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stella365201
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stella365201 - Welcome to GMAT Club and congratulations on getting a 730 score on the GMAT. Damn, the Q51 and V38 should have fetched you a 740. Anyhow, great job at getting such a high score and all the best for your applications. To answer your query, no, you do not need to retake the GMAT just because you have a 4 on the AWA section. You can compensate your AWA score with a stronger essay or other areas of the application. All the best. :)
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stella365201
I took my very first test last week and got a satisfactory 730 (Q51, V38). I also got an 8 in the IR section. I was really happy with my results until I received my AWA score today.

A 4. Huh. I wasn’t expecting a 6 but given the fact that I’m a native English speaker I thought I would at least get a 5. I WAS really sleepy on test day so I probably wasn’t doing my best...... but I still think it’s far from being in the 17% percentile. That really damaged my confidence.

I’m really not sure what went wrong? I’m aware that my critique may have not been strong enough, but I really don’t think it’s that bad...... (17%......) Another possible reason may be that my essay was a bit short (4 paragraphs).

What does a 4 indicate? A not-so-strong critique? A not-so-good structure? Some typos & grammar mistakes?

I’ve heard people say that low AWA scores don’t matter unless you’re foreign. Unfortunately I am. I’m an English native speaker but not an “official” one. I grew up in the States, but I 1) am not American, and 2) didn’t attend university in an English speaking country. That makes me a foreigner in the eyes of US bschools. So, am I doomed then? I scored 119/120 in TOEFL three years ago without any preparation & I’m pretty sure I can do that again. Will a good TOEFL score (especially a 30 in writing) perhaps compensate for my bad AWA score?

I’m also wondering whether it’s worth it or not to have my essay regraded. I heard that the best you can get is usually just an extra 0.5 to your score. I don’t think a 4.5 will make much difference to my applications tho.

Any suggestions? Sorry for being a bit miserable : (

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First, congratulations on a strong score.

Regarding AWA, I think that you have provided several plausible explanations. The write-up was short, weakly constructed and perhaps filled with spelling and/or grammatical errors.

Your overall package combined with strong TOEFL scores will make good impression. You can provide a short explanation for the low AWA score.

Regarding rescoring... At best, you can hope for a plus or minus 0.5 change. The computer scoring is very accurate and it is unlikely that the computer score will differ by large amount. The computer is trained by humans, so it likely agrees with the human scorer.

GL w/ applications!
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Staphyk
Wow great Quant score. What was the strategy?
Now What schools are you applying to?
MBA?
CGPA?
How is your profile
Before you consider about regrade for AWA (not necessary in my opinion)

For Quant I just practiced with OG and Prep questions. Didn’t really do much (same with Verbal). I think the most important thing is to redo the questions you’re not familiar with. Make sure you understand what you didn’t before.

I’m not applying for an MBA. I just graduated & plan to apply to some MSF programs. I think Princeton’s out of my reach but I still wanna give it a try. I’m also considering Vanderbilt & USC. I’m a business major with a 3.86 GPA & I’m currently working in EY’s Risk Transformation Team as a data analyst.

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Hovkial

First, congratulations on a strong score.

Regarding AWA, I think that you have provided several plausible explanations. The write-up was short, weakly constructed and perhaps filled with spelling and/or grammatical errors.

Your overall package combined with strong TOEFL scores will make good impression. You can provide a short explanation for the low AWA score.

Regarding rescoring... At best, you can hope for a plus or minus 0.5 change. The computer scoring is very accurate and it is unlikely that the computer score will differ by large amount. The computer is trained by humans, so it likely agrees with the human scorer.

GL w/ applications!

Well, although I did mention typos and grammar mistakes, I’m not saying I made them during the test (I did have time to proofread briefly).

To be honest I just felt really bad seeing that 17% percentile & and it drove me to wonder what the problem was. I thought as a native English speaker I should easily win half of the people taking GMAT (since a big portion of them are non-native speakers). Guess I was overconfident. If the 4’s due to a weak critique & the essay being too short then I’ll accept it.

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Hi stella365201 There is a Special Service By GMAC

Analytical Writing Assessment Rescoring Service

You may request rescoring of your AWA by an independent reader for a fee of US$45. Requests for rescoring must be made within six months of your test date. A request received after six months will not be honored.

Five Things to Know About Rescoring

Rescoring results are final, i.e., you may not submit more than one rescore request.
Rescoring could result in an increase or decrease in your original AWA score.
Revised results are sent to you and the programs you designated as score recipients approximately 20 days after your request is received.
Once your rescoring request is processed the fee will not be refunded.
To request rescoring, please contact GMAT Customer Service.
Note: The Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GMAT exam cannot be rescored.

https://www.mba.com/exams/gmat/about-th ... assessment
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stella365201

IMO 730 is a great score and you should concentrate on applications part now

All the best for your apps.
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stella365201

although I did mention typos and grammar mistakes, I’m not saying I made them during the test (I did have time to proofread briefly).

To be honest I just felt really bad seeing that 17% percentile & and it drove me to wonder what the problem was. I thought as a native English speaker I should easily win half of the people taking GMAT (since a big portion of them are non-native speakers). Guess I was overconfident. If the 4’s due to a weak critique & the essay being too short then I’ll accept it.

Posted from my mobile device

The AWA scoring is actually lenient on spelling errors. Even an essay that scores six out of six has spelling errors. So, your score of 4 definitely had much bigger issues than just spelling errors.

You have acknowledged that you were possibly "overconfident" as a native speaker. That could explain your approach to the AWA on test day.

As I mentioned, the scoring system is very accurate. A rescoring can even push down your score to 3.5 (and below).

Should you retake the test to improve your AWA? This is a difficult question but you will need to examine your overall application.
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730 with Q51 is a fantastic GMAT score. As long as your overall GMAT score hits the average scores at your desired schools, I think that you will be fine.
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