Should I retake the GMAT? (low AWA score and GPA)

Question

Hi,

1. I took the GMAT this month and scored 730 (Q51, V37), with IR 8 and AWA 4. I am concerned about my low AWA score, whether it will affect my chances at the top b schools.

2. I also noticed that I entered a lower GPA in the registration form (converted it wrongly), and that has appeared on my official report. Do B schools look at that value?

Should I retake the GMAT again in a couple of weeks? I can also possibly bring it up to 740. Please advise.

HiLine · Answer

A 4 on the AWA is fine.

Blitz15 · Answer

Is it fine for any B school?

What about the GPA part? Do B schools look at the GPA in the official report and does it affect your chances?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Blitz15,

First off, a 730/Q51 is an outstanding score (it's well above the 90th percentile overall), so you can apply to any Business Schools that interest you. In addition, most Business Schools will be satisfied with your AWA as long as you score at least a 4.0 (which you have). As such, a retest is not necessary. Depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

KarishmaB · Answer

Your score is fine for any B school. Another 10 points will make no difference. AWA 4 shouldn't make you worry. Just ensure that your essays are excellent! You will give your GPA in your school application and that is what the school will look at, though it may be advisable to get in touch with the test centre and ask them the procedure to correct the error. It wouldn't really matter but why to have conflicting data in your report. It would be good to get in touch with school specific consultants for further inquiries if you are targeting top 10. For a free profile evaluation, check: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#-school/

GMATPILLBILL · Answer

Hi Blitz15,

Congrats! 730 is a great score and your 4 on the AWA is good enough -- just keep in context your overall application profile. You may not be the candidate who stands out with a 740+ score, but if you feel confident you can stand out in another way -- your background, your story, your career path -- then this should be a good-enough score for the target schools you want. If you have a clear story/path/reason for business school and can differentiate yourself based on your work experience, then you got a lot going for you.

Remember, optimize for your overall application profile - not just one local maxima.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

@Blitz15 I agree with Karishma it's not a problem but may as well call the testing center.

An anecdote. I had a client last time this year who insisted on retaking the GMAT to increase her IR score. Well the score was unusable because she did increase her IR score, however her quant dipped.

And meanwhile we lost a month or more on time to put in applications. She did end up getting accepted to Booth, but the time, she was pretty frustrated that she couldn't submit to more schools.

Her original idea was to recycle essays but that is the kiss of death, and I finally got around to seeing that.

Given the demanding prompts proof that year we weren't really able to submit to more than three schools in the first round. So keep all this in mind.

Saying yes to Investing in one area is saying no to investing in another area. Often applicants feel compelled to have the number parts be perfect, because it seems more tangible to them.

But that's really not how it works and that's not exactly the right approach. The admissions committee looks at it holistically, not just this set of three numbers.

So make sure you spend time presenting yourself as a dynamic, interesting, deep person on paper, someone they would want to get to know and go to coffee with.

Reach out if you're interested in working with a professional on this.

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA
Admissions Consultant & Verbal Strategist MBAPrepCoach.com

Should I retake the GMAT? (low AWA score and GPA)

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