Should I retake GMAT

Question

I'm an Indian male engineer working in an investment bank (which has become quite common these days). Scored 770/780 on official GMAT test prep and got a 750 (Q50, V41) on the actual exam. Target schools are Booth, Columbia, Kellogg and any fin focused schools and scholarship is a critical factor for me. I'm applying next year so have plenty of time.

Should I retake the GMAT?

Should I retake the GMAT?

bb · Answer

OOPS. Just realized this is an MBA Mission Forum and it was not a question for me

Let's see what they think

Congrats on your 750! That should be a great score even for an engineer. There is a difference between 720 and 750 but not really much between 770 and 750. You can see the scores people have been admitted with last year here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/decision-tra ... &status=10 P.S. As to this year, nobody really knows if there is a difference or much of a difference. I guess we will know in about a month or so when the stats start coming in. If there is a reason to go after the 99th percentile (personal or professional perhaps), you can give it one more shot just to close that door and not worry/think about it again but would focus more on your essays, resume, apps.

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi  friskymarkets  -- sorry for the delayed response! I think  bb  is right that there's not a major difference once you've already gotten to the very high level of 750. I think another factor is your undergrad background / GPA. If you have concerns there, then I would for sure retake to maximize what you can still control. Even if your GPA is strong, I might still give it one more shot because a) there's not much downside, b) you clearly are capable of a higher score, c) you have time, and d) a higher score could help on the scholarship front. Definitely not a 'must do' thing, but I view it as a 'why not' thing, if that makes sense! Good luck.

Kate

friskymarkets · Answer

thanks a lot bb and mbaMissionKate for the response! I've decided to retake

mbaMissionKate · Answer

That's great, good luck!

Vigneshwaar · Answer

Hey Kate,

I'm facing a similar predicament with my 760 while targeting Wharton, Booth, LBS, & Ross. So far, everyone's advised me against re-taking it!

In your experience, have you seen anyone improving either their chances of acceptance or the size of their financial aid package by improving within the 99th %ile?

Like the OP, I'm an Indian male engineer too, except that I have the added burden of a no-name college and a low-ish GPA(We have a % scale so I'm not sure about the conversion).

EDIT: Could I also make my case for acceptance/financial aid stronger by finishing a few graded courses through a medium like Coursera? If so, would you know which subjects would have the greatest impact? I'm already strong in finance and accounting and shouldn't have any problems getting a high grade if the need arises.

Regards,
Vignesh

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi Vignesh!

I think if you have reservations about your college background then retaking it can never hurt. You don't need to though, you've got an excellent score so I can see why others are advising against it.

Supplemental courses could help with acceptance chances. Especially if there are specific low grades on your transcript that you could make up for, or gaps in your skills that are relevant to your post MBA goals. To be honest I've not seen supplemental courses be too helpful with scholarship chances, but every school is different.

Hope that helps! 
Kate

Vigneshwaar · Answer

Thanks for the quick revert and for the insights, Kate! If I may add in a teensy follow-up question - You don't think improving my score would increase my financial aid chances right? Do the financial aid committees view all 760+ scores in a similar light?

mbaMissionKate · Answer

It's hard to know how much of a difference that could make....I'd say a higher score can never hurt though! Also if you're looking into supplemental courses, here is a blog post worth checking out: https://www.mbamission.com/blog/2018/06 ... l-courses/

Vigneshwaar · Answer

Thanks for the link, that was helpful!

mbaMissionKate · Answer

You're welcome!

Should I retake GMAT

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