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Retake the GMAT a 3rd Time?

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Retake the GMAT a 3rd Time?

by KCF » Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:40 am
Hi,

I took the GMAT 5 months ago and again last week. I scored 620 and 640, respectively, but the middle 80% of schools that I am targeting are 660-760. I am writing with two questions:

1. Last week I only got to Quant question 27 and then I had to guess on the rest because I ran out of time. This resulted in a Quant test score in the 55% percentile. Do you think my downfall was pacing? How much can guessing on the remaining questions impact your score? I'm guessing a lot.

2. Should I retake the test a 3rd time?... From reading these message boards it sounds like 3+ times might not be the best idea for admissions committees. (FYI: I'm thinking about taking Kaplan's Advanced GMAT class to try to boost me over the 700 mark).

Any feedback or input is appreciated.
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by Prasanna » Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:12 am
Taking tests repeatedly does not tell a good story to the school, unless there is good improvement over the tests or you have a valid reason for underperforming.

I think you are just looking a difference of 20 points to your target score. I would suggest you concentrate on other aspects of app. I am discouraging you from taking it again but putting things in a different prespecive. If you are confident that you can score better and you have the time, you can take it again. Work on pacing and more so, find out the root cause as to why you are slow.
Wish you good luck
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by brianhoberg » Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:03 am
While the score you received may fall outside the 80% range, it still leaves you in the low 10% acceptance range. What I would suggest is consider this: The individuals in the past who have received very low GMAT scores falling below the 80% range must have had an exceptional application overall with areas that far exceeded the norm of other applications or they were able to show why they received a low score yet excel in other areas within their portfolio (GPA, recommendations, essays, resume).

If you believe you will score well above what you did last time, then I would say go for it and take it over. While you say 20 points is what you need, I would not stop there, instead look at trying to increase by 40-50 to increase your score closer to the average.

I'm close to your situation as well because I am taking the exam for a third time (albeit I took the first two tries a year and a half ago). The programs I am applying to however are not super-elite programs but are more specific to my career goals.

Hope this helps,
Brian
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Re: Retake the GMAT a 3rd Time?

by Montreal06 » Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:47 am
KCF wrote:
1. Last week I only got to Quant question 27 and then I had to guess on the rest because I ran out of time. This resulted in a Quant test score in the 55% percentile. Do you think my downfall was pacing? How much can guessing on the remaining questions impact your score? I'm guessing a lot.
Hi everyone,

I have a similar issue - I always run out of time for the last 7 questions in quant and last 2-3 for verbal. When I view my practice test results in details...for quant, I see all correct answers until I hit question 22 or 23 where it goes downhill (this is when I start to freak out that I won't have time to finish!).

So basically, #1-22 are fantastic and almost all correct...then 22-30 contain a number of errors because I'm starting to rush, and then I end up having to guess 31-37. :(

Has anyone encountered similar issues and then found a way to get around it in time for the actual exam?

Stacey gave me some excellent tips the other day to be able to "let go" of questions where I'm spending too much time. (thanks again :) ). However, I'm also interested in hearing from other test takers who have successfully gotten around this issue.
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by VP_Jim » Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:12 am
I agree that you shouldn't take it again. In my experience, students rarely go up even on the 2nd attempt (assuming the student studied for the 1st attempt), much less the 3rd. I think you're just as likely to drop down to a 600 as you are to go up to a 700 - probably not a good risk!

Also, as mentioned above, taking the test many times doesn't send a good message to the school. If you've only taken the test twice, schools won't bat an eye and will almost always just look at the highest score. If you've taken it three or more times, they may start to do some averaging, or who knows what else (you need to check with the individual program you're interested in).

Hope this helps!
Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep
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by greenctzn » Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:46 pm
Ooops.. here is my story..

1st attempt - practice MGMAT 600 and GMAT Prep 590, was not ready but it was too late to cancel so gave the exam and got 570(Q45, V24)..

2nd attempt - practice MGMAT 660, GMAT Prep 650 (I made sure that I was working on different CAT's but there were max of 2 repeat questions), was sick for 2 days just two days before the test.. still hate to accept being sick would take away all my learnings for 4 weeks.. so gave the test got 540(Q45, V20) :(

Now after seeing this post, I'm more worried about admission, I wish I had backed out the 1st attempt. Anyways, it appears like I've no option than targeting a better 3rd attempt (680) because the earlier scores suck.

With the help of the information in BTG have a study plan specifically targeting Verbal and keep refreshing Quant, but my main challenge is assessing my readiness as I've exhausted the very import GMAT Prep CAT's . I've been thinking of Kaplan, gmatclub.com and gmatfocus.com(for Quant) I'm not sure how close their scores will be to the actual score - any comments ? Would I be fine by just comparing the individual scores in Quant and Verbal ?

Thanks
Raj
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by VP_Jim » Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:54 pm
Raj,

Here's a link to our free Veritas practice test. The score on that is usually pretty accurate.

https://www.veritasprep.com/gmat-prepara ... tice-GMAT/

Jim
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by brianhoberg » Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:55 pm
Raj, where are you looking to apply to?
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by greenctzn » Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:08 pm
Thanks Jim.. will try them..

Brain - I'm shooting for Fuqua EMBA.
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by KCF » Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:14 pm
Wow, thanks everyone for the great advice. I'm most curious about retaking the test because I feel that my poor scores were caused by pacing problems, rather than knowledge problems.

So... my first question from my original post still stands
1. Last week I only got to Quant question 27 and then I had to guess on the rest because I ran out of time. This resulted in a Quant test score in the 55% percentile. Do you think my downfall was pacing? How much can guessing on the remaining questions impact your score? I'm guessing a lot.
If my pacing on the Quant has a huge impact - then it seems that I need to focus on pacing to ensure that I answer more Quant questions and I can boost into the higher 600s (or into the 700 realm). Any pacing tips are appreciated.

Also, if you're willing to offer up advice, I would be interested in hearing what you think my chances are of going top 10 with a 640 and the following stats:

4 years of consulting experience. I have been promoted from Analyst, to Senior Associate, to Vice President during the 3 years in my current job. (very rare at my co.)

I started a web company on the side with a partner and I am currently the CEO of the company. As a part of that I wrote the business plan, sought funding, hired attorneys, and negotiated strategic partnerships.

I founded a college organization to combat Cancer. Also related to Cancer, I have organized four annual fundraising events that have collectively raised over $150,000 for Cancer research.

Thanks in advance for the feedback!
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