Did worse on the GMAT second time around (any advice?)

burnedbythegmat · Guest

My target score is low to mid 700s. Unfortunately, 2nd time was not the charm.

The first time I took the test, I didn't focus as much in quant (engineering background) which pulled down my score (got a 680, Q38, V45). I was pretty sure I could pull up my quant score, so I took the test again.

Second time around, I didn't do any verbal prep other than the practice exams....I would always get 44 or higher on verbal (MGMAT or GMATPrep) so I wasn't worried. However, on my last GMATPrep practice exam two days before the test, I got a v37 which I just wrote off as an anomaly.

On test day, I started off weak on Quant and had to guess on more than I'd like to have....maybe just too nervous....was seeing pretty easy questions by 11-12, but by question 18 or so, I managed to refocus and was starting to see question difficulty that I felt were at my real level. For verbal, I thought it was just a matter of "getting through it" and I'd do as well as I usually do....was actually still worried if I did OK in quant during this part.

When I saw my score, I was shocked to see a v34. My Quant score was not stellar (q44), but better than I thought given the weak start.

I compared my verbal scores in the last two practice exams (v37 vs v45). For the v37, I got 11 questions wrong (mix of SC, RC, CR), and for the v45, I got 7 questions wrong (1 RC, 6 SC). I don't understand how getting a few more questions wrong can change my score that much. This doesn't seem to be the case in quant, and in fact I get many more questions wrong in quant and still get a higher scaled score than verbal.

I'd be very grateful for any advice on what I can do to improve, or whether I should take the test again. Is the 680 (q38, v45) score good enough to get into a top tier school given that everything else isn't stellar, but rather in the OK to good range? Should I re-take the exam? I am pretty sure I can get above 700 if I prepare well and get my nerves under control....

beatthegmat · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:12 am Post subject:

I'm not sure whether it's necessary for you take the GMAT again. A 680 is a great score, and it will certainly keep you within the competitive pool of applicants.

Just to give you some perspective, I have a close friend who scored a 660 on the GMAT but still got into Kellogg. If your GPA and work experience seem pretty strong, I wouldn't bother with the retake.

burnedbythegmat · Guest

Thanks a lot for your feedback.

The reason I am concerned is because I want to apply to a top 5 school (Stanford, MIT etc.), and the 680 score has what I would consider a "bad" quant score for those schools or even schools at the next tier. I am an older than average applicant, out of school for more than 7 years, so I wonder whether this would make them question my "school skills". On the other hand, I did engineering in undergrad so they must understand that I should be able to handle the math if I brush up.

Do you (or anyone else) know of anyone who got into a top 5 school with that kind of a quant score? Even though the schools say they don't have a minimum GMAT, I have heard from people who claim to have reputable sources that if you aren't at least in the 80th perentile ballbark for either quant or verbal, then you are screened out for some top schools...but they may use your GPA in some form when evaluating this so that they don't violate GMAC's rule about not relying solely on the GMAT score.

It's a very tough call...there's not much time to get applications ready for round 2, and I'm not sure I can spend the time necessary to do a good job on both the apps and the GMAT (if I take it again). If only I could combine my verbal score from the first test and my quant score from the second... Smile

beatthegmat · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:17 pm Post subject:

If I were you, I'd ask Stacy Blackman for her opinion. I think she might have some better perspective on your situation.

Best of luck!