Profile Assessment...Low GMAT Score :( - Retake? Canadian Universities

Question

Hi there,

I hope you are doing well.

I was hoping you could assess my chances to admittance at Canadian Universities (e.g. York, Toronto, McGill, Ottawa, and Queen's). Unfortunately, I took the GMAT today and scored a mediocre 560 (AWA (5.5 - 6), IR 7, Q40, V27)...not sure what happened (normally I score a consistent 650...Quant was noticeably harder than GMATprep).

Here's a quick summary:
- GPA (last two years): 3.7 - 3.8
- Work Experience: Pharmaceutical Marketing, 3 years
- Undergrad Degree: Queen's University - Biochemistry. Have a passion in business... I was even a TA for a business course at Queen's.
- GMAT: 560 :cry:

I know the above mentioned factors aren't much, as admissions are based on many aspects (e.g. GMAT, Grades, Work Experience, Essays, Inteviews, etc.); however, could you shed some light whether I should consider applying to the above mentioned schools or not? Perhaps you can also add success rates of candidates with a low GMAT score?

Thanks!

I know the above mentioned factors aren't much, as admissions are based on many aspects (e.g. GMAT, Grades, Work Experience, Essays, Inteviews, etc.); however, could you shed some light whether I should consider applying to the above mentioned schools or not? Perhaps you can also add success rates of candidates with a low GMAT score? Thanks!

essaysnark · Answer

Hey Hey GMATAnnihilator! Don't lose hope! Sometimes it takes a few cracks at it to get the GMAT to cooperate!!! The schools you've listed out are more flexible in their admissions standards but as you know, that GMAT score is quite low, so it would help you a lot to retake the test. You could always try this year with your current score but if you're serious about starting the MBA as soon as possible, then you'll want to buckle up and re-do the GMAT before submitting your apps. Many of these schools are open to accepting applications through the Spring so you have some time ahead of you to make it all come together. You could also reach out to the schools - these are generally friendly places and sometimes they can offer specific advice on the profile (they typically won't tell you a minimum GMAT score but they can help you in understanding what you need to aim for and the importance of the exam). Probably not what you wanted to hear but the GMAT does matter quite a bit in admissions, and having as strong a profile as possible is always the way to convince the adcoms that you belong in the program!!! So good luck with the studying :-)

we know you can nail it!! EssaySnark

GMATAnnihilator · Answer

Thanks EssaySnark!

Yea, I figured that retaking the GMAT would be beneficial. Too bad it has taken a toll on my confidence. At this time, I am wondering whether I should consult a commercial GMAT prep company...perhaps it's an issue in my understanding of the concepts (especially verbal). I seem to be at lost to what the next steps are - studying-wise and next test date. Do you have any suggestions?

Practice Exam Scores under exam settings (i.e. ear plugs, 8 minute breaks, fine tip marker, etc.):
MGMAT Scores:
CAT 1: Score 680 (Q47 V 34 IR 3.8)
CAT 1: Score 670 (Q46 V 33 IR 4?)

I found the passages of the Verbal portion to be a little bit easier; however, the Quant was a lot more comprehensive. IR was quite tricky!

Here are my GMATPrep Scores
GMATPrep1: Score: 650 Q50 V28 IR8 (Completed on Oct-18th)
GMATPrep1: Score: 640 Q48 V29 IR8 (Noticed a few repeated questions... and of course all questions in IR are the same) (Completed on Oct-25th)

Thanks again!

essaysnark · Answer

Hey GMATAnnihilator - yeah, this GMAT thing is a nasty little bugger ain't it?

Glad to hear you're up for the challenge! Taking the test again is going to add value to your apps and it's a smart move on your part. We totally get how it can ruin confidence though - here's some posts where we've talked about this:

-  Taking the GMAT? Or… interviewing? Trick your stressed-out self into chillin’.

-  Doing math really can be painful

-  (Re)taking the GMAT? Be as prepared as possible – in every way

That last one is a fave - it's got some advice from an HBS professor and some Cornell students on how to get yourself ready to go into an important meeting (or test!).

As you can tell by the name, we're EssaySnark not GMATSnark so we aren't the best resource on this part of the MBA admissions adventure however we have seen lots of people improve significantly through working with a qualified GMAT course or tutor. There's a bunch of them out there and we can't personally make recommendations since we don't know the landscape well enough to say which is "best" - and also because it's a little individual. We believe most would benefit from an actual in-person course but that's both expensive, and not always convenient, and it also depends completely on how good of an instructor you get. A lot of the GMAT is just figuring out how the question-writers have structured the options and learning some of the common techniques they use to try to trick you. A huge benefit to going through formal test prep with a qualified provider is that they teach you these techniques to attack the different problems. This can be invaluable so we do recommend it in many cases. But just like with admissions consultants, there's no formal certification required to call oneself an instructor and thus a lot of variability in how good they are.

Spreading your study time out over a longer time instead of trying to cram it all into a few days has been proven to increase retention so as tempting as it may be to want to concentrate all the studying into one intense weekend, the academics now say that this is much less effective as a learning method. For timing, you don't want to be doing test prep at the same time as you're doing essays if at all possible. It's a different type of mental "work" but both are incredibly taxing and they just take up a lot of time.

As to which company or tutor to go with: there's obviously a wealth of information here at GMATClub and maybe someone else cruising this thread can offer suggestions.

Good luck with it! You've got the right attitude and that's at least half the battle!! Keep us posted so we know how it goes!

EssaySnark

Profile Assessment...Low GMAT Score :( - Retake? Canadian Universities

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