the 5 schools u send reports now will be free..
but for sending to more schools u will have to pay some money per school

Outreach,

I know that the first 5 reports will be free. I'm asking if there is a downside in doing so. I am taking the test for the first time - I wasn't sure if I should have the scores sent for FREE or view my score first, then send the scores based on my performance. Does that make sense?

Hey Aegis,

I apologize if this misses you before your test today! Because schools really only care about your top score, I think there's incredibly little downside to picking those five schools and sending them for free and some very tangible ($125) downside to not doing so.

Schools only value your top score except for in pretty rare circumstances. Say you scored 400 on 4-5 straight exams, then finally hit 650, that might be a concern (why didn't you figure out earlier that you needed to change your style?) but the standard fear (what if I bomb it and need to take it again?) isn't much of a concern at all. The GMAT is an easy test to underestimate; many students, for example, take multiple professional exams (GMAT, LSAT, GRE) late in their undergraduate careers just to know that they have the options; should that student who takes the test and fails to study properly be punished 3 years later for having taken that advice in college? Schools just want top candidates, and there are plenty of good reasons for even a couple bad scores.

So the downside of sending those scores is minimal if anything at all. The upside, in addition to saving money (and I have absolutely no evidence to support that this actually happens or even could, but if I'm an admissions officer at a BUSINESS school I'd question the business savvy of anyone who willingly signs on to pay an extra $125 for score reports they could have gotten for free) I think that sending your score projects confidence. If you go into the test thinking "I'm planning to do well and want my schools to know right away", that's a positive frame of mind that should help you. If you're already planning for failure by keeping your scores confidential, you may be a step behind before you even get started.

Good luck today!

Thanks Brian - I concluded the same thing eventually and had my score sent. That being said, I got a mid 600 level score and will be retaking it in October............

Brian@VeritasPrep wrote:Hey Aegis,

I apologize if this misses you before your test today! Because schools really only care about your top score, I think there's incredibly little downside to picking those five schools and sending them for free and some very tangible ($125) downside to not doing so.

Schools only value your top score except for in pretty rare circumstances. Say you scored 400 on 4-5 straight exams, then finally hit 650, that might be a concern (why didn't you figure out earlier that you needed to change your style?) but the standard fear (what if I bomb it and need to take it again?) isn't much of a concern at all. The GMAT is an easy test to underestimate; many students, for example, take multiple professional exams (GMAT, LSAT, GRE) late in their undergraduate careers just to know that they have the options; should that student who takes the test and fails to study properly be punished 3 years later for having taken that advice in college? Schools just want top candidates, and there are plenty of good reasons for even a couple bad scores.

So the downside of sending those scores is minimal if anything at all. The upside, in addition to saving money (and I have absolutely no evidence to support that this actually happens or even could, but if I'm an admissions officer at a BUSINESS school I'd question the business savvy of anyone who willingly signs on to pay an extra $125 for score reports they could have gotten for free) I think that sending your score projects confidence. If you go into the test thinking "I'm planning to do well and want my schools to know right away", that's a positive frame of mind that should help you. If you're already planning for failure by keeping your scores confidential, you may be a step behind before you even get started.

Good luck today!