I took the GMAT last week and received a 700 (Q47, V39). My percentile breakdown was Quant: 76, Verbal: 87, Total:90. My ideal score for the test was a 720 (I chose this arbitrarily before I really knew anything about the exam or my capabilities), so I am unsure of whether or not to take it again. Does it make a difference/look significantly better to score in the 80 percentile range for quant and verbal each? I'm normally more of a math than a verbal person, which my score doesn't reflect. Would be it be important to retake the test to try to score better on the quant to more accurately reflect my strengths and abilities? My quant score on the exam was actually my highest quant score to date though, but I've read that schools focus more on the quant score than anything else.
If I decide not to take the exam again (I have to admit, Integrated Reasoning doesn't look fun to learn, and I don't have as much time to devote to studying in the next month), would schools think I'm not persistent for not trying again? Or should I instead focus more right now on researching programs and trying to begin preparing the other aspects of my application? I am a 27 year old female with 4+ years experience in the business side of entertainment, but my college majors were both liberal arts. As of now, the schools I am considering are UCLA, USC, NYU, and Columbia, though that is subject to change once I begin to research the specifics of programs more in depth. My score falls within the mid 80% range at each school, but is slightly below the average at most of these, so I don't know if would be advised to try score a little higher. I would love to be done studying, but I don't want to end too soon if I should have tried for a higher score. I know schools only take the highest score, but I am concerned about the possibility of scoring lower as well. Are the additional points worth the added time, stress, and expense of retaking it?
Thank you reading through this and thanks in advance for your advice! Any insight would be extremely appreciated!
If I decide not to take the exam again (I have to admit, Integrated Reasoning doesn't look fun to learn, and I don't have as much time to devote to studying in the next month), would schools think I'm not persistent for not trying again? Or should I instead focus more right now on researching programs and trying to begin preparing the other aspects of my application? I am a 27 year old female with 4+ years experience in the business side of entertainment, but my college majors were both liberal arts. As of now, the schools I am considering are UCLA, USC, NYU, and Columbia, though that is subject to change once I begin to research the specifics of programs more in depth. My score falls within the mid 80% range at each school, but is slightly below the average at most of these, so I don't know if would be advised to try score a little higher. I would love to be done studying, but I don't want to end too soon if I should have tried for a higher score. I know schools only take the highest score, but I am concerned about the possibility of scoring lower as well. Are the additional points worth the added time, stress, and expense of retaking it?
Thank you reading through this and thanks in advance for your advice! Any insight would be extremely appreciated!
