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[UPDATE] 710 on first try - Try again right? --- 780?!?!

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[UPDATE] 710 on first try - Try again right? --- 780?!?!

by jsee » Sat Oct 08, 2016 6:44 pm
So a bit about me:

I'm a 26 years old, white/hispanic male working in New York in an Equity Research associate role at one of the few multinational investment banks. I went to an off-the-radar, non-target private university and graduated with a 4.0 in Economics and Mathematical Finance, with a minor in math.

After unsuccessfully pursuing a different career trajectory, I decided that an MBA might be what I need.

I purchased the MGMAT set of books/OG books, and studied from Labor Day through this past Thursday. Before studying, I took a MGMAT CAT just to gauge where I was and received a 680. Over the course of my studying, I took a few other CATs and received a 690 and 710. Then this past week, I took the GMAT Prep Exams and received a 750 Q49/V42/IR8 (Oct 2nd) and 760 Q49/V45/IR8 (Oct 6th). All practice exams were taken in the strictest of exam conditions.

Today (Oct 8th), I took my official exam and received a 710 Q48/V40/IR6. I unfathomably ran out of time on both the Q and V sections, forcing me to rush through the last few questions and leaving 1-2 blank in both sections as they timed out before I could complete them. Without my enhanced score report, I can only point to the obvious - my verbal performance and my time management were not up to par.

Given my current occupation, only attendance to the M7 will be worth the opportunity cost of giving up my current compensation/career progression.

Is it fair to say that this 710 will not suffice? I should probably give it another go with some heavy work done on the verbal side?

Thanks for the insight.

JC


UPDATE:

I just retook it today (11/5) with minimal studying - I probably spent roughly 4 hours in addition to taking another CAT (scored a 760). I walked away this afternoon with a 780 (Q50/V47/IR7). Ecstatic!

JC
Last edited by jsee on Sun Nov 06, 2016 9:16 am, edited 3 times in total.
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by [email protected] » Sat Oct 08, 2016 7:05 pm
Hi JC,

First off, a 710/Q48 is an outstanding score (it's right around the 90th percentile overall), so you should apply to whatever Business Schools interest you. As such, a retest is probably not necessary. Since you're planning to apply to some really competitive Schools, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/ask-an-mba-a ... t-f40.html

Beyond those points, from your practice scores you're clearly a strong critical thinker and Test Taker. If you truly did leave questions unanswered at the ends of both the Quant and Verbal sections, then you would have been 'penalized' for not completing each section. While it's impossible to define exactly how much that penalty would have been, you likely would have scored another 10-20 points higher if you had just blindly guesses on each of those questions. In that way, you could probably retest and score higher just by being a bit more disciplined about your overall pacing. If you have a strong OVERALL profile, then retesting isn't necessary. However, if you're willing to pay the extra $250 and spend the extra time studying to hone your skills, then you could probably score 730+ without too much extra trouble.

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Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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by Jeff@TargetTestPrep » Tue Oct 11, 2016 3:46 pm
Hi JC,

First of all, a 710 is a great start! Since you are only aiming for top business schools, you may consider getting your GMAT score as high as possible prior to applying.

Based on the score breakdowns of your practice exams leading up to the GMAT, and the fact that you only studied for a month, with some more practice you probably could raise your GMAT score. With that said, you may consider a regimen of focused practice so you can find and fix any remaining quant or verbal weaknesses.

For example, if you are reviewing Critical Reasoning, be sure to practice a large number of questions just from Critical Reasoning: strengthen and weaken the conclusion, resolve the paradox, find the conclusion, must be true, etc. The results of that practice will help you determine your weak areas within that topic. Once you find and fix your weak areas, move on to the next verbal topic.

You should follow the same routine for quant. For example, if you are reviewing Number Properties, be sure that you can practice 50 or more questions just from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. Based on the results, you can find and fix your weak areas. Only then should you move on to the next quant topic.

If you would like some help determining your quant strengths and weaknesses, I welcome you to take my free 37-question quant diagnostic. After completing the diagnostic, you will be provided with a detailed analysis of your proficiency level in GMAT quant topics and an opportunity to discuss your diagnostic results with me or another TTP instructor/coach.

If you find that your current study materials do not allow for such focused practice, you may consider finding some fresh prep materials. There are many resources from which to chose, so a good place to start your search is in the verified review section here on Beat The GMAT.

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out. Good luck!

Jeffrey Miller
Head of GMAT Instruction
[email protected]

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by jsee » Sat Nov 05, 2016 1:17 pm
UPDATE:

I just retook it today with minimal studying - I probably spent roughly 4 hours in addition to taking another CAT (scored a 760). I walked away this afternoon with a 780 (Q50/V47/IR7). Ecstatic!

JC
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