Retaking the GMAT with 710

Question

With 2 dings yesterday (HBS, Chicago), there is no doubt in me that I'm taking the GMAT again. Currently, I have a 710 (Q48 V40) and now, I'm gonna shoot for 99th percentile. I have purchased the Knewton course and targeting 26th December.

I know many people say that there's no point retaking after 700 but probably times are changing now and 740 is the new 700.. So.. its back to Arithmetic, modifiers, et al. Wish me luck guys.. I am really giving it my all..

MrMBAMan · Answer

To me, that sounds like a good idea. 710 is great, but GMAT really goes a long way towards not only determining what school you get into, but also scholarship money. I got into my first choice with a 720, but I still wish I had retaken the GMAT on the off chance that I might have done a little better, as only 20 more points probably would have guaranteed a full ride. Good luck!

icaniwill · Answer

All the very best. I followed your debrief from previous attempt and liked it very much. You def. know what to do to get to your target. 
Looking forward to see you get it.

menacel · Answer

good luck friend, if you got a 710 the first time, there's no doubt you can go higher

Mindreko · Answer

Good luck. What strategies will you be using to improve your verbal?

cuet16 · Answer

Dear friend, I think it is a good idea to get a higher score in GMAT but I think it is maybe more important improve your whole application. I a newbie in the application process but everywhere I have read everybody argues that the admission is a comprehensive process so GMAT is a very important topic but not the only one to improve furthermore considering your target schools.
Good luck!!

ksp · Answer

Thanks for the mention about the debrief. It was too good. Too usefull.

IJR · Answer

I don't know. I think the time might be better spent writing really good and thoughtful essays. But if you think you can do 20-30+ points better, then I say go ahead and take it again.

thugly921 · Answer

if your intent is to retake the GMAT in a month and then do R2 apps, then I think you haven't left yourself enough time. people get paranoid seeing all the high scores on these msg boards, but gmatclubbers tend to be above average. you will be experiencing "GMAT hangover" regardless of if you get your target score or not (remember, there is a slight chance that you may do worse the 2nd time around due to external factors) and won't be able to get laser focused on apps for at least a week. is a 4-5 percentile bump in your GMAT score worth a potential 20% degradation in your overall application? your time might be better spent solidifying your story, crafting essays, and coaching recommenders (or maybe even finding other ones).

then again, if HBS and Booth are your two dream schools and you aren't applying until next fall, there is no harm as you can take it 2-3 more times comfortably in the next year.

then again, if HBS and Booth are your two dream schools and you aren't applying until next fall, there is no harm as you can take it 2-3 more times comfortably in the next year.

gmatpapa · Answer

Thanks for your wishes guys. And yes, I realize that the time spent in taking the GMAT could be better spent on polishing and crafting the essays. However, I dont think that I can significantly alter my story line. What I feel is that all aspects of my application are "good" (except GPA which is weak-ish and another reason I may need a hot GMAT) but nothing is "Great". You know, that wow factor that a top B school will look for.. They'll go like this-- GMAT: Ok, Quality of job: OK. GPA: Weak. Age: OK. So you see, there's nothing "top notch" in my app that a top notch school may be interested in. I cant change most anything in my app except the GMAT. So that what I'm trying to do now- add at least one great dimension to my app and hope for the best. Who knows, a 760 is the missing ingredient here..

By the way, I took the Knewton test today and scored 700 (Q50 V34). I've not touched a GMAT book since May 25th and while seeing a Q50 was like wow!, V34 was like whattttttt!! But overall 700 is very close to my actual 710. Got 4 incorrect in Quant and 10 incorrect in Verbal.. Overall I'm happy that even after around 6 months of no Q or V (except 1 or 2 questions answered in GC forums), I'm still at 700 level

So around 45 days to go for me guys.. And how much I want that 770 now. I actually cant believe that I would see this day!

thugly921 · Answer

Sounds like you have made your decision, in which case best of luck to you. I wish you the best.

I do find it interesting that you neglected to mention essays/goals in your prospective bschools' assessment of you. Keep in mind that this year Booth dinged multiple 760-780's without even an interview let alone HBS. The wow you are looking for comes from the story, so make sure that is coherent, unique, and inspiring whenever you do decide to apply.

iamgame · Answer

All the best for your retake! I am in the same boat as you. But my effort took me even more away from that elusive and exclusive 750+ club. GMAT - 1 - 700 GMAT - 2 - 670 GMAT - 3 - 650 ???? Yes i have already taken it 3 times.

