Retaking a 730--need advice

Question

Hi all,

I just took the GMAT for the first time and received a 730 (IR-8, Q47, V44). I know this is a good score, but I was pretty disappointed since I'd gotten 770s in the three GMATPrep practice tests I took in the week before the test (I took all the practice tests under the same conditions of the actual test--AWA and IR, 8 minute breaks, etc.). Here are the breakdowns for my practice tests: 
-49Q, 47V
-49Q, 48V
-49Q, 49V

I didn't feel really nervous or run out of time on the quant section, so I'm thinking I'll need to do a lot to improve that score before my retake--I was at the 67th percentile and I'd ideally like to get to the 80th percentile. I'm also a little confused on why my verbal score was so low compared to the practice tests. I've already done the online Veritas Prep course, all of the Magoosh quant questions, and all of the questions from the Official GMAT Guide. Any suggestions on other materials/strategies to improve my score, and how long to wait before retaking?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi gmat7294,

With a 730, you already have a score that is well above the 90th percentile, so you haven't provided a compelling reason why you should spend that extra time, money and effort to retest.

1) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
2) When are you planning to apply?

At the higher scoring levels, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to little mistakes - even a few, at the wrong 'points' during the section, would cost you enough points to keep you from scoring 770+. There isn't a Business School out there that would require that you score at that level though. If you are dead-set on retesting though, there are some factors to Test Day that I don't think you considered during your practice. Before you go through any of that extra work though, you should take a day or two 'off' to think about your overall plans.

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

gmat7294 · Answer

Hi Rich--thank you for the comment. I definitely should have been more clear in my original post about why I'm planning to retake. I've taken several days off, and decided that this is something I should probably do. I'm applying to HBS, the GSB, Wharton, and Booth this spring. I'm also hoping to raise my score to help future job applications, because I know that some of the jobs that I'm planning to apply to after business school will ask for my GMAT score, and I would like to have a score that I feel better represents my true potential.

AjiteshArun · Answer

Your verbal score might be  lower , but it is not  low  (it's actually very high), and that's what counts (V44=98% and V45=99%, so your score dropped by 2 percentile points  at most ). Given your consistency on the GMATPrep tests, I expect you to do very well on your retake as well. I wouldn't recommend that you wait too long though. I think major score differences usually come down to pressure and/or silly mistakes. Since you felt comfortable during the quantitative section, it is possible that you are in a good position to take the exam again. Have you got Question Pack 1?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi gmat7294,

If you're dead-set on retesting, with the goal of scoring closer to your practice CAT scores, then there are a variety of other factors that you have to think about (regarding how realistic those CAT scores were relative to your Official GMAT score. Here are some things to consider:

1) What did you do in the 3 days before your GMAT?
2) How did you sleep the night before your Test?
3) How long was the ride to the Test Center from your home?
4) Were there any distractions at the facility or during the Test?
5) What did you do during the two 8-minute breaks?
6) Did you finish any sections early or have to rush to finish any sections?
Etc.

At your scoring level, all of the little details matter - and some of them are things that you will never have any control over. This is all meant to say that you certainly have the necessary intelligence to score at the 770+ level, but you'll have to keep all of the little mistakes from happening during the Exam AND you'll have to make sure that you've properly accounted for a variety of non-Test variables.

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

gmat7294 · Answer

Hi Rich,

Thanks for helping me out on this! Answers are below.

1) What did you do in the 3 days before your GMAT?

I took three practice tests in the last six days--one six days before, one four days before, and one two days before. So on the third day before I reviewed concepts I had trouble with from the practice test the day before, two days before I took another practice test (scored 770), and one day before I read over my review sheet, went over the essay template, and did 50 quant questions and around 40 verbal questions from the Official GMAT Guide.

2) How did you sleep the night before your Test?

Solid eight hours.

3) How long was the ride to the Test Center from your home?

30 minutes.

4) Were there any distractions at the facility or during the Test?

No.

5) What did you do during the two 8-minute breaks?

Ate a quick snack (energy bar), got water, and went to the bathroom.

6) Did you finish any sections early or have to rush to finish any sections?
 I finished the essay section 10 minutes early, IR around 5 minutes early, quant with around 2 minutes left, and verbal with around 40 minutes left. All of those times are typical for me (based on my practice tests). 
Etc.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi gmat7294,

From everything that you've described, there were two immediate 'red flags' that stood out about your recent Official GMAT:

1) Taking a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort AND takes time to 'recover' from. By taking 3 CATs in the last 6 days before your Official GMAT, you likely experienced a bit of 'burn out' right before Test Day. You wouldn't even have necessarily realized that it was happening either; but you did experience slight drops in BOTH your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores. This is one of the reasons why you should be taking no more than 1 CAT per week (and the last CAT before Test Day should be completed at least a week before Test Day, if possible).

2) Finishing a section with a significant amount of time left on the clock almost always means that you made some mistakes along the way (because you 'rushed' through certain questions). With the extra time that you had in the Quant and Verbal sections, you likely could have picked up at least a few more correct answers in those sections, but you were moving too quickly (and likely made some little mistakes along the way).

Thankfully, all of this can be better planned and prepared for, but you'll have to make the necessary adjustments to your schedule and to how you 'see', and respond to, the GMAT.

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

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Retaking a 730--need advice

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