Retake 740?
Hi guys, I was wondering if I should retake a 740 (50Q/41V). Just graduated with a 3.9+ from a strong university (Berkeley/Michigan/Virginia) and looking to apply down the road. Thought I could score a tad higher (like a 750-760), but 740 isn't entirely unexpected. There's probably a bit of room to squeeze on verbal and just didn't get my lucky day. Right now, I'm working in a strong BB IB group and hope to do the typical move to the buyside after a few years.
Tough call, but I guess I can squeeze more out of verbal. Hope they allow second attempts on the online test... Anyone with experience have any thoughts?
If you really want to then go for it but I wouldn’t. A 740 is above average at every school. With your stats and work experience you won’t have a problem getting in.
x2 here. This is strong and you have a top notch GPA. I'd rather spend the time on networking and recruiting prep
I was in your shoes two years ago +/- 10 pts, I studied some more and took it two more times and scored 20 points higher. I got into my target schools and have not regretted it - had I gotten denied without retaking it, I would have kicked myself for not giving it another shot.
At this point you’ve already done all the work, so if you can try again and maybe get another 10-20 points, I say go for it. Verbal is really random at high levels and can drive your score up or down 10-20 points over one wrong answer. Worst case scenario you waste a few hours.
If you want H/S then I would spend the extra time being a volunteer fire fighter or becoming a syndicated columnist.
If you have only taken it once then it might be worth to take it a second time after some studying and once the testing centers open up. You sound like a normal white male finance guy so your GMAT bracket at top schools is going be in the 740-760 range.
FYI, you can only take the online GMAT once unless you had technical difficulties.
OP here. I'm implicitly assuming that this restriction would change going forward given the current test center environment. Are you certain this restriction will stay in place? They've extended the test-taking window of the online exam a number of times and have made a number of changes to the rules over the past few months so it would honestly be more surprising to me if they upheld that rule going forward.
I think that’s a fair assumption, but given how slow GMAC is to implement changes, I wouldn’t be surprised if the current 1x policy stays in place for a while longer. Hopefully they prove me wrong!
Use the time that you would spend studying for and retaking the GMAT to create something, initiate something, lead something and IMO you'll do more for your admissions chances than another 10 points.
People get denied with 780s from top schools. It’s not all about the GMAT. Make sure all of the other aspects of your profile are strong, as well.
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