How Should I Interpret My GMAT Scores?

Question

Hey everyone,

So, I left my job and decided to take the GMAT with only a month of prep. But, at the last minute, I wanted to reschedule because I wasn't fully prepared. Due to laziness, I forgot to reschedule and ended up having to travel to another city urgently for the exam.

Here are my scores:
Total: 675
Quantitative: 90/90 (100%)
Data Interpretation: 80/90 (86%)
Verbal: 80/90 (60%)

My strength is in quant, so I planned to tackle that section first while my mind was fresh. I got all the quant questions right. However, since I hadn't started preparing for verbal and was really tired when I got to it, my performance there suffered.

Overall, I'm happy with my score, but I feel there's a big gap between my quant and verbal scores.

Do you think it's worth applying to colleges with this score, or should I retake the exam?

admitStreet · Answer

@vrish - Did you score better in your mocks in Verbal? And were there any specific sub-sections that pulled the score down?

Whether a 60th percentile (Verbal) would be of concern will depend on which B-school you look at. Having said that, if you feel you can improve it, you should definitely go for a retake.

Regards,
Arvind
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vikg007 · Answer

Hi Vrish,

I think you should go for a retake as your Quant score is pretty impressive and with minor improvement in Verbal, you can improve your score and increase your chances. I would have gone for it, for sure!

Admissionado · Answer

vrish :

First, what are your target schools? Everything with the GMAT is relative based on your ambitions.

Second, you are going to be applying? This year? R1? If so, you have plenty of time. I can't see why you wouldn't have time to retake the exam.

Third, what's the downside to retaking? The schools always take your highest score for a given sitting. It sounds like with some more preparation you'll do even better.

Let us know,
Admissionado

ExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hi  vrish ,

Thanks for writing in.

If you are applying in Round 1 for the Fall '25 intake, you have plenty of time for a retake. Moreover, if you were doing better on the Verbal section during the mocks, you should give the test another shot.

While you may still apply to your target schools with your current score, you will only have a better chance if you are able to improve your score.

All the best!

AugustAcademy · Answer

This is a good score.  But based on what you say, it appears that you can do better if you prep for a bit.

So why not prep the right way, and give it once or twice more?

BTW, you are still at the point where a higher GMAT score will make a difference.  If you had hit a 715 or so, I would have said - take it easy, and focus on something else.

Feel free to reach out to chat:  https://bit.ly/GM_AugAcd_Profile_Evaluation

Best,
Karthik

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