Strong profile, but GMAT 570 :( should I give up on the INSEAD dream?

Question

I'm a 29 y/o female from Argentina. I think I have a relatively strong profile- studied at Oxford University with 3.6 GPA; scholarships; large family business; partner in a startup; lived in many countries and 4 continents. I thought INSEAD could be a good fit for me, but knew that I'm bad at the GMAT from the prep. And so I decided to try to apply to INSEAD in round 4 , due to being a relatively under-represented candidate and hoping that my resume will make up for the GMAT. Also, in order to have as much time as possible to study while working full time, I scheduled the GMAT for the very last days before the deadline. Everything else has been ready for a long long time... Problem is, I knew I would get a low score (in prep never managed to reach above 710) - but I never imagined it would be this low - 570 (Q41 V27) - when I saw the results my heart sank - I knew my dream of round 4 is no longer a reality. Really not sure why the verbal is so low, I did lots of hard tests in English through university... but it's been 7 years since, maybe the knowledge is somehow gone

I did not cancel the score (out of shock) and am not sure if there's a point now as the score was sent directly for them. And so, now , two days before the deadline, I am debating between these three options : 1) To still go for it and apply for round 4 in two days. And to explain in an additional essay about my GMAT maybe. I know that the odds of getting a call back are probably zero, but if it's between that and option three- maybe it's better since the application is ready anyway? 2) To aim for round 2 of January 2021, which gives me two more months to do GMAT only (deadline is May 6) . Not sure if it's enough time for such a large gap, clearly I've been doing something wrong... and also - in round 2 the competition will be much bigger (than round 4) , right ? Also, the internship is not really interesting for me, as I'm not looking for a career change. - After January 21' an MBA abroad will no longer be an option, so I could not delay it further. 3) To just give up on INSEAD . In my case it probably means giving up on b-school because I only wanted to go to a top program. My fear is that even if I somehow manage to improve my GMAT by May, they of course can still see my miserable 570 score, and thus maybe even if I score higher they will use it as an evidence of how bad I was :/ And so if that's the case, then I should probably not waste my time at all ?

Anyway, if anyone has any insight on any of these options, please let me know. Thank you all

SchruteDwight · Answer

You have a strong profile. Do not give up because of the GMAT. 
I'm sure others can give you better advice as to which round you should apply in.
My point is simply that the GMAT is a test you can study for and that you should not give up on your dream just because of that test.
At this verbal score you simply miss the very basics, so I would def focus on verbal.

AnirudhaS · Answer

Insead is not very reapplicant friendly. I would suggest why don't you give the gmat again. 
If you go through the forums you can find out a 670 gmat you have a 4% probability of getting in. This does not mean you cannot get in, but the chances are slim. I think if I have to make a guess, the lowest gmat score they would entertain is 600 (although they would never admit this).

Option 2 looks good! No, round 1 & 2 are identical. However, people do say the odds of getting into the january batch are a bit lower than the september intake. This is because of the internship opportunity for the jan intake.

Option 3, never give up on your dreams. I wish you all the best!

buenosaires · Answer

AnirudhaS , thank you for your reply.

As to option two, yes the double increased competition (of round two versus round four, and January versus September ) is discouraging, especially since the internship is not relevant for me at this point.. but I just cannot afford waiting for another year

MED2020 · Answer

Hi,

From my experience, INSEAD is tough on the GMAT score and it's their first filter (this was explained to me by the admissions team during one of their information sessions). Even as a strong applicant, a low GMAT will take you out of the game in INSEAD's first filter.

I would suggest you contact the admissions team and see if they would accept the GRE. If they do, try to take that test instead as sometimes it is an alternative and some people perform better at the GRE than the GMAT. If INSEAD won't take the GRE for the MBA application, definitely try to do the GMAT again and apply in another round. According to the admissions team, each round has the same odds of accepting you. The only difference in the rounds is that scholarships are awarded in the first rounds, but the odds of getting in are not dependent on the round you apply.

Hope this helps!

AnirudhaS · Answer

If you are confident in your application and have a strong profile, do not waste your time thinking what might go wrong and just apply! And let the adcoms do their jobs. All I would suggest is to not give up on your dreams. All the best.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Hola  buenosaires

My heart goes out to you I’m so so sorry. Just a note to all candidates - always plan on taking the GMAT twice. At least.

