GMAT Retake? 710 (Q40 V49)

[brianmhull]

I just took the GMAT and scored the following

Overall: 710 (92nd Percentile)
Quant: 40 (58th Percentile)
Verbal: 49 (99th Percentile)

Compared with my performance on MBA.com and MGMAT practice exams my verbal score was excellent, but my quant score was barely average.

I graduated from Berklee College of Music for undergrad, so my background is fairly non-traditional, though I did finish college with a 3.56 cumulative GPA and Magna Cum Laude credentials from Berklee.

While I do intend to enroll in Statistics and Calculus courses before attending B-school next fall, I probably will not have time to complete these courses before having to submit my applications.

My concern is that because I have a background that did not require rigorous quantitative coursework the disparity in my quant and verbal scores could be a red flag.

I am targeting Stanford, Kellogg, and Chicago with the hope of submitting applications in the first round. Should I retake the GMAT in hopes of raising my quant score or would my time be better spent working on recommendations and essays?

Thanks for any feedback you can provide.
Brian

[aleksander_karlsen]

Hi Brian,

I am by no means an admission consultant or an expert in this area, but since the same thing happened to me(710 score; 68% quant, 98% verbal) I can give you the feedback I received from the admission consultant.

710 is competitive, but many schools (especially so the ivy league schools probably) would like a 80:80 hurdle on both parts of the test; meaning above 80% percentile on both quant and verbal and above 700 in total.

With that said, you could use the optional essay to hightlight your background vs. quantitative, and perhaps how you will increase the quant abilities and overcome the quant subjects in the MBA.

I take the GMAT again and focus on increasing my fundamental understanding of the quant areas covered on the test, which I hope will enable me to pass the 80 hurdle. It does take some time, but I think it will be worth the effort.

Good luck:-)

Kind regards Aleksander

[brianmhull]

Thanks for the feedback Aleksander. That 80:80 hurdle is what I've been worried a consultant will tell me as well. I know I'm capable of bumping up my Quant score a bit, but I would love to move on a dedicate that time to my essays if it wasn't going to negatively impact my candidacy.

Brian

[mbamission]

Hello Brian,

I’d like to supplement the answer you already received. I will second the comment about the 80/80 percentile split - that is what you should be aiming for. If you believe that you can improve your quantitative score to get near that 80th percentile, I would suggest retaking the GMAT. You should be focused on improving the quantitative score, not raising the overall score. With a 710 overall and a verbal score in the 99th percentile, the only issue you face is improving your quantitative percentile.

Since you have an undergraduate degree from a music school, my guess is that you don’t have much evidence from your college courses that can help you demonstrate your abilities in that area. If you cannot improve your quantitative score on the GMAT, I recommend that you highlight the quantitative nature of the work that you do in the optional essay. You didn’t mention what you do professionally, but that is the last piece of advice that I have for how to help address the low quantitative score. Good luck to you!

Sincerely,

Akiba Smith-Francis

MBA Mission

646-485-8844

Website: www.mbamission.com
Blog: www.mbamission.com/blog
MBA Mission Insider’s Guides: www.mbamission.com/store.php
Free Consultation: www.mbamission.com/consult.php

[shakil]

I'm in a similar situation...

* GMAT: 710 (67 percentile in quantitative / 97 percentile in verbal / 92 percentile overall); taken only 1 time

* Work Experience
- Large medical device company since (2006 to present)
- Joined company through a prestigious *technical* rotational program which provided me with great experience in manufacturing, quality, R&D, and marketing
- overall career progression (titles, pay, etc.) has been stellar


* Undergrad School: Duke c/o 2006
- Major: Biomedical Engineering
- Minor: Economics
- GPA: 3.6


Since I have an undergraduate major in engineering with a decent GPA, will admissions forgive me for my low quantitative GMAT score? I just don’t perform very well in the quantitative section due to the time pressure. I’m not sure that I can do much better on a second try; moreover, there’s a risk that my verbal might stumble. Should I rest at ease with this GMAT score? Note: I scored a 780/800 on my SAT-II Math2C test.

[mbamission]

Hello,

You might consider taking the test again in order to improve your GMAT score. Many applicants have to take the test again. However, if you really do not feel like you can improve your score, I would emphasize the quantitative nature of your work as well as your undergraduate academic record. I would first try to improve your score though. And again, if you cannot, then I would recommend highlighting other things that you have done that demonstrate your academic abilities.

Sincerely,

Akiba Smith-Francis

MBA Mission

646-485-8844

Website: www.mbamission.com
Blog: www.mbamission.com/blog
MBA Mission Insider’s Guides: www.mbamission.com/store.php
Free Consultation: www.mbamission.com/consult.php

[raheel.abbasi]

Hi Akiba,

I have a similar issue as the one described above. I first took the GMAT in november and my score was a 640 (Q37/49% V40/89%). I subsequently focused my efforts on other parts of the application and I applied round 2 to the following schools: Booth, Kellogg, NYU Stern and Yale. I retook the test today, (1/27) and received the following score: 700 (Q44/67% V44/97%).

As part of the application for each school, I submitted the optional essay where I explained the following: my undergraduate GPA was 3.88 (graduated from the University of Missouri so I understand that the adcomm will discount this GPA due to the lack of repute of my school). I discussed how I double majored in Finance and Economics and that the majority of my courses were quantitative(courses in calc, stats, econometrics, mathematical finance, futures and options. (A/A- in all these courses). In addition, i studied abroad at Cass Business School (City University, London) where I took 3 very quant finance classes and received an A/A- in each of these courses.

Further, I spent 2 yrs as an investment banking analyst at a middle-market firm and have been working as a financial modeling analyst for a big 4 transaction advisory group for the past 2.5 years (so my work ex. is primarily quant/analytical). I provided the adcomm with all this info in the optional essay.

I guess my question is this: all else equal (i.e. essays, work ex, reccs, extra curr. being at par or slightly above par) do you think that the 67% quant will significantly hurt my chances at these schools: Booth, Kellogg, NYU and Yale?

I think my nerves got the better of me on my first attempt and I had very little time to practice for the 2nd test (1 week after submitting apps. Wanted to ensure that I got the score to the schools in time to remain in contention in round 2. Sent it 2-3 weeks after the deadlines). I dont think I have it in me to take the test a third time, even though I know I can score better on the quant. When I emailed my scores to the schools, I mentioned that if they have any concerns about my quant ability, I am more than willing to take a class prior to enrollment that would allay their concerns. I am thinking that if God forbid I dont get into any of my schools this year, I will do just that rather than take the test again. What do you think? