690 GMat-should i retake?

Should I retake the GMAT? I got a 690, Q43, V41 so did horrible on the quant (64 percentile).

I've been out of ugrad about 4 years, and saw that the test format was changing and wanted to take it now before the new test comes out. There's basically 2 months before it changes over, so I need to decide whether to retake. I've heard that schools have minimum scores on each section and prefer more even scores. Should I retake? Or instead say good enough and focus on rounding out my app?

Also, what are your thoughts on the new changes? (one of the two 30-minute writing sections is being replaced by an integrated reasoning section)

 

The format change won't affect the Q and V sections - it will only replace one of the essays. Better take your time to study for the quant portion and get at least a 47-48, which will put you in the safe zone. Now your quant score is too low. The adcom can blink twice to a low Q score, but that's not very likely if it's below 45.

 

yeah, I can def do better on quant. I really didnt allocate my study time correctly the first time , I really should only have been working on my Q score the whole time, also hadnt done anything really math heavy since freshman year

Thanks for the advice, its what i was thinking already...just didnt really want to face the facts

 

Agree to retake. I think the 80/80 split thing is over-hyped, but 64th percentile is too low for top programs.

It's weird how the quant is a lot harder than many people expect it to be. I worked in consulting and now finance, and several of my co-workers (and myself), all of whom have quanty backgrounds, had a much tougher time with the quant than we initially anticipated.

Maybe it's all the Chinese and Indians driving up the curve or something (reference the GMAT score analysis tool that was floating around this site a month or so ago).

 

i can tell you this, i got a 690 with an 81-80 split my first time. had been scoring mid 90s in verbal so was annoyed with myself. came on to this forum asking the same question you did thinking maybe i didnt have to retake cause i had the 80-80. long story short, i decided to push myself for 31 (exactly) days and came out with a 730. havent applied anywhere yet but i can tell you itll make you a lot more confident in your applications. big mental barrier bw that 690 and 700+ and regarless of what ppl tell u, there not the same score.

 

Speaking from experience yes. I scored a 700 last summer with a 44q 41v split but didn't have time to retake. I am sitting on Kellogg's waitlist but was dinged at all the other top schools I applied to. I don't believe the GMAT score was the sole killer for me but it definitely threw a red flag right from the start. You have quite a few months until the application season, you should definitely retake it this summer when you are better prepared.

 

Yes, retake that. 64 percentile for quant is definitely too low. I had no real quantitative background in college and, with a lot of studying and repetition, got upper 80s percentile for the math.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 

I went into my first attempt underprepared for the Q section and spooked out by the laminated note paper and marker I was given. Having written my notes with a mechanical pencil on unlaminated notebook paper in preparation for the test, the abrupt change to the marker and laminated paper really fucked me up. I also thought I had the quant down pat until I realized that there were advanced questions I just wasn't prepared for. My score was 640.

I tightened up my quant prep and really explored the ins and outs of the advanced problems, and in my retake scored a 730 (50 Q, 40 V).

You didn't quite bomb your first attempt like I did, but if you weren't super prepared for the quant, I imagine you could squeeze out an additional 50-ish points in your retake.

 

don't worry about the format change. it's not changing the Q/V.

take a breather. make a study plan, hang around forums/boards and retake in a month or two.

when you go back to your preparation, don't focus too much on the tough ones. rather get the basics right and learn to avoid pitfalls. this will get you easily to the 47/48+ range.

good luck.

 

I got a 690 48/36, and I'm retaking it. If anything, it'll give you a better chance at getting scholarship money. I was interviewing at Cornell, and the person next to me got a 47 in Q, and they brought it up.

 

Take what I say with a grain of salt, but I would say that it couldnt hurt to try again if you got a 690 on the first try. I got a 480 on the first try and got it to a 640 followed by a 720. Also, it sounds like you are light on W/E. You don't mention extracurriculars or what your major was in. If it is was an easy major from a non-target, and you have little life / leadership experience to contribute to your MBA class, or nothing to make you special in your essays, then GMAT is the least of your problems. I don't know you so i can't say if the GMAT is really what you should be concentrating on.

