700 ( V34 & Q 50). Retake Advice

[roshan.gandhi]

Recently, I appeared for GMAT after months of preparation. It was not continuous though, was on it on and off. Finished with Score of 700 ( V34 & Q 50).

I am disappointed with my verbal scores, I came under time pressure in last 10 mins and went blank for almost 2-3 mins . In GMAT prep test I averaged between 34-38 and wanted to hit the higher limit of my range and get a score of 730/40, but ended up touching the lower limit.

I put in lot of effort to improve my Verbal Score and disappointed with the score.

I am exploring option of appearing again to improve boost my verbal. What timelines will be realistic to target 40+ in Verbal.

[StaceyKoprince]

Top schools that offer full-time 2-year programs often do want to see 70th+ or 80th+ percentile, yes. Those schools also typically do not admit people who have already previously completed a 2-year MBA at another school - not for the regular programs. You mention a 1-year program, so perhaps you are talking about some type of executive program?

It would be worth contacting the schools directly to find out what their parameters are for any special programs that you're considering. You may also want to discuss this with an admissions consultant (my specialty is the GMAT, not admissions). There's another folder here called something like "Ask an Admissions Consultant" - post your question there, too.

It's also the case that some schools accept lower verbal scores for non-native speakers; again, you'd have to talk to the schools directly (or an admissions consultant) to know which ones do this.

Most of your questions are focusing on the admissions side of things, so try to talk to some admissions professionals about this. If you are thinking about taking the GMAT again and want advice about how to study / prep for the re-take, let us know. Also, give us detailed information about your strengths and weaknesses in the verbal section.

[roshan.gandhi]

Thanks Stacey.

I will explore with admission consultants and alumni of my target colleges.

Regarding GMAT Verbal I am very confident with CR and did improve my RC in last few weeks. The two things where I have struggled is Grammar and speed to some extent.

On the GMAT I lost out on speed and panicked in last 10 mins as I had 8 questions to go.. Messed up there- My guess.

But if I plan to retake the exam, what would be your advice. How much time I should give for preparation and what should be the strategy for it.

[StaceyKoprince]

From what you've described, timing is obviously one major factor - having to answer 8 questions in 10 minutes definitely brought your score down.

First, here are the average guidelines you should be following:
Quant - about 2m; max of 2.5m
SC - about 60-75 sec; max of 90-100 sec
CR - about 2m; max of 2.5m
RC - about 2.5m (short) to 3.5m (long) to read; about 1 min for general purpose questions; about 1.5 to 2 for everything else

Go look at recent practice tests and figure out where you tend to spend too much time; if you know where you're losing time, that's half the battle when trying to stop yourself from doing that in the future.

Then, for verbal, use this process:
1st pass through answers: place answers into 1 of 2 categories, definitely wrong or maybe. DO NOT decide whether something is right at this stage.

2nd pass through: look only at the "maybe" answers, compare to each other or to "proof" text (if it's that kind of question), choose one

When you are down to two answers on verbal, look at each answer ONCE more, then pick one and move on. DO NOT agonize back and forth between two answers.

In terms of specific content - what and how to study - I need more data on your strengths and weaknesses. Use the below article to analyze a recent practice test and then come back and tell us your analysis:

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/02/ ... sts-part-1

(Note: don't just list the data - do the analysis and tell us what you think.)