Should I retake a 700 (Q42, V44, IR8)?

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CRosenvold: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2016 2:29 am

by CRosenvold » Wed Jul 26, 2017 5:35 am

Hi friends,

Today I took my second test and scored 700 (88th percentile), Q42 (45th percentile), V44 (98th percentile), and IR8 (93rd percentile).
This is an improvement of 80 points from when I took it a year ago.

I am very unsure of whether or not to retake it, and would love your advice.
The following may be important:
* Aiming for top 5 schools
* Have excellent work experience
- Will apply with 1.5-2.5 years experience from top tier consultancy (MBB) (European and African offices)
- Worked with private equity in sub-saharan africa (whilst still studying)
- Worked directly with top-management of fortune-500 level company for 1.5 years (whilst still studying)
- Ran own investment firm w. good results (>250% ROE)
* Have good academic record
- Graduated valedictorian from most selective programme in my country
- Studied (at university level) in Europe, Asia, and the US
* Limited study time
- I studied intensely for ~2 weeks (only studied quant. Fortunately, the verbal comes easily to me)
- If I choose to retake, I have another exam scheduled two weeks from now (and have two weeks off work to continue studying)
* From over-represented demographic
- I am a white male from a Nordic European country

Should I retake, and will I be able to meaningfully improve my quant score in two weeks (given that I have already given it a solid crack)?

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DavidG@VeritasPrep: Legendary Member; Posts: 2663; Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 amFollowed by: 128 members; Location: Boston, MA; Thanked: 1153 times; GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:15 am

CRosenvold wrote:Hi friends,

Today I took my second test and scored 700 (88th percentile), Q42 (45th percentile), V44 (98th percentile), and IR8 (93rd percentile).
This is an improvement of 80 points from when I took it a year ago.

I am very unsure of whether or not to retake it, and would love your advice.
The following may be important:
* Aiming for top 5 schools
* Have excellent work experience
- Will apply with 1.5-2.5 years experience from top tier consultancy (MBB) (European and African offices)
- Worked with private equity in sub-saharan africa (whilst still studying)
- Worked directly with top-management of fortune-500 level company for 1.5 years (whilst still studying)
- Ran own investment firm w. good results (>250% ROE)
* Have good academic record
- Graduated valedictorian from most selective programme in my country
- Studied (at university level) in Europe, Asia, and the US
* Limited study time
- I studied intensely for ~2 weeks (only studied quant. Fortunately, the verbal comes easily to me)
- If I choose to retake, I have another exam scheduled two weeks from now (and have two weeks off work to continue studying)
* From over-represented demographic
- I am a white male from a Nordic European country

Should I retake, and will I be able to meaningfully improve my quant score in two weeks (given that I have already given it a solid crack)?

The number I keep hearing from admin consultants for a Quant score that makes you competitive at elite schools is 45. This is all to say that I would give at another shot - it's certainly not going to hurt you.

The good news is that the difference between a Q42 and a Q45 is subtle enough that a few tweaks (or a few fortunate breaks) is all it takes to make what amounts to a fairly minor leap. Start by doing an intense review of every practice test you've taken. Try to identify 3-4 broad themes that you can address quickly (timing issues, strategies you're not deploying enough; categories that require attention.) Do a bit of drilling/practice with these broad themes in mind. Take another practice test. Wash/rinse/repeat.

Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

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GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Wed Jul 26, 2017 3:36 pm

Hi CRosenvold,

First off, a 700 is an outstanding score (it's just shy of the 90th percentile overall), so you should apply to any Business Schools that interest you. Unfortunately, a Q42 will not 'impress' anyone - and in certain Programs (such as Finance and certain Specialty Programs) it would likely be seen as a 'red flag.' Depending on the specific Programs that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/ask-an-mba-a ... t-f40.html

1) What study materials did you use over the last few weeks?
2) Is there a reason why you're limiting yourself to just 2 additional weeks of study (with 4-6 weeks, you could potentially score into the mid-700s or even high-700s)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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