620 GMAT score - not good enough?

[hjamal]

Hi,

I took the GMAT last week and scored a fairly disappointing 620 (34Q/42V). I'm proud of my verbal score but am worried that my quant score is way too low. On practice tests I scored in the 90+ percentile consistently on the verbal but I have never scored higher than a 36 on the math.

I'm a 26 year old female with 4 years of work experience with an NGO working in international development. I have lived and worked in Africa and in Haiti after the earthquake and have substantial experience managing projects/programs. I studied Anthropology at undergrad and haven't taken a math class since highschool, so I know that quant skills are my weakness as an MBA applicant.

My "reach" schools include Haas (where I really have my heart set on going) and Duke. I'm also applying to a couple of "middle-range" schools like UNC and to American University as my safety school.

I worked really hard to get the 620 and am not sure I'd be able to do better than 660 (at best)! I work full-time and travel frequently for work, so it has been difficult finding time to study. I wanted to apply to Haas Round 2 at the end of November, but I wonder if it would be wiser to retake the GMAT in the next couple of months and apply to Haas Round 3- hopefully with a better score!

I really appreciate any advice from anyone out there!!
Thanks
Hanna

[machichi]

If I were you I would definitely take again. Haas is such a small program, which means they can only accept a couple of students outside their range. Even a 660 would be that much more competitive. I recommend getting a tutor to just go over quant stuff. The fact that you also don't have any college level quant classes is going to hurt you too. I can tell you have a really good story, so it would be a shame to leave any doubt in your application with quant. Airplane rides are the best place to study so dig deep and find the energy to conquer the GMAT! You will be that much closer to your goal. Read my post and follow the link to the P&Q article: Be average!

Good luck!

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

I recommend that you try the test one more time.
If you can raise your quant score from 34 to 39, your total score will be around 670-680.
A 34 quant score suggests that there are a few gaps in your content knowledge. Once you fill some basic gaps and learn some GMAT-specific strategies, a 39 quant score is well within reach.

Cheers,
Brent

[Jim@StratusPrep]

Agreed. Take it again, and make sure you cover all aspects of the quant section - seems like you have a few holes in general knowledge for some disciplines.

[hjamal]

Thanks all for the very helpful feedback. I will definitely take the test again. It is true that I am missing some gaps in my quant knowledge, though I seem to struggle with timing more than anything else. Any pointers or suggestion of how I can improve on the quant would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!
Hanna