Hi everyone,

I did my GMAT on Monday and I ended up with a 680- Q47, V36 AWA 6.0. I was aiming for a for a 700-710, which I have been able to achieve in both practice tests and MGMAT mock tests ( all timed), usually hovering around a Q49, V39-37 on practices. I feel on the day of the test I kind of panicked and the night before I did not sleep as well as I would have liked. Nonetheless, I would like to know whether I should do the GMAT again, which I am using to hopefully get into the Mphil Finance program of Cambridge, or whether my GPA which is as of now 4.16/4.3 would offset this weakness.

Regarding the materials I used

1) MGMAT Mock exams
2) MGMAT books (exc. VIC, Ineq. book)
3) OG Quant & OG verbal.

I would like to thank you in advance of any advice given.

Could you describe your preparation and test day experience?

In terms of preparation I did not do any of the prep courses such as Knewton and Manhattan, instead I opted for a self study. In terms of material I used the following

Books
MGMAT Word Translations
MGMAT Geometry
MGMAT FDP ( good for refreshing)
MGMAT Number Properties
MGMAT Sentence Correction
OG 12th edition GMAC
GMAC Quant & GMAT Verbal

Mock Exams
MGMAT Exams
GMATPrep

Regarding the structure I first did a diagnostic GMAT prep test to see where my weaknesses were and outlined a plan over a period of two months focusing on various areas of weakness, generally splitting them amongst the books. At the beginning I did alot of the paper based questions in the OG and from other sources and followed up the work with mock tests from Manhattan (which at the beginning I found really difficult). I tried to follow up my work especially in the last month with at least one test a week from Manhattan. With every other week being accompanied by a GMAT prep test. From those tests I would review my mistakes and link it back in to my daily study which was about 6 to 8 hours a day. I must admit that the above plan though super intense, at least from my point of view, and did bring my score up from a dismal 590 to the official 680. Additionally I do have ADHD and I opted not to get any accommodation, which might have played a factor in the disconnect in my scores.

Test Day:
On the test day, I was somewhat tired from the night before as I wasn't able to get enough sleep. However, I woke up around 6 AM and practiced a few problems here and there to warm up, ate a light breakfast and then left for the testing center arriving about 15 minutes before my appointment. In terms of the test itself, the AWA was a real breeze and I found to be a nice way to calm my nerves. However, after the optional break I went into the Quant section and I am not sure what happened but I feel over thought the first question and possibly screwed it up as the next question was just ridiculously easy; and then things got worse at the end as I had to rush the last few questions which I feel lost me valuable points. In hindsight, the actual GMAT at least when I took it, was not "difficult" in the MGMAT sense, but rather it was more "tricky" in terms of wording and logic and really made me second guess myself in some instances. After the disaster in the quant section I took again the optional break and then went into Verbal section. In terms of the verbal section I felt really lucky because I ended up getting alot of critical analysis and RC questions, and less SC questions, so I ended up doing okay but again I think the SC portion really got me, because there were some real tough constructs that I could not correct for the life of me. All in all I feel that the GMAT, is not so much a test of intellect but rather a test of nerves more than anything especially once you have prepped for it.

Either way, I hope that the above is helpful to anyone who plans on taking the GMAT, and for those who have advice on how I could potentially approach the exam in the future I would like to thank you in advance.

GMAC admits that there is a 30+ swing on scores on the GMAT. If you were shooting for a 700 and you got a 680, then you're definitely within the normal range.

If you realistically think you can get to the 750 range then retake if you really care that much. Otherwise, a 680 is a great score

What does that mean?

Retake and try to push 50 more points. I had 690 and got waitlisted at a top MBA school. They made me retake it. Made 740, and got in. Now I wonder how many other top schools that I applied to dinged me on the score. This is still in your control. Study 2 more weeks and push it. You will not regret the higher score.

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I would suggest that you check the mid 50% GMAT score range of your target school(s). If you are below range (or lower part of it), then might be good to retake the test.

Good luck.

Completely agree with you, had a 690 and feedback from Darden and Ross was get a higher GMAT score!!

From the looks of 680 all it takes it to get 710-720 plus is just bring more focus when you write the exam again.
I have worked on it and have been getting 720-750 scores in my practice test, have the real thing this friday hopefully what ive written and tried to do will work out for me and work out for you too.

If you have the time to retake it, I would definitely suggest a second shot to see if you can push it up by 30-40 points. It also depends on your target schools and profile. If you think your profile is exceptional for your targte schools with a 680 GMAT, then you should focus on the application process more.

In either case I would try and give it one more shot to improve my chances at the top schools

If you have a decent amount of time to practice more tough questions and to learn to manage your time and concentration, I strongly encourage you to give another shot on the test. I believe that you are already on the right track to achieve a score of 700+. Increasing Q from 47 to 49 will bring you to the land of 700 and definitely strengthen your application for all finance programs.

However, as many people here said, 680 is a very good score.

As other posters have already suggested, it'd be better if you retake the test. But you have to do something extra to get past 700. It's only you who knows what needs to be done for that.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I agree as I had posted above increase in focus is essential to achieve a 700 + score

And yes that's what worked forme just got back frm the exam center and scored 730 ( Q50,V38) I'm convinced I wud have scored more if I could be as focused in the last 30 mins as I was in the first 30

So my friend just work hard study for a week and take A date I'm sure u can crack 700

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