A question for those who are experts or know pretty well about the minds of the admissions offices at b-schools. How many times of taking GMAT is considered "preferred" when candidates apply? The reason I ask is that I feel pretty desperate, having scored mid-600s after my 2nd attempt (both scores almost same), and now I'm worried that how admission offices will look at this, assuming my third attempt turns out to be ok (700+) or that even a fourth attempt will be necessary.
Thanks in advance.
What did you change about your study habits between the first and second attempt at the GMAT?
If you didn't change much and legitimately think that you can improve on a third attempt with some work than I would say to do so.
Also, you can try one of those services that guarantees a certain improvement in your score.
3 times is fine, but that is the max
Two, maybe three... definitely not four times. They look at a balance between this kid realized the errors of his ways, studied and got a 700+ and he took the test so many times he eventually got it... great that he has so much free time to study....
Where are you looking to apply? If you are dead set on Top-5/10... can you apply next year? If so... take the GMAT again, apply in later rounds, and if you don't get in where you want... you've got next year... If not...
You need to weigh applying earlier with taking longer to study for the GMAT... If you wait hoping to get that 700+, get below that, and then have to apply in later rounds, you have most likely lowered your chances. I'm not an expert, but from what I gathered, I feared applying 3rd round. That round seems to be reserved for the best of the best who just didn't get their stuff in earlier. However, some schools will claim there is no difference. Some schools say that that there is no difference between 1st and 2nd rounds but from what I gathered earlier is always better.
FYI... I went through this last year... Got a 650 first time, was upset, took a second online course meaning I would have to apply 2nd round....and got a 630 on my second try.... and applied with the 650 to get into the 2nd round.
Good Luck!
Mozacq - thanks for the input. I sent you the PM for additional questions.
Thanks!
To Simple As... - are you referring to private tutoring as a type of services that guarantees a certain improvement in my score?
No more than three attempts. Beyond that, it is highly unlikely that you will improve your score and adcoms will look at your app and think, "This kid just doesn't get it. He should do something else with his life."
impossible -- knewton guarantees 50+ or money back. 350 bucks through gmatclub.com or some of the others like beatthegmat.com. good deal i think
IMO, first round or bust esp if youre a white finance guy aiming for top tier schools. they form the core of their classes and its easier for the indian techs and white/asian financiers to form the core than to find out in the 2nd round if your ECs are more well rounded than the first rounders
I don't think schools care how many times you take the GMAT, especially if you boost your score significantly during the final attempt. If the rest of your application is flawless, why would the adcom care? IMO, it can show commitment to the program, and moreover, an improved score will certainly boost the school's stats.
I took it 5 times over the course of 18 months (moving from 620 to 760) and I still got into an M7 school. My opinion is that they'd rather admit someone with a 730+ who has taken the test 5 times than someone with a 690 who has taken the test 3 times.
Just don't let your multiple attempts at the GMAT tie up time that could be spent on improving other parts of your essay (i.e. essays). This is especially true if your score is already near the school's mean.
Hi Simple As,
Although there is no preferred number of time to take the GMAT, it is important that you understand how your GMAT score is looked at.
When you are completing your business school application, your GMAT score will be self-reported (you will report your highest score). This means that admissions teams will be focused on your highest test score.
You should not be concerned about the number of times you take the test. Rather, you should be focused on maximizing your score.
Hope this was of help. If you're looking for free GMAT advice, we have some here:
Best,
Conrad and the Stacy Blackman Team
I think three times is fine. But if you are confident that you can do much better than your previous one then maybe you can try again. But be sure to see improvements, plan accordingly.
number of GMAT attempts (Originally Posted: 12/31/2009)
in applying for business schools, is there a limit to how many times you can take the GMAT before schools start averaging scores? I believe for undergrad its 3 takes on the SAT and then they average. also, is it detrimental to take it more than once or twice in an attempt to maximize your score?
I am sure this has been answered before, but I for grad school it depends on the university. Most only take your highest, but some average it out. Some say they don't care, but the general rule of thumb is if you have taken it more than twice and your not going to increase your score by anything substantial then it looks bad to take that extra attempt. Example, if you have say a 700 and you have taken it 2 times and this time you take it again and get a 710 or worse, admin people might look as a negative. Once you get above a specific threshold it is more effective to focus on the other aspects of your admin package.
