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Just took the GMAT, got a 680, what next?

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Just took the GMAT, got a 680, what next?

by midgely » Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:03 pm
I just took the GMAT, my target was at least a 700, and I got a 680 (37Q, 46V). I want to go to Columbia, and I have a strong (3.85) GPA - do I take the GMAT again? If so, how long should I wait to re-take it? I don't plan to apply until next fall (2009) for admission in 2010.

I really struggled with the Quantitative section, but in the practice sessions I didn't have nearly that much trouble! Toward the end of the exam I looked at the time and realized I had 10 questions left and only 6 minutes! I did my best with the first few and then blindly guessed on the rest! So I know it was the timing that was the big problem, and I know I could improve on the timing.

So now my question is: will taking it again help or hurt my chances? I know that I can do better, but it's also possible that my score goes down. If I take it again, should I do it sooner rather than later, since I'm already in the "groove" of studying?

Thanks in advance for the advice
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by Jay Allen » Sat Dec 06, 2008 3:04 pm
First, congrats on getting a 680! It's a very good score. Do you have other experiences that show your quantitative abilities? If you do, than your lower Q score won't count against you significantly.

By itself, your 37 is a bit low and it sounds like you do have the ability to improve it by practicing your time management a bit better. If you confidently think you can get your score above 710, you should absolutely retake it. I would give yourself some time to take a break from it and, in 5-8 months, take it again. The time apart will look good because the Admissions Office will see that you took time to improve yourself, a valued attribute. Additionally, you want to be sure that you can cross that 700 barrier. Remember, most elite schools' averages hover around 700-710 and being a positive force on the average always helps you.

Best of luck! Let us know if we can be helpful when you get ready to start the applications!


Best,


Jason
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Re: Just took the GMAT, got a 680, what next?

by Linda Abraham » Sun Dec 07, 2008 9:15 pm
midgely wrote:I just took the GMAT, my target was at least a 700, and I got a 680 (37Q, 46V). I want to go to Columbia, and I have a strong (3.85) GPA - do I take the GMAT again? If so, how long should I wait to re-take it? I don't plan to apply until next fall (2009) for admission in 2010.

I really struggled with the Quantitative section, but in the practice sessions I didn't have nearly that much trouble! Toward the end of the exam I looked at the time and realized I had 10 questions left and only 6 minutes! I did my best with the first few and then blindly guessed on the rest! So I know it was the timing that was the big problem, and I know I could improve on the timing.

So now my question is: will taking it again help or hurt my chances? I know that I can do better, but it's also possible that my score goes down. If I take it again, should I do it sooner rather than later, since I'm already in the "groove" of studying?

Thanks in advance for the advice
If you are applying for 2010 and aiming for CBS you should definitely retake the GMAT. You can work on timing and speed. I respectfully disagree that you should wait 5-8 months. Give yourself a break over the holidays and a reward for your efforts to date. Then start cracking the books once again after 1/1. You don't want to lose the skills and facility you built up in preparing for this exam. Additionally, you want to put the GMAT behind you so you can focus on school research, perhaps career research, or maybe building up other areas of your profile. Take the time necessary for you to improve your score without killing yourself, but don't wait more than a few weeks to start that process.

A retake can only help you. Almost all top programs take the top score. Tuck even considers the top verbal and the top quant separately. Given that CBS has an average GMAT of 707, I think you have a lot to gain by retaking and really nothing to lose -- especially since the quant is where you had trouble and you were doing signficantly better on practice exams. Not retaking, on the other hand, could cause schools to question your commitment or your confidence in your quant ability (unless your transcript shows a lot of A's in quant courses.

Best,
Linda
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by midgely » Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:23 am
Thanks Linda and Jay for the advice! Thank you also for the reassurance that I should take the GMAT again. I would not be personally satisfied unless I did, but there are all these crazy rumors out there (even the GMAC itself says so!) that you should try to avoid taking it again if you can, so I was doubting the instinct to go after a better score.

I think, knowing myself, I will have a better chance of doing well if I follow Linda's suggestion and take a break over the holidays, study for a few months starting in January, and re-take sooner rather than later. I can envision myself waiting 6 months and realizing that I've gotten completely out of the "groove"!

It's wonderful to hear that some schools, such as Tuck, even take the best Verbal and Quant scores separately, since my one fear in re-taking the test is that my Verbal will go down.

I also don't have a lot of Quant classes (actually I don't have any!) on my transcript since I placed out of any undergrad math requirements with two years of advanced calculus in High School. So I'm sure I need to do something to prove my Quant abilities in the admissions office's eyes! I'm considering taking a few classes (accounting, stats) this spring to beef up my abilities before applying to an MBA program.

Here are a few more questions: assuming I do take the GMAT again and get better Q scores, how much would having an accounting and/or stats class at a local college help my chances? I'm applying to Columbia because I want to do their Entrepreneurship program, so it's not like I need to stand out against the math whizzes who want to do Finance, right? Would classes at a community college look bad? I don't really have the money to pay for a class at one of the top universities in my area (even Berkeley summer sessions, which I took when I was an undergrad there, are very expensive!)

As always, thanks for the great advice :) I've found this community to be so supportive and helpful. I'll be sure to give back to all the GMAT newbies once I break that 700 (and I guess I can start to give some helpful hints on the verbal now!)
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by Linda Abraham » Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:08 pm
midgely wrote:Thanks Linda and Jay for the advice! Thank you also for the reassurance that I should take the GMAT again. I would not be personally satisfied unless I did, but there are all these crazy rumors out there (even the GMAC itself says so!) that you should try to avoid taking it again if you can, so I was doubting the instinct to go after a better score.

I think, knowing myself, I will have a better chance of doing well if I follow Linda's suggestion and take a break over the holidays, study for a few months starting in January, and re-take sooner rather than later. I can envision myself waiting 6 months and realizing that I've gotten completely out of the "groove"!

It's wonderful to hear that some schools, such as Tuck, even take the best Verbal and Quant scores separately, since my one fear in re-taking the test is that my Verbal will go down.

I also don't have a lot of Quant classes (actually I don't have any!) on my transcript since I placed out of any undergrad math requirements with two years of advanced calculus in High School. So I'm sure I need to do something to prove my Quant abilities in the admissions office's eyes! I'm considering taking a few classes (accounting, stats) this spring to beef up my abilities before applying to an MBA program.

Here are a few more questions: assuming I do take the GMAT again and get better Q scores, how much would having an accounting and/or stats class at a local college help my chances? I'm applying to Columbia because I want to do their Entrepreneurship program, so it's not like I need to stand out against the math whizzes who want to do Finance, right? Would classes at a community college look bad? I don't really have the money to pay for a class at one of the top universities in my area (even Berkeley summer sessions, which I took when I was an undergrad there, are very expensive!)

As always, thanks for the great advice :) I've found this community to be so supportive and helpful. I'll be sure to give back to all the GMAT newbies once I break that 700 (and I guess I can start to give some helpful hints on the verbal now!)
You're most welcome.

Taking accounting and stats is an excellent idea if you haven't had any quant classes since high school. It will get that part of brain in gear, show adcoms you are serous and preparing yourself for b-school, and help you when you actually start your graduate business courses. Community college is fine. Just go for the A's. You may also want to consider MBA Math.

Best,
Linda
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