Does a 530 GMAT mean I will not get into NYU?

May 11, 2006 3:38 PM

So I bombed my GMAT test today. Can I still get into grad school?

So I took the GMAT today and only got a 530...while my verbal was excellent I tanked the math. I am trying to go to NYU but 90% of their students scored 640 or above. What are my odds of being in the other 10%...530 is a pretty horrible score...I think my essays in my application are strong and I got two good recommendations but am concerned the GMAT might be the end of me.

I also wrote an optional essay talking about why I stayed at my previous job for so long but now am considering rewriting it to talk about why I bombed the math portion of the GMAT and my verbal and ideation skills make up for it.

So what should I do? I should also mention this is for their part time program.

posted by UMDirector to Education (19 answers total)

You're more than a full standard deviation below 90% of the NYU students. Consider that a lot of those other 10% probably scored 630, still a standard deviation above your score. This is going to be tough to overcome.

Don't put anything down on paper acknowledging your weakness. You're going to have to use that optional essay to play up your remarkable strength - I don't know what it is, but you must - the one that's going to swing them far enough to give you an interview.

It's during the interview that you blow off the math score as not representative of your true skills. For the interview, you'd better come up with a story that makes it nonrepresentative of your skills, rather than being something that you can make up for with creativity. Quantitative skills are very important in management.
posted by ikkyu2 at 3:51 PM on May 11, 2006

apparently you can retake the GMAT up to five times in a year, i think you just have to wait a month or something. if the deadline is looming, you could call up the admissions person/people and explain that you took the test but were having a bad day and don't think your score reflects your abilities, and have a retake scheduled, and could you possibly have an extension of the deadline until your second test?

application packages make the deadlines sound very firm, but in truth there's a considerable amount of flexibility when it comes to grad school admissions. most of the time it's completely left to the discretion of whatever department you're applying to. certainly, you don't lose anything by trying, except for the cost of an additional test.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 4:11 PM on May 11, 2006

This is a good news / bad news situation.

The bad news is that you need a better score than one you got. The top night programs -- and Stern is absolutely no exception -- are the worst place to try to wiggle your way out of a bad GMAT score by referring to special experience, skills or circumstances. The applicant pools of night programs are full of people with terrific experience and skills and, as well, full of people with heavy family obligations, profound professional and social commitments, and other personal-essay-centric reasons why they can't quit work for two years.

The good news is that is that the GMAT is very teachable and you don't have to raise your score to a high-90s percentile range. A very high GMAT score is much less important for admission to a top school than a sky-high LSAT or GMAT. Another piece of good news is that b-schools know that it's easy for a smart person to have a bad day on a standardized test, and therefore don't heavily discount a higher score earned the second time around.

Your best strategy might be to withdraw your application, take a serious GMAT prep program, and sit the exam again for next application season.

(On preview -- unless, of course, you have enough to time prep thoroughly, retest, and keep your application alive for this season.)
posted by MattD at 4:13 PM on May 11, 2006

You need to find out how they treat multiple scores. Some schools average them, some take the latest, etc.

I recently wrote the GMAT and only used the Kaplan book, I got a 640 (34 verbal, 44 quant, 5.5 essay), so I would recommend that book, as well as the official GMAT study guide, and at least six weeks of hard studying every other day. The two weeks approaching it, you want to write a test every day so you're good and ready and can focus on your weaknesses.
posted by dobie at 4:26 PM on May 11, 2006

If your question is: Will I still get into a business school, the answer is almost certainly yes. But if the question is really: Will I get into Stern, the answer is probably no, unless there is something spectacular about your CV that we don't know. MattD has it right, you should think about withdrawing the application and working hard to score as close to perfect as you can on the GMAT and then reapply. And as dobie says, find out how they'll treat multiple scores.
posted by yellowcandy at 6:23 PM on May 11, 2006

You need to find out how they treat multiple scores. Some schools average them, some take the latest, etc.

Few, if any, B-Schools average the scores. They claim to take the top one, and since they compete (to a small degree) on average GMAT score, they usually care.

application packages make the deadlines sound very firm, but in truth there's a considerable amount of flexibility when it comes to grad school admissions.

Business school is technically a graduate school, but I don't think that this statement is remotely correct. You want to apply after the deadline, they tell you not to bother.

The applicant pools of night programs are full of people with terrific experience and skills

Less so than the day programs, IMO. PT applicants usually have more experience, but not better experience.

I hate to tell you this, UMDirector, but the numbers suggest that you're fucked unless you bring the GMAT up considerably.

MattD is right that the test is very teachable. Have you worked through the entire official guide more than once? You need to. Also hang out on these forums, if you'e not now.
posted by Kwantsar at 6:41 PM on May 11, 2006

Retake your GMAT. Unless you did something akin to curing cancer and have a perfect GPA, you're chances are slim with that score. Stern is a very competitive school, even the part-time program. You should probably defer your application to the next intake, there's usually 2 a year so it would be just pushing back school a few months.

