Hello,
I recently took the GMAT - Q42 (63%) Q42 (95%) - Total: 690 (88%)
I'm applying to Columbia and NYU.
Dilemma: retake the test or not?
Background: University of Wisconsin-Madison grad, GPA 3.9. English/Italian Major. 5 years work experience: 2 in wine business in Moscow, Russia; spent past 3 years starting/running my own business. Tested out of all quant requirements in college so I didn't take any quant courses. I'm afraid this fact combined with my low GMAT Q score will raise a red flag for the adcom.
Important note:
At test center I lost a couple minutes at the beginning of my Q section because of a long line when checking back into the test after the 10-min. break. I scored 720/730 (Q 47) on my GMAT preptests.
The schools have said they would consider my retake score, and that I just need to inform them in my optional essay that I plan to retake by the end of January. However, I see a few problems with this approach.
Option 1 -->
I do as they instructed and tell them in my optional essay that I plan to retake the test at the end of January. The risk here is that if for some reason I don't do any better the second time around (I believe this to be unlikely), I end up submitting an identical score and confirming in their minds that I am a definite 690.
Option 2 -->
I don't say anything in my optional essay about planning to retake the test, but retake it anyway. I then contact them with my updated score ONLY in the event that it's higher than my original 690. The risk with this approach is that they could consider my application and make a decision before I get them my updated (and hopefully better) score at the end of January (this also seems unlikely given that I'm at the end of the second round of apps, but I don't know).
Option 3 -->
I don't retake the test and explain in my optional essay that I'm aware they may be concerned about my low Q score, and that I lost a few minutes at the beginning of the Q section on test day because of this "incident," and that I'm confident in my math skills and would be happy to retake the test if they would like assurances I can handle the math in b-school.
Any advice on how to proceed is greatly appreciated!!
I recently took the GMAT - Q42 (63%) Q42 (95%) - Total: 690 (88%)
I'm applying to Columbia and NYU.
Dilemma: retake the test or not?
Background: University of Wisconsin-Madison grad, GPA 3.9. English/Italian Major. 5 years work experience: 2 in wine business in Moscow, Russia; spent past 3 years starting/running my own business. Tested out of all quant requirements in college so I didn't take any quant courses. I'm afraid this fact combined with my low GMAT Q score will raise a red flag for the adcom.
Important note:
At test center I lost a couple minutes at the beginning of my Q section because of a long line when checking back into the test after the 10-min. break. I scored 720/730 (Q 47) on my GMAT preptests.
The schools have said they would consider my retake score, and that I just need to inform them in my optional essay that I plan to retake by the end of January. However, I see a few problems with this approach.
Option 1 -->
I do as they instructed and tell them in my optional essay that I plan to retake the test at the end of January. The risk here is that if for some reason I don't do any better the second time around (I believe this to be unlikely), I end up submitting an identical score and confirming in their minds that I am a definite 690.
Option 2 -->
I don't say anything in my optional essay about planning to retake the test, but retake it anyway. I then contact them with my updated score ONLY in the event that it's higher than my original 690. The risk with this approach is that they could consider my application and make a decision before I get them my updated (and hopefully better) score at the end of January (this also seems unlikely given that I'm at the end of the second round of apps, but I don't know).
Option 3 -->
I don't retake the test and explain in my optional essay that I'm aware they may be concerned about my low Q score, and that I lost a few minutes at the beginning of the Q section on test day because of this "incident," and that I'm confident in my math skills and would be happy to retake the test if they would like assurances I can handle the math in b-school.
Any advice on how to proceed is greatly appreciated!!
