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Intern
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Joined: 18 Jan 2013
Posts: 24
Own Kudos [?]: 5 [0]
Given Kudos: 17
Concentration: General Management, Social Entrepreneurship
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Founder
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Joined: 04 Dec 2002
Posts: 37305
Own Kudos [?]: 72877 [0]
Given Kudos: 18863
Location: United States (WA)
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
GPA: 3
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Intern
Intern
Joined: 18 Jan 2013
Posts: 24
Own Kudos [?]: 5 [0]
Given Kudos: 17
Concentration: General Management, Social Entrepreneurship
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Founder
Founder
Joined: 04 Dec 2002
Posts: 37305
Own Kudos [?]: 72877 [0]
Given Kudos: 18863
Location: United States (WA)
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
GPA: 3
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Re: Lower score second time around. 720 to 650 [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Very funky to have such a huge drop off in scores. Obviously you are looking for a higher score, though I have to say 720 is pretty much the average score for any top school (ghm Stanford is 730). Do you have to get a higher score? Do you have time to retake?
720 is a good score (I would not worry about 650. Most schools will not pay attention to it)

If you insist on retaking:
1) If you do have to time to spend another month over the GMAT, I would play around and try to improve and retake
2) If you do not have time, I can offer you the following thoughts: but one trick you can do is not study at all the next month and just work on your applications, not pay attention to the GMAT, and then retake it one final time, and based on the current trend, the more you study, the lower the score, therefore the less you study, the higher the score... A few folks took a month off, retook and got 50-100 points higher by doing absolutely nothing. GMAC can argue all they want about the precision, but it happens (and looks like it happens both ways - sorry again).
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Intern
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Joined: 18 Jan 2013
Posts: 24
Own Kudos [?]: 5 [0]
Given Kudos: 17
Concentration: General Management, Social Entrepreneurship
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Re: Lower score second time around. 720 to 650 [#permalink]
Thanks bb!!

I think the GMAT might be truly adaptive underneath it all. I feel like it adapts(harder) to retakers under the assumption that they would know more and are not competely new to the test environment. :twisted: Just Kidding!!

I definitely see myself taking the test again after all the applications and decisions just to prove to myself that I can conquer this mysterious software/algorithm/code.

I am not 100% convinced that adcom completely disregards the lower scores. We shall see based on how my applications and results turn out.

Why did I retake after a 720? 720 might be the average at top schools in general. But, for my demographics, which is Indian/Male/IT, 720 is well below the average among those candidates.
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Joined: 04 Dec 2002
Posts: 37305
Own Kudos [?]: 72877 [0]
Given Kudos: 18863
Location: United States (WA)
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
GPA: 3
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Re: Lower score second time around. 720 to 650 [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Ah. Yes. I see why.

It may make sense to get an input on this question from admissions consultants, taking your demographic into consideration, the retake and the schools you targeting.


Posted from my mobile device.
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Intern
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Joined: 06 Jan 2014
Posts: 14
Own Kudos [?]: 6 [0]
Given Kudos: 1
GMAT 1: 730 Q50 V38
GMAT 2: 660 Q51 V28
WE:Engineering (Computer Software)
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Re: Lower score second time around. 720 to 650 [#permalink]
Hi hannibal,

I just had an almost identical experience.

I scored around 700 in MGMATs and GMAT prep
GMAT First Attempt: 730
IR - 8
Quant - 50
Verbal - 38

3-4 months gap, very good preparation, some good scores in MGMAT ( 720 - 740, touched 40 in verbal in my last attmpt ) later
GMAT Second Attempt:660
IR - 8
Quant - 51
Verbal - 27!! holy cow

I took the GMAT test again as I was confident that I could do better and also for the very same reasons stated by hannibal - male, Indian, IT etc...

Hannibal, did you apply in 2013-14?? did you find it difficult to get admitted into the top colleges because of a steep drop in GMAT score. Can you please share your experience.

Thanks,
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Intern
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Joined: 18 Jan 2013
Posts: 24
Own Kudos [?]: 5 [0]
Given Kudos: 17
Concentration: General Management, Social Entrepreneurship
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Re: Lower score second time around. 720 to 650 [#permalink]
Yeah, I think the lower score might have made a difference.

Out of my 4 schools I applied to, Sloan, Kellogg, Stanford & Haas Part-Time; Sloan put me on a R1 waitlist(without interview), and Berkeley admitted me for R2 part-time.
I do feel that my chances of getting off the Sloan waitlist could have improved with a retake and a higher score because, I already provided other good updates while on the waitlist like promotion, extra-curricular/community activities, entrepreneurial developments etc. The score was pretty much the only thing I didn't update them on.

But, I am happy with my Berkeley Haas PartTime program. Later on I went to a few information sessions and learned more about their program through alumni. In my view, it will get me where I want to go.

But then, I dont think my 720 score was good enough to get me into top 5 full-time program either, especially from the pool I am from.
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Re: Lower score second time around. 720 to 650 [#permalink]
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