Low Gmat - but excellent GPA. Please evaluate!

Question

Hi,

I attempted GMAT for the second time yesterday and scored a pathetic 610 (Q:47, V:28). In my first attempt I got 640(Q:46, V:32, E:5.5). I don't know what went wrong in the exam. I was scoring around 700 in all my practice tests. I have put in a lot of effort and time in preparing. And for my second attempt I put close to 90% of my time in Verbal preparation. I guess, I just don't do good on the verbal section for some reason.

Profile:
30/M
I have a Masters degree in Computer Science with a GPA of 3.89/4.0
I did my undergrad in India and scored 81% (Top 10% of the class)
I have decent volunteer work and currently I am a project coordinator at a volunteer organization.

I have been working for the past 4 years in a top tech firm and was promoted recently. Currently I am leading a project and managing an international team(3 members).

I plan to apply to the following schools:
1) Columbia
2) Stern
3) Tuck
4) Wharton
5) Darden (may be)

What are my chances? Should I take any courses at some community courses in order to strengthen my profile?
What else can I do in order to strengthen my application? How can I offset the low verbal score?

Thanks!

MAVocaz · Answer

Hi,

I attempted GMAT for the second time yesterday and scored a pathetic 610 (Q:47, V:28). In my first attempt I got 640(Q:46, V:32, E:5.5). I don't know what went wrong in the exam. I was scoring around 700 in all my practice tests. I have put in a lot of effort and time in preparing. And for my second attempt I put close to 90% of my time in Verbal preparation. I guess, I just don't do good on the verbal section for some reason.

Hi,

All is not lost with a 640 GMAT. There may be other aspects of your application that a certain top school may find worthy of an admit, so cheer up. Also, there are several schools outside the top 10-20 that have a lower average GMAT requirement – and these are very respectable schools too.

Profile:
30/M
I have a Masters degree in Computer Science with a GPA of 3.89/4.0
I did my undergrad in India and scored 81% (Top 10% of the class)
I have decent volunteer work and currently I am a project coordinator at a volunteer organization.

I have been working for the past 4 years in a top tech firm and was promoted recently. Currently I am leading a project and managing an international team(3 members).

I plan to apply to the following schools:
1) Columbia
2) Stern
3) Tuck
4) Wharton
5) Darden (may be)

What are my chances? 
 - Based on our experience, the GMAT score could be the one hurdle that reduces the competitiveness of your application – down from competitive to stretch - at the mentioned schools.

Should I take any courses at some community courses in order to strengthen my profile?
 - Your academics are generally quite strong, so I am not sure community courses will do much to improve your admission chances. If anything, you should consider improving the GMAT score. Only this time, seek guidance from a friend, family or GMAT consultant so you have a good grasp of the GMAT verbal section.

What else can I do in order to strengthen my application? 
 - I would recommend a relentless focus on career progression and trying to secure as many promotions as possible prior to submitting the application. Also, showcasing activities that illustrate your drive and enterprising nature, and community service would definitely help. Of course, you will need strong recommendations and essays to support your application.

How can I offset the low verbal score?
 - As for offsetting the verbal score, a strong set of essays can help (only slightly) to improve the situation. Previous experience at public debates may help to a slightly greater extent.

Thanks!

Hope this helps. Good Luck!
Manish

Manish Agarwal
Vocaz

rainmaker123 · Answer

Thanks a lot manish!

rainmaker123 · Answer

Hi Manish,

"showcasing activities that illustrate your drive and enterprising nature"
--Can you please elaborate? What sort of activities are you talking about?

Also if you take gmat 3 times, does it have a negative impact on the admission committee?

Thanks a lot for your help. I really appreciate it!

MAVocaz · Answer

Hi Manish,

"showcasing activities that illustrate your drive and enterprising nature"
--Can you please elaborate? What sort of activities are you talking about?

Hi,

With "drive and enterprising nature", I am referring to activities that show you to be the kind of person who when faced with a problem/need/situation goes ahead and fixes it or gets the right people to fix it. He does not sit around waiting to be told of the problem/need/situation in a formal way i.e. pro-active not reactive; initiator of new ideas rather than simply implementing someone else's ideas.

An example of such an activity may be -
- When approached by your professor about starting a university club for young engineers, you immediately started acting on the idea, gathered a few other classmates and spoke with the relevant authorities to lay out the plan versus waiting for the professor to lay it out for you.

Hope this clarifies and provides you a thought-starter.

Also if you take gmat 3 times, does it have a negative impact on the admission committee?

In your application form you would mention your highest GMAT score and this is verified against the score sheet that ETS sends the university. Therefore, I believe that the negative impact of multiple GMAT attempts would be minimal, if any.

Thanks a lot for your help. I really appreciate it!

Not a problem. Hope this helps.
Manish

Manish Agarwal
Vocaz

rainmaker123 · Answer

Thanks a lot Manish!

This is really helpful.

GeneralEducation · Answer

Hi,

There is absolutely no other way to offset your low GMAT score except to take GMAT again and score well on it. Admission committee will not accept any alternate amelioration of your profile as you can effectively take GMAT as many number of times you want. The schools that you have listed will unfortunately not consider your application in good light just because of your GMAT score. All I mean to say is that a good GMAT (740+) may not guarantee you admission but a lower GMAT can definitely guarantee denial.

Your educational background and professional profile looks competent except your GMAT score. It is not usually difficult for Indian applicants to do well on verbal provided you learn the fundamentals of answering verbal section. Based on your GMAT score, it seems that you are missing those fundamental bricks. There are lot of good GMAT prep material that you may buy and use to improve your verbal score.

Get some professional help on GMAT if you want. There are quite a few good trainers who can help you prepare for the test who have proven results.

Regards,
Neha Singh
General Education
Ph: +91 8105570816

rainmaker123 · Answer

Thanks for your comments Neha.

I understand that I have to score 700+ on GMAT if I want to get into the top MBA programs. I will try to improve my verbal score.

Low Gmat - but excellent GPA. Please evaluate!

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