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31 Jan 2024, 16:59
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Hello GMAT Club,
I'm here to share my GMAT story, a journey of unexpected turns and valuable lessons. It's been a bit of a roller coaster, and I hope my experience can offer some insights or at least a bit of camaraderie.
Back in August, I decided to give the GMAT a shot with only 15 days of prep. I ended up with a 660. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed – I had set my hopes higher. But I didn't lose heart and decided to give it another go.
A few months later, in December, I started preparing again. This time, I thought I'd try the GMAT Focus version, but it didn't go as planned. My mock scores were barely hitting 500, which was a bit of a shock, but it made me chuckle at my overconfidence. Realizing I needed a change, I switched back to the Classic version. Then life threw a little curveball, and I had to take a break for a week. When I got back to studying, things started looking up. I got a 730 on the GMAC official mock, which gave me a huge confidence boost.
So, I scheduled my exam for January 31st (yesterday), hoping for an early birthday gift to myself (yup! today's my birthday!). But, well, things didn't go as I'd hoped. I got a 680. It's better than my first attempt, but still not what I was aiming for. The surprise was in the details – I got a 37 in Verbal, which is the lowest I've ever scored (I ran out of time, for the very first time in my life in the GMAT verbal section, totally unexpected!, ended up guessing a LOT). In Quant, I hit a 47, my personal best. It was a strange flip from my usual pattern (for the first time I finished all the questions in time in this section).
Now, after spending nearly $1000 on my GMAT prep, I'm thinking hard about whether I can afford another attempt (in comparison my entire undergraduate college degree is for about $4000). I've got my sights set on US/UK MiM programs and could really use some advice.
Currently, I'm in my third (final) year of a business and finance degree. I've taken on the role of head/president of the student council and serve as the executive director of all student societies of the college, which happens to not be an elite college, but definitely is the best in my city, that being a tier 2 Indian city.
My academic life has been complemented by a strong inclination towards competitions. I've won numerous national case study competitions, which have been both challenging and rewarding.
Outside academics, I'm actively involved in sports. As an MMA athlete, I'm training hard and aiming to win a national medal this year. Previously, I've enjoyed success as a national roller hockey champion. These sports taught me discipline, resilience, and the spirit of competition.
Academically, I was proud to receive the academic achievement award (gold medal in academics) from the vice chancellor of my university. I've also been actively involved in public policy challenges, MUNs, and youth parliaments, both as a participant and now as a judge.
Professionally, I started as an intern at a management and governance consulting startup and got promoted to the position of research and strategy associate. This role has been instrumental in giving me a taste of the real business world and the complexities of management and strategy.
In my 12th grade, I started an e-commerce venture, selling over 5000 books, which turned out to be a successful and enlightening experience. It taught me about the nitty-gritty of running a business and the importance of customer satisfaction.
I've completed numerous courses with PMI and NASBA (CBE) credits, written and published several research papers (with 3 more in the pipeline), and won a best researcher award. Contributing to an indological, Indic philosophy, and sociology journal, some of my op-eds have gained popularity. Volunteering has been another key aspect of my life. I've had numerous volunteering experiences with both governmental and non-governmental/charitable initiatives.
In terms of academics, I scored a 10 CGPA in my 10th grade and a 9.5 in my 12th. In college, I was the top student in my first year with a 9.25 CGPA and third in my second year with a 8 CGPA. Balancing GMAT prep and finals was a challenge. (messed up in both)
I've also been actively involved in student leadership roles since high school, serving as a director in the student council and later as the headboy of my college's student council, after being the class representative for the first two years.
Thank you for reading through my story and as a birthday gift, I'd love some suggestions or guidance from this experienced community.
Best regards,
Rambo
P.S. Being one of the last takers of the GMAT Classic, it's been quite a journey filled with unique experiences and learning.
I was in one of Top One Percent GMAT batches, its pretty good for RC and CR, then I joined Experts Global, they are REALLY good for SC and Quant, their crash course is AWESOME! If I had a control on my verbal timing I would have definitely done better
.
I'm here to share my GMAT story, a journey of unexpected turns and valuable lessons. It's been a bit of a roller coaster, and I hope my experience can offer some insights or at least a bit of camaraderie.
Back in August, I decided to give the GMAT a shot with only 15 days of prep. I ended up with a 660. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed – I had set my hopes higher. But I didn't lose heart and decided to give it another go.
A few months later, in December, I started preparing again. This time, I thought I'd try the GMAT Focus version, but it didn't go as planned. My mock scores were barely hitting 500, which was a bit of a shock, but it made me chuckle at my overconfidence. Realizing I needed a change, I switched back to the Classic version. Then life threw a little curveball, and I had to take a break for a week. When I got back to studying, things started looking up. I got a 730 on the GMAC official mock, which gave me a huge confidence boost.
