740 Q-45 V-47. Should I take again?

Question

I just took the GMAT this weekend and scored a 740 (97%). Verbal I scored a 47(99%), math I only scored a 45 (77%). Generally, I do very well on the math (50 + on practice tests) and just really messed up on the actual test. I have a 3.74 gpa undergrad from UC Davis with a double major in Managerial Economics and Communications. Is it worth my time to take the GMAT again (I know that I can do better on the quantitative section!)? I want to get into a top 10 school and am looking at Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, Chicago and NYU. Any thoughts?

Thanks a lot guys, I appreciate any help.

Matt

Rubashov1 · Answer

If you know you can improve your score then I don't see why not to re-take. However, I think that's a very strong score despite just missing that 80% threshold. I hope to (and might) be in the same boat very soon...99% verbal, ~80% quantitative.

Congrats!

Ravshonbek · Answer

You rock!. Go ahead.

adcxaway · Answer

Without doubt you should take it and get that 800... I heard that if you get 800 twice, HBS/Stanford/Wharton offer a clear admit + full ride....

Hahah.. Just joking man. Well seriously, if you think you could do better then retake the test. Or else, I think a 740 even with a 77% in Quant is very very decent.

ronron · Answer

I would invest my time in my essays rather than retaking with this score.
No difference between 740 and 780

Hyperstorm · Answer

Congrats, a 740 will get you noticed and considered by every business school out there.

Since your math score is relatively lagging (although still very high), you should only consider retaking the GMAT if there is nothing in your undergraduate or professional history that demonstrates quantitative abilities. If you had a high GPA in a mathematically rigorous major, I wouldn't worry about the Q45 at all. Also, consider if V47 was at the top end or low end of your abilities (I would guess top -- it is an incredibly high score), and what would be the chances of getting as high of a verbal score in successive retakes, since one or two more wrong answers could bump you down to V46 or V45.

GMAT TIGER · Answer

Definitely, there is a room for big jump in QT. So there is no penalty for giving one more shot.

go man .. go for it.

Congrats/goodluck.

Leopard · Answer

Hey,

I feel you have to retake, iff you need a strong GMAT score to compensate something else.

Also Univ's tend to give more importance to Verbal than Quants....

Think and decide. You have enough time left.

Cheers!
Leopard.

swbluedevil · Answer

Schools def. give more consideration to the quant component than the verbal. Your first year of business school will be quant heavy, so adcom wants to be sure you can handle the rigor. I think GMAC has some stats where the GMAT quant score most highly correlates with one's performance in the first year of business school. I would definitely consider retaking the GMAT and bringing up your quant score.

shmegs · Answer

I'd suggest not retaking the test. First off, if you're looking at R2 apps then you are much better off working on your essays. It takes a lot longer to prepare good essays than it does to study for the GMAT (sounds crazy but it's true). Also the 80/80 rule isn't set in stone...if you're close to it for one component say quant, and blow it out of the water in another then it's fine. I had a Q45,V49 on my second attempt and it hasn't hurt me so far. G'luck

mbaorbust08 · Answer

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'm not sure if I'm going to retake yet or not. I'm headed to Berkeley next week to see what they recommend. I wont be applying for at least a 2 or 3 years though probably (only 22 and fresh out of college still). With that being said, I still have plenty of time to retake if I want to. I had a pretty heavy quant load in college, and am a financial analyst right now, so again pretty heavy on the quant. I just can't believe that I went from consistently getting 49+s to a 45. My time management was poor, and I stressed out way too much on the early questions. Oh well.

As for the verbal, 47 is definitely the highest that I've scored. Usually I score 43s, 44s. So I will most likely drop there if I retake. I feel like a 49q/44v would be much better than my current 45q/47v though. Oh well, I'll let you guys know what I decide.

I just got my official score report and scored a 6 on my AWA which is always nice to see. I even ran out of time on my first essay and didn't finish my conclusion. I was expecting a 5 at the highest, so I'm very happy about that. 

I actually didn't even know about this website until after I took the GMAT and was looking for advice on whether I should retake it. If I do decide to retake it, I will be sure to frequent these boards much more often, as it appears that there is a plethora of information here. You guys rock!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Matt

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740 Q-45 V-47. Should I take again?

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