Should I retake? 680, int. app.

Hi all,

After spending my Xmas holidays cramming GMAT I just went for my first attempt this week:

Quantitative 41 (61%)
Verbal 41 (92%)
Overall 680 (86%)

This score is slightly below the 700ish I was getting in the GMATPrep mock exams. The verbal section looks good for a non-native speaker and in my view tough to improve. Clearly, I didn´t do well in quant at all. To be honest, I hate the sort of brain teasers they test despite my background. BTW, my preparation was mostly based on the OG + Q/V reviews, which has proven not enough for the quant section.

So, before moving on, I have to face the $ million question, whether It is worth it to retake the GMAT. I plan to apply for the 2010 incoming class of the usual ivy league schools next october (R1). Given the increase in the number of applications and the notch of these schools, such GMAT is definitely not a big plus, but it´s in the 80% range of any program though. The point is that, given that adcoms bother about reading a 680 GMAT app, I could easily justify that I simply had a bad day in quant (actuary, CFA LIII passed).

Moreover, I guess that the average scores of the top US MBA programs are biased upwards because natives necessarily have to perform better for obvious reasons. I´d appreciate any insight about the extent to which a 700+ is a must for an international applicant (no Asian nationality).

To be honest, I feel confident about my chances of getting admitted but the "700+" factor looks like a big handicap regardless of the rest of your profile.

Thanks for your input and good luck!