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mina1089
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Joined: 19 Jan 2017
Last visit: 11 Sep 2017
Posts: 7
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Location: United States
Schools: Duke '20 Wharton '20
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
GPA: 3.08
Schools: Duke '20 Wharton '20
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
Posts: 7
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Request for Profile Evaluation 21 Jan 2017, 10:39
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Hi,

I recently took the GMAT and I'm not sure if I should retake it. Any inputs will be greatly appreciated.

GMAT Score:
4th (most recent attempt) - 700 Q48 V37
Integrated Reasoning: 2 - I didn't do well in this section. Ended up with 4, 5 and 6 in previous attempts.


Here's my profile:
Industry: IT
-5 years of work experience as a Software Engineer
-2 years as Lead Developer/Analyst on Supply Chain and Finance Assets
-B.E from an Indian University (not sure how to convert the percentage to a 4.0 GPA scale)

I hope to apply to Duke and NYU.
Are Booth, Columbia and Yale SOM out of reach? Should I retake and if I do, will a 5th attempt look bad?
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MBADecoder
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Request for Profile Evaluation 24 Jan 2017, 02:47
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mina1089
Hi,

I recently took the GMAT and I'm not sure if I should retake it. Any inputs will be greatly appreciated.

GMAT Score:
4th (most recent attempt) - 700 Q48 V37
Integrated Reasoning: 2 - I didn't do well in this section. Ended up with 4, 5 and 6 in previous attempts.


Here's my profile:
Industry: IT
-5 years of work experience as a Software Engineer
-2 years as Lead Developer/Analyst on Supply Chain and Finance Assets
-B.E from an Indian University (not sure how to convert the percentage to a 4.0 GPA scale)

I hope to apply to Duke and NYU.
Are Booth, Columbia and Yale SOM out of reach? Should I retake and if I do, will a 5th attempt look bad?
Show more


Hi Mina,

Congratulations for a 100 point increase on your GMAT score. The IR is still not a mainstream component of the GMAT score, so you should not think much about it.
However, the b-schools you are targeting have a higher average GMAT score and this would be a better reason to take the GMAT as compared to a low IR.

In my opinion, if you can get your score up by another 20-30 points, it would be worth the effort.

A lot depends upon your overall profile- what are your experiences at work and outside work? what are your achievements? How has your career progress been like? Why do you want to do an MBA?

Feel free to share your resume with us.
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Taterways
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Request for Profile Evaluation 26 Jan 2017, 21:39
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mina1089
Hi,

I recently took the GMAT and I'm not sure if I should retake it. Any inputs will be greatly appreciated.

GMAT Score:
4th (most recent attempt) - 700 Q48 V37
Integrated Reasoning: 2 - I didn't do well in this section. Ended up with 4, 5 and 6 in previous attempts.


Here's my profile:
Industry: IT
-5 years of work experience as a Software Engineer
-2 years as Lead Developer/Analyst on Supply Chain and Finance Assets
-B.E from an Indian University (not sure how to convert the percentage to a 4.0 GPA scale)

I hope to apply to Duke and NYU.
Are Booth, Columbia and Yale SOM out of reach? Should I retake and if I do, will a 5th attempt look bad?
Show more

Dear Mina,

Short Answer : The number of GMAT attempts are not detrimental to your application and therefore another attempt to get a 30-40 mark improvement is not out of question. However the question to answer is what is your time for the next 5-6 months better utilized at. IR score is often not used by b-schools so you should be okay on that front.

Long Answer : We believe that if there's something in your professional experience that you can do to enhance your overall profile e.g. on-site experience, a critical project delivery, we will strongly recommend you to focus on it than re-taking the GMAT. However if its just business as usual at work then you should re-take the GMAT and aim for 30-40 point increase.

The reasoning for this step is that we need to see how your profile stands out from other candidates. Currently coming from an Indian IT background, the profile is one of many applying under this category. An exceptional GMAT score or an above par work experience can make your profile stand out. Its important that we have at least one of the two in place. Now you have already taken the GMAT four times and kudos to you for showing an 100 point improvement, therefore the decision that you need to make is whether another attempt will take you beyond 730 because anything below that will almost look the same as 700. Therefore then the effort could be better utilized to substantially improve your profile in other aspects.

