720 (49Q, 39V) on first attempt. Is there any risk involved to retake?

Question

Hi,

I took my gmat last week and scored 720 (49Q, 39V). I am quite pleased with my score, but I was wondering if there is any risk involved in trying to improve my score? I have couple of questions whose answers I think I know but I want to be 100% sure before I start my prep again.

Q1, If in 2nd attempt I score less than 720, and decide to cancel the score, will then my first score of 720 be valid again?

Q2, In case I cancel, will there be any indication on my score report sent to business schools that would imply I took the exam again and decided to cancel it?

Thanks,
Aleem Ullah

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Aleem,

First off, a 720/Q49 is an outstanding score (it's above the 90th percentile overall), so you should apply to any Business Schools that interest you. As such, a retake is NOT necessary, so I have to ask why you're considering it?

To answer your questions - If you retake the GMAT and cancel your second score, then there will be no record of that score ever occurring (except in your personal profile) - Business Schools will never know that you ever took the GMAT again.

When are you planning to apply to Business School?
What Business Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

TeamGMATIFY · Answer

Hi Aleem Ullah,

First off, congrats on an excellent performance on the GMAT.
I would advice you against taking the test again. A 720 can get you into any school you want.
Still, if you have made up your mind, find the answers to your questions below.

Q1, If in 2nd attempt I score less than 720, and decide to cancel the score, will then my first score of 720 be valid again?
Yes, your first score will be valid if you cancel your score on the second attempt
Q2, In case I cancel, will there be any indication on my score report sent to business schools that would imply I took the exam again and decided to cancel it?
No, there will be no indication. GMAC has removed the "C" status from the reports. Now the schools will not come to know if you took the test and cancelled it.

All the best!

aleemullah · Answer

Thanks. I do not plan to apply to business schools in a couple of years (to gain more experience), and with ever increasing avg. GMAT scores I believe I should give it another go since the material is fresh in my head. But I will be targeting top 20 Business schools whenever I do.

I am not a native English speaker, and I feel I still have room for improvement in the verbal section (mainly SC) and with enough practice I think I can improve my performance in the verbal section. Improving my score further should/can compensate for other less impressive parts of my profile i.e. a mediocre GPA and work experience.

Also any tips on how to improve SC? I studied Manhattan SC book like 5 times for my first attempt. Did all sample questions from OG. But I ended up guessing between 2 shortlisted options during the GMAT exam on most question i.e. I was mostly unsure whether I did it correctly or not. I hear people claiming SC to be the easiest section to improve.

Thanks,
Aleem Ullah

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi aleemullah,

With these Scaled Scores (Q49, V39), you do NOT have any traditional 'weak spots'; as such, trying to focus your efforts on just one subject might not yield the improvement that you're looking for. At this scoring level, the GMAT is really 'sensitive' to silly/little mistakes and picking up those missing points is more of a 'nitpick' process.

You've assumed that SC is a potential area for improvement, but we don't have any proof of that. If you're truly convinced that you want to retest, then you might want to purchase your Official ESR, so that we can check that data for any potential areas of improvement.

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

aleemullah · Answer

Thank You EMPOWERgmatRichC for your insight. Perhaps you are right, I may be better off trying to improve other aspects of my profile than to improve on an already good GMAT score. And yes at this level, any further effort might not necessarily result in a proportional increase in my score, since a lot depends on how one perform on the test day. And I do believe 720 was way more than what I had expected to score in the first place. Thank You once again EMPOWERgmatRichC

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720 (49Q, 39V) on first attempt. Is there any risk involved to retake?

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