Hey Sam - thanks for asking for a
profile review from EssaySnark. As you know, this is a very common set of background facts and statistics, and the challenge will be in standing out from the crowd. You are definitely qualified for a good MBA program and we're gratified to see the schools you're targeting since they are all within range, even with that GMAT score. A 690 is good but it's below average at a school like Duke, and the competition is fierce. A 710 could help but it doesn't actually show you as overly distinctive against the peer group; the average GMAT for Indians who are accepted to bschool is around 720 so you still wouldn't be quite up to that mark. The one advantage to retesting is that it would signal to the schools that you weren't satisfied with the original score. There's also something emotionally satisfying about getting above the 700 hump. But your 690 could be good enough for a school like Emory or Kelley. It really depends much more on your pitch and your goals and how you put the essays together.
So here's what we think: If you are committed to putting in the effort to raise that score, then we say yes, do so.
But if you're comfortable with ending up at a school like Emory - which is a great school but doesn't carry the same prestige as many others - then you should proceed with this current score.
In fact, what you might do is apply to Emory and Kelley in Round 1. As soon as those apps are in, pick up your GMAT studies again, just in case. Set a test date for November. If you don't get invited to interview by then, put a Plan B in place with a new GMAT score and other schools for Round 2. If you pull off a much-higher score the second time, you could potentially try for Cornell and Tepper in their early winter deadlines (you'd also want to include additional lower-ranked schools in the mix to round out the strategy).
You might get in with those Round 1 schools though and then you'd be set and not have to worry about any more essays!
The reason for this suggestion is because the applications require a lot more work than most people expect. We recommend people start in on developing essays for Round 1 schools **now**. It's tough to do that along with GMAT studies. Round 1 is always important but for a more competitive program like Cornell (compared to Kelley) then it's more important to have the strongest app possible, even if applying in a later round.
Hope all this makes sense - feel free to follow up with us if it doesn't!
EssaySnark
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