710 (47Q, 41V) - take the GMAT again?

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710 (47Q, 41V) - take the GMAT again?

by AarondoesSA » Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:49 am
Hi,

I just took the GMAT yesterday and received a 710 (92%). My match score was a 47 which is lower than I had gotten on previous practice exams (48-49) but my verbal score was about my target. So, my question is should I take the GMAT again if I want to make the "maybe" or "competitive" pile at the best of the best B-schools? I guess what I'm asking: Is my Math score too low (since I heard many times schools focus on this)?

Here's my profile:

-Top Mgmt Consulting firm past 2.5 yrs

a) Took 3 months off 2008 to work for Obama campaign

b) Actively involved in Big Brother, Big Sister (I don't really like mentioning this kind of stuff on an MBA application b/c I think it's irrelevant but I guess that's what people do these days)



- Cornell Univ. B.A. in Government (3.59 GPA) 2006

a) Tested out of Calc A/B in college and then took Calc B/C and got a C+ (the instructur's monotone voice made me want to shoot myself and I just didn't give a crap not knowing it could be so pivotal 4 yrs later)

b) Only other quant course in college was Business Statistics. I received an "A"

c) Spent entire junior year studying abroad in Italy where classes were conducted solely in Italians with other Italians


So, I'm not planning on applying until next year or the year after that but does it make sense to take the test again? Will a B-school look at my Quant score and automatically put me in the "rejected" pile beforehand? I'm going to be traveling all over South America this next year so I won't really have time to study.

Thanks,
Aaron

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by Cindy Tokumitsu » Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:22 am
Hello, Aaron,

As long as your quant score is about 80%, it will be okay. I’m not sure the specific percentages offhand, but if the 47 is below 80% I suggest re-taking. Although the C+ in calc is on the low side, the A in statistics is excellent, indicating quantitative ability. Also, if you apply quantitative methodologies in your work, you can emphasize that point.

Overall if you’re targeting top MBA programs and you have the time to prepare, it could only help to improve the quant score and even the 710 overall. It’s a fine score, certainly, but for the top programs higher would be better…

Cindy Tokumitsu
Senior Editor, Accepted.com
www.Accepted.com

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by AarondoesSA » Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:57 am
Thanks for the response Cindy! A 47 is equivalent to a 79% (hence, I'm at the cusp so I'm now debating taking the test again)

I forgot to mention that I do have an "A-" and an "A" in beginner macroeconomics and intermediate macroeconomics, respectively...my work at my firm is very much quant based (we mostly work with large datasets) where I was promoted in July after 2 yrs to senior associate.

So, given this, shouldn't I have scored higher on my quant? Would B-schools look at the other parts of my record and say "ooh, he needs to bump his GMAT up a little to validate the rest of his record"?

Thanks Again!
Aaron