from 30-34 with a peak of 42 (on the 660)

- the last week I crammed in 4 of the 5 Manhattan Guide books (skipped geometry).
Wanted to do the verbal stuff, ran out of time.

- day before the test didn't study, not one word. went jogging in the evening.
went to bed at 9pm woke up at 6:30 for work. very well rested.

- day of the test made sure I was very low stress, focused.
Oh, and I totally drank a red bull between Quant and Verbal. And I drank too much water.

- I had to pee really bad the entire second half of the verbal section (maybe that helped?!)
there is definitely video footage of me squeezing my crotch for the last 30 minutes of the GMAT

- My final results were very surprising. I walked in there expecting a 600, maybe 640 if I got lucky.
I almost jumped out of my seat when I saw the results:

740 (97th percentile). Q47 V45

I thought it was a typo. The proctor even poked his head in the window like, is everything ok?
I made such a strange noise from my reaction. I recoiled in disbelief from the screen.

Now, the bad news: IR score of 3. I was very distracted by the receptionist/admin woman talking very loudly during that section.
People kept walking in and out of the office area, the room wasn't soundproofed, and I could hear every conversation loud & clear.

That made it impossible to focus. I felt like filing an official complaint or something.
Plus, I didn't take a single IR practice, I always skipped it, so that's probably part of the reason I bombed it.
I'm sure I nailed the essay though, at least a 5.

I got ear buds during the break between IR & Quant. In retrospect I should've asked for them upfront. I might've gotten a 4 or 5 on IR if I had.

So yeah, that's how I got a 740 on the GMAT. I hope this helps someone improve their score. HIS OR HER score. God, SC.



NOW, as for why I'm conflicted (i.e. my background/goals in taking GMAT):

- I'm a musician. You read that right. In other words my work experience is wide, varied, and transient.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a hard worker. But I definitely have a 'story' to tell to justify why I should go to a top tier B-school.

I have a BA in English Lit from a top 10 school on the east coast with a 3.6 GPA. I'm a 31 year old male.

I've worked many different jobs: music teacher, yoga teacher, copy editor, traffic flagger, music transcriptionist, bookkeeper.
Also have toured the country several times with bands I managed and performed in.

I've lived all over the US and I even flipped a house for a profit. Currently live abroad teaching ESL at a music school.
So ya, not your typical steady work-a-day guy, I feel this might hurt my chances of getting into the Ivy's, etc.

That and my IR score of course.


- Originally I wanted to take GMAT to apply for a university here in the middle east which is accredited but has an average GMAT of 450.
That's low, but so is the tuition, and with a BA in English my salary options can only go up with an MBA.

I was planning to save up money here while teaching and studying and go back to the states in a few years with a bunch of capital and an MBA.

- I was hoping I'd break 600 to basically guarantee myself a spot in this university.
However, now that I got a 740, I'm wondering if I might set my sights a little higher…
do I even have a realistic chance at getting into these top schools?

Or is it better to be a big fish in a small pond over here? It's an oil-rich country, and I might make some wealthy connections here, despite the 450 average score...

I originally wanted to take an MBA to help me streamline my property rehabbing and investment strategies and also to get the tools I need to improve my music business prospects (e.g. event promotion, marketing, etc).

In addition to the university here, I sent my scores to Harvard, Texas A&M, and UW, just as a goof, cause I thought I'd get a 620. But it turns out I should've aimed higher. Is UC Berkeley a possibility? I'd love to go THERE. (Did I mention I'm a socialist? Throw your eggs now).

What other schools might be possible and/or a good fit for me?

I literally have no idea, I was really not expecting this high score. Now I feel like I don't want to "waste" it on a mid or low-tier school.

I don't know. Is it even worth it? For the $80k+ price tag… I mean, you make $100k+ coming out of some of these programs I've heard.

However, money's not the main reason I wanted to go to business school in the first place. I wanted to go in order to more efficiently and successfully run the businesses I was already involved in. Plus, I just miss school and love learning.

So as you can see, a 620 might have done me a lot better than this damn 740 did…. things are complicated now. I guess one could have worse problems in life.

Hey, at least I qualify for MENSA now haha

But ya that's my soap opera and I'm stickin' to it. Advice???

If you made it this far kudos, and thank you for your attention and your advice, I love you.