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720 lopsided - retake?

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720 lopsided - retake?

by JG3434 » Sat Oct 29, 2011 10:41 am
Hi,

I posted a similar post in the 'i just beat the gmat' forum, but realize now that this is probably a more appropriate place to ask this question. I'm looking for some candid advice, and would really appreciate anyone who's willing to give it.  I took the GMAT recently and scored a 720 - a great score, no doubt, but the splits have me concerned - the breakdown is as follows Q43 (64%) V46 (99%) 720 overall (95%). It was interesting because I scored, simultaneously, the lowest I've ever scored in quant (was averaging b/w 46-49 on GMAC practice exams) and the highest I've ever scored in verbal (was averaging 43-45 on GMAC practice exams). 

I'm shooting for a top 5 business school but have serious concerns about the quant score. I think I'm going to retake, given my scores on practice exams, but was looking for some advice from others about what they think.  My gpa is a little weak (for a compelling reason) so I was hoping to make up some ground with a top score.  I should also note that I have passed Level I of the CFA program (taking LII in June) so I'm wondering how much that could/would compensate for the low quant score/gpa.  Also I have outstanding ECs in college (D1 lacrosse - won a Nat'l championship), recs, and work experience.  

Many thanks in advance!!
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by MBAPrepAdvantage » Sat Oct 29, 2011 10:45 am
The old conventional wisdom for domestic applicants used to be to forgo retaking the GMAT if the score was 700 or higher. But over the past few years scores have increased.

Given you have a low percentile on quant and had been averaging significantly higher in your practice exams, I would suggest for you to retake it. Also, Tuck accepts the highest score in each section. So, if you scored a lower verbal on the second test, you could combine your higher verbal from the first test with a high quant. from your second test.

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by Jon@Admissionado » Sun Oct 30, 2011 12:30 am
Retaking or not retaking depends on lots of things, including what the rest of your profile looks like, how hard it would be for you to get a better score, etc. Also need to tend to take into consideration how this might delay your application, or take time from applying. If you are planning to apply NOW, retaking is probably a terrible idea, because now it's time to get started on the essays and with good grades, a 720, a CFA, I would find it difficult to justify retaking and shoot yourself in the foot as far as your apps go. Also, although it's great to have a balanced score, the main score is FAR FAR more important as this is what rankings use (among other things) to rank the schools, and thus is the school's far bigger concern.
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by JG3434 » Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:43 am
Thanks to you both for the reply! The feedback is certainly helpful.

Jon:

I am planning on applying R2 so I've got until early January to put together applications. I was scoring consistently and significantly better in quant on practice exams (Q46-Q49)and only marginally worse in verbal (V43-45): Actual split was Q43 V46: 720. I think that improving the score (or at least improving the split, if my verbal slips a little) will put me in a better position, and won't take much time. I'm sure you get this a ton but if you wouldn't mind - you mentioned your recommendation of whether or not to retake depending on one's profile - giving a quick look at the highlights of my profile, perhaps it'll give you enough info to make a reccomendation.

I'm a Sr. Analyst at a niche consulting firm focused on Dental Practice Management, Marketing and transitions. (We're small but, the largest in our industry) My job consists of a hybrid between consulting and sales - work experience includes autonomously traveling to all 50 states, and every major city in Canada to visit dental practices, provide consultative value and close consulting contracts. Tons of direct client experience. I've also expanded our company's presence into Hong Kong, Shanghai, and London - traveling to, and signing our company's first clients in each of those respective cities in the last year. I also received the company's highest award for my achievements and set multiple company records for acquisitions.

Undergrad GPA is weak (3.0 - Finance) but for a compelling reason which, I can explain privately if you like. Pursuing the CFA program is one of the ways I figured I could mitigate this, and it fit nicely with my intense travel schedule given it's self-study structure. I have only passed LI though - still have LII and LIII to go.

