690 GMAT - 44V, 40Q, Retake?

Question

Hello,

New to the forum but have been loving the wealth of knowledge and advice. Thanks to all in advance.

Took my first GMAT on Satuday after months of studying (6 months off and on, 2 or so months religiously) and got a 690. Interesting part is that my Verbal was higher than Quant:

V44 (98th percentile)
Q40 (67th percentile)
IR 4
Overall 87th percentile

I expected to reverse to be the case, but practice tests continued to show Quat was my weak point. Score range was 35-39ish, whereas Verbal was 37-41ish.

I independently studied with the OG Guide and Manhattan books, first going through the material to re-learn math and strategiges, then took pratice test after practice test, trying to focus on my weak points (Math surprisingly). Scores were as follows

MGMAT 1: 540
MGMAT2: 570
MGMAT3: 640
MGMAT4: 600
MGMAT5:620
GMAT Prep: 690

Now comes the Retake question. From my week of reading up on this forum, it seems like the vast majority of people score well in Math and struggle on Verbal. I was effectively the opposite--although on test date I felt fairly confident while doing math, and much less confident on Verbal...I guess I was just getting harder questions on Verbal.

My problem is that I of course do not want to take this again (especially anytime soon). Truth be told, I do not know if I can achieve that score again. I may or may not be able to improve...I think i can improve Quant by getting 2-4 more problems right, but who knows what will happen with Verbal.

Do you think I fall in the man-up and retake category, or should I focues on other elements of my application. I am in no immediate rush to apply (as I do not know 100% why I want to go to B School). I think I would apply 2016 fall.

Schools I am considering:
-Duke
-UNC
-Emory
-Texas

KyleWiddison · Answer

Interesting situation. First of all, 690 is an excellent score. I'm not an admissions expert, but you seem to be in the range for all those schools. That said, a higher score certainly wouldn't hurt. You would probably be fine, especially if the rest of your application is strong.

Now, about the retake. The data suggests strongly that people perform better on their second try at the exam. However, unlike most people, you outperformed your practice exams on your actual test. Most people know they can improve if they get another crack at the exam, but you say you aren't sure how you would improve. There is a decent chance your score would improve, but it the improvement would be based on an extra month of study more than it would be improving your actual test performance.

It wouldn't hurt to take the test again. Only your highest score counts, so you are only working to improve on your already good score. I recommend you try and get a little free consultation time from an admissions consulting firm (I know some offer some quick free guidance to try and get you to bite on a real consulting engagement) to see if your score has you well positioned for your schools of choice.

KW

JTuquero · Answer

Hi Kbali

I would agree with all the points Kyle made in his reply to you. The only thing I might add is that the GMAT is just one component of your application process. Take a look at your other application elements and see if they help boost your candidacy. Also, if you haven't already, contact the admissions office at your target schools and see if they will reveal the average GMAT score of accepted applicants.

Best of luck.

Jessica

alexau · Answer

The good news is that you already locked in a solid score. 690 should definitely put you in the conversation for all of the schools you listed. Obviously, a higher score will improve your chances of admission, but it comes at a steep price.

With a score like this, you probably don't have any glaring weaknesses. I would imagine that if you were to restudy, it would really be making sure you don't make any silly mistakes and then maybe tightening up a few conceptual areas. While breaking the 700 barrier is always nice, every additional point from here on takes more and more effort.

One thing to keep in mind is that each business school will look at your entire profile. Therefore, while you may be able to get your GMAT score up, you need to have a compelling reason why you want an MBA as well. So even if you were to bump this up a few points past 700, you would still need to make sure you are crafting your story for the other parts of your application.

If you are going to retake, make sure to put in the right amount of time and effort going forward. At first, it will be hard to keep up the motivation, but the last thing you want to happen is see a drop in your score on the retake.

I definitely think you would be able to improve this (especially since you seem to have more time at your disposal with no rush for applications) and you will have a few other GMATPrep practice exams to study from, which are the best CATs.

It's a tricky situation on whether to retake here. I would definitely reach out to some admissions people and have them evaluate your profile. Maybe they can recommend other things to add onto your profile rather than having to study again.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi kbali,

First off, a 690 is a great score, so you can comfortably apply to each of the Schools that you listed; assuming that you have a strong overall application, you have a reasonable chance of gaining acceptance to one or more of those Schools. A retest is probably not needed, but might benefit you under certain circumstances....

The specifics of your situation do require some 'nitpicking', since you really need someone to evaluate your overall application. You should talk to the Experts in the Admissions Consultants Forum here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

You'll have to provide far more-detailed information, but they should be able to offer some perspective.

I mentioned that a retake might be beneficial under certain circumstances. If you're planning to apply to any "Specialty" programs or Finance-Based programs, the Q40 might be a slight 'red flag.' Certain Schools/Programs expect a much higher Quant Scaled Score (and there are even Businesses that factor in your GMAT score when interviewing you for a job). If your future plans are based on a Finance Degree (or other Quant-centric program), then a retake would probably be warranted.

Thankfully, the Quant section of the GMAT is predictable and standardized. To score at a higher level, you don't need to be 'smarter', you need to use a more strategic approach and you need to learn to take advantage of the patterns/"secrets" of how the GMAT is designed.

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

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