I need expert advice......!!!! Please

[siddharth7.mehta]

Hello,

I am Siddharth and i am from India. I am working in an Engg firm, a mechanical engg myself. I have an experience of 5 years in a multinational company.

I have taken 3 attempts on GMAT.

1) 460-1st attempt Didnt know what to do.
2) 550-2nd attempt (Depressed).
3) 650-3rd attempt.

I have a 5 years work experience in supply chain management. And i am honestly targeting the top 20 to 25 B-Schools. I would like to seek your advice on the following queries that i have.

1) Is there a cap on the number of attempts i can take on the GMAT exam. Or is it considered by the top B-Schools that beyond "X" number of attempts a candidate will not be allowed to apply to a B-School or is the score averaged out. What is the criteria? Please need your help.

2) Will the 4th attempt be useful seeing the way i have been improving? (I am really targeting ISB Hyderabad)

3) Also at the current score and the profile what is my chances to get through the top 20 to 25 B-Schools?

Request you to please revert.

Thanks in advance
Sid

[StaceyKoprince]

I can address your questions specifically about the GMAT - I'm a GMAT expert. I'm not a b-school or admissions expert, so you'll have to talk to an admissions consultant about those questions.

Most schools are fine with up to 3 administrations of the GMAT. Some schools start to raise an eyebrow at 4+ tests. You have shown excellent improvement on each test, though, so your case is a bit different. (Most people don't improve much on the 3rd or higher test.)

Very nice job, by the way.

I don't know the stats for ISB Hyderabad, but you can find data for most schools just by doing a Google search. If the school posts the average numbers for the candidates they admit, then see how you compare. If they don't, then see if you can find magazine articles that discuss schools' scores or even online forums or blogs where people discuss their own scores and also mention what schools admitted them.

For the top 20 to 25 b-schools in North America / Western Europe, there's a wide range depending on whether you're talking about the top 5-10 vs. the rest, and whether you're talking about a full-time regular program vs. an evening or week-end program. Full-time programs tend to look for higher scores.

The top 5-10 schools tend to average 700+. There are still students admitted with below-700 scores, but it's harder for those students to get in.

For schools below the top 5-10, the scores tend to average more in the 640 to 690 range, so you're in that range already. Things can also vary a bit by country - for example, Canadian schools don't place as much emphasis on GMAT scores as US schools, so GMAT scores tend to be a bit lower for Canadian schools. This is not because the students aren't as smart - it's just that the GMAT isn't as important, so students who want to attend Canadian schools don't tend to spend as much time and effort studying for the GMAT, on average.