should i go for another retake?

[vertigo05]

hi,
I am an indian male. I am a engineer. 1st time I took gmat in october last year and I scored 560. This time i was not well prepared. I studied hard for the retake. I used to get gmat prep and powerprep practice test scores in the range of 650 to 720. I was confident about getting a good score this time. Unfortunately I got a rediculous 500(Q 40, V19)last week. I could not believe on my score. The test was not so bad. I just cant beieve, i got such a low score.
I dont want to give up now because of my practice test scores. but yesterday I read on manhattan gmat site that most of the bschools consider the best gmat score and taking the test up to 4 times has no detrimental effect. but they also take a look at the gmat history. Will taking gmat again and getting a good score with a bad gmat history ruin my chances of getting into good bschools? My target b schools are UBC sauder, univ of pitts. katz bschool, HKUST, NUS etc.
Is it worth taking the test again? I hv a work ex. of 4 yrs in a top automobile company. I am in a big dilemma. any suggestion?

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear vertigo05,

If you really want to go to business school, especially at one of your target schools, then I would suggest taking the test a third time to try to score in the 600s. You need to score as close to/above the average of your target schools to be in the best competitive position. Perhaps you can isolate where you are struggling and work on that section(s)? Most schools only evaluate your application based on the highest score, so you should not waste energy worrying about your previous attempts; use the energy to focus on doing better the next time.

Good luck,
Lisa

[vertigo05]

Thanks Lisa.