Should I retake GMAT?

Question

Hi,

I took my GMAT on 09/may/2019 and scored 620(Q46, V29). I am an engineer working in a steel PSU for past 11years and 8 months. Prior experience is also in PSU for a year. I feel my career has plateaued and needs a shift to enhance my professional growth. I am aiming to get admitted to top colleges in INDIA that include IIM-A, B, C, I and ISB. I have shortlisted these colleges for one-year executive PGP course. But the average scores of all these colleges fall in the range of 680-720. My profile is just average with not so impressive co-curricular activities or any NGO experience. I am planning to retake the GMAT just to squeeze my application within the round-1 application deadlines for admissions to the schools mentioned above. That may give me around 2 months time starting today.

Please give your valuable expert advice on whether my plan is worth it. At present, I am not considering any colleges outside INDIA but would welcome any suggestions for my score. I am planning to work on my verbal which seems to have dragged down my score. SC and CR have been my Achille's heel. Please suggest probable ways to improve upon my verbal scores.

Thanks in advance,

Prashant Kumar S
GMAT1: 620 (Q46, V29)

udaypratapsingh99 · Answer

Yes, I'll suggest you to re write GMAT.

CR is is something, for which you need to change the way you think. For CR, try questions from OG first, then move to other... WHY OG? because of their solutions. read all the solutions, every single word, and then think in exactly same way , for next question, as it is explained in solution. Do practice this.

for SC, I'll suggest you to first go through a book by norman lewis, "better english", if you're not in hurry.

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi Prashant, re-taking the exam would definitely make sense.

Since you mention SC as your specific area of concern, thought I would mention that our sentence correction book  Sentence Correction Nirvana  is perhaps the  only  book that offers a score improvement  guarantee , and is especially designed for  non-native  speakers.

After reading the book  twice  (yes! it's an  academic  book, and so must be read twice in all seriousness, to  reinforce  the concepts), you will start looking forward to solving SC questions!

The book is available on  Flipkart  and  Amazon.in . You might want to refer to these sites, to also read testimonials of how readers have benefited.

See  here  how Mohit, who scored 750 on GMAT, vouches for our book.

If you want to  sample  a chapter before deciding to go ahead with our book, please PM me your mail-id (along with the chapter that you would like to sample) and I will be happy to send that chapter to you by mail. In addition, the entire Grammar section of the book is also available for free preview at  pothi .

gmat1393 · Answer

Hi spkumar,

I suggest you to retake since you have ample time to devote to preparation.

For CR and RC, I would suggest you to enroll for egmat.

Thanks

souvonik2k · Answer

Hi In my opinion, you can improve in both Quant and Verbal. A Quant score of 46 means you are reasonably strong in Quant and can improve quickly. Quant score of 49~50 and Verbal score of ~35 can take your score to about 700 which is a competitive score. Regarding Verbal, I would suggest to follow Gmatninja's videos and posts. They are very helpful and will help understand the nuances of Verbal. Alternatively, this post will help you: https://gmatclub.com/forum/how-to-impro ... 42361.html

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi spkumar,

From what you describe, you actually have more than just the GMAT to work on. If your first-choice School is highly competitive, then there's no point to 'rushing in' a Round 1 application if your overall profile is just "average" (Business Schools don't accept "average" Applicants in Round 1). As such, beyond continuing to study for the GMAT, you might also consider what else you might work on to strengthen your OVERALL profile - with the goal of applying with a stronger application in a later Round.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs/mocks (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

For application advice, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

You might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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

sneha1292 · Answer

This score is good enough if u have a good profile to back on. Also if u are aiming top colleges you will need a good profile. These colleges focus more on profile. Gmat score is just an entry point for admission

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Posted from my mobile device

spkumar · Answer

Thank u sneha.

Yeah, I do feel the same. But profile building can't be done overnight. A good irresistible GMAT score and good essays with decent recommendations might be just right.

Thanks again.

spkumar · Answer

Thank you very much for your specific insights.

At this stage of my preparation, how can I build my profile? I would love to do that if possible. But since I consider my profile average, I want to concentrate more on what is in my hand- GMAT. A high GMAT score along with a strong application might just push my application to the interview stage, where I can justify my selection into the school. " If I do not have a shirt and still want to get selected, maybe I should have very nice pants." Maybe I am too optimistic!!

Secondly, I prepared myself through GMATclub practice questions, complete OG, and free mocks. My GMAT verbal score in mocks was hovering around 34-37, but it suddenly plummeted on the D-Day. I completed the OG (worked out all questions diligently, timed), and took mocks from PP, Princeton, ManhattanPrep (twice) and Kaplan. My Highest score was 670 (Q46, V36) in Kaplan.

Lastly, I did not apply for ESR. I do not intend to at this stage, because I know what happened on the exam day. I was surprised to know how the order of attempting the sections matters - not only my order but also the order of the other person (who was sitting bang opposite to me). As I started my exam with AWA, I could sense he was not typing. And by the time I started my verbal as the last section, I was totally disturbed by his typing (the earplugs didn't help either). Apart from this external factor, I feel there is lot more to be done in CR and SC.

PLease post your advice.

Thanks again

spkumar · Answer

Thank You souvonik2k.

I have been an avid follower of GMAT Ninja video series on YouTube for SC and CR. I know how literally, literally I was made to think of all the SC questions to get them right. I will continue those for sure. I touched Q50 twice in my mocks and my highest verbal score in mocks was V36 (alas, both highs never coincided). So I feel if I give my best in these 2 months it would pull my score past the 700 mark.

Thank You again.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi spkumar,

I mentioned in my prior post, but it bears repeating: you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts can better assess your overall profile relative to the Schools that you want to apply to and likely offer more direct advice for how to strengthen your application beyond "score higher on the GMAT." There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

Beyond that, before I can offer you the advice that you're looking for, I'll really need exact answers to my questions. To start, on what dates did you take each of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

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

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