I took GMAT last week. My performance was about the expected, around 700, and I plan to apply now and matriculate in 2016. I´m writing this to help me place myself between the B schools I wish to attend.
BackgroundI´m 27, Brazilian and majored in Business. Since the middle of my graduation, when I was 21, I have been an entrepreneur. Opened my first retail shop with stood open for 4 years. Due to the economic crises in Brazil, I was forced to shut it down for good, and join my family business at clothes manufacture. Today, I´m the manager of our company.
Parallel to all my work, I have been participating in groups of entrepreneurs, focused in enhance the quality of my city and state to all the companies in my region. Always dealing with city halls, another government spheres and loads of other companies.
I´m going to apply with my girlfriend, who took the GMAT and got 670.
PreparationIn late August I decided to take the GMAT and try to apply this year, so I got the OG13, and the
E-GMAT.
I studied every day between 3 to 5 hours, until Nov 3rd when I took the test.
My first step was study all the
E-GMAT material, beginning with all the Quant part, than the SC part. Latter, got my first Veritas CAT, getting a 530. Afraid, I continued studying, more focused and determined to make a 700 score happen.
After ending the
E-GMAT, got to the
OG and made the rest of all exercises of the book, and the Quant Review and Verbal Review. Latter, all the wrong questions of all 3 books.
Then, all done, got to the CATs. My schedule was do a CAT one day, and at the couple of following days, correct all and focus on the subjects that I needed to do better. And this I made until the 2 days before the text.
CAT ScoresVeritas 530 Q41 / V22
Veritas 640 Q43 / V35
Veritas 620 Q44 / V32
Veritas 560 Q42 / V25
Veritas 580 Q42 / V28
Manhattan 660 Q46 / V34
Official 680 Q45/V36
I did not liked the Veritas CATs, I found it very different from the
OG Official and the Manhattan CAT.
GMAT Exam Day The place were I can take the GMAT is 3 hours away from my city, so i opted to travel the day before there. I went with my girlfriend, who took the test at the same time I took. The day before I just revised the AWA template and relaxed. At the day, just got my breakfast, took a a bath and went to the center were I made the test.
At the test center, I arrived 1 hour before, made all the protocol and went to the test. The AWA part used the template I found here. At the IR part, found it easier than any other CAT before. I think that with the pressure there, I got much more concentrated them when I did the CATs.
Got my break, went to the bathroom and drank water.
Back to the room, started the Quant section. There, at the moment I confirmed the answer to the problem 8, I realized that I got the wrong one, with made me a little insecure. The rest of the this section went fine.
At the Verbal section I was very nervous, mostly because as you can see at my CATs, I never really got a 38. All the test I was very insecure, but able to respond all the questions with the proper time.
At the end, I was very insecure about my score, and when I saw the 700 at the screen, I got really relieved.
Post Exam ReflectionAfter the exam, I saw that I could do really better, at the Quant and Verbal section. At the exam saw that I was under prepared for the trigonometry and SC questions.
I´m going to talk with a consultant and see if I have a good chance at the B Schools I pretend to apply, MIT, Kellogg, Stern, Duke, Tuck, Ross.
What you guys think? My background will diminish my chances?
Thanks!