nima9023 wrote:
I took the GMAT three times. See scores below.
Aug 2015
680 - 45Q/38V
Oct 2015
660 - 43Q/38V
June 2016
690 - 45Q/39V
As you can see from my scores, I did not improve much even after months of hardcore studying. I'd like to think that my overall profile is pretty competitive (high GPA in engineering from top engineering school, good work experience, leadership, community service), so I don't want my GMAT score to be the thing that prevents me from getting into my target schools (HBS, Sloan, Booth, Kellogg, Haas).
At this point, I'm tired of studying for the GMAT and I feel like I've exhausted all my resources. On practice tests, my scores always fell between 680 - 720 on any given day, so I feel like I just plateaued out.
Does it look bad to take the exam again for a 4th time? Should I attempt the GRE instead? Maybe I should just forget about it and focus on other parts of my application. This exam has pretty much taken over my life for the past year and I can't guarantee I'll improve the next time.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
Dear
nima9023,
I'm happy to respond.
I'm sorry to hear about your struggles, although you do have some reasonably good scores already. Here's what I'll say: these scores are not bad, but you have named some of the most competitive places. Its true that sometimes folks get into these places with a 660, but usually these folks are standout impressive in other ways. Obviously, it would help you to have a higher score. Whatever you do, please do not give up on yourself. Please never quit on yourself.
I don't know that the GRE is a best choice for someone in your situation, only because you have invested so much time & energy in the GMAT. You now know each GMAT question format (Sentence Correction, Data Sufficiency, etc.) as well as many of the typical strategies for these formats. If you jumped ship and switched to the GRE, all that GMAT-specific learning would be irrelevant and you would have a whole new collection of question formats with their typical strategies, traps, etc. Even though it feels hopeless to you, I think you can break through the ceiling your are facing.
One option would be
Magoosh. As you may know,
Magoosh has a
score guarantee, so if you fulfill that, you would get your money back unless you scored a 740 or above, so there's essentially no financial risk. Admittedly, this would me more studying, but at
Magoosh we strive to make learning fun: even if you are feeling burnt out at the moment, do not abandon any hope of having your innate curiosity rekindled. For free, here's a
Magoosh math lesson:
Multiples Here's a SC question:
The vice-president of engineeringWhen you submit your answer to that question, the next page will have a full video explanation. Each one of
Magoosh's 1000+ practice questions has its own VE: this immediate feedback is precisely what helps students break through their previous ceilings.
These are my thoughts. I wish you tremendous good fortune, my friend. Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Mike
close
27 Jun 2016, 14:56
