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GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake?

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GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   13 Aug 2020, 10:06
I just finished my GMAT exam and got a 740 (49Q, 42V), with IR 5, AWA probably around 4.5-5.

Sure this is not a bad score, specially given that I studied only 3.5 weeks full time for the test. But I consider re-taking it, as:

a) I do not like my IR score and think that I could have done better if I had devoted c. 1 day to IR just to review my wrong answers.

b) I scored 770, 750 and 770 on the 3 GMAC prep exams I did under timed conditions (with the middle one being the 2nd Preptest in a day), I went pretty confident into the exam for a 760+.

c) I felt extremely competent in Quant section. I exhausted pretty much all 700-800 level Quant Questions on ManhattanPrep (Advanced Quant Book + online question + all 6 CATs) and did not feel that I had any knowledge gaps. In the 3 official GMAC prep exams I did under timed conditions, I scored 51,50 and 51 on Quant respectively. Therefore, I feel rather disappointed about my Quant score (especially because I have an engineering background and generally love math and logic games).

d) I feel that I have one specific weak area in the Verbal part, which is Sentence Correction. In all 3 Official GMAC prep exams, I had exactly 6 Verbal questions wrong, 5 of them being SC. I think that if I had more time to dig a bit deeper, I could score higher on the Verbal part (that was also what I felt during the exam, as it took me quite longer than the recommended 80 seconds for most SC questions.

e) I am only going to apply for HBS, Wharton, Stanford Business School, MIT Sloan And Columbia Business School. I know those are 10 points over the median scores of those schools, but I really want to get into at least 1 of them and don‘t want to get rejected because of GMAT.

So, shall I retake?

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Re: GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   13 Aug 2020, 17:20
Your preparations were solid and your score is of course very good, with excellent sectional breakdowns. I cannot say whether you should or should not retake, but some observations.

Your verbal score (V42) is already quite high and you state that you have a significant weakness in sentence correction. Although you can (and should) do more practice in this area, I am not confident that your score will improve significantly. Improving at verbal is a slow process, particularly if you are basics are weak. There is a risk that your high score may dip in a retake.

Your quant may or not improve. Combining the two observations, I would suggest that your score likely will not improve much and may even dip below your targets. Consider these possibilities as you make your decision. Good luck!
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GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   13 Aug 2020, 23:12
740 is above average as you mentioned so you can straight start working your apps. However, following are my observations in blue fonts.
HWSAspirant wrote:
I just finished my GMAT exam and got a 740 (49Q, 42V), with IR 5, AWA probably around 4.5-5.

Sure this is not a bad score, specially given that I studied only 3.5 weeks full time for the test. But I consider re-taking it, as:

a) I do not like my IR score and think that I could have done better if I had devoted c. 1 day to IR just to review my wrong answers.
If IR is the only reason, then don't retake the exam unless you aim for consulting or something related.

b) I scored 770, 750 and 770 on the 3 GMAC prep exams I did under timed conditions (with the middle one being the 2nd Preptest in a day), I went pretty confident into the exam for a 760+.
Your score is within acceptable limits. So no need to take.

c) I felt extremely competent in Quant section. I exhausted pretty much all 700-800 level Quant Questions on ManhattanPrep (Advanced Quant Book + online question + all 6 CATs) and did not feel that I had any knowledge gaps. In the 3 official GMAC prep exams I did under timed conditions, I scored 51,50 and 51 on Quant respectively. Therefore, I feel rather disappointed about my Quant score (especially because I have an engineering background and generally love math and logic games).
I can understand the pain for score low specially in Quant. See how you proceeded in the three mocks and find, using ESR, what wrong you did in actual exam. The only thing you can'f find using this approach is whether or what difficulty level questions you missed. If you find the a noticeable scope of improvement, retake - speaking literally

d) I feel that I have one specific weak area in the Verbal part, which is Sentence Correction. In all 3 Official GMAC prep exams, I had exactly 6 Verbal questions wrong, 5 of them being SC. I think that if I had more time to dig a bit deeper, I could score higher on the Verbal part (that was also what I felt during the exam, as it took me quite longer than the recommended 80 seconds for most SC questions.
Definitely, you should retake for missing 5 SC questions. Even though you have 42, which is a high score, you can improve. Again literally speaking.

e) I am only going to apply for HBS, Wharton, Stanford Business School, MIT Sloan And Columbia Business School. I know those are 10 points over the median scores of those schools, but I really want to get into at least 1 of them and don‘t want to get rejected because of GMAT.

So, shall I retake?

