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HELP! I scored a 330 and don't know if I should apply

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Lgill
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HELP! I scored a 330 and don't know if I should apply [#permalink] New post   15 Dec 2013, 05:05
I took the GMAT yesterday and got a whopping 330. Woo hoo! (Sarcasm font). With my illustrious score, my hopes of applying in round 2 went down the drain. I'm hurt, angry, disappointed, in shock, and sad. This is another setback to add to my whole book of setbacks I've experienced throughout 2013. (I'm so over 2013). I've dreamed about going to one of the top MBA programs since I was a senior in undergrad. Besides this stupid score, I have some great things going for me. I have a 3.6 undergrad GPA, 2.5 years of work experience, I own a PR firm, and done several successful community events. (I'm sure there are other things but I can't think of anything.) What I need to decide is to apply in Round 3 or wait another year. I absolutely do not want to wait another year. I already pushed back my plans to applying this year. The thought of starting in Fall 2015 scares me. I'm ready to move on in my life. I don't want to be at my job anymore and I'm ready to move somewhere else. It's time for a change.

This is my 1st time taking the test. I know where I screwed up. I lost track of time cause I spent too much time on the first few problems in the quant section. This cause me to rush through the rest of the section to finish. Quant has never been my strong suit. I did ok on the Verbal but obviously not enough to help my score. I'm considering retaking the test in March. This gives me enough time to go through my study materials, learn the concepts, and practice. I have all 8 MGMAT books, foundations of math MGMAT book, and all the Official Guide books. I also have a subscription to EMPOWER GMAT course, which I really like for strategies and concepts.

My question is should I try to apply in Round 3 or wait to apply next year? I know even 200 point increases are rare and I need to break the 600 mark for anyone to even take a look at me. Plus round 3 is more competitive and you have to be exceptional so even a 600 range score may not cut it. The odds would be truly against me(story of my damn life!) What should I do?
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theGame001
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Re: HELP! I scored a 330 and don't know if I should apply [#permalink] New post   15 Dec 2013, 06:13
sorry to hear that. Can I ask how long did you study for? I am no expert but students with high 500s are not able to get interview calls from top mba universities.
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Lgill
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Re: HELP! I scored a 330 and don't know if I should apply [#permalink] New post   15 Dec 2013, 07:52
theGame001 wrote:
sorry to hear that. Can I ask how long did you study for? I am no expert but students with high 500s are not able to get interview calls from top mba universities.


My studying was inconsistent. I guess you can say I started in September; however I didn't get to a point until I was studying consistently until about November. Before November, I would go over some concepts for a week and then stop. I had a lot going on with a client project. Once that was over in November, I started studying everyday.
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Re: HELP! I scored a 330 and don't know if I should apply [#permalink] New post   15 Dec 2013, 08:06
Oh cr*ap. know how you feel. There's lot of opportunity to improve your score. Decide what more important. Apply now or wait to get the score you need to apply the uni's you want.

I'm studying for the GMAT and writing business school essays. Not something I would recommend.

If you had a large score drop it could be due to stress or exam anxiety. Go see your doctor to get it checked out.

You can definitely improve your maths. I would recommend changing you study approach. I needed to improve my maths and I found magoosh really helpful. I also got a maths tutor which has been really helpful. If you need to brush up on your basic maths try khan academy.

If doing an MBA is really important to do now rather than waiting a year. Check out the part time options. For uk schools I don't need to sit a GMAT. Your local schools might have something similar.

If you work on your timing it can make a big difference to your score. Small changes can make a big difference. Check out MGMAT blog posts for timing strategies. Egmat strategy webinars might also be helpful.

I recommend sitting you GMAT in may or June. Then you have three months to write essays and apply to business school in round one. You will also the chance to do research for the schools and find the ones that really suit.

Take a deep breath and take a couple of days to think everything over before you make any decisions. Good luck.

Feel free to private message me. I had to move my maths up from the 20 percentile. I've now got it to about the 50 percentile but struggle to get the score to show on test day. I have been there.

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Re: HELP! I scored a 330 and don't know if I should apply [#permalink] New post   16 Dec 2013, 10:27
Quote:
I'm studying for the GMAT and writing business school essays. Not something I would recommend.


Indeed, we would not recommend mixing GMAT with essays. The key to GMAT is focus and stamina. Sure, this involves understanding concepts - but it's more important to know how to apply the concepts in a psychologically pressured environment -- than to simply understand the concepts.

For tips on how to handle the psychological aspects of the test - think extreme postivity and build that confidence during practice. Read more here: https://www.gmatpill.com/about/studying- ... trategies/
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Re: HELP! I scored a 330 and don't know if I should apply [#permalink] New post   19 Dec 2013, 07:40
Expert Reply
Yes, if you plan to apply to schools that require the GMAT and your score falls below their averages, you may want to consider pushing it off a year, spending time studying for the GMAT and improving your score. We actually just wrote a piece for our blog that answered the question "how much should I study for the GMAT?" The #1 key is to be consistent with your studying. Check out the article here:

https://gmat.economist.com/blog/test-tak ... study-gmat

Good luck, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Regards,

Elizabeth
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Re: HELP! I scored a 330 and don't know if I should apply [#permalink] New post   20 Jan 2014, 03:11
Lgill wrote:
I took the GMAT yesterday and got a whopping 330. Woo hoo! (Sarcasm font). With my illustrious score, my hopes of applying in round 2 went down the drain. I'm hurt, angry, disappointed, in shock, and sad. This is another setback to add to my whole book of setbacks I've experienced throughout 2013. (I'm so over 2013). I've dreamed about going to one of the top MBA programs since I was a senior in undergrad. Besides this stupid score, I have some great things going for me. I have a 3.6 undergrad GPA, 2.5 years of work experience, I own a PR firm, and done several successful community events. (I'm sure there are other things but I can't think of anything.) What I need to decide is to apply in Round 3 or wait another year. I absolutely do not want to wait another year. I already pushed back my plans to applying this year. The thought of starting in Fall 2015 scares me. I'm ready to move on in my life. I don't want to be at my job anymore and I'm ready to move somewhere else. It's time for a change.

This is my 1st time taking the test. I know where I screwed up. I lost track of time cause I spent too much time on the first few problems in the quant section. This cause me to rush through the rest of the section to finish. Quant has never been my strong suit. I did ok on the Verbal but obviously not enough to help my score. I'm considering retaking the test in March. This gives me enough time to go through my study materials, learn the concepts, and practice. I have all 8 MGMAT books, foundations of math MGMAT book, and all the Official Guide books. I also have a subscription to EMPOWER GMAT course, which I really like for strategies and concepts.

My question is should I try to apply in Round 3 or wait to apply next year? I know even 200 point increases are rare and I need to break the 600 mark for anyone to even take a look at me. Plus round 3 is more competitive and you have to be exceptional so even a 600 range score may not cut it. The odds would be truly against me(story of my damn life!) What should I do?


Apart from your GMAT score, the rest of your profile looks good. You have leadership experience because you own a firm. There is no point in applying for R3 this year. If you apply for R1 next year, you'll have time to prepare for GMAT without any pressure of applications. Another advantage is that you'll have a lot of time to work on your application. A GPA of 3.6 shows that you can withstand the rigors of a business school. But even with a score of 600, you just stand an outside chance at good MBA programs.. If you are looking to target the top MBA programs, then you need to score around 700. So R1 next year will be the best option for you. Once you are done with GMAT, start working on your application and talk to alumni of your target schools and get your application verified by them .

Good Luck!
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Re: HELP! I scored a 330 and don't know if I should apply [#permalink]
20 Jan 2014, 03:11

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