What if ... my new score is lower than the previous?

[App01]

I got 690 on my first test in 2011 and i'm studying to retake the test next month. How would the universities interpret it if i got an score slightly below the first one?

[Jon@Admissionado]

Well its better to get higher , but if you get lower its not really that much worse. Maybe it looks a WEE bit not so great, but they still count your 690

[MBAPrepAdvantage]

Also, certain school like Tuck take your highest scores from each section, so although you might score lower, you could have a higher score from one of the sections helping your overall GMAT score that the schools consider.

[99Colleges: MBA Admission]

Hi App01,

Agree. Almost all schools take the better score. So you need not worry.

99 Colleges

[PrepMBA.AlexLeventhal]

I agree with the general sentiment here that you should retake and not be too concerned about doing slightly worse, as your better score will never be seen as "luck", and slight variations are not that bad.

However, make sure you are practicing materially above your first score before you retake, and if you are not, the question should be, should you even retake:)

Alex