Retake 730 GMAT?
Hey guys,
I recently took the test and scored a 730. I'm fairly confident that this is below what I could achieve if I retook (consistent 750-760 scores on a number of practice CATs, I just blanked and panicked on the quant and messed up timing - ended up scoring 77th percentile on it). However, I am unsure as to whether the incremental benefit (vs. additional time spent on the essays) and the pain would be worth it.
I was hoping for feedback based on the rest of my profile:
- 2+ years of buyside experience in Asia (although at a relatively unknown shop)
- 1 year of BB IBD in NYC
- 3.4 GPA from a strong undergrad school (think Cornell, Duke, Brown)
- For what it's worth, I'm not an American citizen, and have spent most of my life outside of the US (in case the international angle helps)
Am looking to apply to many of the usual suspects (HBS, Wharton, Columbia, etc.). Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated - thank you in advance for your time, and hope the process is going well for anyone else going through it.
Heading to a top bschool (got into two of your list), and I think you're retarded.
730 GMAT is strong, and retaking it will lead them to question your time management skills (ie, why did this person not spend this time doing something else).
My stats were very similar to yours (GPA was similar, GMAT was similar, also Ivy like Cornell/Brown/Dartmouth).
Your international angle could certainly help. Most important thing now is just knowing how you're going to pitch yourself to these schools.
Man your stats look very good. I wouldn't retake it. If I were you I would spin the shit out of my international experience. I think you have very solid chance.
I would use this time to work or improve my essays (if you haven't already done this).
You're looking good for those schools, try for Booth and the likes as well. You should get in. Good luck.
no, go fuck yourself.
unless you got uber high verbal and a total sucktastic quant, most likely not. what was your split
this post ruined my day...if not my life. thanks OP.
Prepare and retake, when you see potential...
I dont wanna think Cornell, Brown, or Duke
Being well-rounded, well-poised and well-pitched is the deciding factor. Getting 20 points higher won't guarantee you admission, but a less substantial essay or a weak interview will definitely get you dinged. You got a 700+ which will get you looked at; now Admissions wants to know what you have to "say."
Feel free to PM me; I got into HBS and a couple others, but didn't apply to Wharton or Columbia.
77 on quant with a 730 overall? OBVIOUS TROLL IS OBVIOUS
I didnt see it, but you´re right, its impossible
asians are always like that - trolling. Just go apply and see which school will take you. What's the point of asking? Since you're not a U.S. citizen, there will be some challenges (that I can guarantee for sure) Top (or most) b schools in the U.S. only accept a very small percentage of international each year. I don't know why and that's just how it works. For you to get a shot to a top school, you must be perfect in everything. That's what my non-U.S. buddies in b school told me.
Also, academic is not everything for b school. It's MBA and not a master degree in a specific area. You need to write some good essays as well as showing that you have leadership experience and other outside-of-school good stuff.
And stop talking about "Oh, I wanna go to H/S/W." Do you know how competitive to get admitted to those schools? There are tons of people out there who are much better than you. Go apply to 10+ school and you will get a better chance to get admitted to one of them and then decide whether you will go or wait for another year.
Also, I'm not jealous. I'm already in b school at a target school.
Thanks for all the replies (well, for the constructive ones anyway), and if I pissed anyone off I apologize...definitely didn't mean to come across as a douche. Was leaning towards not retaking and focusing on the rest of app, and it sounds like that would be the right move.
SaMoCU/pacman/Offthegrid - appreciate the feedback, definitely makes sense.
Shorttheworld - split was 47Q (77th %), 44V (97th %) (as per the unofficial printout they gave me at the end).
Argonaut/Rexalpha - 730 with a 77th percentile quant is definitely possible. There's a chart somewhere that shows you the possible breakdowns for various scores, I can dig it up if you'd like. That's more what I'm concerned about than the overall score (which I know is solid), especially as a finance guy.
Doctortt - first off, I'm not Asian, and yeah I'm fully aware of how competitive those schools are. Appreciate the comments though and your points are well taken. I am definitely planning to apply to other schools (though definitely not 10+), just figured it wouldn't hurt to have a couple of stretch schools in there too. Thanks anyway.
Hello
Since you are aiming for top schools then a score above 700 is desirable. Looking at the 2012 class profile at Harvard the students scored in the range of 550-790 in their GMAT and the median GMAT score was 730. Similarly at Wharton’s MBA class of 2012 the students scored in the range of 650-770 in their GMAT and the median GMAT score being 720. Hence a higher GMAT score is advisable if you are aiming for top institutes abroad. Also the GMAT alone won’t determine your chances of admission; your work experience plays a vital role as well.
Generally most of the applicants have a good 4-5 years of work experience. Although it is not just the work experience that counts but also what you did there like-what were your achievements, what initiative you took, what changes you drove in your workplace etc. So if you can show that in 2 years you have demonstrated the skills business schools are looking for you could put in a strong set of essays.
Hence the quality of your work, your academics and beyond academics will play an important role in determining your candidature Start thinking what makes you unique and what’s that ‘hook’ that will be key to your application.
Thanks
Kavita Singh FutureWorks Consulting
I thought top 5 MBAs were for smart people and it is sad to see that an idiot like you will take the spot of someone with maybe less credentials but yet more intelligent.
This for sure one of the top 3 dumbest thread/question I have read on this site.
800 or bust
To the guys saying troll is obvious, I have a 720 with a 59% in quant. You definitely don't need to retake it ayn876.
Absolutely NOT. Do NOT retake it. The adcoms might even question it if you do!
Thanks once again to everyone for the constructive advice, not going to retake. Best of luck to everyone going through the process.
730 GMAT - lowish quant; worth a retake? (Originally Posted: 06/02/2010)
730 GMAT - lowish quant; worth a retake?
Breakdown: V45 (98th %ile) Q45 (74th %ile). Worth retaking?
A few factors to consider when deciding about the retake.
1.) Where do you want to go to school. 2.) Does your job/other things demonstrate quantitative ability. 3.) How was that score and breakdown relative to your practice scores.
My breakdown was almost identical and I did not retake because I was pleased with the score, it was inline or even a notch higher than my practices, my job is quantitative + i am on level II of the CFA, and I knew it was fine for my top choice of school. Or rather, I knew that is not what would keep me out. The 80/80 rule has some validity at certain places but there are ways to prove competency other than the GMAT.
Oh the other reason, it was effing annoying and I didn't want to do it more than once.
It is a pretty sad day when a 730 on a GMAT is considered retaking. The GMAT is not an intelligence test, it is not going to indicate how wall you can synergize or drill down or whatever else BS words an MBA says. 730 is fine, work on the rest of your application.
730 is good. I agree with Anthony.
730 is very good.
don't worry about the 45 quant.
if your going into a quantitative career, such as trading, HFs, etc. - you might want to reconsider retaking - if you want to go into an industry where soft skills do have some value, such as banking, you should be fine, 730 is a pretty good score... thus, only retake if your going into something math intensive.
keep it and run!
730 in GMAT, attending bschool in Fall. Should I retake my GMAT? (Originally Posted: 02/22/2012)
I took the GMAT a year or so back, and got 730, purely by half-assing my way through. I will be attending a target bschool this fall.
I was wondering if I should retake the GMAT and aim for a score above 750, or do consulting firms not give a shit? I'm just trying to iron out any kinks in my profile, and figured it wouldn't do any harm trying to get a score above 750.
Thoughts?
credit to swagon in the American decline thread for posting this video
Go to a good school and all is fine. Go to a mediocre school and 800 won't get you there either.
True... but you always have to think about scoring LOWER than a 730. B Schools see a history of all of your GMAT tests you have taken.
Sounds like he's thinking of retaking it so that he can put the higher score on his resume when applying to consulting firms, not for bschools. In that case, he could just put on his highest score.
Seems like a royal waste of time. 730 is average at the top schools, and the average HSW student has a pretty great shot at MBB consulting...
I'm not going to HSW, unfortunately. Nevertheless, it'll be "tough" to stand out, GMAT-wise, as 730 is still average or slightly above average where I'm headed.
I'm just wondering if a 750 is viewed more favorably than a 730 by consulting firms when they're looking at candidates to select from for the first interview.
think its a 700+?
Double Post.
GMAT is only needed to get into B-School. Once you're there, no one cares if you got a 780 or a 650. The only difference is, that if you got below 700, you don't list it on your resume, and vice versa.
Sadly, this is completely untrue. Consulting firms absolutely use your GMAT as a very solid screen for first round interviews. I hit a 720, formerly an analyst at a boutique ib, then 2 years of family office PE and didn't get a single first round with MBB. (Im at a top 15 mba program.) I had friends who rocked a 770 and the firms were reaching out to them to encourage them to apply. Rumors swirled that McKinsey looks almost solely at GMAT to determine their first round interviews, and judging by who landed them and who didnt, id say thats fairly accurate.
You might be a good candidate to take it again because if you focus heavily on the area you did worse in, you can get a substantial bump in your overall score.
Retake only if you expect to make an actual "jump" to 760+. If you fail to significantly improve and thus warrant a retake, you misjudged your own capabilities and wasted your time. This impression will hurt you, if anything.
IMHO: Let it go. If a school rejects you, it was for a reason other than your 730 GMAT.
/edit: wait, you ARE in school already? wtf. ABORT!!!!!
Just flipped our summer intern's resumes. Of those that listed, there were a couple 740s, a 750, a 760, and a few 770s. I think either 700 or 720 is a decent break point, but honestly, your time is much, much better spent "expressing interest". Make sure you attend the networking events, and contact the people who attend the events (recruiters and consultants alike) with thanks/questions. I know this has been a deciding factor in terms of who moves on/gets interviews.
You will get interviewed at MBB with 700+ GMAT, I wouldn't sweat on it.
Now you should go to all events they organize. Set up informational interviews in Oct/Nov (when you are ready) and you will make the cut.
They are quite generous on whom they interview. You will need to ace the case, and speak well of your resume. Only 10%-15% of the people interviewed get an internship offer. Around 20% for full-time
Is the 10-15% and 20% across all schools? Does it look any different for a Kellogg/Booth/Columbia-level school or is it that competitive everywhere?
See end of video...
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Retake GMAT (730: Q50 V38)? (Originally Posted: 02/23/2012)
I got a 730 on the GMAT today, and am considering retaking it. I'm just not sure if it is worth it. Before today, I took both free practice tests and got a 740 and then a 770. Thus, I (stupidly) decided not to study.
I know if I put some effort into studying, I can improve my score. Plus, I mismanaged my time and guessed on the last 2 math questions but finished with 30 minutes left on the verbal (ugh!). There was also a passage that I really could not get a good grasp on, and I know I missed several in the batch of questions that followed. I have a decent amount of free time this semester, so it really won't be that "painful" for me to study/retake the GMAT (other than the cost). Should I retake the GMAT?
Background: -senior undergrad at a top public school with a 3.9 in economics/math (busi minor) -joining Deloitte S&O in August -not sure of future career goals, but I'm very likely to enter a MBA or PhD program after Deloitte
You're fine with the above score, don't bother retaking it - especially with the new format. None of the M7/Top 10/20 blah blah are going to scoff at that. Plus a few years with S&O in the bag and your current GPA, there's no reason to have to do it again. Would have advised you otherwise if your academics were lacking.
No, your score is fine, especially because it is quant heavy. If you feel that you seriously underperformed on verbal and could pull it up without much effort (like to a 45 or whatever substantial improvement you think you could get), that's probably worth a shot, but you don't absolutely need to do it.
r u asian male, if so yes.
Don't listen to anyone who tells you to retake it. You need a higher score ONLY if you are applying to MFin/QuantFin programs at places like Princeton/MIT etc. GMAT is a checkbox. For a top MBA anything above 700 is good enough, especially given the fact that you have a 3.9 in econ/math. If you retake the GMAT and get a lower score (quite possible) the adcom will wonder what the hell is wrong with you. If you get a higher score the adcom will wonder whether you are too obsessed with stats. 730 is an EXCELLENT score and be happy. If you get rejected from a business school, it will not be because of your GMAT/GPA. It could be because of your references, workex, crappy essays, lack of ECs or a million other things but NOT your GMAT/GPA.
WTF - are you serious?
If this is not a humble-brag, and you did just wing it, I would suggest retaking it. Yes, the benefit of a higher score is quite minimal, but there is a benefit (however miniscule). If you can get a 770+, then with your 3.9 GPA, you'll be a lock for Top-10 MBAs. Provided of course, that you're not Asian, and you don't fuck it up.
You'll always score higher on the practice tests.
What's wrong with a 730?
This is a high risk low reward strategy IMO. If you are convinced you will score better it MAY have some benefit, but if there is even the slightest chance you score the worse or same b-schools may question your judgment in re-taking. You've checked the 720+ box for top programs, probably better to move on despite the temptation to re-take.
i used to fish for compliments too.
Only reason to retake would be if you have a legit shot at 760+ territory; this is scholarship territory.
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