Should I write gmat the 3rd time?

[hprashi]

Hi,
I wrote gmat twice last year and got the below scores. I feel that I can improve the overall score by another 10-30 points. Is it worth writing GMAT again given that this will my 3rd attempt?

GMAT ATTEMPT 1: 660(V28,Q50,AWA 5)
GMAT ATTEMPT 2: 700(V33,Q51,AWA 4.5)

I understand that GMAT score is evaluated along with my past academic performance. Below are my academic details:
- B.Tech CGPA 6.7/10 (around 50th percentile)(I was concentrating on my company in college)
- I've cleared CFA Level 1
- Was selected for the National Physics and Chemistry Olympiad(top 5% of the country)
- Scored 100/100 in Maths, Physics, and Chemistry each in 12th board exam

Please let me know your opinion.

Thanks in advance!

[essaysnark]

Hi hprashi - first of all - you should be proud of those scores - you've done well on the test!

And you're right, what you do from here depends on a huge number of factors, including the rest of your profile, and also your career goals and which schools we're talking about.

In general, that 700 score is "good enough" for any top program. The only reason we hesitate is because the verbal is still a bit low, and the AWA score of only 4.5 could actually be seen as a weakness at some schools. The combination of those two lower scores could make the adcom wonder about your language abilities.

If you are taking the TOEFL and did really well on that, it could be less of an issue, but in some cases you *might* consider re-testing the GMAT in order to better focus on the verbal side and the AWA.

The 5.0 AWA from your first test is fine, you don't need to boost to the 6.0 level -- but 4.5 could be a little problematic.

Obviously the AWA is like the least important bit of your entire profile, so we wouldn't want you to retest JUST to try and raise that. In the grand scheme of things, it's kinda small. But if you're thinking about retesting anyway then it offers another reason to do so.

To reiterate: The 700 overall score is perfectly fine for any top program. We went into some detail on this question a few weeks back on our blog:
https://essaysnark.blocked/2011/09/ ... ffing.html
https://essaysnark.blocked/2011/09/ ... nswer.html

The 33 verbal is not a showstopper, it's just a little low, and if it's a matter of pushing out your applications to a later round in order retest, you should NOT do that. You DEFINITELY should apply in Round 2, and if it means using your current score but having more time to build out stronger essays, then you should stick with the 700 and focus on the essays to nail the best Rd 2 apps you can.

And again - you should be proud - both of your existing GMAT scores are good!! It just needs to be evaluated in the larger context, as you're aware.

Hope this helps!
EssaySnark

[hprashi]

Thanks for the reply and useful links EssaySnark!

I'm planning to apply for B-Schools next year. I'm thinking about writing GMAT again as my undergrad CGPA is low(just above 50th percentile).

Let me think about it a bit more.

Thanks a lot!

[AbhiJ]

Hparshi,

If you are applying to a US Top 10 MBA programs, and you donot have any international work experience a 700 might be a bit low. A 720 is the median and for Indians with no international work ex a 700 might not just cut it. BTW do you mind sharing your study strategy.