690 International Student

Dear Pabs,

This is a tough question as your score is close to the average, but just under for your target schools. It is certainly in the competitive range and your quant score is solid. I think you have to weigh your resources at this point and make a determination from there. You do not want to sacrifice other parts of your application for a GMAT retake--especially if you don't think you can increase your score by more than 20 points. An increase of 10-20 might not even make a difference in your ultimate decision, but it is hard to know definitively. What I do know definitively is that if your essays, recommendations, resume and interview are not outstanding, you will not have a chance at these schools; thus you much make sure you put the effort into those parts of your application. Assess the rest of your profile--is your GPA above average? have you progressed quickly in your career? do you have evidence of leadership skills?--and then decide if you want to spend your resources (time and money) on the GMAT retake.

Good luck,
Lisa