Kindly help me assess my current preparation level

[a.k.bhageria]

Hi,

I've been preparing for GMAT for a little over a month. I had taken a GMATPrep test (from MBA.com) about two months back just to assess the amount of preparation I would require for the exam. I had scored a 750 in that (50Q, 41V) although I had not attempted the AWA section then.

In the last month, I've solved the OG (and have had about 90-92% accuracy in CR and RC, and 85% accuracy in SC). I have also solved addtional materials from Manhattan Gmat (Have completed the SC book for concepts) and elsewhere.

In the last 2 weeks I have taken 3 MGMAT tests -
MGMAT 1 - 700 (46Q 39V) - No AWA
MGMAT 2 - 700 (46Q 39V) - No AWA
MGMAT 3 - 690 (46Q 38V) - With AWA

I've been a bit disheartened by my above scores because I was backing myself to do much better. How should I be assessing my current level of preparation?

My GMAT exam is scheduled for the 6th of July, 2010 (7 days from now, and I have 7 full days available for preparation), and I am wondering what I need to do in order to hit a 750 mark in GMAT, which I realize is ambitious, but very much possible. The reason I've set myself that target is because of the applicant pool I'm in. (Indian origin, Engineer and 2 years of experience), And from what I've read and heard, the average GMAT scores in this pool are 730 odd.

Also I required your advice on the following issues -
1. What should be my strategy and approach in these coming days to maximize my score
2. Should I consider rescheduling my exam in case this time is insufficient
3. How do the top B-schools treat multiple GMAT scores? Avg or Best of them?

Would be great to hear your thoughts on this.

Thanks,
Ankur

[tim]

Hi Ankur,

You haven't mentioned whether you also have NOTHING ELSE going for you but job experience and a decent GMAT score. If that's the case, yes you are going to need a 750 on the GMAT. :) Otherwise, if there is anything at all that makes you an interesting human being that you can sell to the schools you're applying to, i'd like to remind you that even the top business schools in the country take literally dozens of sub-700 scores a year. That said, i understand your interest in maximizing your score. Your scores so far have been remarkably consistent, which leads me to believe strongly that it is not likely you will make a 50 point jump in a few days. However, stranger things have happened..

In general, i find that one of the best approaches to verbal is to take the questions you answer and review them deeply: you need to take a close look at all the answer choices and understand not only why the correct answer is correct but why all the wrong choices are wrong. Try to identify why the GMAT included each wrong choice and what trap they tried to lay for you. Once you figure this out you will be much better prepared to avoid those traps in the future..

For math, make sure you understand when to use each strategy and how to recognize a problem type by clues in the problems. This will help speed things up for you and will also help you increase your accuracy in identifying how to solve problems. To make sure you understand a problem, as part of your review process you should try the problem again with different numbers or different constraints and see if you can still solve the problem..

As for rescheduling, you could either do that or go ahead and plan to take the test and then take it a second time if necessary. The business schools you apply to will look only at your top score as long as you haven't abused the system (eg. taking the test half a dozen times)..

[a.k.bhageria]

Thanks Tim.

Although I do have a couple of things apart from my GMAT that can set my profile apart from the application pool - extra-curriculars, good acads etc., (maybe I could email you a brief description of my profile so you could have a better idea) the reason I'm hoping for a 750 is because Indian School of Business probably does give a little more importance to the GMAT score as compared to other b-schools.
Do b-schools take it as a negative the fact that you've appeared for the GMAT twice? Can it play a detrimental role towards my admission at any point of the application process - consider a situation where they match me up with other candidates who have scored similar points on their overall profile as I have, will the final decision boil down to the GMAT scores, and possibly the no. of attempts?
Also, what happens if my score in my second attempt is lower than my first. While you mentioned they will take the best of the two -- will it somehow prove to be a detriment in any way?

Thanks,
Ankur

[a.k.bhageria]

Also, how much of a difference does a 760 vs a 720 make? Difficult to quantify obviously, but would it be significant? Does it increase one's chances of being shortlisted/admitted given that the-bshcools do like to maintain their 720 medians at the end of it

[tim]

Hi Ankur,
i have to admit that while i have far more experience with the education system in India than most of our staff i can still not give you much insight into the admissions process at Indian business schools. American schools will take your highest score, period, unless you've clearly abused the system by taking the test too many times. And for the most part a 720 will look just fine. My understanding though is that Indian schools in general are so fiercely competitive that admissions committees may be scrutinizing your record to find weaknesses that less competitive schools would overlook. And yes, i would expect Indian schools to place a greater emphasis on the GMAT than on who you are as an overall candidate, but keep in mind these are generalizations based on my own experience with the Indian education system. Just as in America you may find that these observations differ from school to school. My best advice would be to find someone in India who knows a little more about the admission process of specific schools there..

[a.k.bhageria]

I just took my GMAT today and scored 760 (Q51 V41), and I'm very pleased with how it panned out. My sincerest thanks to the MGMAT staff for helping solve queries during my preparation in the last few weeks. The MGMAT books, the tests and these forums are excellent resources for preparation. Thanks Tim for your valuable inputs in how to prepare in the last week, it really helped. Guess strange things do happen :)
But I must admit, it wasn't an easy jump from the 700 scores that I was getting in my initial MGMAT tests. Rigorous analysis of every wrong answer really does help. Toward the end of my preparation, I did start hitting my target scores, so that gave me confidence. Best of luck to all the other GMAT'ers... hope you guys do well.

Cheers!

[StaceyKoprince]

Congratulations - I'm really happy for you! I'll make sure Tim sees your note.

Good luck with applications - let us know how it goes!