We also didn't see any mention of ECs therefore we would assume that there isn't much to talk about there as well and we will advise against starting something now as it will add little value to your profile.

Our recommendation:

1) Assess whether there's scope for you to get at least 30-40 point improvement in your GMAT score in the next 2-3 months, if yes re-take, else time is better utilized working on your professional experience

2) Jot down key points for your profile e.g. a project you have delivered and your role in the same. We will not rule out the schools mentioned by you, however we will definitely want to know why your profile stands out and therefore getting the story right is critical.

We will be happy to take the discussion forward at connect@taterways.com

Kind regards,
Team Taterways
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StratusDonna
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Request for Profile Evaluation 04 Mar 2017, 10:12
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mina1089
Hi,
Hi mina1089. First of all congrats on your score improvement as that is a generally solid score. And agree with comments that IR less important. However, for candidates from India, that 700 is not going to "pop.." So I would advise using these next few months to see if I could get that score up even 20 -30 points which would help. I don't think the 5th attempt will be much different from seeing a 4th attempt and what matters in the end is the best score. I do think that at the 700 you are at now, unless there is something really different in your profile- that I don't see here- it will make Booth, Columbia and Yale all big stretches. For Columbia, your best bet is to apply super early and also if you are willing to commit to them if admitted, apply with a binding decision as your odds are best that way. Still- having a bit higher GMAT will help. But then the rest of it is use this time now to go on chats and webinars and interact with these schools to learn WHY you want to go there- how they can help you achieve your long and short term goals. I could see a consultant helping you present the strongest application possible- and if you want a free consult on that here is a link to learn more: https://stratusadmissionscounseling.com/ ... b-visitor/
Best wishes to you! And it is great that you are thinking about this now as your best odds for all programs are to apply in the earliest round.

I recently took the GMAT and I'm not sure if I should retake it. Any inputs will be greatly appreciated.

GMAT Score:
4th (most recent attempt) - 700 Q48 V37
Integrated Reasoning: 2 - I didn't do well in this section. Ended up with 4, 5 and 6 in previous attempts.


Here's my profile:
Industry: IT
-5 years of work experience as a Software Engineer
-2 years as Lead Developer/Analyst on Supply Chain and Finance Assets
-B.E from an Indian University (not sure how to convert the percentage to a 4.0 GPA scale)

I hope to apply to Duke and NYU.
Are Booth, Columbia and Yale SOM out of reach? Should I retake and if I do, will a 5th attempt look bad?
Show more
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Request for Profile Evaluation 01 Apr 2017, 00:46
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mina1089
Hi,

I recently took the GMAT and I'm not sure if I should retake it. Any inputs will be greatly appreciated.

GMAT Score:
4th (most recent attempt) - 700 Q48 V37
Integrated Reasoning: 2 - I didn't do well in this section. Ended up with 4, 5 and 6 in previous attempts.


Here's my profile:
Industry: IT
-5 years of work experience as a Software Engineer
-2 years as Lead Developer/Analyst on Supply Chain and Finance Assets
-B.E from an Indian University (not sure how to convert the percentage to a 4.0 GPA scale)

I hope to apply to Duke and NYU.
Are Booth, Columbia and Yale SOM out of reach? Should I retake and if I do, will a 5th attempt look bad?
Show more

Hi Mina1089,
In my opinion you should now focus on your applications than on your 5th attempt at GMAT. A 700 score is average and ofcourse any increase will be more than welcomed. I agree with a lot of above provided valuable advise. You should prove your leadership skills and achievements in quantifiable manner in your application. You should find a way to distinguish your application from a typical Indian candidate. Being a woman applicant also has an advantage because all the B-Schools want to increase the % of women in its class profile.
I would like to remind you that GMAT is not the only aspect of your application that B-schools look at. If you can wow adcoms you do have a shot at Booth or Columbia or any other school for that matter. Hope this helps. Good Luck.