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Apr 2610:00 AM EDT
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Apr 2808:00 AM PDT
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Whether you are just beginning your MBA journey or fine-tuning your path to a 700+ score, GMAT Day is designed to give you a competitive edge.
18 Feb 2024, 09:12
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There are some understated but important pointers that I wish I had known during my GMAT preparation. (The score below is according to the old format. Please adjust them as per the new format. AFAIK, A score of 655 in the new format is equivalent to 700 of the old.)
I decided in April 2023 that it was time for me to do more career-wise and started researching the MBA programs. I realized the applications for the 1 year MBA programs in India would be out in July/August. This meant I had only 2-3 months to prepare and score above 700 to have a chance at getting through the college of my choice. Time was of the essence as I undertook this journey while handling a full-time ‘work from office’ job, which involved visiting various clients and long commutation. Therefore, I stopped all my research on colleges and started the GMAT prep. I wrote a free mock from a non-official site (I wish I remembered which) and without studying, scored around 600. So I knew my starting point and I realized I had forgotten some of the basic Mathematical concepts from statistics and geometry. And my performance in Verbal was abysmal. I spent most of my time on improving my performance in Verbal and after a month of studying from the official sources and GMATCLUB, I started scoring around 650 in the official mocks and I hit a 700 in June 2023. I booked my exam for July 12th. This was the time when I should have focused on solving advanced questions, but my preparation was interrupted because now I had to renew my expired passport. Yes, we require a passport to write the GMAT.
Pointer 1- Ensure you have a passport and it is not expired. Start with the process of renewal/fresh passport early on so that your studies are not interrupted. I am assuming most of us are full-time working professionals and there are only so many things we can focus on at a time.
Mid June, I bought all the official mocks and unfortunately, was scoring below 700 again. I knew the reason was not a lack of conceptual knowledge but the fact that I was not focused enough, resulting in sub-par comprehension skills. So I did what I knew the best method to regain focus- meditate. (I practice Vipassana meditation). And voila! I scored around 750 in some of the mocks.
Pointer 2- Sometimes, the key to getting a good score is not studying more, but understanding what you have already studied. Therefore, frequent breaks to clear mind through meditation or any other activity that rests your mind, are very helpful. (Examples could be- mindless driving, painting, Jigsaw puzzles, singing at the top of your lungs, and more)
It was July 12th and my first attempt at scoring decent marks to get through my college of choice. I am used to reading in smaller font size- on my laptop and my phone. But the computers at the exam center are huge, and font size- so huge that I wasn’t able to comprehend the first few questions. I had to reread everything multiple times. It definitely affected my performance in Quant but majorly in Verbal. Additionally, it was colder than I am used to, but I was carrying a light stole which helped me a bit. My final score was 710 (Q49, V37, IR 5, AWA 4).
Pointer 3- I suggest reading some material in a huge font size to rewire your brain and take at least one test on a big computer. The font size is comparable with a word document paragraph of font size 11, zoomed to 200% level.
Pointer 4- Please wear warm clothes if you are not used to lower temperatures. Or carry a light jacket to adjust according to the set temperature at the exam center.
Since the new version of GMAT doesn’t include separate IR or AWA, I am skipping the pointers there.
My next doubt was, is my score good enough or shall I retake the exam. I had asked this doubt on gmatclub and received a mixed response. After going through the whole process, here are some very important points to consider while making a decision.
Pointer 5- A score of 710 reassures the admissions committee that you are STILL in the ‘study mode’, but your GPA notifies them of your ‘study level’. So if you have a low GPA, please aim for 740-750, especially if you are an Indian and want to get through a top-tier international college. But if your undergrad GPA is good (more than 7.5/10), 710 is a decent score.
Pointer 6- If you are aiming for a scholarship, please aim for a higher score, as it increases your chance of securing a scholarship. With a score of 710, you might get through a college, but you might not make the best case for securing a scholarship, especially if combined with a low GPA.
Pointer 7- Many claim that a lot of people with a score of 770 are unable to get through the admissions process and suggest working on the application with a score of 710 rather than retaking the GMAT. This is mainly due to issues during the interviews as they might come off as arrogant and too proud of their GMAT score. So even if you score above 750, please stay humble. And for the above two reasons, if applicable to you, do consider retaking the GMAT.
As age and time were not on my side, I applied to colleges with a score of 710 and as applications took most of my time, I neither studied nor retook the exam. (Also factor in my stinginess, because the GMAT exam costs a lot)
Next, I will write about my application journey and interview experiences. If you wish to talk to me, please find me on my Linkedin (Name- Prarabdha Nandeshwar). I may not use GMATclub as often anymore as I am done my admissions cycle.
PS: A lot of information/resources are already available on GMATCLUB and the GMAT official website, do treat them as your GO-TO resources, because they really are!
All the best!
