Retake 700 GMAT for H/S/W?

Question

Hi there - a bit of background on me. I'm an international, grad of top-tier Ivy (think HYP) with a high GPA, and have 4 years of experience at a large BB (Morgan Stanley/Goldman) as an investment banker. Good, unique extra-curriculars, good recommendations all around, a number of academic prizes, and I'm a solid essay writer. I scored a 700 on the GMAT (44Q/41V with 8/8 on IR and 6/6 on AWA), and I think I can do better, though I may not necessarily have too much time to devote to it because of my job. Admittedly, I did not study much last time, and I know what I have to work on.

Question - do you guys think that it is worth it for me to retake? 700 isn't bad enough that it's terrible, but I am really aiming for H/S/W, so I don't want this to be the reason that I'd be counted out. What do you guys think? Thanks.

Question - do you guys think that it is worth it for me to retake? 700 isn't bad enough that it's terrible, but I am really aiming for H/S/W, so I don't want this to be the reason that I'd be counted out. What do you guys think? Thanks.

bb · Answer

You have a solid Verbal score but a poor quant score. That's 61st percentile. I would say not the right score for the profile you provided and probably would stick out as a sore thumb. It would also bring a question of "did you just give up and not try to get the score that you deserve". 700 by itself is a fine score and would be OK'ish for the schools (though their averages are 730 and 720. Go and take the test again and spend a bit of time on math and quant. You can get the Kaplan math workbook and cover it under a month (faster than the MGMAT books) and that will get you all the way to Q49. Good Luck. You can also take a look here: how-to-improve-your-quant-from-q44-to-q50-141670.html

politricks · Answer

I'm with bb, you should take it again. Because of your background, one would predict a higher quant score. Settling for 44 after only one take would lead schools to believe that you didn't care enough to try again. 700 is a good score, but you should give it another go just to at least show you are committed.

MBA8717 · Answer

what score would someone with the op's background be looking for? would something around the q46 suffice?

politricks · Answer

With that sort of banking background, one would suspect at least the 70% mark, which I believe is a 46/47 these days. Others may have better insight.

I see it more of an issue of "effort" though and not necessarily quant split. OP has such a blue chip background, it feels strange to settle after just one take. Even if OP takes it again and doesn't perform significantly better, it shows that effort was made to try again. OP's pedigree shows that quant is not issue; could just be a GMAT fluke.

Although, when applying to those target schools you don't want to leave any doubts on the table. OP has brilliant background, but scoring higher on quant might help. I understand timing of studying and taking the exam might be an issue, but since the single take leaves question marks, might as well study, take it again, and likely score higher. Good luck.

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MBA8717 · Answer

Thanks. A q46 is now 68% percentile which is what I scored (720 q46, v44). Would that still be sufficient?

I also have a similar background to the OP. I guess, without putting words into the OP mouth, the issue is studying for the GMAT properly whilst in that profession is quite difficult. Juggling studying while also preparing R1 applications adequately would be very difficult.

bb · Answer

Just a quick note - most underestimate how much effort it takes to build the application (even with the reduced load that some of the schools require in terms of essays)
You have many stages and many sides to it (check the mba timeline for example: mbatimeline?fl=menu)
You have Essays, examples, resume, ordering transcripts, LOR's (one of the trickiest things), potentially interviews - all has to be prepped and if you don't, the schools will see it and throw out the whole application as they will see/think you are not taking it seriously, so don't waste your time/effort putting in a half-ass job for a top 10 school.

politricks · Answer

After reading Young Money, frankly, I'm amazed that you lot even have the time to complete applications.

My 70% number came from a Tuck roundtable where the adcom said Tuck prefers to see 70% and above. Not a strict rule, but just something they prefer, so I figure other elite schools that have reputations for being more quant demanding would be the same. Again though, your blue blood pedigree speaks volumes more than a "borderline" quant score. You guys are uber-impressive to me, sadly however you may just be dime-a-dozen applicants at HSW. I'm sure you've heard it before, but differentiate yourself with the essays etc.

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Retake 700 GMAT for H/S/W?

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