So, I scheduled my exam for January 31st (yesterday), hoping for an early birthday gift to myself (yup! today's my birthday!). But, well, things didn't go as I'd hoped. I got a 680. It's better than my first attempt, but still not what I was aiming for. The surprise was in the details – I got a 37 in Verbal, which is the lowest I've ever scored (I ran out of time, for the very first time in my life in the GMAT verbal section, totally unexpected!, ended up guessing a LOT). In Quant, I hit a 47, my personal best. It was a strange flip from my usual pattern (for the first time I finished all the questions in time in this section).
Now, after spending nearly $1000 on my GMAT prep, I'm thinking hard about whether I can afford another attempt (in comparison my entire undergraduate college degree is for about $4000). I've got my sights set on US/UK MiM programs and could really use some advice.
Currently, I'm in my third (final) year of a business and finance degree. I've taken on the role of head/president of the student council and serve as the executive director of all student societies of the college, which happens to not be an elite college, but definitely is the best in my city, that being a tier 2 Indian city.
My academic life has been complemented by a strong inclination towards competitions. I've won numerous national case study competitions, which have been both challenging and rewarding.
Outside academics, I'm actively involved in sports. As an MMA athlete, I'm training hard and aiming to win a national medal this year. Previously, I've enjoyed success as a national roller hockey champion. These sports taught me discipline, resilience, and the spirit of competition.
Academically, I was proud to receive the academic achievement award (gold medal in academics) from the vice chancellor of my university. I've also been actively involved in public policy challenges, MUNs, and youth parliaments, both as a participant and now as a judge.
Professionally, I started as an intern at a management and governance consulting startup and got promoted to the position of research and strategy associate. This role has been instrumental in giving me a taste of the real business world and the complexities of management and strategy.
In my 12th grade, I started an e-commerce venture, selling over 5000 books, which turned out to be a successful and enlightening experience. It taught me about the nitty-gritty of running a business and the importance of customer satisfaction.
I've completed numerous courses with PMI and NASBA (CBE) credits, written and published several research papers (with 3 more in the pipeline), and won a best researcher award. Contributing to an indological, Indic philosophy, and sociology journal, some of my op-eds have gained popularity. Volunteering has been another key aspect of my life. I've had numerous volunteering experiences with both governmental and non-governmental/charitable initiatives.
In terms of academics, I scored a 10 CGPA in my 10th grade and a 9.5 in my 12th. In college, I was the top student in my first year with a 9.25 CGPA and third in my second year with a 8 CGPA. Balancing GMAT prep and finals was a challenge. (messed up in both)
I've also been actively involved in student leadership roles since high school, serving as a director in the student council and later as the headboy of my college's student council, after being the class representative for the first two years.
Thank you for reading through my story and as a birthday gift, I'd love some suggestions or guidance from this experienced community.
Best regards,
Rambo
P.S. Being one of the last takers of the GMAT Classic, it's been quite a journey filled with unique experiences and learning.
I was in one of Top One Percent GMAT batches, its pretty good for RC and CR, then I joined Experts Global, they are REALLY good for SC and Quant, their crash course is AWESOME! If I had a control on my verbal timing I would have definitely done better
. 
31 Jan 2024, 22:41
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Hi, and sorry about not hitting your goal. 680 is a solid score. And top MiM programs can definitely use a higher one as well... plus you have much better chances of getting scholarship $$ with a high GMAT/GRE score.
Bummer about the test on the 31st. The good thing about GMAT Focus is that you can guess/move on and don't have to burn a lot of time, so hopefully resulting into a better score.... but you do have to deal with IR which can be a bit off-putting since there are fewer resources to prep with. Being an accomplished athlete, you should have amazing level of discipline and focus and you should know well the formula for success. The key is to make sure you are improving and you are learning, not just covering the material so to speak.
You can try the GRE. The quant is easier and you can leverage your verbal skills potentially. I have seen people in your situation walking out with a 330, which is really high. You want to spend a few days perhaps and then take a diagnostic? It is worth a try though the disparity and arbitrage with GRE is going away...
Bummer about the test on the 31st. The good thing about GMAT Focus is that you can guess/move on and don't have to burn a lot of time, so hopefully resulting into a better score.... but you do have to deal with IR which can be a bit off-putting since there are fewer resources to prep with. Being an accomplished athlete, you should have amazing level of discipline and focus and you should know well the formula for success. The key is to make sure you are improving and you are learning, not just covering the material so to speak.
You can try the GRE. The quant is easier and you can leverage your verbal skills potentially. I have seen people in your situation walking out with a 330, which is really high. You want to spend a few days perhaps and then take a diagnostic? It is worth a try though the disparity and arbitrage with GRE is going away...
01 Feb 2024, 03:02
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Bookmarks
bb
Thank you!! That's a good suggestion, I've thought about giving the GRE, but am right now in the crossroads regarding blocking out time for the same, I find it really difficult balancing all the different responsibilities I have, ill give a mock and decide! THANK YOU!!