Posted from my mobile device
I decided in April 2023 that it was time for me to do more career-wise and started researching the MBA programs. I realized the applications for the 1 year MBA programs in India would be out in July/August. This meant I had only 2-3 months to prepare and score above 700 to have a chance at getting through the college of my choice. Time was of the essence as I undertook this journey while handling a full-time ‘work from office’ job, which involved visiting various clients and long commutation. Therefore, I stopped all my research on colleges and started the GMAT prep. I wrote a free mock from a non-official site (I wish I remembered which) and without studying, scored around 600. So I knew my starting point and I realized I had forgotten some of the basic Mathematical concepts from statistics and geometry. And my performance in Verbal was abysmal. I spent most of my time on improving my performance in Verbal and after a month of studying from the official sources and GMATCLUB, I started scoring around 650 in the official mocks and I hit a 700 in June 2023. I booked my exam for July 12th. This was the time when I should have focused on solving advanced questions, but my preparation was interrupted because now I had to renew my expired passport. Yes, we require a passport to write the GMAT.
Pointer 1- Ensure you have a passport and it is not expired. Start with the process of renewal/fresh passport early on so that your studies are not interrupted. I am assuming most of us are full-time working professionals and there are only so many things we can focus on at a time.
Mid June, I bought all the official mocks and unfortunately, was scoring below 700 again. I knew the reason was not a lack of conceptual knowledge but the fact that I was not focused enough, resulting in sub-par comprehension skills. So I did what I knew the best method to regain focus- meditate. (I practice Vipassana meditation). And voila! I scored around 750 in some of the mocks.
Pointer 2- Sometimes, the key to getting a good score is not studying more, but understanding what you have already studied. Therefore, frequent breaks to clear mind through meditation or any other activity that rests your mind, are very helpful. (Examples could be- mindless driving, painting, Jigsaw puzzles, singing at the top of your lungs, and more)
It was July 12th and my first attempt at scoring decent marks to get through my college of choice. I am used to reading in smaller font size- on my laptop and my phone. But the computers at the exam center are huge, and font size- so huge that I wasn’t able to comprehend the first few questions. I had to reread everything multiple times. It definitely affected my performance in Quant but majorly in Verbal. Additionally, it was colder than I am used to, but I was carrying a light stole which helped me a bit. My final score was 710 (Q49, V37, IR 5, AWA 4).
Pointer 3- I suggest reading some material in a huge font size to rewire your brain and take at least one test on a big computer. The font size is comparable with a word document paragraph of font size 11, zoomed to 200% level.
Pointer 4- Please wear warm clothes if you are not used to lower temperatures. Or carry a light jacket to adjust according to the set temperature at the exam center.
Since the new version of GMAT doesn’t include separate IR or AWA, I am skipping the pointers there.
My next doubt was, is my score good enough or shall I retake the exam. I had asked this doubt on gmatclub and received a mixed response. After going through the whole process, here are some very important points to consider while making a decision.
Pointer 5- A score of 710 reassures the admissions committee that you are STILL in the ‘study mode’, but your GPA notifies them of your ‘study level’. So if you have a low GPA, please aim for 740-750, especially if you are an Indian and want to get through a top-tier international college. But if your undergrad GPA is good (more than 7.5/10), 710 is a decent score.
Pointer 6- If you are aiming for a scholarship, please aim for a higher score, as it increases your chance of securing a scholarship. With a score of 710, you might get through a college, but you might not make the best case for securing a scholarship, especially if combined with a low GPA.
Pointer 7- Many claim that a lot of people with a score of 770 are unable to get through the admissions process and suggest working on the application with a score of 710 rather than retaking the GMAT. This is mainly due to issues during the interviews as they might come off as arrogant and too proud of their GMAT score. So even if you score above 750, please stay humble. And for the above two reasons, if applicable to you, do consider retaking the GMAT.
As age and time were not on my side, I applied to colleges with a score of 710 and as applications took most of my time, I neither studied nor retook the exam. (Also factor in my stinginess, because the GMAT exam costs a lot)
Next, I will write about my application journey and interview experiences. If you wish to talk to me, please find me on my Linkedin (Name- Prarabdha Nandeshwar). I may not use GMATclub as often anymore as I am done my admissions cycle.
PS: A lot of information/resources are already available on GMATCLUB and the GMAT official website, do treat them as your GO-TO resources, because they really are!
All the best!
Posted from my mobile device
18 Feb 2024, 09:33
Kudos
Bookmarks
All the best going forward. Consider writing a profile-review.
Checking out the ID Requirements page on the MBA website could be helpful.
Quote:
Checking out the ID Requirements page on the MBA website could be helpful.
19 Feb 2024, 20:50
Kudos
Bookmarks
Quote:
That's pretty cool.
Meditation and related practices can be very useful in achieving GMAT success.