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So you 2 pure YESES and only 1 pure NO. Decide yourself.
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Re: GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   15 Aug 2020, 22:20
HWSAspirant wrote:
I just finished my GMAT exam and got a 740 (49Q, 42V), with IR 5, AWA probably around 4.5-5.

Sure this is not a bad score, specially given that I studied only 3.5 weeks full time for the test. But I consider re-taking it, as:

a) I do not like my IR score and think that I could have done better if I had devoted c. 1 day to IR just to review my wrong answers.

b) I scored 770, 750 and 770 on the 3 GMAC prep exams I did under timed conditions (with the middle one being the 2nd Preptest in a day), I went pretty confident into the exam for a 760+.

c) I felt extremely competent in Quant section. I exhausted pretty much all 700-800 level Quant Questions on ManhattanPrep (Advanced Quant Book + online question + all 6 CATs) and did not feel that I had any knowledge gaps. In the 3 official GMAC prep exams I did under timed conditions, I scored 51,50 and 51 on Quant respectively. Therefore, I feel rather disappointed about my Quant score (especially because I have an engineering background and generally love math and logic games).

d) I feel that I have one specific weak area in the Verbal part, which is Sentence Correction. In all 3 Official GMAC prep exams, I had exactly 6 Verbal questions wrong, 5 of them being SC. I think that if I had more time to dig a bit deeper, I could score higher on the Verbal part (that was also what I felt during the exam, as it took me quite longer than the recommended 80 seconds for most SC questions.

e) I am only going to apply for HBS, Wharton, Stanford Business School, MIT Sloan And Columbia Business School. I know those are 10 points over the median scores of those schools, but I really want to get into at least 1 of them and don‘t want to get rejected because of GMAT.

So, shall I retake?

Posted from my mobile device


Congrats on your score. You still have scope to improve your Quant score. Considering your targets schools, IR and quant score would be an hindrance for your admit. It is better to retake one more time. All the best.
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Re: GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   22 Apr 2021, 13:00
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Hi there,

to give an update: I re-took the GMAT today and scored a 750 (Q51, V40), with a 7 on IR. I think, given my timeline, it will probably not be worth to take it again :)

But, a lesson I learned (or, better, got reminded of) today and would like to share here:

We pay $250 for the test, so it is justifiable to feel a bit entitled when it comes to acceptable testing conditions.

When I was in the 3rd question of the Quant part, I heard a huge and aggressive wasp flying above my head. When I realized that the wasp would not get away from me, I was wondering what to do because everyone would laugh at me once they realize that I am afraid of such a little animal.

Quickly, though, I came to the decision that it was definitely not worth scoring low in the Quant section (and therefore wasting $250), called the admin immediately and told her that there is a wasp flying above me and I can't write the test under these conditions. Another admin came with a magazine, opened the window and guided the wasp outwards. I lost at least 2 minutes because of this, though somehow I managed to finish the Quant part with 30 seconds spare time.

Cheers!
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Re: GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   22 Apr 2021, 15:41
HWSAspirant wrote:

a lesson I learned (or, better, got reminded of) today and would like to share here:

We pay $250 for the test, so it is justifiable to feel a bit entitled when it comes to acceptable testing conditions.

When I was in the 3rd question of the Quant part, I heard a huge and aggressive wasp flying above my head. When I realized that the wasp would not get away from me, I was wondering what to do because everyone would laugh at me once they realize that I am afraid of such a little animal.

Quickly, though, I came to the decision that it was definitely not worth scoring low in the Quant section (and therefore wasting $250), called the admin immediately and told her that there is a wasp flying above me and I can't write the test under these conditions. Another admin came with a magazine, opened the window and guided the wasp outwards. I lost at least 2 minutes because of this, though somehow I managed to finish the Quant part with 30 seconds spare time.



Just to point out that a wasp is not a "little animal". Wasps have been known to have seriously injured or killed animals and humans worldwide. They can be deadly under certain conditions.

Everyone deserves acceptable testing conditions, even though time was lost here. I can guess that if you had scored a 570 (a play on your actual score of 750), the wasp would not have appeared to be a little animal and you may have had grounds for a retake.
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GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   22 Apr 2021, 16:14
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Wow congrats! Impressive you have scored a Q51 with this type of an interruption...
I am not sure I would have noticed it since I usually shove my earplugs pretty deep to block out as much noise as possible. I did not even hear the person next to me leave on the test... the time flew by.

P.S. So you are not retaking yet again I assume? 750 it is?