ECs as I previously mentioned, I was a Division I athlete - playing lacrosse all four years, winning the national championship once and reaching the national semifinals three times - I lettered all four years, and started for 2. I am also a self-taught guitarist (15 years experience), and have been studying brazilian jiu-jitsu for the past 2 years in my limited free time, and was promoted to blue-belt earlier this year.

Recs will be outstanding - the CEO of my company, current and former surpervisors have all volunteered.

Does that help? Thanks!
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by Jon@Admissionado » Tue Nov 01, 2011 10:33 pm
Hmm. I can't know for sure, but my gut instinct tells me that if you put all the effort into retaking at this point, you'll put too much energy into it, to perhaps come back for a score that is only marginally better. I think given timelines, your good overall score, and your background, that now it the time to accept the score you have and go for it.
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by MBAPrepAdvantage » Wed Nov 02, 2011 7:12 am
Since you are applying for R2 my inclination would be to recommend your applying with the 720 and focusing on your applications.

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by JG3434 » Wed Nov 02, 2011 4:33 pm
Thanks for the advice guys! I really appreciate the guidance.
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by JG3434 » Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:12 am
UPDATE:

I retook the GMAT on Wednesday and managed to improve my score to 740 Q49 V42. While a 20 point increase is only marginally better, I'm especially excited that I was able to boost my quant to a 49 (85th percentile)! I'm a little disappointed that my verbal slipped to a 42 from a 46 but, considering that I did not study verbal at all these last few weeks, I suppose that's to be expected. I am kicking myself a bit though because, had I been able to replicate the V46 on this last exam, I would have scored a 770. I'm interested in your take though, I doubt a 770 would help me that much more than a 740, right??

Anyway, I'm interested in your take on my chances at HBS/Wharton/MIT with this profile (if you don't mind giving your opinion). Thanks!


JG
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by MBAPrepAdvantage » Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:33 am
Congratulations!!! I would recommend you now focus on producing the best applications possible. Good luck on the MBA admissions process.
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by Ramneet Singh » Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:02 pm
JG3434 wrote:UPDATE:

I doubt a 770 would help me that much more than a 740, right??



JG
Hi Jon and Michael,Do you agree with the above ? I too have the same score
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by MBAPrepAdvantage » Fri Nov 25, 2011 1:05 pm
I think retaking the GMAT for a 3rd time to improve a score from a 740 is not wise. However, theoretically a 770 for an Indian candidate to a top 10 school is significantly better than a 740 because a 740 would be roughly average.
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by Ramneet Singh » Fri Nov 25, 2011 10:31 pm
MBAPrepAdvantage wrote:I think retaking the GMAT for a 3rd time to improve a score from a 740 is not wise. However, theoretically a 770 for an Indian candidate to a top 10 school is significantly better than a 740 because a 740 would be roughly average.
Do you advise a retake ? This is my 1st attempt .Shouldnt this help my case .
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by AbhiJ » Sat Nov 26, 2011 5:21 am
MBAPrepAdvantage wrote:I think retaking the GMAT for a 3rd time to improve a score from a 740 is not wise. However, theoretically a 770 for an Indian candidate to a top 10 school is significantly better than a 740 because a 740 would be roughly average.
This is a big dose of reality that some of the consultants who advise working on essays after getting a 680-690 should take.
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by MBAPrepAdvantage » Sat Nov 26, 2011 7:53 am
I often advise Indian applicants who score a 680-690 to retake the GMAT because the average score of successful Indian applicants to top MBA schools is much higher.
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by MBAPrepAdvantage » Sat Nov 26, 2011 7:56 am
A 740 is right on the border of my recommending an Indian applicant to retake the test again (a 750 I wouldn't), but only under the right conditions:

1. You are scoring near 800 and the 740 represented a low outlier.
2. You have sufficient time to retake the test (meaning you are not applying within the next few months so any time studying and retaking the GMAT would not detract you from your applications).

The logic is that a 740 is right around the average for successful Indian applicants to Top 10 MBA schools so even a small jump represents a significant percentage increase versus other members of the applicant group.
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