720 - Retake???

Question

Hello everyone

A short info about me so that you can better evaluate my question:
Middle Eastern
Undergrad - Top 5 domestic university
MSc - Top 20 world university
Current Industry - PE

I've just received 720 (Q50, V38, IR6). Considering I aim for M7, do you think I should retake the exam or continue as it is and start focusing on essays etc.?

Many thanks for your valuable responses...

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  Isildur . I think you should let go of that burden—"Cast it into the fire!"—and get on with your applications. In all seriousness, you seem to have a pretty strong background, although I cannot qualify what, exactly, you mean when you say you are aiming for an M7 program. Will any one of them do, or is there a particular one? A 720 should put you in the mix, particularly since a few programs are waiving the exam requirement for the year and will be looking to keep their stats up via scores that are submitted. In other words, provided your application package is appealing, a 720 should not hurt your chances, even if a 730 might make you feel a little safer. (Where was a 720 in your practice? At the higher end of your range or the lower end? A retake might not necessarily translate to an increase.)

Best of luck, whatever you decide.

- Andrew

Isildur · Answer

Hello there, thank you for your replies. I've not previously scored 720 with official mocks. I am fully aware and agree that a retake may not necessarily translate into a higher score. I particularly aim for, and aim to apply to all within the first round (thats actually why I toook my GMAT this early) H/S/W + CBS/Booth/Sloan/LBS.

As you can imagine H/S/W are my priorities...

I am not an expert on this stuff that's why I asked for your valuable thoughts on this issue. If my score were 700, I would definitely go for it. However, as it is 720, which is almost the median/mean, I am not very sure whether the time I will spend will worth the result (its not even certain) and the potential incremental change will change my chances. What I think is, although not sure, considering I come from a relatively less competitive pool than other countries and from a competitive background, 720 should do the job.

But again, I really have no idea, thats why please share your points

Isildur · Answer

What worries me though is the fact that my MSc is from UK. So I am not sure whether AdComs would think why my Verbal is 38.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Isildur,

Have you also had a chance to reach out to some admissions consultants here on GMAT Club to get a further opinion? Also, if you end up retaking the GMAT and need any advice, feel free to reach out.

Isildur · Answer

Hi, I do not know how to reach out them. Can you please tell me how to do so?

AndrewN · Answer

The Ask Admission Consultants forum can be found  here . I agree that seeking several informed opinions would be a smart way to approach the process.

Good luck.

- Andrew

Isildur · Answer

Okay, thank you very much everyone. In addition to Admission Consultants I would really like to hear your (GMAT experts' and forum members') thoughts too

bb · Answer

Just try the WAMC tool. It’s a pretty quick way to get your answer 😉

Posted from my mobile device

AndrewN · Answer

Congratulations,  Isildur . Out of curiosity, did you use the template provided by  chineseburned , or did you study something else?

- Andrew

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Isildur,

First off, a 720/Q50 is an outstanding Score, so you can comfortably apply to any Business Schools that interest you. Since you are interested in some highly-competitive Schools, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

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

Isildur · Answer

AndrewN  hey, I've actually started off with chineseburned, but later I modified it to my own needs.

EMPOWERgmatRichC  Thank you very much. I've actually started a topic there (since I am not a 5 days member yet I cannot share the link but it can be found with the topic name " 720 - Retake? - Please Share Your View ") but it is generally revolving around consultants' services etc, which is understandable. My question whether I should retake the GMAT has actually found its solution (I will not), but other than that I unfortunately cannot get valuable info. Maybe because I have an unorthodox background that I dont want to share on the forum here.

Isildur · Answer

If you would be kind enough, I actually have one question for you people. Just because I believe the more opinion I get, the better it would be.

How should I continue with the rest of the process? I mean, how to start the brainstorming process for my essays? The way I need to think to connect my background with my aspirations. Also, what and how to search for the school specific info to use within my essays, not to sound generic? Etc.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello again,  Isildur . I would just write what I wanted to say first, without being too mindful of word counts or how well you want to present yourself. Discuss the topic you choose with interest. It should be apparent to the reader that you are interested in the topic yourself. Often, if you write too much under the impression that you need to "sell" yourself, the writing comes off as flat.

I have had clients who started with two-page essays from which we extracted a single kernel of an idea for a subsequent draft. It was one such client who, through three drafts, wrote an essay that helped her get into one of her reach schools (at a school that proudly placed more emphasis on the essay portion of the application). A common mistake is to write a draft that contains nothing more than what I call "hand-waving": "Look at me! I am special! I belong at your school!" A school can look at your CV if it wants to, where you speak of accomplishments and such. Your essay is a part of your application that allows you to reveal  something else , so stick your neck out and try writing about one of your interests instead. The words should start to flow. Once you have gotten the thought out, you can always trim some of the fat, so to speak, to conform to a certain word count, and a friend, a teacher, or a professional editor can help you refine that essay and make sure it speaks to the given prompt.

That is how I would start the process. Do not worry about getting anything right. Just write.

- Andrew

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Isildur,

When applying to highly competitive Schools (such as the ones that you are interested in), it's important to remember that beyond needing a strong GMAT Score (which you now have) you also need a strong OVERALL profile AND you need to properly 'market yourself' to each individual Program that you apply to. If there are aspects of your profile that you do not wish to publicly share, then that's fine - but if you won't share those details under any circumstances, then it will likely be impossible to get the specific advice that you're looking for. This is meant to say that you might consider reaching out to Admissions Experts in a private fashion (through email or PM) and discuss your profile and plans in more detail that way.

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

Isildur · Answer

Hello there,

AndrewN your reply actually reminded me of this wonderful scene from Finding Forrester, thank you very much!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juko0sAndsA

EMPOWERgmatRichC thank you for your valuable input. It is not that I will not share my background within my essays. It is just I don't want to share it here as it includes private info. It would be disrespectful if I were to ask people here on this forum to have a call, etc. with me to give me some tips and then not working with them. I cannot ask for people's valuable time for my own needs. That's why I didn't asky anyone privately for advice.

AndrewN · Answer

Wow,  Finding Forrester . I have not seen that one in more than a decade. (RIP Sean Connery, who carried just about every scene he was in, even when alongside the likes of Harrison Ford.) But yes, the scene was quite fitting: just write, let the ideas flow, and then use your head later.

Thanks for sharing, and good luck with your essays.

- Andrew

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