700 (Q47, V39, IR 5) - Should I retake?

Question

Hey all,

Will try to keep it short and sweet. Took my first stab at the GMAT at a test centre after 5 months of studying (Jan-May 2021) and scored a 700 (Q47, V39, IR 5)

When I started quant I didn’t even know fraction rules, so it’s been a long journey. I used TTP for quant and honesty I feel I could have gotten higher but first time jitters probably got to me. Highly recommend it for quant and verbal as well. I’m technically a native speaker since I grew up in Canada and I enjoy reading so that helped.

Also, because of my nervousness I rushed through verbal and that probably bit me in the end.

For reference, GMATPrep exams were
Exam 1 - 740 Q47, V45
Exam 2 - 710 Q45, V42
Exam 3 - 760 Q49, V45

Here’s my question:

I’m 31 right now, and I’d like to apply to INSEAD, LBS and probably Cambridge Judge For Fall 2022.

My GPA is from the University of Waterloo in Canada but on the weak side, probably sub 3.0 if you convert it. However, I was the president of the students association during my time at university.

My work experience is that I have co-built a healthcare company from 0 to an 9-figure valuation and still growing. We currently have revenues in the 7 figures. Prior to that I was in pharmaceuticals. Total work experience is 8 years. Startup experience coming up on 5 years.

My personal experience is that as Head of Product Development I managed teams of up to 10 and built products that generated 7 figure revenue numbers YOY every year after the first year (2017). During this time I was involved in every role of the company from Ops, product development, business development, education and marketing

I am a male Canadian citizen whose birthplace is from the subcontinent (but not India)

Do I need to retake the GMAT, or will the Adcoms for INSEAD specifically, which is my number one choice, be willing to overlook the lack of a Q48+ and my low GPA in favour of my work experience + overall 700 score?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

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bb · Answer

Congrats on your score and breaking the 700-barrier. Your accomplishments also sound solid and strong. However, when you apply to the top five business schools in the world or in Europe, you face a stiff competition from similarly impressive individuals.

I don’t know think specifically about INSEAD, Is they are someone secretive… But traditionally, for most of the other business goals, GPA is a significant indicator off admissions. I’m not sure why it plays a strong role but it does and the only way to really counter it is to get a high test score.

Otherwise, while 700 is not a low score at all, and put you in the 90th percentile or something like that, It is below the average at INSEAD of 710.

It’s definitely not impossible but chances are starting to stack against you. You will need to explain your low GPA and the traditional explanation is I was busy or I was distracted or something else but I am still really capable and here’s my very high GMAT score. You can’t use that story with that score.

Here is some thing I dug up from a few years ago. It does not have GPA but you can dig around the decision tracker and see if you can find some examples of it sub three GPA and sub average GMAT scores but I feel those would be fairly rare. I think if you are a pro athlete or a special forces veteran, you could get in but the certainty level goes substantially down outside of those unique profiles.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/from-mba-dat ... 20389.html

On the flipside, it seems your practice scores were pretty good. If you don’t mind a little bit more of pain and suffering, I can see retaking the GMAT to give your best shot and remove any regrets down the road about applying with sub-average GMAT. You could take it within the next 30 days one more time and give your best. Obviously, there is a hope that you’ll be able to perform meaningfully better and perhaps score 40 more points which is traditionally the standard error evaluation and thus maybe you can get a 730 or 740. And the second benefit is peace of mind knowing that even if you get another 700, that is just the score you can get them that’s what you apply with So you can close the GMAT chapter and focus on essays in applications and not run back and wonder if you should retake.

Granted, I am not an admissions consultant and this is not admissions Consulting subforum. If you want to get a profile evaluation you can post your question there to one of the consultants. Don’t posted to 10 of them, if you get any, you will get crappy replies. They check to see if you were mass blasting and wasting their time.

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hykhan · Answer

Thanks  bb , I appreciate the advice. I’ll take a few days to decompress and then decide what to do next. Ultimately I feel like I COULD do better, so why not give it another shot, right?

