What to do with a 640 GMAT score

Question

Hi all,

I need some opinions on what to do with a 640 GMAT score. I took the exam yesterday and this was my 3rd attempt. I am trying to decide whether to cancel the score or not.

Some background info: I graduated from Penn State in 2014 with a 3.71 GPA and I have about 5 years work experience at two large banks managing investment portfolios for high net worth individuals. I received the CFA designation in 2016. I am targeting top 20 full time MBA programs. My target originally was getting a 680+ to be competitive. However, it appears I have plateaued and I am not sure how much higher I can get on this test. My scores are below:

2017 I took the exam with hardly any studying and received a 530 (kept score)
2019 I got serious about MBA, began studying in January this year, took the exam in April and received a 620 (cancelled score)
2019 I took the exam after 1.5 months of studying between exams and yesterday received a 640 (cancel or no?)

I plan on taking the exam one more time. At this point I feel my realistic target is to get above the 650 threshold (ideally a 660-670).

That all being said, would there be much value in keeping my 640?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks
Dan

KarishmaB · Answer

Hey Dan,

Here are the points I keep in mind before deciding whether to cancel or keep the score:

- If the score is far below target score, I prefer to cancel.
- If the test taker has taken GMAT multiple times and the current score is in the same range as before, I prefer to cancel. 
- Cancelled scores can be reinstated within 4 years and 11 months of exam date. Hence, if needed, the score can be reinstated later but it cannot be cancelled after the 72 hrs period so I prefer to cancel.

If you are targeting a 660 - 670 in your next attempt, it is not very far from the current 640. So the 640 on your score card will not add any value and in fact, will show that you have not improved much from one attempt to another. So if money is no constraint, I would cancel the score right now and reinstate later if it comes to that (to keep my score card clean 530 - 670).
If money is a constraint, there isn't a lot of harm in keeping the 640.

KarishmaB · Answer

Also, if you give me your Quant/Verbal breakup and other details, I might be able to direct you to some useful resources.

gmat1393 · Answer

Hi dcl5110

IMHO you can definitely improve and get a better than 640.
since Q42 indicates you are lagging basics in Quant and improving Quant is way easier than improving Verbal.

For Quant I would suggest you go thru Manhattan Quant guides and couple them with GMAT club tests, which will enable you to reach Q48+

Hope this helps!

dcl5110 · Answer

Thank you all! My breakdown is below for the 3 exams I took:

530 Q29 V34
620 Q44 V32
640 Q42 V36

I’m definitely capable of getting my quant score higher given that my second exams quant score was 44. Also while doing practice official GMAT exams I’ve gotten as high as 48. I think it just depends on the topics that are brought up in my next exam. My timing was very off yesterday with quant and I felt as though I was playing catch up during the entire quant section.

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi dcl5110,

To start, a 640 is a solid Score. Considering the Schools that you mentioned in an earlier post, it's understandable that you would want to retest. Many Business Schools view an Applicant's Quant Scaled Score as an indicator of how that Applicant might handle the 'academic side' of the Program - and Scores in the Q42-Q44 range won't impress anyone.

Before we can determiner how best to proceed with this next phase of your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) What study materials have you used in 2019?
2) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs/mocks (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
3) Are you planning to apply during Round 1 later this year?

You might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report for this recent attempt. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hey Dan,

Since you can reinstate the score, there is no harm in canceling it. If for some reason you end up needing to use it, just reinstate the 640.

That said, do you need any advice regarding your study plan for your retake?

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