<p>I hope anyone can help put me in the right direction. I aim to apply to one of the top 5 schools, however, I have just scored the lowest GMAT score in history.</p>
<p>I studied with Kaplan and I scored 270. Athough, I have a strong GPA, recommendation letter, achievements (both professional and personal) and an outstanding essay, I AM NOT sure whether to still press the submit button of just cancel the applications.</p>
<p>Please I need help, I am really frustrated!</p>
<p>Specifically, I need to know how to improve my GMAT - I think the Kaplan strtegy is not working for me. Also, should I submit the application or cancel it?</p>
<p>The problem most schools have a system where a computer screens applicants and if certain benchmarks are not met are thrown out. </p>
<p>I am not sure where you plan to apply to but even B-schools not ranked in the top 50 by US news rankings such as FIU have a minimum cut off point of 500 GMAT score, they are not that picky with admits but the admissions lady told me herself that without that 500 GMAT there is nothing they can do. Just an example.</p>
<p>You could also try to email the schools admissions office and see what they say, can’t hurt. </p>
<p>GMAT prep is all about doing as many examples as possible and learning all the different types their are to offer, if you studied from a single kaplan book it will not be enough to prepare you in my opinion.</p>
<p>^ GMAT is taken on the computer now, so you can’t mis-bubble. It would have to be a software error (which I’m guessing is highly unlikely). </p>
<p>Assuming that you don’t feel it was an error, then you definitely need to retake the test. Did you take any of the practice exams online? If not, you need to do that. I think doing tons of practice exams would be of great use. Furthermore, if you are able to take a variety of practice exams, along with doing lots of problems, you should have confidence going into the test that your score will likely fall in a certain range.</p>
<p>Obviously something didn’t click. So, perhaps a personal tutor would be the best route. (combination of personal tutor plus books, plus practice exams).</p>
<p>BTW, I feel Princeton Review has very good strategies (I also read 2 kaplan books, but really just used Kaplan for the practice problems)</p>
<p>On a side note, all of the application deadlines have passed for top 5 schools (unless one extended it for some reason). Furthermore, it’s going to be most difficult to be accepted in the late rounds. If you are applying for 2010, then you are way early and there is no rush to apply.</p>
<p>Your low GMAT score and high aspiration are a concern to me. Unless you are able to improve your GMAT score dramatically, you have no chance at a top 5 program. I would suggest setting your short term goal at scoring 500 and then look into what the bottom rungs of admitted applicants at those schools score. Otherwise, you should re-evaluate your goals and aim for a lower rank school. </p>
<p>I am assuming that you are fairly weak in both verbal and quant. I suggest concentrating less on the timing and focusing more on the question stem and details.</p>
<p>I plan to apply this year to LBS but,I think I will just pack it till next year.</p>
<p>In the meantime, I still think their is a problem with my study strategy. My timing is still not very good and the Kaplan book is not for me either.</p>
<p>Please can anyone recommend a better srategy and also a good study material</p>
<p>Thanks once more for your response and I look forward to your Invaluable advice.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, where did you go to undergrad and what was your major? Im also interested in your SAT score as hmom said, it seems very odd to me that you would score so poorly. I honestly dont mean any offense, but a 270 seems almost unheard of if you have a reasonably strong application otherwise.</p>
<p>It’s hard to tell you what to do when we really don’t know how you went about studying for the GMAT last time.</p>
<p>As I stated previously, the Princeton Review strategies worked very well for me, but your problem is not simply a book. The test doesn’t have that many different problem types. You should have a set strategy for each problem type. If you practice enough you will have confidence during the GMAT that you have done every type of problem and have a specific way to solve each problem type.</p>
<p>It’s good that you posted here, because the last thing you want to do is stay in a bubble. Doing so may end up in you spinning your wheels too much with no results. That’s also why I recommend getting a personal tutor. Also, I recommend posting/reading on a GMAT prep forum. We can certainly help you here. However, for very specific questions or just for access to other’s thoughts/questions I’d recommend a forum like Test Magic which has thousands of GMAT threads:</p>
<p>If the GMAT goes too fast for you, I’m not sure what advise to give you. The main thing I would say is to not get rattled during the test. You may miss a few questions in a row but your head must remain clear for the rest of the questions. The best way to do that is to be prepared, IMO.</p>
<p>Also, if u didn’t take practice exams online, you really need to do a ton of those.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your priceless advices.I realy appreciate them.</p>
<p>I am not an english native speaking. I was originally from Africa. However, I did my undergrad at Oxford Brookes Univeristy, Oxford, UK and majored in Finance . I am a chartered accountant and works as Head of Finance for a FTSE 250 company here in London.</p>
<p>I am going through a total change in study strategy right now and any support will be appreciated.</p>
<p>I think I have one question; does anyone know if their is any correlation between the verbal session and the AWA as I seem to get 5 in AWA even though I failed the verbal session proper.</p>
<p>I was going to ask if English was not your first language. That could be part of what’s causing you this problem. It may well be a matter of learning how to take this test, in English, under the prescribed timing. For many people, the timing is an issue - and I see this very often in people for whom English is not their first language. </p>
<p>The timing can be learned. You can also learn approaches to the material that can help you do better. </p>
<p>I honestly have no idea if you can bring your score up to the level required by a program like LBS, but I think you can bring your score up. The GMAT score for the most recently admitted class at London Business School was 600 or higher. I’d put your application to LBS on hold for right now. Use the time to prepare for the GMAT, and to take it once again. </p>
<p>I strongly believe that you need to work one-on-one with someone. Since you’re head of finance, I’m hoping that you can afford a tutor. Veritas Prep, Kaplan and Princeton Review test prep do offer private, one-on-one tutoring. If not, then a group class would be a good second choice, but if you can afford it, private tutoring would be my first recommendation. </p>
<p>At a minimum, what you need to do is to 1) take several sample GMATs over the course of your GMAT prep, and take them as you would in real life - in silence, timed, with just the one break. Plus 2) get another test prep book - not Kaplan, because that’s not working for you - and go through it in detail. </p>
<p>But I’d really prefer you to do an in-person class, and ideally, get one-on-one tutoring.</p>