How would these two official scores look to admissions?

Question

Hey guys,

I just took my second GMAT. I'm a bit bummed that I didn't get my ideal score (700+), and somewhat angry that my score kind of resembles a whack-a-mole game where I fix one weakness and my strengths worsen. I don't really want to think about the GMAT or whether I should re-take it for a while - I feel really burned out and seriously need to have a life for a while after spending most of my summer studying - but I'm curious on how these two scores look to admissions:

GMAT 1: 650 - Q38V40, AWA 6, IR 3

GMAT 2: 640 - Q42V37, IR 7, very likely AWA 5-6.

Would they at least acknowledge I did better on some sections on each or would the admissions team literally only see the highest score and the other one wouldn't show up?

Cheers,

Matt

bb · Answer

The beauty or the horror of it is that YOU get to report the score you wish on your application.
There is a field that asks for the details of total, and each section, and you get to choose which one to use. They will verify it via electronic DB access they have and often will do that AFTER the admissions decision so they don't have to check scores for everyone but just the ones who got in or got selected for an interview... so to answer your question, yes, the other score will be ignored

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Matthias15,

bb has already answered your immediate questions, so I won't rehash any of that here.

GMAC has publicly stated that a Test Taker's Official Score is within +-30 points of actual ability, so these two scores are essentially the same (the Scaled Scores for the Quant and Verbal section are not significantly different from one another to imply that a big 'change' occurred - the likely cause of those changes are a handful of little mistakes - or making a bit fewer - in each section).

Either score is solid though - they're both right around the 80th percentile overall, so they might be enough to help you get into your first-choice Business School.

While I agree that you should take some time off, IF you do plan to retest, you shouldn't necessarily take a big 'break' from your studies. Much of the material is likely still fresh in your mind and you have the potential to pick up some big points in the Quant section (if you can make the necessary adjustments to how you 'see', and respond to, the Test).

1) How long did you study before each GMAT attempt?
2) What resources did you use?

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

Matthias15 · Answer

Hi Rich. I've been studying for around the last 3 months. I'm a university student in summer vacations so I've had a free summer vacation in which I've devoted most of my mental energy to this test. I studied for 6-8 hour periods almost every day (taking intelligent breaks to avoid burnout, but I'm sure I still studied slower than what I would do if I had only 2 hours each day).

I went through the MGMAT books and Interact course so I have a really strong 'foundation', and then went through most of the OG during the last month and a half. My GMAT attempts had a 3 week gap (in which I studied every day for most of the day)..

I uploaded my GMAT score log which I think is pretty interesting... I've scored up to Q48 and V41

I'm looking to apply to a MSc program right after uni (common in Europe), and then possibly an MBA - I'm from the UK so the MBA FAQ's typically recommend supplementing the 3-year UK degree with a MSc before pursuing an MBA. The good news is I think GMAT scores are not as competitive in MSc, but it would be great to have a good score to carry me through both applications if I end up going for them, or help me stand out in this one if I only end up only pursing the MSc.

I don't really know what to do. A lot of the questions I get wrong are on questions I can usually solve on relaxed conditions (well I've seen 90% of the OG so that's not a surprise...) but I get jumbled up and decide to skip after the two minute mark in the exam. Combinatoric, probability, any 'small' complicated FDPs/exponent questions and many number property questions are relatively easy to me. I'm even starting to attribute this to having a learning disability or something!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Matthias15,

There are a couple of pertinent questions about your situation (and the answers will help to determine how you should proceed):

1) Do you know which Schools you plan to apply to for your MSc?
2) What are the deadlines for those Schools (or approximate deadlines, if you have not decided on which Schools you plan to apply to?)?

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

Matthias15 · Answer

Hi Rich,

I have some schools in mind, they are mostly the top schools for a MSc in Entrepreneurship. I've also arranged a meeting with an application consulting firm as I feel somewhat lost in this respect so that should hopefully help me out a bit in deciding my schools.
1)
As of now I have:
Babson Masters of Science in Management in Entrepreneurial Leadership - This is a new degree which is why I think they have an average 611 gmat score vs their other courses
Bocconi University Economics and Management of Innovation and Technology
Rotterdam School of Management Erasmus Univeristy MSc Strategic Entrepreneurship

I'm also interested in both Harvard's and Yale's 'early MBA' programs, but I feel like my chances would be greater after going through another program first.

2)
I will probably apply for Round 2 which is around December for most, although Round 1 would still be viable as most of the MSc deadlines are around November.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Matthias15,

Given the application deadlines that you've described, you still have plenty of time to study and retake the GMAT AND work on your applications. With the proper resources and the necessary adjustments to how you handle the Quant section, you could easily hit your goal score in a month's time.

How much time do you think that you can commit to studying per week?

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

Matthias15 · Answer

I will be starting my last year of Uni relatively soon (on the 28th) and have a small break scheduled between the ~15th-25th (that's not to say I could potentially fit in some studying there...)

It's important that I get a good grade this year and stay on top of my courses, but I should still probably have a decent amount of free time. I could probably commit to 1-2 hours a day, possibly more. My courses will be quant heavy for the first time so it may be really draining on me if I combine them with GMAT, but on the other hand I've grown to love quant so it may just be fun with the right perspective.

I agree with you that my quant has a lot of potential for easy progress... and I feel like I should be getting a higher score due to all my knowledge and studying. But I am also so bummed after studying for 8 hour sessions for most of my summer! I thought I was addressing these mistakes after my first official gmat.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Matthias15,

However you choose to proceed, your two Quant Scaled Scores point out a couple of areas that can net you some big gains:

1) Silly/little mistakes are costing you points throughout the Quant section. Solving this problem requires more physical work on your part (more note-taking, labeling, NOT doing work in your head, etc.)
2) You're missing out on a lot of 'strategy-based' points, so your studies should emphasize Quant TACTICS, pattern-matching, etc.

With 3-4 weeks of study and the proper materials, I bet that you could hit your score goal.

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

Matthias15 · Answer

Hi Rich, sorry for the delayed reply,

I completely agree with your pointers. And that was something I tried to address in between my two GMAT's, and while a lot of things improved I still lose many points to these things.

What resources would you recommend I use? I feel like if I just keep on doing OG questions and trying to improve what I think are my weak points, my progress would not be that great.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Matthias15,

Based on everything that you've described, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Quant Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in under a month, so the time commitment wouldn't be too intense. We have a variety of free resources on our site (www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an account.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

Matthias15 · Answer

Thanks for the recommendation. I was expecting it to be a separate program when I signed up instead of a separate 'syllabus' which led to some confusion, but after going through the two 'test cases' lessons I have to say I enjoyed what I saw. I think I can benefit quite a bit through going through these 'strategy lessons' rather than content lessons. I did feel like this one addressed and helped me with a lot of things I need to work on, even if I was very aware of the 'test cases' concept. And doing just 2 hours of studying a day feels much more sane than my previous 8 hour nonstop sessions...

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How would these two official scores look to admissions?

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