HWSAspirant wrote:
Hi there,

to give an update: I re-took the GMAT today and scored a 750 (Q51, V40), with a 7 on IR. I think, given my timeline, it will probably not be worth to take it again :)

But, a lesson I learned (or, better, got reminded of) today and would like to share here:

We pay $250 for the test, so it is justifiable to feel a bit entitled when it comes to acceptable testing conditions.

When I was in the 3rd question of the Quant part, I heard a huge and aggressive wasp flying above my head. When I realized that the wasp would not get away from me, I was wondering what to do because everyone would laugh at me once they realize that I am afraid of such a little animal.

Quickly, though, I came to the decision that it was definitely not worth scoring low in the Quant section (and therefore wasting $250), called the admin immediately and told her that there is a wasp flying above me and I can't write the test under these conditions. Another admin came with a magazine, opened the window and guided the wasp outwards. I lost at least 2 minutes because of this, though somehow I managed to finish the Quant part with 30 seconds spare time.

Cheers!
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Re: GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   22 Apr 2021, 17:50
bb wrote:
Wow congrats! Impressive you have scored a Q51 with this type of an interruption...
I am not sure I would have noticed it since I usually shove my earplugs pretty deep to block out as much noise as possible. I did not even hear the person next to me leave on the test... the time flew by.

P.S. So you are not retaking yet again I assume? 750 it is?


HWSAspirant wrote:
Hi there,

to give an update: I re-took the GMAT today and scored a 750 (Q51, V40), with a 7 on IR. I think, given my timeline, it will probably not be worth to take it again :)

But, a lesson I learned (or, better, got reminded of) today and would like to share here:

We pay $250 for the test, so it is justifiable to feel a bit entitled when it comes to acceptable testing conditions.

When I was in the 3rd question of the Quant part, I heard a huge and aggressive wasp flying above my head. When I realized that the wasp would not get away from me, I was wondering what to do because everyone would laugh at me once they realize that I am afraid of such a little animal.

Quickly, though, I came to the decision that it was definitely not worth scoring low in the Quant section (and therefore wasting $250), called the admin immediately and told her that there is a wasp flying above me and I can't write the test under these conditions. Another admin came with a magazine, opened the window and guided the wasp outwards. I lost at least 2 minutes because of this, though somehow I managed to finish the Quant part with 30 seconds spare time.

Cheers!


Yeah I don‘t think I‘ll re-take, since I‘m having some job interviews coming up + I should start preparing for LSAT, since I‘m planning to apply for JD/MBA joint degrees.

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Re: GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   22 Apr 2021, 20:27
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Good luck with LSAT.
Some business schools will actually take your LSAT. At least for the next year or so. We had a life panel today with Fuqua, Ross, and Yale and Ross is taking LSAT for its business school. I can’t remember about Yale....

https://youtu.be/Ob_MmwQKgWw

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Re: GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   23 Apr 2021, 11:35
bb wrote:
Good luck with LSAT.
Some business schools will actually take your LSAT. At least for the next year or so. We had a life panel today with Fuqua, Ross, and Yale and Ross is taking LSAT for its business school. I can’t remember about Yale....



Interesting development. This must be for MBA programs. PhD programs in business are not taking the LSAT nor has any school even discussed this possibility.
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Re: GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   23 Apr 2021, 13:58
bb wrote:
Good luck with LSAT.
Some business schools will actually take your LSAT. At least for the next year or so. We had a life panel today with Fuqua, Ross, and Yale and Ross is taking LSAT for its business school. I can’t remember about Yale....

https://youtu.be/Ob_MmwQKgWw

Posted from my mobile device


Thanks!

Ah really, never heard of that actually. I think Yale doesn’t, it is among both the business schools and law schools I will apply, and I did not find this information in their website.

Though, tbh I find the LSAT significantly (!) harder compared to GMAT. If they were cars, LSAT would be a Lamborghini and GMAT probably a Volkswagen or so. If the opposite were true (Law Schools allowing GMAT) it would actually have been a quite huge relief for me haha
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Re: GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink] New post   23 Apr 2021, 21:56
HWSAspirant wrote:

Though, tbh I find the LSAT significantly (!) harder compared to GMAT. If they were cars, LSAT would be a Lamborghini and GMAT probably a Volkswagen or so. If the opposite were true (Law Schools allowing GMAT) it would actually have been a quite huge relief for me haha


LSAT is the harder test. Their analytical games and verbal sections reign over the puny GMAT's questions, although the adaptive nature of the GMAT can make things complicated. Don't know about those car comparisons though.
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Re: GMAT 740 (49Q, 42V), IR 5. Should I retake? [#permalink]
23 Apr 2021, 21:56

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