S2GmatPrep
gmat750800
Hey fellow members. Hope you are doing well. I have been having a very devastating GMAT journey and I really need some advice.
To give some context, I am a full time working professional with around 7 years of experience in software engineering.
I started out with consistent GMAT preparation around the mid of January. My first GMAT (test center) attempt was in the last week of February and I scored 650 (Q43V36). (I had scored 650,700,710 and 720 on the GMAT official mocks 1 to 4).
I decided to take the GMAT a second time. After some preparation, i scheduled my second GMAT attempt in the first week of April (online mode) . I scored 720 (Q46V41). (730 on gmat official mock 5)
After 3 weeks (end of April) i got an email that my scores have been cancelled due to a 'testing issue'. I appealed, but to no avail. After the appeal results had come, around 1st week of may, i decided to try a third time.
Meanwhile, in the ensuing 3 weeks i had applied to a few universities with the unofficial scores and even gotten an interview completed with 1. I informed them regarding what had happened and requested consideration. They are waiting for my next GMAT score.
I took the GMAT (test center) again today and cancelled my scores after scoring an abysmal 590 (Q36V34). I screwed up on time management during the first section (quant) and had just 16/17 minutes for the 16/17 remaining questions at one point. After that things were pretty downhill for the remaining sections. ( Scored 680 on official GMAT mock 6)
The fact is i can't take it again until 31st may. I really don't know what to do as my confidence has been pretty shaken ever since the scores were cancelled. September 2023 or max Jan 2024 is my last chance to do an MBA. This is due to personal reasons. Personal reasons and my own mistakes are what caused me to start so late.
Requesting inputs. I am pretty devastated.
P.S - Should I try giving GRE?
Posted from my mobile device
Hi!
Very sorry about what happened. Looks like you’ve done better in the online version. Since you would have to wait for at least 16days between two attempts of the SAME type, maybe you can give another online attempt before May 31st. Make sure you don’t do anything that might cause them to flag your exam(only things you could control, obviously).
Otherwise, you could go for GRE. Though most things from your prep can be ported over, there will be many other things for you to handle with GRE. So take into account the extra time for that as well.
All the best!
Thank you so much for your response.
A couple of things, that I would like to mention -
1. After the last GMAT online attempt and the subsequent score cancellation, I am allowed to only take the GMAT's test center version, as per the directive from GMAT team.
2. With regards to 'flag your exam', they already flagged the last GMAT online exam that I had given, even though the Online proctor didn't raise any issue and the examity auditor actually 'Approved' the exam (as per the status visible on GMAT website). I read on this forum that 700+ Online GMAT scores are automatically flagged. I was so relaxed that this is a general thing and nothing to worry about, so it was shocking when I got the email that 'scores have been cancelled'. There's so much I would like to say on this but in the interest of not turning this post into a rant over possibly-bad-luck and the arbitrary nature of their review process, I'll just leave it at that.
3. I think GRE is my only option for a quick short term fix. I am planning to seriously look at it.
Thanks again!