Jennifer Polhemus ⋅ Santa Monica, CA Precision Research (self-employed) ⋅ 25 years experience

How much time did you spend prepping for the math portion? If you don't use math (higher level algebra & some basic stats) a lot in your everyday life (I'm guessing you don't), then you need to become a math nerd for at LEAST 1 solid month before taking (or re-taking) the GMAT.

If you did spend a lot of effort prepping and still "bombed," then that's a red flag. But if you prepped a little, or hated prepping, or allowed distractions, then you should try again. Are you dedicated enough to engage deeply in math for a while? I bet you are. Pick up Danica McKellar's book "Math Doesn't Suck" at the library and see if you can read it over one weekend. If you can, then move forward!

A successful MBA needs quantitative reasoning skills (aka what we used to call "word problems") -- different than just memorizing formulas. If you REALLY want an MBA, you can gain the math skills you need! Best wishes...

Laura Zoerner ⋅ Littleton, CO W.L. Gore & Associates ⋅ 20 years experience

These are good answers and I'll add in my own two-cents. I respectively bombed my math portion on the SAT and didn't do as well as I'd have liked on the GMAT. But, I was Dean's honor list in college, honor graduate for my department, and made Dean's honor list in grad school (a top 10 graduate school in the US, too). Tests are not a perfect predictor but they are and indicator.

I can say this.... they type of math on the standardized tests is not always what you will use in work. A few things to consider

If you don't test well but study well in class or with homework, forge ahead!

If math will be used a lot in business, think about what level of math you need and can comfortably do first. Be careful here and be honest!! Don't get in over your head

Ask! Ask others Working in the field you are in now what level of math they use.

Don't throw in the towel yet but, do your homework (figuratively and literally). Good luck!!

Jeanne Perdue ⋅ Houston, TX Oxy ⋅ 35 years experience

Dear Kenny:
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!
Go to the Khan Academy website and sign up for free math tutorials online and focus on the stuff you were not able to do on the GMAT. Then take the GMAT again. This math stuff will start coming back to you. Failure is not a permanent obstacle; it's an opportunity to learn something. Best wishes for success!
Jeanne Perdue, Houston, TX

Kelly McCormick ⋅ Falls Church, VA U.S. Air Force, Captain ⋅ 8 years served

Kenny,

I know there have been other answers posted here that have been helpful to you, but I also walked your path not too long ago. I took the GMAT for admission to the Oklahoma State University MBA program. I'll be the first to admit that math was never my strong suit, and I think my score on the GMAT reflected that. That being said, it was enough for me to get into the program. I recall that the typically math heavy courses (Accounting and Finance in particular) were challenging for me, but not for the reason that the math was difficult. At least in my program, you didn't have to memorize a lot of formulas or perform calculations in an environment like you experienced in the GMAT. I managed just fine and ended up graduating from the program in 2014 with no problems.

You will probably have to exert more effort to succeed in the math-based classes, as I did. The economics courses and leadership courses were the most interesting parts of the program for me, and not surprisingly I did the best in those parts of the curriculum. So, to answer your question: Bombing the math portion of the GMAT is not an indicator that you will not succeed in your MBA program, but it is something to learn from. Hope that helps! Good luck!

Kenny Gutierrez ⋅ Seffner, FL U.S. Army, Sergeant ⋅ 5 years served

Thanks for the answers. I was all over the place during test prep. I took at prep class at one of the local colleges, but it did not go well. We went over the practice questions, but I needed something that pointed me towards something more specific to study. I think I was a few steps behind everyone else in class (most were accounting majors) and it didn’t help when one of them had to correct the professor.

As for trying to tough it out or trying to power through it, like someone would in the last few miles of something tough…well making the fight through it face during the test only confused the test monitor. I don’t have any problem working or pushing myself, it’s just a matter of knowing how to prep and what to prep for. The review the practice questions approach probably wasn’t enough.

Thanks for the advice!

Patrick Haley ⋅ Longmont, CO IBM ⋅ 38 years experience

Kenny,

I'm sure the GMAT has merit(s) , but no, you should not avoid chasing an MBA based on some test result. Jennifer is correct in her advice; please consider it. Also, Google practice GMAT math questions, there are tons (free) out there that you can build a study curriculum around. Kenny, your a VET! - dig in / be tough - you can do this.

Patrick Haley