vandygrad11 wrote:
I just got a 730 (Q48 (78th %ile) and V42 (96th %ile)). It's below the goal (Q49 and V45 minimum). Do I retake?
Here are a couple of factors to consider:
1) I've heard from a lot of people that you really need to be in the 80th+ %ile in Quant to sufficiently check that box at the top 5 schools.
2) I under-performed relative to my capability. Felt nervous and answered the last Q question too quickly than needed, then immediately realized it was wrong and was thinking about that stupid mistake for all of V. My last GMAT Prep was a 760 (Q49 V47) and the V42 is absolutely below baseline (probably V45-46).
3) IR is probably pretty weak too.
Hi Vandygrad11,
First of all congrats for the great score. Yes a lot of people and even schools say a competitive GMAT score is with >= 80% percentile in both quant and verbal. However, 78% is really close to 80% (so your split will be considered good by the schools) and your overall score is also high, so there is no need to retake the GMAT. Gaining admission in top 5 or even top 10 schools is very subjective; you never clearly know on what basis they have rejected/ selected you (could be work-ex, extra curr, achievements, demographics etc. etc..). As far as the GMAT for the top schools is considered, the score is merely a qualifying number. If you are a top school material then you will gain admission even with a score below 700. You have a 730, which is even better. Your score is equal to the average GMAT score for Harvard and Stanford and above the average for almost all the other schools. I suggest that you now focus all your attention towards researching and writing essays; this will surely pay huge dividends. All the best..!!
Hope this helps,
Vercules