Completed my GMAT - 680

I have just completed my GMAT. Got a dismal 680 (Q-48 and V-35). I was expecting it to be in the range of 700 to 730. I was consistently getting in the 7XX range in all my practice exams.

Questions that I have:

• Should I retake my GMAT to achieve a 7XX score or use the time to create a powerful resume & essay.
• What are the colleges that I should target. My target location is US or Canada.
• Will my age of 34 (My one line profile will be 34 Yrs, Indian Male, Consulting, 9 years in ERP) be an asset or disadvantage for US schools. I find most US schools to have young student profile aged between 25 to 30 years.
• I am targeting schools with specialization in General Management or Leadership
  

GMAT Challenges

It is difficult to study, if you are taking a competitive exam like GMAT for the first time and that you have not taken any serious exams in the past 13 years.

It is difficult to study. Very difficult, if you have a wife and two kids, each of them eagerly looking for each and every moment of your spare time to be with you, talk with you and shower you with affection.

It is difficult to study, if you have a demanding job that requires you to always be on the edge and perform lots of travel.


Well, I have all the above reasons that wanted to discourage me from preparing for GMAT. But, luckily for me, I was able to squeeze in 2 to 3 hours a day on regular basis for the past 6 months to prepare for my GMAT. It took 6 months for me to crack the GMAT. I would have spent at least 50% of the 6 months for actual study. The rest was consumed by my official deliverables and travel. My study hours was early morning 3 AM to 6 AM whenever I was at home.

Why study now

I need an MBA.

I believe that MBA is all about networking and sharing. I believe that a full time MBA allows members to indulge together, share experiences, learn together, struggle together and ultimately excel together.

Reason I: Sharpen the saw. I definitely believe in one of the principles of Stephen R Covey, which focuses on "Sharpen the saw". I did my Engineering and a few courses (related to my field of work) which has taken me to where I am today.

I am considered to be an expert in my field of work. I deliver based on my skill. I have handled small teams so far and I have seen myself to be excelling in building up of teams, motivating and retaining my teams, developing a sense of belonging to my team and have enjoyed all the wonderful feelings associated with grooming a team and an individual.

I firmly believe in the philosophy that "To Grow", you need others to work for you. It does not mean that you should not do anything. It means that, you should move away from operational deliveries into strategic deliveries that allow you to build teams and allow the teams to deliver. I should move up and away from operations and move into strategies.

To take me forward for the next 10/ 15 years in my foray into management/ strategic planning, I need a different skill. I need the skills that make a leader. I need formal management skills to supplement my instinct leadership skills.

Reason II: Slowing career growth curve:- My career growth has followed the typical inverted bell. I invested in my engineering education which has paid me rich dividends in bringing me to where I am today. But, the growth rate has slowed down and I could feel that I miss something that is slowing down my rapid movement into management. I believe that I am near the top part of an inverted bell. From here onwards, my growth will slow down and if I do not reinvent myself, the grown rate will soon stall and will even tail down.


Reason III: Change career:- My career has always been into consulting. I do some small amount of charity with the money that I earn. I sponsor the education of a few kids. But, I have been groping in the dark on how to perform first hand contribution to the society - like public administration and/ or join UN organizations which do real service. Here, I envy my mom and brother, both doctors, who are able to do service to poor at the blink of an eye. I want a career change that allows me to illuminate the lives of people.