 

i would say you should retake it because you can probably break 700 with a bit more studying. Especially on the verbal side...your math isn't bad or great, but if you can bump up your verbal (just do about 1,000 sentence corrections and critical reasonings in 1 week) you should pass the 700 mark.

Hard to say if that is why you didn't get in (doubtful), but a 700+ GMAT does look better. Not easy for us to guess without seeing the rest of your application (essays, recs, etc.)

Good Luck, Patrick

 

I'd definitely retake if I were you. 700 seems to be the magic cut-off. If nothing else, you should re-take it just for your own peace of mind; otherwise, you'll keep worrying about whether you should have re-taken it instead of concentrating on more meaningful aspects of your application like your essays and recommendations.

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 
Best Response

I'd retake it only if the time you spend on prepping for the exam won't be such a time sink that it takes away from your ability to put together a strong application (assuming you haven't submitted the NYU application yet).

Based on your profile though, I don't think the GMAT alone is what did you in - it certainly was a factor, but it was the whole rather than the sum of the parts. Chances are, you likely got lost in the shuffle compared to the slew of other finance applicants who have similar profiles as you. The challenge in the application is being able to effectively highlight what makes you an individual - and getting the adcom to see you as an individual, rather than "finance guy #45968094-RT6-a". And even if you were able to do that, it's still hit-and-miss. You probably should apply to more schools.

Alex Chu www.mbaapply.com
 

Yea I would agree that my work experience is certainly holding me back some. I was hopping to have my GMAT help my application and where it is now I don't think it helps that much, not necessarily hurts, but certainly isn't differentiating me from the typical NYU Columbia Pack.

How many times to retake is too much? I have heard 3. I know I could do better but making sure I put in the time and effort is the hard part.

Thanks for the feedback, I think I'll hold off and gain more work experience and take another crack at the GMAT before my next applications go out.

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

For all people replying to this post, I was wondering if being a CFA Level III candidate helps significantly when you're applying to a top B-school. Could it be something that could make a deal if one or two of the other things were slightly below the mark?

 

Re CFA:

I have done a lot of research but I have yet to apply so take these words with a grain a salt:

It’s not a big deal at most schools. Most people in the B-School community (adcoms, students, alumni) have never been in the main CFA fields and therefore don’t value it. Many have never even heard of it. There is a good chance you will be interviewed by an ex-engineer who is now a product manager for a F500 company – that guy won’t give 2 shits about the CFA. It may help at the finance-centric schools like Columbia and NYU, which have dedicated CFA clubs, but that’s it.

CFA will help on the goals essays. The “what are your long term goals and what have you done to achieve them?” question is a common one. Hear, you can explain that you’ve spent 650 hours working on the CFA so that you can one day become a PM/

The real value of the CFA is in the B-School job hunt. The CFA will certainly help set you apart from the other top B-School students when you apply for jobs in asset management or ER.

 

Your verbal is significantly lower than your quant - specifically putting you in the 63rd percentile. This will be a flag to the adcom. Typically, you want a much more even split. Without it, you will have to prove some other way that you can handle the verbal/reasoning aspects of the program.

 

firstly, your name sounds indian so a 690 is definitely not enough. most indian/chinese males at top business schools score around 750-770 and adcoms will benchmark you against them.

however that's for the mba degree. i'm not sure about the degrees you referred to.

 

PS that's a quite a low verbal for an extremely high quant - is English your second language by chance?

I've always thought the GMAT is a racist test, how on earth does knowing idioms (when to say 'between' versus 'among') have any strong association with success in business, beyond your ability to learn stupid obscure American English rules? I haven't seen the revamped GMAT but I have to imagine it's still there. Maybe I'll call the Times and see if they'd like to write an article about it.

Good luck!

if you like it then you shoulda put a banana on it
 

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