660->700->700 retake?

[injotb123]

Hello all

Today I took the GMAT third time and again scored a 700. (previous scores include 660-> 700).

So after two months of preparation and spending money, I again scored the same!. This is rather disheartening if I look back at my scores in GMATPrep:

GMATPrep 1: 750
GMATPrep 2: 760
GMAT Prep Exam Pack 1: 750
GMAT Prep Exam Pack 2: 720

Well, the first two might be a bit inflated but not last two.

Now the important question , R1 is just around the corner (mostly starting from Sept 15th onwards) and my target schools include ISB, Duke, Haas, Yale and McCombs. Should I retake the exam? . If you ask me if I can score better , yes I can just like I though today. My practice CAT scores reflect a much better potential.

If I do, that would mean missing couple of R1 Deadlines (for ISB specially). And instead go for R2 deadlines. I do believe my score today was way below my potential. Even at m worst, I was comfortably scoring a 720 during practice CAT.

Secondly , can I instead go ahead with R1 applications and during essay writing, give GMAT once again and send updates scores to my target schools after i give my GMAT? does that work?

Very disheartened, lot of things to be pondered upon.

(I will complete 5 years work-ex next year and currently in a Business development role for a cleantech , before this I worked for 4 years in a US Tech company in a sales and business development role)

And lastly , two consecutive 700's , would that give any -ve indication to my target schools?

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Hi injotb123,

What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled scores for each of your Official GMAT tests? And after scoring 700 last time (the 90th percentile overall), why did you choose to test again?

Your questions might be best answered by an Admissions Expert (there's a whole Forum full of them on this site), so I suggest that you post in that Forum.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[injotb123]

Hello Rich

My previous quant and verbal scores were as follows in that order

660 (Q49, V 32)
700 (Q50, V35)
700 (Q49, V35)

I applied to 4 b-schools last year and had interview calls from Duke and ISB but didn't get through finally. After analysis, a lot of people told me Indian applicant pool is super competitive , so I took my gMAT score of 700 to be one of the reasons. Hence after series of rejects last year, I decided to take the GMAT again this year before applications. But I am stuck at the same score again and have no idea what to do next.

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injotb123,

Your Official Scores show a remarkable consistency in how you "see", and respond to, the Verbal section. You handle certain question types correctly and likely miss the same types of questions again-and-again. It's worth noting that your Verbal scores ARE solid; they're just not fantastic. If you're going to retake the GMAT, then you're going to have to practice either with some new resources or with some new tactics (or both). You'll have to invest the proper time to learn, practice and master these new methods because the consistently in your scores also shows a natural "stress reaction" to Verbal - until you change your mindset, you'll probably score in the mid-30s again.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[injotb123]

Rich,

Thanks for your reply. I do agree that giving it again would lead me to a maximum of 720 and now the question is whether this 20 makes a difference.

Still not sure whether I should give it again or not, but I sort of agree with natural reaction to verbal thing.

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Hi injob123,

I still think that an Admissions Expert could provide some insight into your situation. I noticed that in your prior post you mentioned how you did interview with some of the schools. Business Schools will not interview you unless they think that you'd be a good match for the program, so your GMAT score (at the time) was enough to satisfy what they were looking for. If you were passed over, then it's possible that the other applicants who were interviewed just came across better than you did....but it might also be that you somehow made some mistakes during the interview.

When applying to highly-competitive programs, a good Admissions Expert can make a significant difference in your "odds" of getting accepted. With a 700/Q49-50, you have the GMAT "part" of your application covered. So the next question is: "what can you do to improve the other parts of your overall application?"

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[injotb123]

Thanks Rich.

I have decided to move on and focus on my essays with a 700. Last year's calls from top 15 US MBA schools is where I am taking my inspiration from.

Also , as you might have noticed, there is a 1 point drop in quant between two consecutive 700's I scored (from Q50 to Q49) , so I want to clarify:

1) For re-application cases , its better not to send the latest scores, right ? (since they already have my last year score of 700)

2. Can I fill my best score of 700 with Q50 instead of 700 with Q49 in new school application forms? (even though in score report they would see my latest 700 with Q49)

Cheers.