Should I postpone my GMAT exam?

Question

I have been studying for the GMAT for two weeks and I must state that I underestimated the exam considering that I am scheduled to take the exam on TODAY. I don't believe that two weeks is sufficient to prepare to score above a 700 for the exam, which is my goal. So, should I postpone the exam or take it and cancel my scores using it for practice?

I am aware that the GMAT exam may be taken numerous times, and I believe that the MBA admissions at the top ten Business Schools only pay attention to the top GMAT score of prospective applicants. As of right now, I am planning to take the test today although I'm not as prepared as I should be. However, if I will be hurting my chances of getting accepted into a top MBA program because of the scenario in which the admissions committee will view a poor performance on a GMAT examination as negative I'll reschedule the exam. To further elaborate, hypothetically speaking, if I take the Gmat examination three times and get the scores of 500, 620, and 750, will the fact that I performed poorly on two exams before getting a great score make me less competitive than an applicant who takes the GMAT once scoring a 750. If this is the case I will definitely postpone that exam; if not, I will take the exam and use it as another diagnostic exam.

Please share your thoughts on my situation and I appreciate your time.

Matt

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Matt,

As a general rule, Business Schools don't care if you take the GMAT more than once. Since you're already scheduled to take the GMAT today, there's really no harm in doing so. From what you've described, with just 2 weeks of study, you're probably not going to hit your score goals - but that's okay. Take this as a learning experience.

Most Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on the study process to hit their respective "peak" scores. During that time, it's common to spend 10-15 hours per week (or more) on the process. You should keep that in mind as you plan out the next few months.

When you take the GMAT today, it's important that you try to remember the SCALED SCORES for the Quant and Verbal sections (assuming that you end up canceling your scores). THAT data is important - it'll give me some data about your performance in those 2 sections, so I'll be able to offer you some tactical advice later on.

Is there any particular reason why you scheduled your Test Date so "soon?"

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

abMattRamos · Answer

Hey Rich,

Thank you for your quick response. The reason I scheduled my exam for today was because I am moving to Shanghai tomorrow morning and i wanted to get my first exam completed before I go study and work in Shanghai. As I stated, overconfidence got the best of me and I thought the exam would not be too rigorous considering that the quantitive and qualitative portions of the exam are rather elementary, however, I definitely have forgotten all of my high school geometry and grammar. Also, I noticed from my limited amount of studying that the GMAT stumped me because of trickery within the questions instead of difficulty level. I have started the GMAT process early because my colleague informed me that the average person usually takes the exam three times before reaching their target score.

Rich, in your opinion, do you think I should have the scores reported or cancelled? I plan on applying to the top ten business schools and my weakest link is the GMAT. I don't want the admissions to view my one bad score and judge me based on that.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi abMattRamos,

Assuming that you're going to retake the GMAT anyway, having this score on your record will likely NOT make a difference in your applications. Business Schools understand that many Applicants will take the GMAT more than once, so Business Schools don't really care if you do.

I am curious about how the Test went though. How did you score?

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

manyatpr · Answer

Hi Matt,

There is no perfect answer to your question in my opinion. Cancelling your scores I wouldn’t suggest because that definitely will not give a very good impression. I also know for a fact that 2 weeks are actually not sufficient to crack the GMAT. But having said different individuals have different test taking temperaments and I am sure a lot of them must have got a very high score even if they prepared for the test only for two weeks. The question here is how do you feel about it? Do you feel prepared enough. As you yourself mentioned that you might have underestimated the exam you might want to reconsider your decision. A top school will not just consider this one thing as a reason of rejection. Of course if you get the desired test results in the first go you are sorted but there are students and schools know that who for various reasons are not able to perform in the first shot. In those cases then the significant difference in performance in tests is taken into consideration. I would encourage you to introspect and really evaluate whether you are fully prepared. You might want to remember that even if it’s just a test a not so great performance might lead to disappointment and might not be so great for your morale either. In any case I wish you luck!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi abMattRamos,

Now that you've (hopefully) had some time to settle in after your move to Shanghai, I'm curious about how your GMAT went. How did you score? What was your take on the overall experience?

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

GMATPill · Answer

Well, it's past your test date -- but in your situation, we would recommend postponing the test. We tell our students not to walk into the exam room until they have actually reached their target score in practice at least once or twice. That gives them the confidence and positivity that is needed to handle the stresses of the real exam.

Should I postpone my GMAT exam?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards