660 on my second attempt [Advice]

Question

Hey everyone,

I just took the GMAT for the second time and scored a 660 (44Q/36V) 8-IR and 6 on the essay. I previously took the exam, albeit the online version, and got a 640 (48Q/31V) 6-IR. I'm an engineering student in the last year of my bachelors, looking to apply for an MSc Business Analytics program at the following institutions:

Imperial College London (Average GMAT: 642)
University College London (650)
King's College London (560)
The University of Toronto (660)

Prior to the first test, I had only studied for about 3-4 days. I did 3 practice tests and consistently got between 46-50 on the Quant and 30-34 on the verbal (keep in mind I am a native English speaker). Then, after the online test results came out, I immediately booked an in-person attempt 10 days later. Unfortunately, university work got in the way and I only managed an extra two days to study. I took 2 more practice tests and managed to improve my verbal to as high as 38 while keeping my Quant in the same range, overall managing 730 on my best practice test. That said, when it came to the second test, I saw quite a dip on my Quant to the worst I have ever scored while managing a pretty solid verbal considering my averages (I ran out of time for the quantitative section for some reason). My question is, should I bother trying it again, keep in mind that I'd have to do it as early as possible in January to meet application deadlines, or would I be better off just risking my luck and focusing my efforts at my end of semester exams from the 12th of Jan?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Businessconquerer · Answer

The college averages that you're listing are affected by factors, including but not limited to -
1. Your Gender
2. Your race
3. Your sexual orientation
4. Your nationality

For some nationalities, the GMAT is substantially higher than the others.
For some, low.
Similar logic for the rest.

Schools are not looking for talent, they are looking for "fit" and Diversity, that is where the holistic stuff comes into play.

Therefore the average GMAT is not a real indication if you would get in or not.
I do suggest a retake.
With a slight improvement on Verbal, given there is a 10 point room available to occupy compared to just 1-2 point room in quant, you can increase your odds dramatically.

bb · Answer

Tricky question.... your average is up there along the lines of the applicants so as long as you are not a part of a hyper-competitive pool, you should be OK with your application and you would be wiser to work on the essays and the application and making sure that you get chosen since your GMAT should not be keeping you back. Does that make sense?

At the same time, your Quant is 44. For a business analytics major, that may be a concern. It is pretty low. That's a marketing major score... but perhaps you can send both scores in to show your Q48? The AdCom won't combine them but it will show them that you are capable of Q48 and V36 though none in one attempt...

P.S. If you feel your application, your grades, or chance are not great or strong enough, getting a higher average could help but probably fine to apply as is and send 2 scores but that's just an opinion of a guy on the internet

matheusrempel · Answer

Right, Out of curiosity, does the fact that the first exam was the online variant change anything? I know that it shouldn't, but do you think people may relate the discrepancies to the fact one was online?

bb · Answer

No impact with the test being online. AdCom has no time to be dealing with dissecting and splitting hairs about online vs. offline test. They (and I too) see these issues with retakes - someone gets a decent quant score and then retakes the test with a big emphasis on Verbal only to see their verbal sag. GMAT test-taking is a perishable skill... you have to keep it up to operate at higher skill levels.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi matheusrempel,

Many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so the fact that you scored 660 and 640 after minimal study shows that you are a naturally strong critical-thinker, but you did not put in enough time to hone all of the skills needed to consistently score 700+. From what you describe, you might be fine applying with the Scores that you have now. Many Schools view an Applicant's Quant Scaled Score as an indicator of how that Applicant might handle the 'academic side' of the Program - meaning that the 640/Q48 would likely be better for your applications than the 660/Q44 would be (although most Schools don't care if you take the GMAT more than once, so having both Scores on your record isn't a 'bad' thing).

Since you know the specific Programs that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

1) What specific application deadlines are you facing?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Consider casually reaching out the departments and asking what their thoughts are.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi matheusrempel,

Based on what you have described I see that you really have not put much time into your GMAT studying. While you could take the test again in early January, you may end up in a similar position to where you are at right now just based on the fact that you need more time to truly master GMAT quant and verbal. With all this in mind, if you do plan to move forward, and want some advice for the next 3 weeks, feel free to reach back out.

MiMEssay · Answer

Hi  matheusrempel !

To give you a succinct answer to your question, I would like to assure you that your GMAT score is quite competitive when contrasted with the schools you wish to apply for. Hence, going ahead for a retake is not advised from my end.

One important aspect about GMAT is that it only accounts for 15-20% of the application and is only a shortlisting factor in the application process, rather than the main aspect taken into consideration for making the decision.

Rather when applying to top business schools across the world, your main focus should be on the application as it accounts for 30% of the entire admissions process. The application acts as the window through which the admission committee can peer into your skills calibre and your personality. But simultaneously, it is also the way through which you can highlight your strengths and give apt justifications for your weaknesses to smooth over any flaws in your profile. Moreover, a strong application sets you apart from the rest of the competition and hence it is imperative that you use this tool in your arsenal to the best of your advantage. 
So, in my opinion, you ought to prioritize building a stronger profile (your semester exams) and an impactful application. If you are contemplating on how to draft an impactful application, you can check out our All-in-one service, that is a complete end to end consulting process aimed at providing personalized application suggestions, unlimited edits, from your LOR’s, resumes, SOPs, essays, and scholarship applications along with an expert consultant who would constantly be there to help you throughout your journey. We’ve helped 2500+ applicants get into their dream schools so far, and we’d love for you to be next!

Below is the link to our All in One service:

Link for the ALL-IN-ONE solutions-

https://www.mim-essay.com/mim-all-in-one

Hope this helped!

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660 on my second attempt [Advice]

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