Test Date question

[ucscsteve]

Hi Everyone,
A bit of background. I took the GMAT twice and scored 530 both times. I have since took the MGMAT class. My practice scores are as follows

MGMAT-600
MGMAT-590
MGMAT-640
MGMAT-630
GMAT Prep-600

As of now, I have my test scheduled for late December. I am targeting several part time programs in Southern California (Pepperdine, LMU, UC Irvine, and Top Choice USC).

I just wanted to get some feedback from people. Part of me wants to just get the test out of the way and move on to the application process-especially since I want to get my full application submitted ASAP (USC round 2 deadline is Feb 1). The other part of me wants to ensure I get the best score possible as this is the last time I will be taking the test, regardless of my score.

Any thoughts would be great,

Thanks

[StaceyKoprince]

You don't mention a goal score, nor do you mention the kinds of scores that would make you competitive at the programs to which you're planning to apply. Have you taken a look at the statistics for those specific programs? Ideally, you'd like your GMAT score to be at or above the median score for accepted students at those schools. It doesn't absolutely have to be significantly higher than the median unless you have a very low (for that school) GPA or some other weakness that could be somewhat offset by a higher GMAT score.

If you do the research and find you need to score around a 600, and if you took your practice tests under full official test conditions (essays, two 8-minute breaks, etc.), then you are in the general range already, and you should consider gearing up to take the official test. If you need a higher score, then you need to do more work, as it's unusual to see a big score increase on the official test.

If you didn't take the test under full official test conditions, let me know how you deviated from the official conditions. Deviating from official conditions can cause anything from minor to major score inflation, depending upon the particular deviations. If that occurred, then that would mean your practice test scores don't accurately reflect what you should expect on the real test.

It is also the case, of course, that the GMAT is only one part of your application. Have you already begun writing your applications for the various schools? If not, I would recommend that you begin; you don't need to wait until after you've taken the GMAT to start on various other parts of your application. Some parts, such as the essays, are best done over a significant length of time. Other parts, such as inputting your transcript or resume, are mostly busy work, but when you're burned out from studying or writing essays, you can do a bit of busy work to clear your mind.

[ucscsteve]

Hi Stacey,
Thanks for your reply. The average GMAT range for the schools I am applying for are around 580-630. So, I would like my score to be in the 620-630 range. I took another GMAT Prep test yesterday, and scored a 590, similar to the score I received on the first one. I made some really silly, careless mistakes on the Math portion (received a 41 on the math-which I didn’t think was awful considering I missed a couple "gimmes" due to careless mistakes). My Verbal this time around was uncharacteristically very low (32). I had trouble focusing on some of the RC passages, started to get a headache from staring at the screen, and panicked. If my verbal score would have been in the normal range I score (40+) then I believe that would have equated to roughly a 630 or so.

Sorry, for the winded reply. The point I am trying to make, is that I know I am capable of reaching my target score. I have really been stressing myself out lately to the point where it is affecting my mood. My test is scheduled for Wed 12/23, so I only have a couple more days to decide whether to push it back. I am inclined to take the test because (1) I am scoring around my target score (I have scored 640 and 630 on MGMAT tests), (2) if I push it back, will it really help, and (3) part of me just wants to be done and move on to the writing my application essays.

Any insight you can provide will be very helpful. I am having hard time deciding whether to just take the plunge, and take the test or get a couple more weeks of studying in and then take it.

Also, on a side note. When applying to schools, should I pay more attention to the median GMAT score of a school, or the 80% range.


Thanks,

-Steve

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm sorry I'm only getting to this now; I left for vacation the day after your post. You may have already taken the test, but I'll still reply for the benefit of others who may be in a similar situation.

In general, we should assume that we will always have a few careless mistakes on things we did know how to do - this is a long, tiring test. So we can't assume that, on "game day," we'll somehow avoid making those careless mistakes. Just something to think about. :)

Your practice test scores have generally been in your goal range, so I probably would have said that you were ready to take the test on your scheduled date, though I also would've wanted you to try to figure out why your verbal score dropped on the last practice test. If we can figure out why, then we can actually do something to prevent that from happening again. Depending upon why, that can help you to decide whether you had enough time to fix the problem.

For others in a similar situation, here's an article that can help you to figure out why your score dropped:

http://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/10/26/my-score-dropped-figuring-out-what-went-wrong

Re: evaluating the scores given by schools, a score around the median means that the GMAT will neither help nor hurt your case - it won't keep you out, but you're going to have to have some other "plus" factors to get you in. If you're at the 80+% mark for that school, then the GMAT is actuallly a "plus" factor for your application.