Written by Sameer Kamat

The topic of average GMAT score for ISB Hyderabad (Indian School of Business) gets discussed a lot. We published an article about an MBA applicant who got into ISB with a low GMAT score of 610.

This time we consider another aspect of GMAT scores i.e. the limited utility of a high GMAT score.
Ritesh had an impressive GMAT score of 760. You’d think such a score would make life easy for any MBA applicant at any of the top b-schools.

Far from it, as Ritesh got rejected twice. So what was it that finally got him an admit and a scholarship from the same bschool that had rejected him twice?

Written by Sameer Kamat

If you look at the class profile statistics for ISB Hyderabad, you’ll find an average GMAT score that’s among the highest across all international B-schools. No wonder then that folks get enamoured with that one parameter and put all their energies into getting the highest GMAT score possible.
Sudhir Nemani tried twice to crack the GMAT, and ended up with GMAT scores of 600 and 610. As a senior professional in the investment banking industry, he had worked on a wide variety of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) transactions – managing all responsibilities including valuations, business modeling, negotiations, post merger integration and much more. His profile was solid. But the GMAT score was bringing the morale down.

What would you do if you had your eyes set on the Indian School of Business (ISB Hyderabad) and your GMAT score was more than a 100 points below the average GMAT score for ISB?

Written by Sameer Kamat

IESE Business School in Barcelona (Spain) offers an 18 month program that has been ranked high consistently by Financial Times, Forbes, BusinessWeek and the Economist.
After the first year, students get the opportunity of a corporate internship. The IESE Career Services team plays a key role in helping students.

Students also have the option of taking up international elective offerings in USA, Brazil, China or Kenya. For those keen on a longer stay abroad, the International Exchange Program allows students to complete a whole term at another top MBA program.
In this guest post, IESE MBA student Savita Hinger shares her experience.

Written by Sameer Kamat

The Tepper school of Business attracts many Indian applicants. ‘Don’t they all?’ you might say. Sure they do, but the Tepper MBA is special, because of Carnegie Mellon University. CMU has been an all time favourite with desi techies who’ve been attending CMU for ages in pursuit of a top MS degree and of course for undergrad courses as well. The Tepper School of Business builds upon that legacy.
When folks who’ve not been successful in their earlier attempts approach MBA Crystal Ball for help, just like the candidates, we feel the extra pressure too. We hope applicants see significant value in working with us. And when the admissions journey ends on a good note, it gives us tremendous satisfaction. Ritwik shares one such story and walks us through his emotions as he went through each phase.

Written by Sameer Kamat

The GMAT test day related anxiety starts right from the day you decide to apply to the best business schools. The stress and tension continues to build up during the GMAT preparation phase and ends only when you walk out of the GMAT test center. The day before the GMAT test is usually the worst.
Prashant (@Melodania on Twitter) is an engineer who’s currently working as an IT consultant. He’s a thoroughbred Mumbai lad, a music freak, a reader (not the Adobe Acrobat types). When he’s not playing his bass (guess whether that refers to his voice, his pet fish or his guitar), he’s in the kitchen trying to find a new dish to creatively mess up. In this guest post, he shares his GMAT test day experience along with some advice on managing the stress before & during the GMAT test date.

Written by Sameer Kamat

The top business schools have a relatively low acceptance rate and it’s in the interest of the applicant to reduce the common MBA application mistakes most of their competitors are bound to make. Every little precaution that you take to reduce the negative points helps in pushing up your chances of getting in just a little bit more. So even if the points below don’t seem like rocket-science, do take the time to use them as a check-list to ensure that your little works of art enjoy the limelight.

This would be more of a motherhood post that brushes up many concepts that we’ve been covering in this blog. It is meant for those looking for a few quick points to activate those memory cells that might’ve been dormant.

Here are a few tips to ensure that your MBA application strategy is on the right track and you’re focusing on the right areas.

Written by Sameer Kamat

For most international MBA applicants, the GMAT vs CAT dilemma is a no-brainer. Right? But you’d be surprised at how many folks who are just starting out have queries such as ‘Which is more difficult – CAT or GMAT? Which one should I go for? Should I use CAT material to prepare for the GMAT syllabus? Does the GMAT also have nine lives like the CAT?‘

Well, ok…the last one might be a figment of our imagination. Pretty much like our friend Achamba – The Super MBA

Written by Sameer Kamat

The Darden School of Business MBA Class Profile at the University of Virginia, reflects more or less what you’d see at any of the best MBA programs in the US. For the Class of 2013 year, the statistics hover at around 30% international candidates, a Male/Female ratio of 70:30, an average GMAT of 700+ (701, to be technically correct). What the statistics don’t reveal is the level of competition for Indian IT Males & Females who are vying for one of those 319 seats along with applicants from 37 other countries.
We published an interview with Wendy Huber, Associate Director of Admissions @ Darden MBA. Gowthami Guttikonda was one of the candidates who had her MBA interview with Wendy. Yup, small world!
With a failed enterpreneurship venture, lesser experience than other applicants, a ‘low GMAT score’ (in relative terms) and an Indian IT software engineer background, Gowthami knew things were exactly in the best possible shape. Believing in her capability, she went ahead with her Darden MBA admissions process and came out victorious.

Written by Sameer Kamat

Aiming for a perfect 800 score on the GMAT? You aren’t the only one. There are many who want to go where few have gone before. The Big 8-0-0! Is it even possible to get a perfect 800 GMAT score? Yes, it is. And you’ll find the occasional post on GMAT preparation forums and blogs on ‘How I got the perfect 800 score on the GMAT test’ (or similar sounding euphoric accounts and debriefs).

Such posts get the maximum attention as every aspiring GMAT student and MBA applicant flocks to the discussion thread to find out the secrets to cracking the GMAT test and getting the best possible score. The rationale is – if more than one regular homo sapien without superpowers can get the perfect 800 score, why can’t I?

Here are some examples of people who got perfect 800 GMAT scores.

Written by Sameer Kamat

Got an average GMAT score in your recent attempt? Chances are that your ‘average score’ isn’t as average as you think it is. If Indian IT Male (and Female) Engineers score a 690 on the GMAT test (a very respectable score by global standards), we still label them as average GMAT scorers. In fact, even a 700 or 710 doesn’t seem to impress the powers that be i.e international MBA Admissions officers of the top business schools.

But statistically, that’s far from the truth. The real average score for GMAT test takers around the world is…hold your breath…