Timeline to get into a good B-school

By the way yes 2022 is gone but you could try for January intake at INSEAD, HEC, IMD or go for the March 2023 intake at Ivey. That’s a pretty good option for your goals and GMAT range, car method.

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Hi ordinaryme,

You're ultimately asking Admissions questions, so you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

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

Since we are already in mid-April, you would likely find it best to plan to apply later on this year (for admission in 2023); this would give you plenty of time to continue studying for the GMAT and work to put together an effective overall application.

1) Have you taken the Official GMAT yet or any practice CATs/mocks? How have you scored?

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

When should I ideally give my GMAT if I want to get into a good B-school as early as possible?

As long as the score is valid and submitted with your application it should be fine whenever you take it. Some schools may even provide a bit of flexibility if your score is still Unofficial but you took it before the deadline, for example.

Potential reasons to give it earlier rather than later is so that you can focus your energy on the essays and the rest of the application process. Doing all this in addition to GMAT prep with a full-time job can be a bit of a struggle for some folk.

My target score is around 690-720.

How to score high on the GMAT. Why solving approach is important.

You would ideally want to consider schools that offer you mentoring and network, as well as good stayback options.

Hi ordinaryme,

Do you currently have a baseline score?

Hi ordinaryme hope you are well

You should try to get GMAT out of your way by May - June so you have ample time to work on your applications for the fall deadlines. GMAT is only one piece of the entire puzzle and you must chalk out a conscientious strategy for the overall narrative. Try to understand improving in which areas in Quant and Verbal would help you increase your score in the shortest period of time. Maintaining a log of errors for SC and LR would help register the concepts faster.

If you think you have a differentiated profile, applying in the late rounds for EU schools could be a bet worth playing. We have recently helped applicants get in HEC, INSEAD in the late rounds and we understand well how to present a differentiated profile that would strengthen your case in the late rounds. Otherwise you could target the fall deadlines if you want to pace things out.

Best wishes

Hi ordinaryme

You may find this article helpful:

Here are a few things to do before booking your slot -

• Build & follow a proper study plan for your GMAT prep
• Be clear of what to study on any given day and by when you will be finishing your prep.
• Have a backup of one month to work on your weak areas

Once done with prep, start taking mocks. Once you start getting your desired score consistently, you can go ahead and book your slot!

Bonus Tip: Carry out a detailed research on your target schools and work on your applications simultaneously so that you don’t rush later on.

Have you taken any mocks recently? If yes, that would help to guide you in a better manner.

Feel free to contact if you have any queries.

You can always write back to me here or the better way would be to connect over a call and have a discussion. You can schedule a free consultation call using the below link.

Thanks guys for taking interest and replying. I'll be frank and blunt.

1) Mock GMAT - Yes, I'd given the mock a few months back, just before I enrolled for an online GMAT prep subscription. I scored around 580 or something. Not good. at all.
2) Since then I've tried to be regular with my schedule and the syllabus is almost completed. But lately, with the reopening of the office premises (no more Work from home), its been harder to manage both work and studies. That is when the anxiety kicked in as to how I was going to complete everything, revise, practice and appear for the GMAT in just a couple of months.

Hi ordinaryme,

Have you taken any additional CATs/mocks since the one that you took several months ago. A 580 is actually a solid initial CAT score (the Average Score on the Official GMAT hovers around 550 most years) - so if you took that Practice Test early-on (before you had done much studying), then there's nothing to be ashamed of with that result. Right now though, we need to define how well your studies have helped you to improve - meaning that if you have not taken any additional CATs, then you should plan to take one soon (perhaps this weekend). Make sure to take it in a realistic fashion that matches-up with what you will face when you take the Official GMAT (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, if you will be at a Test Facility, then wear a face mask, etc.). Once you have that Score, you should post back here (or you can feel free to directly PM me) and we can discuss the results and how you might best proceed with your studies.

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

When do you plan to be done with the "learning phase" of your preparation? Also, when do you plan to take your next practice exam?

rich and scott - I am planning on giving the next practice test in a week. If not this weekend, then the next definitely.

Awesome. Let me know how that goes.