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

It seems like it. And in light of your GPA and aspirations, probably would be a wise move.

The idea is to retake while everything is fresh in your mind and to do another 2 to 4 weeks of intense prep hitting areas of discomfort and weakness is there are such. Do you want to avoid a lengthy drawn out prep session. You really don’t need it, your goal is to leverage your current knowledge and skills, and hopefully do better.

Most people who take the GMAT, feel they can do better at the retake. I surely thought that. At the same time, they underestimate helpfulness of Some of the steps such as arriving early or getting a good rest or having checklists or other things that end up damaging the score. Do you want to make sure you do basics well and protect your score as much as you can while augmenting some of your weaknesses.

GMATaxe001 · Answer

Hey hykhan, Your profile seems quite impressive and so is your score. Congrats on your 700. However, I echo with the thoughts of bb here. Higher the score, better it can counter an average or low GPA. In any case, as you already feel that you could have done better at least in Quant ( I see you have scored till 49), I think it will be worth a final push.

Also, Do you mind sharing how you used TTP? Did you go through all chapters or skip some? Did you take any hand notes? how often did you revise and how was your accuracy on hard tests?

Also, Do you mind sharing how you used TTP? Did you go through all chapters or skip some? Did you take any hand notes? how often did you revise and how was your accuracy on hard tests?

hykhan · Answer

Yeah went through all of TTP - it’s totally worth it. In fact I found a good strategy is to do only half of the hard tests the first time you learn the material then revisit the hard tests periodically as you advance the course to test your memory and reinforce the concepts.

Honestly, I just bought my ESR and from the looks of it I’m pretty sure I can get that Q49/V45 split I’ve scored in the last GMATPrep exam - I’m chalking this up to a first time experience and hopefully I’ll be more relaxed next time around.

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ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

700 is a great start! Can you tell me the scores of your MBA.com practice exams? Also, did you complete 100 percent of TTP?

hykhan · Answer

Hey Scott. Firstly, TTP was a lifesaver for me, so thank you. I finished TTP maybe 90% have a few hard tests left to finish - which I’ll be completing this week as practice.

I did 3 GMATPrep exams

Exam 1 740 Q47, V45
Exam 2 710 Q45, V42
Exam 3 760 Q49, V45

To be honest, I really felt like I wanted to experience the GMAT in real life without the added pressure of application deadlines to avoid psyching myself out. So I thought I would give it a try just to get a handle on how the real thing goes.

I purposely didn’t do the last 3 Prep exams in the event that I would need to redo the exam I would have fresh tests for practice

After studying my ESR, I really think a 750 with a Q49/V45 split is achievable on the real thing for me. I scored 100% of RC and SC right but bombed CR at 55%. In Quant I had 70-80% in every section except Geometry which was 33%. I do decent in both CR and Geometry during practice so I think it just came down to nerves/unfamiliarity

Looking back at the first experience, I had a lack of sleep despite trying to go to bed early, an upset stomach, and was not used to the whole COVID check in/check out process involved.

I spoke to a well known consultant who has reviewed my profile and deemed my 700 sufficient to get me into my target school.

However, higher scores will help with scholarships, which is always nice. Plus, I really feel like I haven’t achieved my full potential so I definitely think I’m giving it another shot. Plus, with the extra relief that I have a good chance to get in with my current score I’m not as stressed about performing better this time around.

I’ll let you know how the second experience goes!

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

You go! Do it again, and chill out.

Do NOT rush through verbal when you take the test. Take every minute you have, and seek to be sure that you have the correct answer to each question before you leave it. If you are careful, for all you know, you'll score V51. Carefulness, focus, intensity, and sheer determination make all the difference.

Also, you can even keep working on some quant areas and perhaps get a point or two more in quant without much trouble.

Enjoy the game!!!!

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

You've got this!! I'm here if you need me.

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700 (Q47, V39, IR 5) - Should I retake?

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