My mistake was breaking under pressure. After my 700, I was like, this is good but I have to do better( i too have weakish GPA)..And i ended up screwing it totally. The third attempt was even worse..More pressure...higher screw up. But this was 3 years back... I kinda gave up...but you cant really get away from this can you ??

I am taking it again in Feb.. So...if you can handle the pressure..you will soar high.. my 2 cents - dont think about a target score while writing the actual exam... All the best!

gmatpapa · Answer

I totally agree. Honestly, after a 710, I would NEVER want to take the exam and until very recently I thought I wouldn't. But now I do think that a better GMAT is required for me, considering the Indian-Male applicant pool that I belong to..

And its not that I wouldn't work on essays- I still would you know, like for 1-2 hrs/ day.

The only thing is that since the day I decided on the retake, tons of unscheduled travel has come up. So its study in the cab-flight-hotel while ordering room service-- back to madness again. God keep me sane, please, just this one last time!

AbhiJ · Answer

Dude, if you are an european management consultant a 710 or a 690 can get you into a Top B School, not if you are an Indian with an Indian work experience. I would like to see Indians who got into Top 10 Schools with a 700.

thugly921 · Answer

You are certainly correct if the Indian is Eng/IT that wants to do technical consulting afterward or make a strange career leap like investment banking. Those spots are difficult to get. But I know of an Indian fellow at Booth who got a 690 / middle of the road UG , who is a tech guy that had a lot of finance extracurrics which he used to blend into his story and stand out. It's possible, and thinking that 20-30 points on your GMAT when you are already above 700 is the difference between a ding and an admit is not really understanding how much art and subjectivity there is in the process.

AbhiJ · Answer

I am sure the guy your are mentioning had a elite extra curricular profile like those who get into HBS 2+2. So basically he was an outlier and not a general case.
Its not about 20-30 points but about being 1 in 10 (700) to 1 in 50/100(750).
The fact of subjectivity comes only after you cross the initial hurdle. The global average for 90%ile is 690 , for Indians its 720

. My personal opinion is B School admission is quite objective - they look at UG GPA, UG Institution and Course,GMAT, Your Work Experience and they Interview You.

. My personal opinion is B School admission is quite objective - they look at UG GPA, UG Institution and Course,GMAT, Your Work Experience and they Interview You.

egmat · Answer

I appreciate your decision. A higher score will no doubt help you. 750 is much more desirable than 710. However I would like to state a few points (as someone who got into GSB and got full fellowships from a couple of schools)

1. Your applications play a more important role, especially at top B-schools. Work on making them interesting. 
2. Your profile is not your background, but the experiences that you have had so far. There are lot of people from Indian IT background who apply for MBA is US. I have personally worked with 100+ IT applicants and I can say that I have not come across any two applicants who have had the same set of experiences. I have also counseled 20-30 Europeans and Americans. Difference between Indians and Europeans; Europeans/Americans don't undersell their achievements. However, I have come across a lot of Indians who undersell themselves. Some time back I helped out an Indian who was managing investment decisions for a portfolio of companies. The combined worth of the portfolio was $500M. That guy had not even mentioned this number anywhere. If this guy invested badly, the future of a lot of these companies would be in black. Basically, he was doing a pretty important job. However, this was not portrayed well either in his resume or in his application. 
3. If you have a great GMAT score (and you do), your GPA is not as relevant.
4. Extracurriculars are important if you excel in them. But it doesn't mean that you wont get admitted to HBS/GSB/Standford if you dont have any. No one would reject an applicant who has successfully executed IT projects that have saved millions on overall costs, led teams, aligned visions/work processes or built new products that have gotten millions in new revenue.

The key area where most Indians lack is to quantify their achievements. We live from one project to another, worry about our next promotion but fail to evaluate our achievements. Its high time we focus on changing that.

Again, I am not deterring you from appearing for GMAT again. Work hard for a 750+ score (it does improve your chances) but at the same time focus on enhancing other parts of your application. In my opinion, if you did not even get an interview call with 710 then you probably need to work on your application too. Make sure you budget your time appropriately for it.

I hope that above helped.

-Rajat Sadana

thugly921 · Answer

to clarify, he was 31 at matriculation and his extracurric was that he developed an investing software for a startup investment firm. if 400 Indian applicants have the same profile/goals/essays, then yes at that point it's easy to make an objective assessment.

shivenpatel112 · Answer

Hi, realizing I am suffering similar issues... did Knewton Prep help you overcome the barrier?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi shivenpatel112,

Knewton no longer provides GMAT study materials. I've responded to your other post though (here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/680-gmat-sco ... l#p2332247) and I'll be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

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

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