With NMAT 2017 results out of the bag, some of you must be wondering whether to take the test again or not. In this article, we will go through the key aspects you must consider before taking that decision.
If we look at the cutoffs of the last few year, a score of 215+ with balanced sectional performance can be considered a safe score. If you have cracked more than 215, give yourself a pat on the back and be assured of a call. Needless to say one can take a retake even with such a good score to increase one’s percentile. You will end up paying a little extra but considering the stakes, it’s insignificant. If you are serious about some of the top B-schools accepting NMAT score, taking a retake just to increase your chance makes complete sense. But yes, 215+ is a good score and you should definitely get a call.
A score above 205 but less than 215 should take another shot. The improvement required is marginal and additional 3-4 right questions can improve your chance of getting in significantly. Do check your sectional split. If there is a section which pulled you down, make sure that you give attention to this section before your NMAT retake and improve your performance. Getting a few extra questions right won’t be that difficult if you understand your mistakes. A 205+ score shows that you’re there. But will it guarantee a call and a convert? Not really. But a good score like that should drive you to cross the 215-220 level which will take the tension off.
The next bracket is 190 to 205 which generally has a lot of students. From here, again, it is easy to say that one needs 10 questions right to crack it, in the time available to aspirants, it’s difficult. Content wise, one is at a fair level if one gets a 190+ but question selection needs to get better and the overall speed has to improve. More genuine attempts = more marks. Those falling under this ‘so-near-yet-so-far’ bracket should start preparing for NMAT retake and should aim for at least 25 points improvement. Preparing exclusively through mocks can work for such candidates who know the stuff but falter during the test or for those who are concerned about their speed and strategy. Sectional performance should be closely looked at as a weak section, if kept unattended, will reduce one’s chance of increasing one’s scores.
If you’ve scored less than 190, time to introspect. What went wrong? Are you done with all the concepts? Were there questions where you spent time but didn’t get returns? What’s the gap between your sectional scores and sectional cutoffs? What needs to be done in the next few weeks to bridge that gap? A Strategy can make a huge difference for test takers who are not able to increase their attempts. Identify the issue and fix it. You might need to work on your content so be ready to slog it out in the next couple
| A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Possible issues | Retake with reason | Strategy |
| 215+ | Not applicable | Yes – Just to increase score and percentile No – Because it’s not necessary |
Don’t get over-confident. |
| 205-215 | Speed | Yes – May or may not get a call at this score No – If you want to take a chance |
Increase your speed. Target 5 additional right questions. |
| 190-205 | Speed + Content | Yes – If you are targeting top institutes No – If you are fine with some of the other institutes |
Fix content issues. Increase speed. Target 10 additional right questions. |
| <190 | Speed + Content | Yes – If you want to get a better institute No – If you think that it’s not possible to improve your score |
Work on your content and question selection. Target 15 additional right questions. |
A lot of students raise concerns over the cost of taking NMAT. Valid point. But if one decides not to take it again purely for cost reasons, one’s thinking is short-term. Though there is always a chance of no improvement or worse performance, there is also a chance of superior performance. And considering the number of institutes accepting NMAT scores, NMAT retake makes a lot of sense.
Do keep in mind the date to register for the retake. Registration for retake began on the 8th of October and the last day to register for NMAT retake is 15th of December, 2016. With some of the other tests just around the corner, you might be in two minds as to which test(s) should be given a priority. As the preparation is more or less the same (except the tests where you’ve GK section) this question shouldn’t really bother you. If you are finding yourself confused, tackle things as they come along and prepare accordingly. In most of the entrance tests, your fate gets sealed in one attempt and ‘could-have-been’ and ‘should-have-been’ thoughts are your only consolation in case you mess up. Fortunately, NMAT offers an opportunity to increase your score and improve your chance of getting into a good institute. Grab that chance before it vanishes.
Authored by Prasad Sawant – An MBA from JBIMS Mumbai with a 99.99 percentile in CET, 99.99 percentile in MAT, and 99.9+ percentile in CAT (Quant) ; Co-founder at http://learningroots.in/
Source: MISB Bocconi Blog
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