Should I Re-take the GMAT? If So, How? (Part 1)
Admissions season is upon us and were getting more questions from students who dont hate their scores but are wondering whether to try the test again in hopes of boosting the score a modest number of points. (If you are well under your target, then there usually isnt a lot of debate about whether to take the test again.)
So, how do you decide whether to take the test again? And, if you do decide to take it again, what should you do? Well answer the first question in this article and the second question in next weeks article.
To Re-take or Not To Re-take
There are two main reasons why someone might want to go for a higher score. The most common is that the student thinks it will improve her chances of getting into business school or of obtaining certain internships once in school. Some students also feel that achieving a certain score is a personal goal and they want to meet that challenge.
How do I compare?
Your first task is to research the incoming scores of admitted students at your preferred schools. Whats the average or median score for last years class? (Look at whatever data the school publishes different schools might publish data in different forms.) Are you competitive at that school already? Competitive typically means that you are at or above the average or median at that school the higher you are relative to the statistics, the more competitive you are at that school. Check GPA statistics as well. You have a little leeway for your GMAT score to be lower if your GPA is higher than the average for admitted students; if your GPA is lower, then your GMAT needs to be somewhere above the average. (Also, all of this just means that you have a chance, not that youll definitely get in. These are only two of many parts to your application!)
You can also factor in a few fuzzy things. Are you a non-native English speaker who just learned to speak English in the last few years? Make sure the school knows that; you might get a little bit of a break on the GMAT requirement. Do you have something extra-special about your application that few in the b-school-applying world have? That might be anything from a non-traditional career for b-school applicants (such as professional athlete or non-profit administrator) to a significant leadership position in a non-work organization (maybe youre the president of the local Big Brothers Big Sisters organization?) to a highly prestigious industry award or qualification.
Finally, you may want to poll some admissions consultants to ask them how competitive they think your GMAT (and other stats) are for specific schools. There are a ton of consultants who answer questions for free on various forums (including our great forums here!).
Why might I NOT want to re-take the test?
Are there drawbacks to going for a higher score? Yes, but perhaps not what you might think. Most business schools wont particularly care if you take the test a second time but get a lower score; most schools consider only your highest score, regardless of which test that was. (There are limits most schools will consider it a problem if you take the GMAT four or five times with continually dropping scores. Of course, youd likely find that a big problem, too!)
The main drawback associated with preparing for the test again is time specifically, what you could have been doing with that time instead of preparing for the GMAT. Are you also filling out applications right now? Will a re-take use up time that you had originally planned to spend on other parts of the application? That might be a major problem. If your application is not the best that it can be all around, then it might not matter so much whether your GMAT score is a little higher.
Alternatively, if you have some hole elsewhere in your application, then your time might be better spent on plugging that hole. No volunteer or community experience? That might be more important than another 30 points on the GMAT. Almost on the cusp of a promotion? Maybe you can accelerate the timetable by working more for the next few months and be able to put the promotion on your application. Dont have much leadership experience? Volunteer for some project or launch something new at your company. Mentor a new, more junior employee. Start an actual mentor program at your company and volunteer to manage it (and take on a mentee yourself). Offer to put together a training program or institute learning lunches (gather in a conference room on Fridays, with everyone bringing his/her own lunch; one person presents something from a recent project or a recent news report about something relevant to your work, then everyone discusses).
Key Takeaways for How to Decide:
- Your current score, coupled with other major aspects of your application, needs to make you competitive at your desired schools. If your score is not competitive, and you still want to apply to those desired schools, the decision is made for you: you have to re-take the test. If you are competitive, you might still decide to take it again, but you also have to consider the next point.
- Consider how else you might spend that prep time. If re-prepping for the GMAT might hurt other parts of your application, think twice especially if your GMAT score is already decently competitive at your desired schools.