720 GMAT... Does it make sense to retake

Question

Hey everyone,

I recently took the GMAT and was able to get a 720 with a few weeks of studying, a total score I'm absolutely fine with. My issue comes with the breakdown.... 8IR 45Q 44V. I really didn't put much time at all into the quant section because I took a practice test early on that scored me at 49 and figured I'd be okay. The 45Q reads only 59%!! Will this be an issue when applying to schools? I received my degree in mechanical engineering so I'm not sure how this score will be view. I'm fairly confident that I could get a much high quant score with another 3-4 weeks of breaking down DS questions, but would I be better served by just chalking that up as a loss and moving on? The rest of my background is Mechanical Engineering from a Big Ten school 3.15 GPA, constantly hurt division 1 track athlete with some volunteer experience, started a few clubs, with 2.5 years of work experience by the time i'd matriculate working for a large oil refinery as a project engineer managing projects ranging from 50,000-1,000,000 total install cost. My GPA obviously isn't insane which is part of the reason I'm more concerned with the GMAT.
 Am I just being overly worried about that quant score, or will admissions be legitimately concerned about my quant ability given my degree? I want to apply to Carlson, Ross, McCombs, and possibly Tuck. Appreciate any thoughts, thanks!

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

The quant core is solid, 45 is kind of a threshold score where quants programs would not have any concerns about your ability to keep up with the quantitative courses.

The 59th percentile well that's to be expected because quite honestly you competing with ethnic groups that are quite known for being math geniuses. The fact that you're not a math genius doesn't mean that you'll flunk out of the classes, and they will realize that.

So if you are planning to apply this year and you're trying to decide if you should focus more on the GMAT or write your applications then I would say definitely focus on the applications.

However if you are thinking about applying next year and have time, may as well keep up the momentum to tack on another 20 points to that score which can never hurt and will definitely put you in a better steed with elite schools, and all schools really.

So bottom line, this score won't keep you out of schools, but a higher score will of course position you for even better odds.

At the same time your application is equally important. If you're going for round two this year we don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul here.

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA
Admissions Consultant & Verbal Strategist MBAPrepCoach.com

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Thanks for sharing your profile. Tough situation here but I would say you should be fine for the schools you are applying for. Given you are on the lower end of on the work experience front and you do have some time for R2 I would consider retaking given you have the capacity to improve. Could give you access to additional schools if you are interested. If you are set on your schools then focus on your app and move on!

Kugelstossen · Answer

Appreciate the responses! Since I'll be applying R2 anyhow I think you're right that I may as well give it another go. I was hoping to be one test and done, but if it makes a difference i'd be kicking myself if it was what held me out. Thanks!

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

I totally agree, this process is all about minimizing regrets by minimizing any question marks about your candidacy. Good luck!

99Colleges · Answer

Unless you’ve compensatory Quant performance elsewhere, it’s a good idea to re-take (which you already have decided to) the test for Quant-sake, because B-schools typically are more concerned with a low Quant than with a low Verbal score. You would've been better off with a slightly lower, but a balanced, score. You may get more on this here:
 
 Why Quant Is More Important than Verbal in GMAT, and How to Compensate for a Low Score?

Kugelstossen · Answer

So would the mechanical engineering undergrad be considered a quant type background then? From everyone's advice here it seems wise to do the retake regardless and Im gearing up again to score better, I'm just curious if my undergrad and the course I had to take to get through it (differential equations, multi variable calc, particle engineering in one semester) provide a little bit of a hedge for me?

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

I think your background will certainly help. There's evidence of your numeracy and while a better quant would help, you don't appear to be in the league of those who *must* have a high quant score to be competitive in the process.

I feel insistent on the fact that you should not be chasing rainbows with the GMAT when you soon need to turn your full attention to the applications. If you are planning to apply to five schools, which I recommend, it's important to be doing some introspection around yourself, your career goals and schools that best fit with those.

I hate watching my clients obsess over the GMAT when they would be much better served focusing on what is controllable earlier in the process - resume, the essays, online application, coaching recommenders. Creating a distinct and memorable value proposition that will have impact and be memorable. This evolves over time and slapping crap together a month before deadlines is a sure recipe for self-sabotage and ding city.

So if you have some momentum, I would retake the test ASAP BUT put a period on it by the end of October and do not look back. You should be doing the research stuff right now while studying, and putting ALL your attention on the applications no later than a month from today.

99Colleges · Answer

Your case isn’t a zero-or-one type decision.

Having said that, let me elucidate what I said (‘compensatory Quant performance elsewhere’) earlier.

Mechanical engineering background does make difference, and it’ll be even better if you’ve solid grades in few Quant-heavy courses in your undergrad program. Although the reviewer(s) can discern these courses from your transcript, you may even mention them in the optional essays if you think they might miss some of them (especially non-math, mechanical engineering courses).

If you can present such a case, I don’t think you need to re-take the test.

Kugelstossen · Answer

Hey just needed to bump this with an update and a bit of a (good) problem. So I took what was probably the worst path and studied while working on apps... I know, I know, dumb. Anyhow, I had my retake today and it went very well, 780 overall 7IR 50Q 49V........ so my question is what do i do now? I did my visit out to dartmouth and loved it so i still want to apply there strongly, but I'm not sure if the rest of my list is a good set of schools for me anymore. Of course this is a rotten feeling with only a few weeks tell R2 is due, but can anyone offer me some help sorting out what i should do next? I'm leaning towards just applying to Tuck and Ross, but should i try to add anything else at this (late) date?

MBADecoder · Answer

Congratulations on that fabulous score. I believe you should go to the best school that you can get into. Go ahead and apply to Ross and Tuck if you will surely go there if you get an admit. Else, you can easily wait another year and apply in Round 1 next year, after doing your research (for a larger number of programs) and schools visits over the summers.

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Tremendous score! I would apply to these schools with your new scores. Don't slack off on the essays just because you blew the GMAT out of the water. Focus extra hard and secure that admit!

aribis1989 · Answer

Kudos on the score.

I will suggest you take some professional help (since there is a paucity of time), draft compelling essays and apply yo Tuck, Ross, Fuqua, MIT, Kellog.

Please feel free to get in touch for any assistance.

720 GMAT... Does it make sense to retake

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