HSB/GSB Applicant: Retake 740 GMAT with low Quant?
I am planning to apply to HBS / GSB this upcoming cycle (MM PE, Top BB, Target School with high GPA and good but not outstanding EC's) and I recently received a 740 on my GMAT (46 Q, 46 V). My Verbal score is in the 99th percentile but my Quant is in a dismal 59th percentile...Is it worth retaking the GMAT to bump up my Q and get a higher score? I understand that a 740 is above average for most institutions but curious to see if the extra time investment may be worth it in the eyes of adcom (I come from an overrepresented group with a relatively cookie cutter background and I am already very skeptical about my chances at HBS / GSB).
I hate to say it, but yes I think you'd be well served by retaking. True, a 740 is above every school's average, but anecdotally it's below average for IB/PE guys (probably 750-760+) and that's who you'll be competing with. If you feel like you can do better (i.e. a 740 isn't 50 points above your best practice test), I would recommend biting the bullet and just taking it again.
I appreciate the insight! That makes sense and I think I’ll retake to be as competitive of a candidate as possible.
Would also recommend retaking. I was in a very similar position. Scored 740 with low Q, High V. Retook it and only scored 10 points higher (Cumulative), but my Q score jumped to 49.
I ended up getting admitted to Stanford (deferred enrollment). Obviously can’t narrow that down just to the retake, but they do care about the Q/V split
Thank you for the response and congratulations! Do you mind sharing your background / work experience?
For sure. Stats when I applied (end of undergrad): - 750 gmat / 3.9 gpa (non-target) - Varsity athlete + very involved on campus (Founded a club and led a few others) And in the community - Started a small company that did pretty well, but nothing crazy - Was an incoming Analyst at a solid Bank (Not GS/MS/PJT)
Was this a deferred enrollment or something
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