700 on GMAT but 66th Percentile on Quant - Retake?

[Diplomat]

Hello,

I just finished my first GMAT and I got a 700 (44 Q, 42 V). I am concerned with my Quant score because I was in the 66th percentile and I've read that the top programs look for a minimum score of 75th percentile. I had a bit of a snag as my proctor was unfamiliar with the sign in system and took a while to sign me in and out so my break time went over. It only cut about a minute of time off my quant section but it stressed/freaked me out, and that coupled with the fact that I took too long on a few questions caused me to run short on time and guess on the last 5 questions or so. Anyway, I'm confident if I take again I can get at least 70th (likely 75th - 80th) percentile for quant and I think I would be more in the 730+ score range, which is what I was scoring on my practice exams (740 on my last practice).

My question is, should I re-take and apply round 2 or should I go ahead and apply with my 700 round 1. My 5 schools are Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, LBS, and Columbia. I spoke briefly with someone in the HBS admissions office and she mentioned that they would not take my updated score into consideration. She also mentioned that there is little difference between round 1 and round 2, except in applicant pool, with round 1 being more consultant and banker heavy. Unfortunately I fall into this group as I am a consultant. My concern here is will schools take in most of their quota of consultants and will I be fighting against the odds to get in round 2?

Finally, a bit on my background. I have worked in data/quantitative/analytics heavy consulting for the past 3 and a half years and I have a 3.7 cumulative GPA (and a 3.9+ in Business and Economics) from Franklin and Marshall College (a top ~30 liberal arts college). Will this be enough to convince admissions committees that I can handle the rigorous quantitative course load of an MBA program, thus allowing me to apply round 1 with my 700, or should I go ahead and re-take the exam and apply in Round 2?

Thanks in advance,

J

[mbaMissionBrianE]

Diplomat,

Thanks for your question - I typically recommend scoring at least 80% on both the verbal and quantitative tests.

Your 68% is probably not exceptionally low, but it would put you at a disadvantage. This would be mitigated by your quant-heavy work experience.

Although some programs might make it sound like they would give away all of their banking and consulting slots in the first round, I would have a hard time believing that they do not hold slots open.

Another factor is how certain of you that you could score higher? I know you encountered an unfortunate situation at the testing center, but if for any reason you did not raise your quantitative score on the 2nd try, then you might regret not submitting in the first round.

There's no one right answer - it's a judgement call.

Best of luck,
Brian