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afdebbas
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Please advise 19 Oct 2015, 03:49
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Hello

I took the gmat twice

April 2015: 590 - Used Kaplan Guide only
August 2015: 670 (Q43, v 39) - Used Manhattan prep books

I thought this was enough to secure a place in either Cambridge or Oxford. I applied to both schools this September and i got rejected by both. I have an application submitted to LBS but my hopes aren't that high. My GPA is 3.2.

I want to take the gmat again. I think i can greatly improve my quant score. What do you guys think the best approach i should take?

Please help

Regards
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TeamGMATIFY
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GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V44
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Please advise 19 Oct 2015, 04:52
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afdebbas
Hello

I took the gmat twice

April 2015: 590 - Used Kaplan Guide only
August 2015: 670 (Q43, v 39) - Used Manhattan prep books

I thought this was enough to secure a place in either Cambridge or Oxford. I applied to both schools this September and i got rejected by both. I have an application submitted to LBS but my hopes aren't that high. My GPA is 3.2.

I want to take the gmat again. I think i can greatly improve my quant score. What do you guys think the best approach i should take?

Please help

Regards
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Hi afdebbas,

Going by your GMAT scores, you can improve a lot in the Quants portion.
The best way to improve is understanding the concepts and solving the Official questions.

What were your mock scores before the GMAT?
Also, analysing your mock CATs thoroughly can also improve your scores a lot.

I would recommend you to purchase the Exam Pack1 and the Question Pack1 from mba.com to aid in your preparation.
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KyleWiddison
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If you are trying to secure a place in the top business schools you need to invest in your preparation. That probably means investing in a prep course and could include some admissions consulting. I hate to sound like I'm trying to market or that I'm just out for your money, but I've seen plenty of people who try to avoid spending money on prep programs only to lose out on their dream schools or spend far greater amounts of money in the form of time by trying to achieve the same results on their own.

KW
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GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83
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afdebbas
August 2015: 670 (Q43, v 39)

I want to take the gmat again. I think i can greatly improve my quant score. What do you guys think the best approach i should take?
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That's a great verbal score. But unless you went through a complete meltdown during the quant section on test day, your quant score is indicative of a problem with concepts. You may or may not need external guidance, but you definitely need to work on the basic concepts used in quant. It'd be a good idea to get someone to help you shortlist material. It doesn't have to be an instructor, but it looks like someone who knows what the GMAT tests and can help you shortlist the things you need to work on could be helpful.
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
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GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
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Please advise 19 Oct 2015, 11:29
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Hi afdebbas,

From what you've described, there are a couple of 'issues' here.

First, you assume that you were rejected from these Schools solely because of your GMAT score and that is likely NOT the case. With highly competitive Schools/Programs, you need to have a strong OVERALL application AND you have to present yourself correctly. You might have been a great candidate, but you messed up something on your application. It might also be that there are other parts of your application (essays, Work Experience, interview) that didn't actually help you to impress the Admissions Committees.

If you have not yet done so, then you might find it worthwhile to work with an Admissions Expert on your applications. There's a Forum full of them here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

As far as your GMAT is concerned, with a Q43 you were likely pretty good at the straight-forward 'math' questions that you faced on Test Day, but you missed out on LOTS of 'strategy-based' points (especially on DS) and you would have made some silly mistakes throughout the section. To raise your Quant score, you're likely going to need to invest in some new 'non-book' resources and learn/practice some new Tactics.

1) Have you scheduled another GMAT appointment yet?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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afdebbas
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
Hi afdebbas,

From what you've described, there are a couple of 'issues' here.

First, you assume that you were rejected from these Schools solely because of your GMAT score and that is likely NOT the case. With highly competitive Schools/Programs, you need to have a strong OVERALL application AND you have to present yourself correctly. You might have been a great candidate, but you messed up something on your application. It might also be that there are other parts of your application (essays, Work Experience, interview) that didn't actually help you to impress the Admissions Committees.

If you have not yet done so, then you might find it worthwhile to work with an Admissions Expert on your applications. There's a Forum full of them here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

As far as your GMAT is concerned, with a Q43 you were likely pretty good at the straight-forward 'math' questions that you faced on Test Day, but you missed out on LOTS of 'strategy-based' points (especially on DS) and you would have made some silly mistakes throughout the section. To raise your Quant score, you're likely going to need to invest in some new 'non-book' resources and learn/practice some new Tactics.

1) Have you scheduled another GMAT appointment yet?

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

Thank you for your reply

No i haven't booked another GMAT appointment. As you said, GMAT may not be what got me rejected. I have a strong work experience with a strong international exposure. My essays were well written too. I believe my low gpa(3.2) dealt me the blow.

I have decided to look into other schools rather than re-applying with a higher gmat score.

Thanks again for your reply
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afdebbas
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Please advise 20 Oct 2015, 06:33
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AjiteshArun
afdebbas
August 2015: 670 (Q43, v 39)

I want to take the gmat again. I think i can greatly improve my quant score. What do you guys think the best approach i should take?
That's a great verbal score. But unless you went through a complete meltdown during the quant section on test day, your quant score is indicative of a problem with concepts. You may or may not need external guidance, but you definitely need to work on the basic concepts used in quant. It'd be a good idea to get someone to help you shortlist material. It doesn't have to be an instructor, but it looks like someone who knows what the GMAT tests and can help you shortlist the things you need to work on could be helpful.
Show more

Thank you

Yeah i believe I messed up with some difficult quant questions on test day.
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