690: ok score and ready to move on

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690: ok score and ready to move on

by bensanderson » Sat Oct 21, 2006 3:34 pm
This is the second time I've taken the GMAT. In late August, I got a 660. Today I got a 690/Q44/V40. My percentile jumped from 86th to 91st.

I'm glad I got a better score but I wish I could have just gotten a 700. Psychologically, this would have been really nice for me although I realize 10 points is not going to make a big difference in my application process.

A few comments about my study plan and experience:

First of all, I maintained a consistent study plan and I made sure to make index cards of my math question mistakes. This helped me out a lot since I was mainly focusing on math--the area I'm weakest in. I did 40 question problem sets 2 twice a week and went over my mistakes every week.

In retrospect I should have focused just as much on the verbal section. My verbal score from test 1 to test 2 was exactly the same. the math score went up though. A higher verbal section carries more weight than a higer math section in determining your overall score. (for example a 3 point raw score rise in verbal will carry your overall percentile higher than a 3 point rise in the raw math section). So I should have studied at least a little bit for the verbal section. This should serve as advice for those of you who are stronger in verbal than math: don't neglect your verbal section preparations. I think that with a little practice I could have easily raised my verbal score form a 40 to a 41 or 42 or higher. Then I could have reached my goal of 700, instead of my 690.

Oh well. Also I was much more relaxed during the second test and I think it is sound advice to take the GMAT a second time (if you have the time and if you freaked out during the first sitting (as I did).

On the other hand, if you didn't break down on your 1st test and you don't have much time, taking it again might not help that much. Even with the extra preparation and better mindset, my score only went up 30 points. It might not be worth it, escpecially if you already got a decent score.

well good luck to all of you. i think this is a nice resource for future mba students.

take care and good luck!
good luck!

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by beatthegmat » Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:11 pm
Best of luck to you in your MBA applications! Thanks for sharing your story.
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