How much have I screwed up my chances?

Question

Hi guys,

To give some background, I took the gmat for the first time a few months back and scored a 680. I decided the score is not enough and prepared for a few more weeks and retook it. Unfortunately, my scored dropped to 650 which was a big schock to me. I studied again and i took the gmat again today but i wasnt feeling well for the last few days and I had to step out a couple of times during the test and couldnt really give it my 100% so I had to cancel my score.

I want to know whether my application (if i apply with a 680) will take a big hit because of this or adcoms will only consider the score the applicant's submit (which is what they say on their website). Any thoughts on this will be very helpful.

interviewbay · Answer

Though you can claim you have scored 680, the last two attempts were not in your favor. If I were you, I would retake the GMAT. Prepare well and crack it. If you get a lower score, you can still apply with 680. But, you will atleast be happy that you gave 100% in the exam. Good luck!

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GeneralEducation · Answer

Hi,

The concerns that you have regarding your low GMAT can certainly be offset by submitting a good essay and working hard on your application and interviews. Most schools see a combination of all these things to grant an admission.

But saying that, we have to see which schools you are targeting and what are your career goals. We would also have to see the quality of the work done by you in your work experience till now and how the schools that you are targeting will make you reach you future goals. Schools see your application as a complete package. Even a score of 680 would be sufficient for you if you are the right candidate for the school based on your work experience and extra curricular.

You need to get your complete profile evaluation done based on these factors and that would help you to understand about your chances in the targeted schools.

You can visit https://www.general-ed.com/MBA-essay-analysis  to learn more about professional essay evaluation services and  https://www.general-ed.com/mba-counseling  to see how General Ed can help you with MBA counselling and Application Evaluation.

Please feel free to reach out for further discussion.

Regards,
Neha Singh
 https://www.general-ed.com/

Admissionado · Answer

Naaaah. Don't worry about it. your 680 is your 680. Don't even try to explain it. It will just bring unnecessary attention to it.

googleguy · Answer

Hey guys,

I was still not very comfortable with the 680 and I took the GRE and scored Verbal - 158 (77%) and Math - 162 (86%). The sectional scores are better on GRE but the GRE comparison tool from ETS predicts a score of 670. What would be the better score in this case? Any thoughts?

Thanks

ManhattanReview · Answer

While a 680 is not ideal, it is also not tragic. All this means is that your margin of error in your application has been used and you have no room to make any more mistakes (or submit anything mediocre). Everything has to be top notch -- including essays, recommendations, resume, interview, etc.

I would use the remaining time focusing on those factors where you can control - which is your application. Aslo, I would considering expanding my list of schools by a one or two -- normally I say apply to between 5 and 6 schools -- in your case I would say definitely 6 schools. Since applying to this many schools takes time, I would start focusing on these and start the process moving forward -- instead of focusing on the negative aspect of a less than ideal GMAT/GRE score.

Kimberly Plaga
Senior Admissions Consultant
Manhattan Review

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