Mock 415 gmat
Early 30s male originally from Latin America, currently living in the southern US. Bilingual (Spanish/English), first-generation professional, and I’ve always wanted to do an MBA in the US to transition into consulting, banking, or strategy.
After a few years working in accounting/audit and then going through a layoff, I started seriously thinking about finally pursuing the MBA path.
I started GMAT prep about two weeks ago using e-GMAT, and honestly, I feel like I take one step forward and then three steps backward. Some days I feel motivated, and other days I feel dumber than ever.
I recently took my first mock exam and scored a 415, which honestly hit my confidence pretty hard. I know it’s early in the process, but seeing that score after studying made me question whether I’m even capable of reaching a competitive score.
I’m not necessarily targeting a T15. I’m more focused on finding the best ROI possible while still attending a program with a strong career pipeline into consulting, strategy, or finance. Scholarship money matters a lot to me because I really don’t want to drown in student loans if I can avoid it.
Financially, I’ve been pretty disciplined. I already have about 1–1.5 years of living expenses saved in case I get into a program that makes sense to attend full time.
One of my biggest insecurities is my undergraduate GPA. During my bachelor’s in my home country (the degree is accredited/evaluated in the US on a 4.0 scale), I finished with around a 2.8 GPA due to family issues happening at the time.
Right after graduating, I completed a Master’s in Accounting and finished with a 3.9 GPA because I thought it would help offset the undergraduate GPA. From what I’ve researched though, MBA programs still care heavily about undergrad GPA, which has honestly been discouraging.
Right now I’m trying to get ready to apply around late July or early August, but the GMAT process has been rough mentally. I know two weeks isn’t a long time, but I didn’t expect to struggle this much with quant after being out of school for years.
I guess part of the reason I’m posting is because nobody in my family or close circle really knows about this plan yet. I’ve kind of been carrying it privately in my head for years.
So this is partly me venting, but also being honest that deep down I’m scared I might not actually be capable of doing it. Between the GPA, the GMAT struggles, and starting later than a lot of people, sometimes it feels like maybe I missed my window already.
Still trying though.
Would appreciate any honest advice or perspective.