Hi all,
I have been reading posts on this forum for a few months now...This is my first post. I'd appreciate your feedback as I need to make the decision on whether to take the GMAT again.
Some background: I am actually applying for some of the top Master's in Finance programs (and not MBAs). Some of these programs require the GMAT, others the GRE, but most accept either. I was planning on sending both scores to quell concerns adcoms might have regarding my analytical ability or intelligence or whathaveyou (I have a 3.2 GPA in a mathematical subject from a large state school). I took the GRE about a month back, having studied about 40 hours for it, spaced over a month, spending about 5 hours on quant, 5 on RC, and 30 on vocabulary. I got a good score (800q, 98% v, 92% awa).
My GMAT date was three weeks after my GRE. Though I had bought a ton of books to prepare, I would think my prep time was no more than 30 hours in total. I studied 10 hours, took the first
OG CAT, got 750, studied/reviewed mistakes another 10 hours, took the second
OG CAT, and got 780. Then I took the actual test (one week ago). On test day, I felt distracted and diffident right from the get go...I remember reading the same sentences (in my essays and in questions) upto five times each, on maybe two dozen instances...I don't know where my head was! Anyway, I scored 750 with 49q (87%), 42v (95%), 6.0awa (90%). I suppose the score is OK, but I have a few of problems with it: 1. Needless to say, I AM disappointed with my score, and even more so, with my performance on test day. I've scored 1600 on the SAT and >>99% on GRE without much trouble, and so was hoping for a comparable GMAT. And this is a test that carries some weight with many employers. 2. I am concerned how adcoms for these mathematical programs will view my quant percentile. 3. I feel that if I practice some more, and am a more on top of my game on test day, I can score 30 or more points higher. I cannot imagine putting in a worse performance than last week's (I was honestly contemplating hitting the 'do not report scores' button at the end of the test). But then I have seen some people say that their score fell on their retakes, so I guess that happens...and that would be retarded.
So, my question to the community is: Should I retake the GMAT? Specifically, are there compelling arguments - apart from the possibility of a lower score - against retaking the test? For instance, one argument is that adcoms may not like seeing someone take the GMAT after getting a high score...Is this really true? If someone went from 750, 1st time, to 780, 2nd time, would that be viewed negatively? (Not just for my immediate applications, but later in life for the MBA as well). I am most concerned about this. Though I am sure there are other concerns as well.
Sorry for the long post! I look forward to hearing opinions.