I just took my first GMAT today and would like to apply for Round 1 to HBS and GSB. For personal reasons, I'm not interested in other schools.
I got a 740—just short of my 750 goal

—with a 50 quant, 41 verbal, and 7 IR (AWA to come).
Should I retake my GMAT? I know that I have solid work experience (I work in tech, specifically as part of a selective rotational program at top tech company—think FB, Google new grad programs) and educational background (3.75+ at HYP), but will this GMAT set me back, or is it enough to "check the box"? I know it's only 10 points short of the golden 750, but I'm stressed knowing that Stanford's median score went up to 740 this year, and I assume it'll only climb next year.
Thanks in advance!
Hi krhg.
First of all congratulations on a phenomenal score. 740 is a solid score to get you into any top programs especially with your background and stats. HBS and GSB are highly selective colleges which adopt a holistic process in evaluating candidates. Instead of focusing more attention on GMAT I would encourage you to work on other parts of your application like the Essays, working on your extracurricular etc as they are more likely to be beneficial. That being said if you still feel that you can improve your score by 10 points or more without deviating your attention from other important aspects of your application, then by all means go ahead and give it another try as there is no downside to it.
Hope this helps. All the best.