My GMAT Journey So Far [Seeking Advice]

Dear Jeff and Rich

Thank you for taking the time to read through my post and also for your valuable inputs. For the questions that you have asked, here are the responses:



DK: Not yet. Will post the score breakdown as soon as the ESR is up.



DK: Took the first GMATPrep test before my first attempt. To be precise, it was on 22nd Dec 2015 (my first actual GMAT was on 26th Dec) and the score was 710 (Q49, V37, IR 8). Did not hit the same score on GMAT because of a below par performance in RC - source: ESR.
Attempted the second GMATprep test on 22nd Aug 2016. Score 720 (Q50, V38, IR 8).



DK: This study routine applies only to the efforts that I put for the second attempt: I used to study for about two-and-a-half to three hours on a daily basis, barring a few days here and there when work wouldn't leave me with sufficient time or energy to study. On weekends I used to put about five to six hours (six being on the higher side - on days when I felt good!). These hours were broadly split between studying/revising a concept and practicing from various sources (Official guides mainly and some questions on various forums). Every three to four weeks, I would take a Manhattan CAT and review my progress. I reserved the GMATprep test for the last mock attempt in order to train my eye for the real GMAT UI right before the real test.



DK: I am willing to put in about the same amount of effort that I put while preparing for the latest GMAT attempt. My concern is that I would like to target some schools in round 1 and I do not see sufficient time left for me to retake the test and make the round 1 deadlines for these schools (listed below as response to your next question). However, if I manage to get a window of about 30 to 40 days between round 1 and round 2 deadlines (I have a tentative list of schools that I would like to apply to in round 2), I'd like to give GMAT one more shot in order to boost my score.




Aiming to meet deadlines of following schools in round 1 - roughly one month to go for the earliest deadline:
1. Tepper Schhool (CMU) - A tough nut to crack
2. Ross School (U-Mich Ann Arbor) - Looks like a stretch for my current score.
3. McCombs School (University of Texas @ Austin) - another tough nut
4. Darden School (University of Virginia) - Again, a stretch?

Highly ambitious schools:
1. MIT Sloan - Definitely out of reach with my current score (out of reach even with a 720?).

I'm all ears for your inputs on these schools and other possible schools that I could target.

I hope that I've answered all the questions and also given you some perspective about the equation between my target score and choice of schools. Here is a quick snapshot of my profile:

Education:Hold a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Mumbai, India. Graduated in 2010. Was a university rank holder and a consistent top performer through all four years.
I'm a post-graduate with a Masters degree in Technology, M.Tech (equivalent of M.S in the US) in the field of Energy Systems Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), a premier and highly sought after institute for technical studies. Graduated in 2012.

Current age: 26 years (hitting 27 in 10!).
Number of years of work experience: 4 Years and 1 month.

Work: Have worked in the automotive industry ever since I graduated. Worked with General Motors at their technical centre in India on some of the most advanced Hybrid vehicle (hybrid transmissions to be precise) technologies. Worked in a group that focused on vehicle platforms for North American market and my role involved constant (and daily) interaction with peers based in Milford. My role was fairly technical. I currently work with Schaeffler Group, a German automotive components and sub-system manufacturer and supplier, in India in a similar role, but with more interfaces (global and local) than ever before.

Plans post MBA: I am an automotive enthusiast (which should explain my natural inclination towards the Ross school) and thus see myself being a part of the same industry. Possible areas: business development, market analytics, technology consultant among others. I strongly believe that the automotive industry is poised for major disruptions and will be a highly exciting industry to work in.

*phew* That was long. I hope you guys can spare the time to read through.

@EMPOWERgmatRichC : Thank you for pointing me to the admission consultation forum! I will post my profile details there too.

Looking forward to hearing back!

-DK

Hi dhirukapur,

If you know how to calculate an average, then you should be comfortable with the idea that a School's average GMAT Score is NOT the same thing as the School's minimal score 'requirement.' Every School has an acceptable score 'range', and while a significantly higher GMAT score is better than not, NO score (not even an 800) would guarantee you anything. Highly-ranked, competitive Business Schools look for strong OVERALL applicants. You have a GMAT score that is competitive, so you really have to make sure that the rest of your application is strong AND that you 'market yourself' correctly to each of the individual Schools that you plan to apply to.

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

Given that you scored a 720 (Q50 and V38) on an official GMAT Prep practice exam, it’s possible that nerves could have negatively affected your test day performance. However, one thing to keep in mind is that supreme confidence in the GMAT content can help fend off any nervous energy that you may feel on test day. Thus, you may consider following a regimen of focused quant and verbal practice, to help find and fix any remaining weak areas.

For example, if you are reviewing Critical Reasoning, be sure that you can practice a large number of questions just from Critical Reasoning: strengthen and weaken the conclusion, resolve the paradox, find the conclusion, must be true, etc.. The results of that practice will help you determine your weak areas within that topic. Once you find and fix your weak areas, then move on to the next verbal topic.

You may follow the same routine for quant. For example, if you are reviewing number properties, be sure that you can practice 50 or more questions just from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. The results of that practice will help you determine your weak areas within that topic. Once you find and fix your weak areas, then move on to the next quant topic.

If you would like some help determining your quant strengths and weaknesses, I welcome you to take my free 37-question quant diagnostic. After completing the diagnostic, you are provided with a detailed analysis of your proficiency level of GMAT quant topics, as well as an opportunity to discuss your diagnostic results with me or another TTP instructor/coach.

Once you feel confident that you have fixed any remaining weaknesses, resume taking practice exams. I recommend taking the practice exams from MBA.com; those exams provide the most accurate exam experience and use the most accurate scoring algorithm. Since you have already taken the two free exams you can purchase and take exam pack 1 and exam pack 2.

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out. Good luck!

Thank you for your inputs Rich! I think I'm getting a hang of what you are saying. I'll start working on my applications for now and see where this takes me.



Hey Jeff, thank you for the tips on preparation. As I've mentioned above, I'll work on my essays for a while. I will certainly take the quant diagnostic (cannot quote that part because I am not allowed to post urls yet) to identify my weak areas and get in touch!

-DK