Hi there!
I'm really sorry to hear you've been struggling with the GMAT, I know that's tough. First of all, multiple attempts are totally fine, and the fact that you cancelled scores won't be held against you either in the admissions process. Your current score is pretty strong too -- excellent Quant score in particular. It would be great to capture a few more points on the Verbal, especially since you're not a native English speaker, though the fact that you were educated in the UK will help.
Since you are scoring higher on practice exams, and want to aim for some pretty competitive schools, I would give the exam one more retake. And think carefully about the kind of prep you're doing and how closely it matches the real thing. Perhaps even consult a GMAT tutor or expert on these forums for more test specific advice.
Now the good news is that there are not a lot of MBA applicants from Jordan and the Middle East in general, and scores from the region tend to be a bit lower than average already, so that will help your chances. And your work experience and leadership is SO strong -- schools will love the perspective you bring. Plus your leadership in starting the rugby club is very cool too!
Nine schools is a lot, so if you haven't started on applications yet, time is of the essence! You may want to consider narrowing your list too, focusing on the schools where you think your GMAT will be less of an issue, or ones that you think best align with your profile and goals.
If we can help with more specific questions about your profile / application process, feel free to sign up for a free phone consult here:
https://www.mbamission.com/consult/Good luck!
Kate
Nes721 wrote:
Hi there,
I am currently in the dilemma of whether to retake my GMAT or not. I have consistently practiced over 4 months using KAPLAN online material and was hugely successful in their CATs. I scored 720 in all 8 practice exam, 740 in Gmatprep exams offered by MBA.. I am extremely comfortable with the material. However, the importance and weight of this exam elevates my anxiety levels and shakes my confidence. Every time i step into that testing environment I end up panicking and my mind gets cloudy and I lose focus entirely.
Current report card states the following:
first attempt: Cancelled Score
2nd attempt :650 Q48 V31 AWA 6
3rd attempt : Cancelled Score
I was worried about not getting the result and ended up completely messing my third attempt (580). I am now EVEN MORE worried about retaking the exam in that it will reflect really negatively on my application that I have attempted the exam four times and cancelled it three times already. it is extremely frustrating because I know its not reflective of my capabilities, yet, I feel stuck. Should I retake the exam or apply to business school ? (Harvard, Wharton, MIT, YALE, Berkeley, Northwestern, Columbia, London business school, INSEAD)
Here's my profile:
Male, Jordanian (Mother tongue Arabic, English (fluent), French (working proficiency), 27 years old
Undergrad:
University of Nottingham - Civil engineering foundation (class rank 1st among 200 students) / Scholarship
University of Bristol UK - Civil engineering (School rank 3rd in UK): GPA equivalent to 3.2 (my GPA has been hindered due to extreme mitigating circumstances that lead to depression, University can confirm this) (Math modules and heavy quant subject: high grades nonetheless)
Career:
at the age of 23 I Co founded a tier 6 construction company and lead it to become tier 3 within 4 years of operation. I have executed multiple projects in Jordan and UAE. (company has approximately 40 employees) - I am currently the acting CEO and head of Business development & Strategy. I am stepping down next year and transferring management to my Co founding partner and will remain as a silent investor in the company.
Extracurricular:
Established the first official Rugby club in Jordan, landing sponsorship from Eden park clothing and land rover. I liaised with multiple parties and adopted a program called "get into rugby" through world rugby and implemented it among schools and universities and held numerous charity matches in order to promote the sport. As a result of this we now have 5 different Rugby clubs in Jordan.
Consequently, I liaised with Jordan Rugby federation and initiated the first Jordanian premier Rugby championship,. My club is a 5 time reigning champion of Jordan. With all this noise, the ministry of sports initiated a Jordanian rugby national team and attracted coaching talent from abroad. I was selected vice captain for the national MENS team in the starting 15 squad. we won the Asian five nations tournament last year and upgraded to tier 3
Community involvement
Rotary international - youth representative: My experiences involved a proposal to rotary international Amman, Jordan for a 2 year sustainable development project. The project value is $180k. After the approval and funds were granted, I was directing and managing teams from the organization to implement a thorough program targeted at assisting Iraqi and Syrian refugee integrate into the Jordanian society by providing assistance to adult men, adult women and children as well. The program is currently in phase 3
Recommendation letters from Rotary Amman, Jordan President and the one of the financiers/investors in the construction company
Please advise
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28 Oct 2016, 09:28
