660 - 38V, 42Q, retake????

[AziF]

Hello everyone,

I've been a reader of this forum for a while and have benefitted from the great discussions that take place here. I took the test on Nov 3 and scored 660. Quantitative section killed me which was surprising because I took the GMATPREP test on Nov 2 and scored 740 (44V, 48Q). I always thought verbal would be my weak area but in the end it turned out to be quant.

I did not do any of the DS questions from the OG. Maybe thats what brought my score down because I didnt practice enough of those. If you want to do well on quant do a lot of DS questions. Learn the number properties, for variable think about both positive and negative values.

Now my question is, should I retake? I'd be content with 660 if I knew this was my best effort. Just wanted to know what you thought.

I'm applying to Georgetown for next fall, the score is below their average of 677. However my undergrad GPA is about 3.45 and I did OK in Math classes. B in Calculus, A in Statistics.

Hoping to get some advice on retaking or just going with the score and addressing the low quant in the optional essay.

Cheers

[beatthegmat]

A 660 is still a good score, so this is a tough call. My concern for you is that if you retake, you may be simultaneously studying for the test as well as filling out your b-school applications--you may burn out!

Unless you are confident that you can improve by 50 or more points, I don't think it would be worth the second effort.

Best of luck! Let us know what you decide...

[AziF]

Thanks, Eric. I also feel that the score is decent. I'm just concerned that Math was 66 percentile and Verbal was 84 percentile. Will B-schools care about the math percentile?? I'm not sure how deeply the section score and percentiles are scrutinized. I did OK in math in undergrad so I'm hoping that will be enough to demonstrate quantitative ability.

Azi

[beatthegmat]

Thanks, Eric. I also feel that the score is decent. I'm just concerned that Math was 66 percentile and Verbal was 84 percentile. Will B-schools care about the math percentile?? I'm not sure how deeply the section score and percentiles are scrutinized. I did OK in math in undergrad so I'm hoping that will be enough to demonstrate quantitative ability.

Azi

They might care about your math percentile. However, if you've proven yourself with your quant coursework in college, or by having a quant-related job, they will certainly weigh those factors as well.

[ashish.mahendra]

What specialization are you aiming at???

What are the Job roles you've had in the past??

It depends on these factors as well.

If you are aiming for a specialization thats not going to be quant heavy, it might balance ur app out.

If you've had a job where most of your work was quant heavy, that might help as well.

660 is a good score........... Just work real hard on the apps and the essays....

Maybe your recommender might wanna point out to your good analytical skills........ that might help too.

I think you should work real hard on ur apps now.......

[AziF]

Thanks for the good advice guys. I'm going for a general management/strategy specializtion. Definitely not Finance. I've led couple of committees at work and managed many technical projects and hoping to use those to demonstrate leadership ability.