I don't think it's an option for you to submit this score an apply to round 4. The statistics required of people in round 4 are much higher than other rounds and I don't think that the diversity factor will overwhelm their overall concern about you being able to keep up with the classes. It's a very accelerated program and so that's why they have a minimum of 70% for each section actually they say 70 to 75% minimum for both verbal and math . I found that they are a stickler on that.

You just need to apply when your application is ready and solid even if that's round 3. (There are still diversity scholarships available even though that shouldn't drive the decision. )

My advice is to GET A VERBAL TUTOR IMMEDIATELY. This will accelerate things, if you could have done it on your own, you would have, so it’s time for outside perspective. One other question, what is your TOEFL? INSEAD is strict about that as well, if good, then there is less pressure on the GMAT but if not more so and you will need that to be sorted as well.

Do not worry about submitting this test score – once you submit a new score, they will be more impressed with your resolve and commitment to improve than looking sideways at you for the old score. This is not a problem.

This may seem a little odd but I think I would like you to take a mock GRE and see how that turns out. I've had candidates take that test with no preparation because they couldn't crack the GMAT and they did far better and it worked out. This is especially helpful for diverse candidates because they don't really publish the GRE stats and sometimes that's an advantage for you. You'll still strive for at least 70% but there's a bit more wiggle room.

If this is the last year you can apply, might try for R4 at IESE and LBS and HEC January batch where you will be applying earlier and odds are better. These are all top schools.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Not really, yes, January batch there are more applications but there's less competition the earlier you apply because there are so many seats that go to certain nationalities they don't have more than 10% for each nationality. That should impact you less as a female Argentinian - but who is to say? You don't really know. Applying earlier always gives you an advantage I know that INSEAD is trying to tell people that that's not - that each round is equal - but it's a complete lie because when that 10% is filled it's done.

buenosaires

ARLeeConsulting · Answer

Hi  buenosaires ,

in my experience, when candidates with a strong profile and an under-represented nationality apply with a low GMAT score, INSEAD puts their application on hold and asks them to retake it. Most of the time, I've seen applicants being asked to increase their scores to at least 640.

So, best-case scenario, you'll also be asked to retake it. But applying in Round 4 means that INSEAD won't be able to wait very long for you to do so.

Because you'll probably have to retake GMAT anyway, I would recommend you to apply in Round 2 for the January 2021 and study for GMAT for two full months.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Thank you very much.

Warm regards
Alex

mbaapplicant90 · Answer

570? dont give up, i started at the low 500's and after several months i got it to upper 600's!

RTG44 · Answer

Hi

Usually if there's a big gap between practice tests and actual test scores, it's an in-test process problem.

It's just like in sports, when you're playing the real game, you have make all your moves / plays even cleaner and precise to deal with the game day conditions.

I don't think you should give up on the GMAT until you've had an expert coach look at your in-test performance. How consistently you're working through all the keys stages of solving quant and verbal problems.

Once you've had that -- you can figure out what your true GMAT ceiling is. Don't let go of your dream until you've done everything possible!

Shift5105 · Answer

I would also echo what  RetaketheGMAT  said. If you have a great profile and it's only the score that isn't up to their standards, INSEAD will most likely ask you to take it again. That being said, I would want to present my best score and if I had the option of retaking the GMAT, I would.

INSEAD is also trying to increase the population of women candidates and have been encouraging people to apply even without the standard 720. I would definitely speak to someone in admissions and ask their opinion (granted this is only their opinion and still not a final decision).

It is a hard decision but I believe you can apply without submitting your GMAT now...I would take advantage of that option and continue to study to retake the GMAT after applying to, hopefully, receiving an acceptance pending your GMAT.

Dleerium · Answer

You have a very strong profile and I would echo the point of everyone else here that it may be worth reapplying again. The age difference between 29 and 30 or 31 is purely psychological and doesn't make a lot of a difference in the long run. I myself had a similar background to yours and my first GMAT attempt was in the 600's. It took 3 tries and 1 year to crack the 700s and I ended up with 3 admissions including INSEAD all with scholarships.

What worked for me is actually cutting down all the commitments I had. I sold my business, I took my time out to relax and I stopped putting myself under so much pressure. That made the GMAT a more pleasurable experience than a burden.

It's a journey, much like yourself being an entrepreneur. You're still young and it's far from over.

bb · Answer

Strong profile, but GMAT 570 :( should I give up on the INSEAD dream?

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