Which GMAT score should I use?

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Which GMAT score should I use?

by colette » Sat Oct 16, 2010 10:06 am
Test 1: 720 (94th %tile) -- Q44 (68th %tile) / V45 (98th %tile) / AWA 6.0
Test 2: 710 (92nd %tile) -- Q47 (77th %tile) / V40 (89th %tile) / AWA 6.0

Ugh, don't ask me what happened on Verbal for my GMAT retake. I swear that clock was rigged hehe. The most aggravating part was that the test (as with all verbal sections IMO) wasn't even difficult. I was just too focused on getting every answer perfect and kept double checking my answers since I knew a high verbal was my ticket to a super high score. Alas, I totally forgot to keep track of the time and ended up rushing through 20q's in 24 mins... yeah, rookie mistake. Oh well.

So now which score should I submit on my applications?? (I did elect to automatically send my scores when I took the GMAT but I am asking about the online application where they ask for details)

The schools to which I am applying if that makes a difference: MIT, Yale, CBS, and maybe NYU.

Work background is in finance (perhaps giving credence to my profile if I use the 720 low quant score). Thanks in advance for the help!!! I am pretty new to the board (first post!) and really am having a tough time deciding which score to submit with the application or if that even matters since adcom will see both scores from my understanding (is this true?).
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by julie_shah » Mon Oct 18, 2010 8:12 am
I would use the second score. I know it's unfortunate that your verbal score dropped. But, I think a quant score below 70th percentile would be a red flag (which you could explain in an optional essay, and try to offset with your finance background, etc.). But, I think it's better to have scores that are closer together (i.e. not a huge gap between your verbal and quant scores), and to have the higher quant score, and still a solid verbal score, than to have the wide gap, and quant below 70.

You are right that the schools will still see your other score when they get your official GMAT report.

Good luck!

Julie
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