Category Archives: GMAT preparation

GMAT Preparation Advice From A 760 Test Taker

By Kyle Watkins (last updated: October 10, 2019)

In a recent conversation, I asked a colleague at BCG to tell me about her experience preparing for the GMAT. Since she ultimately scored an impressive 760 (99 percentile), I suggested that she share her experience with MBA Admissions Advisors readers, which she gladly agreed to.

Can you tell us a few words about yourself?

I graduated in May 2013 with a Masters of Applied Science and a Bachelor of Engineering from Polytechnique Montreal (Quebec). Since then, I have worked for 1 year in management consulting. I took the GMAT in order to apply for a top MBA program and I intend to enroll in September 2015.

What was your score on the different sections?

Verbal: 42 / 96%
Quant: 50 / 89%
Total: 760 / 99%
AWA: 5.5 / 80%
IR: 6 / 67%

 How long did you prepare for the GMAT? How intense was your preparation (weekly hours)?

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Cancelling your GMAT score

By Kyle Watkins (last updated: July 7, 2014)

On June 27, 2014, GMAC announced that GMAT candidates would now be able to see their unofficial score before deciding whether to accept or cancel their test score.

This is a significant change for MBA applicants, who will now need to add one step to their GMAT test preparation: a score cancellation strategy session.

Until recently, we systematically recommended GMAT test takers to never cancel their score. It is indeed very common to hear of candidates who scored 700+ GMAT scores while feeling they had performed poorly during the test. I remember almost cancelling a 750 GMAT score myself after answering a string of very easy quant questions towards the end of my test… I incorrectly thought that something had gone terribly wrong.

With GMAC’s recent change, GMAT candidates are now in a position to make an informed decision. Because of the limited time available to click on the accept / reject score buttons (only 2 minutes), we strongly advise test takers to set their cancellation threshold (if any) before taking the test.

Here are a few tips to make your decision easier:
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