I know of people who have taken the GMAT over a half dozen times to get their score higher. The majority of schools only look at the highest score, and many don't even ask how many times you've taken it - so unless you've sent the score to them, they won't know if you've taken it more than once or not. However, some schools do ask how many times you've taken it, or for your 2 or 3 best scores, if you've taken it more than once, to see just how far you've progressed, if you have progressed at all, etc. In general, I would say that it is perfectly acceptable to take it up to 3 times. If you can't get your target score by the 3rd or maybe 4th time, give it a rest for a while.
If you are in the right ballpark, but the school wants your quant higher, or something, they'll waitlist you, which would be your queue to retake it. If you get rejected, unless your GMAT score is terrible, it won't be solely based on that - therefore, enhance your candidacy, and retake the GMAT (try taking a new class, trying different study methods, etc - a fresh look); then reapply with an all-around better candidacy.
Good luck.
Im pretty sure every one of my applications asked me how many times I took the GMAT (HBS/GSB/LBS/MIT/BOOTH). These all take the HIGHEST overall score you report (you cannot use the best score of each section tho; eg, if you scored 95% percentile quant on your 690 first run, but then 90% quant on your second, 740 run, you have to use the lower quant score if youre going to use the higher overall score). Two times are fine (anyone can have an off day), and three you can probably get away with (tho i think things start to look questionable). Any more after that , Im thinking massive diminishing returns and the phrase unhealthy obsession comes to mind.
BTW, I do not know of any schools averaging GMATs, tho i have heard of schools actually taking your best scores from each section.
The bottom line is to concentrate on being prepared to take the exam only once. The sooner you hurdle a good score the more time you have to work on distinguishing yourself in your essays. Thats where us normal folk have the best chances of convincing adcoms to let us in.
I heard from someone who took the princeton review course that its generally not a good idea to take it more than two or three times b/c it looks negative. I'm not sure how accurate this is (coming from the prep course). Also, I'm pretty sure when your scores are reported gmac includes GMAT test scores from previous dates, so admissions will see all of your test scores. Best to dbl check though.
Only thing I have heard is people looking down on if you score a a 750 and take it again and get a 760. I really don't think that adcom really cares. GMAT scores are used to make the program/school better. Over a certain score and they don't have predictive factors pertaining to success in school.
I don't have any experience with the GMAT but I'd say 3 times should be the max number of attempts. Really how much higher can you score the 4th or 5th time? Just give yourself enough time to prepare in the first place rather than taking it over and over.
Taking GMAT multiple times worthwhile? (Originally Posted: 03/28/2010)
Have you found that taking the GMAT multiple times is worthwhile (assuming you don't study more) - does luck cause your score to fluctuate a fair amount, or is it pretty much constant?
Not from personal experience, but the test is designed so that your grade should not change dramatically. The test chooses questions based on your answers to previous questions. So it not like the SAT where you might luck out with an easier version. Each test is basically designed for the skill set of the individual. If you did that poorly, I would not take it more than twice.
Thanks for the info
I personally think the GMAT is a lot of luck and really depends on the type of questions you get. If you're a number properties monster but you suck at combinatorics questions and you get combinatorics - you're effed. There are so many permutations of the types of questions you get. You can prepare for everything and get unlucky or you can not really prepare for something and get lucky.
I know people that went 680 - 770, 590 - 670, 610 - 700, etc etc. I also know people that were practicing at 650 and got 700 and people that were practicing 740 and got 680.
I think GMAC says the swing is 30, but I would argue its more like 60.
I say take it twice then and if you choke both times, then the third time around, register but don't choose to report the scores. If you do well, pay the money for the score reports. If you choke again, no one will ever know. It's not like the SAT's where they see all. They only see if you choose to report. It's only like 20 bucks per school. Montauk talks about this strategy in his book.
Yeah, I'd say take it three times if you need to and then get out quick before you loose your dignity or become obsessed ;)
GMAT 4 times (Originally Posted: 11/15/2014)
Aiming to get my MBA from a #5-15 ranked school. I've taken the GMAT twice already (640, 610) however all of my practice scores were in the 680-720 range. How would it be viewed if I were to take the GMAT a third time and potentially a fourth time to break 700? Is it worth paying for a MGMAT class?
I've always heard that business schools only look at your highest gmat score and not how many times you take it. Do whatever it takes to get a 700+ score. Why don't you study more before taking the test again to guarantee a 700+ score? Don't take the test until you're ready!
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