batman08 wrote:
Dear Mike,
I hope you're doing well. I came across your blog post (
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/should-i-retake-the-gmat/) and wanted some advice from you about my situation. I gave my GMAT last week and got a 710 (92 percentile) with 48 in Quant (74 percentile), 40 in Verbal (91 percentile), 5 in AWA (60 percentile) and 5 in IR (52 percentile). I am wondering if I should retake the GMAT due to my low percentiles in the Quant and IR sections.
I got the same overall score in GMATPrep mocks (in the week leading up to my exam) with scores between 48-50 in Quant section and between 35-40 in Verbal section. I found the Quant questions in the actual exam to be a bit trickier than what I had encountered during my preparation. Also, my AWA didn't go as well as I had wanted to. I was barely able to finish it before time ran out and this unsettled me a bit going into IR.
I have been studying for a long time (5-6 months) for the GMAT and rescheduled my test appointment a couple of times in the hope of improving my score. I made use of the following resources during my preparation:
Manhattan GMAT books, CR Bible,
Official Guide 13th edition, Verbal Review, GMATPrep Question Pack and GMATPrep Exam Pack
I am wondering if 710 is a good enough score to apply to the top B schools in US or should I retake the GMAT again ? Will the low percentiles in Quant and IR hinder my chances ? I want to apply for MBA programs this year and would ideally not like to give the exam again. Also, if I do think about applying again, can I realistically improve my score ?
I would really appreciate if you can give me some advice on what to do next.
Thanks!
Dear
Batman08,
I'm happy to respond.
Your question has a very simple answer:
NO!!Is this clear?
First of all, yes, your IR is a touch low, but there is no evidence at the moment that schools consider IR a make-or-break part of adcom's decisions. I wouldn't worry about that.
As for the Q percentile, here's a very subtle point. Your Quant performance is very solid, 48. Yes, the percentile is low --- 26% of the population could do better theoretically. BUT, the overall percentile is 710 --- only 8% of the population could do better than than. You are in the top ten percent. In other words, yes, many people can get 48 on Quant or better, but of that relatively large group, only few of them can
also get 40 on Verbal. Thus, overall, you have still distinguished yourself.
As I said in the article, the fundamental purpose the GMAT serves is: could the applicant handle the academic demands of our school? A 710 gives a resounding "yes" to that question --- clearly, you could handle the academic demands at any top school. Well, now, you have to look at the rest of your application --- your recs, your essay, your interview --- is all the rest as extraordinary as your GMAT score? Does it all stand out as exceptional? That's where your energies should be focused at this point. A GMAT retake is a tremendous amount of energy for dubious gains: not a sound investment.
If you want the message of your application to stand out, consider this TED talk:
https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_ho ... ire_actionDoes all this make sense?
Mike
_________________
Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test PrepEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)