mzuberi wrote:Hello,
Hi @mzuberi, I feel your pain- you should be so happy to get that 710 and in general schools look more at the overall number than anything else. But yes- this is not the best scenario. However, when schools see your GMAT scores they should be able to see that prior q49 score so you can remind them of this in an optional essay if you'd like. I still think you are better off with the 710 Q45 and being able to remind them of the prior q49. Congrats on the V42!!! If you can't bear to do this again then I would just remind them somewhere- not in the actual main essays- but somewhere remind them of the q49.
I took the GMAT recently and scored a 660 (Q49, V32, IR 7, AWA 6) after 2 months of prep and working full time. This came as a bit of a surprise, since on my 4 GMAC practice exams I was consistently scoring ~710's (Q49, V40). I accepted this as test day nerves or a verbal fluke, and quickly rescheduled another test for 3 weeks later. I just took that test yesterday, and walked away with a 710. I would normally be very happy, but the uneven breakdown is a bit concerning (Q45, V42, IR 8), and I would greatly appreciate any advice you can offer.

Will this low of a quant score (60th percentile) seriously hurt my chances if i'm only applying to top 15 schools? I believe i've proven my quantitative proficiency through my consulting work experience, engineering undergrad background, and the Q49 I got on my first attempt (although I understand school's only consider the highest score you submit), but i've read some programs have informal 'cutoffs' of 70th percentile.

It hurts to even ask this question, since the thought of more studying while working and traveling transcon every week is miserable, but do you guys think I should consider another re-take to get a Q score closer to the 80th percentile, if i'm only applying to top 15 schools?

For context:
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Work experience: 4 years @ well known mid tier strategy consultancy
Undergrad: 3.3GPA, Industrial Engineering honors graduate