Stern will only look at your highest score, so there is no reason not to retake the test. If you have really good everything else, you probably have an ok shot with a 600. Or you could just apply somewhere less selective. Go buy a study guide, I used both Kaplan and Princeton Review. Take a look at both and see which one suits your style. As other people have said, the GMAT is very teachable.

If you still end up doing really poorly on the math, you might want to reconsider doing an MBA. There is a lot of math, stats, etc. involved in an MBA, and it will be much more difficult than what you are seeing on the GMAT. Same thing with analytical skills, which are much harder to learn than math skills. Not saying you wouldn't be able to do it, but it will probably be a challenge.
posted by orangskye at 7:03 PM on May 11, 2006

Disclaimer: I sometimes teach GMAT prep. Did you do a prep course or spend considerable amounts of your own time prepping? People who take prep courses often see their scores rise 100 points or so. (My MBA program told me this and I have seen it with my prep students.) Even so, some students do poorly as a result of stress, exhaustion and other pressures. ...But you're going to need more than 530 to get into Stern. Some schools average the scores, others just go with the top score. So re-write the GMAT after you've done more prep and you're feeling fit, rested, confident and ready. Of course, you could also consider applying to an executive program where your experience and overall profile are given more weight.
posted by acoutu at 7:14 PM on May 11, 2006

If you still end up doing really poorly on the math, you might want to reconsider doing an MBA. There is a lot of math, stats, etc. involved in an MBA, and it will be much more difficult than what you are seeing on the GMAT.
I teach GMAT and I have an MBA. I disagree. The math in MBA programs is not as complicated as anything students need to do on the GMAT. What's important (and more complicated) is the application of slightly more basic math.
posted by acoutu at 7:15 PM on May 11, 2006

I once was you.

I scored a 560 on my first-go-around. I thought (professional) life was over.

I then took a prep class by Kaplan. If nothing else, taking an organized prep class got me in the routine of studying.

I scored over 700 on the second try.

The GMAT is not a measure of intelligence. It is a measure of test-taking skill. Please take it again.
posted by pencroft at 8:30 PM on May 11, 2006 [1 favorite]

I'm also in the test-pre business, embarrassingly enough, and all the people above who say to either take a class or prep your ass off on your own, then take it again for the next cycle are right.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:59 PM on May 11, 2006

I'm also in the test prep biz. I'd say wait til next year. It is already mid May. Take a Kaplan course, do all the work and really learn the methods and if your score doesn't go up, do private tutoring. Or if you have the money, do private tutoring from the start.
I'd bet that the data suff strategy alone will bring you up some. And the 'tricks' for basic math will speed up your first 15 minutes leaving you more time for the harder questions,

Lots of people retake.

Don't stress yoyrself out for fall 06 though, imho.
posted by k8t at 1:25 AM on May 12, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks for all the advice. I did actually study from a bunch of books and when taking practice tests hit 620 once or twice...including the downloadable GMAT practice. So I am confident if I do take the GMAT course I could probably raise my score quite a bit. I feel like the books took be up a certain level but then I hit a plateau.

What, if any, are the differences between Kaplan and Princeton Review?
posted by UMDirector at 4:33 AM on May 12, 2006

The Kaplan is really, really hard and not actually a very good example of what is on the test; By the time I'd finished the actual test I thought I'd completely fucked up because the questions seemed way too easy.

They say that the downloadable test is slightly easier than the actual one.

I found this tool useful for estimating actual scores after prep tests.
posted by dobie at 5:46 AM on May 12, 2006

Response by poster: Dobie - so did you do well on the test? I am okay with hard if it will make the test easier. I would rather think the test was too easy than too hard.

If you could do it again would you do Kaplan again or Princeton?
posted by UMDirector at 8:36 AM on May 12, 2006

The Kaplan book is hard. You might also look into VeritasPrep. I work for them, so I will not provide a link here.
posted by acoutu at 9:18 AM on May 12, 2006

UMDirector, as I mentioned above, I got 640. If I could do it again, I would use the Kaplan but also use the Official Guide.

The Kaplan book is all about the CD that comes with it; so don't buy it used.

If you can afford to do the Kaplan or Princeton tutoring thing, I would suggest you do that.
posted by dobie at 10:12 AM on May 12, 2006

I've taken a Kaplan course for most of the important tests in my life, fwiw. I didn't bother seeing how I performed without taking the test. However, I don't think you'll be able to fit into this admissions cycle - their courses takes some weeks - which is why I didn't recommend it above.

Otherwise, I think Kaplan courses are a good value.
posted by ikkyu2 at 12:32 PM on May 12, 2006

My husband works for The Princeton Review.
I suggest The Princeton Review.
He suggests that "you don't want to take Kraplan."

(I suspect either course would give you similar outcomes. Just buy the retail book for the course you don't take.)
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 6:51 PM on May 12, 2006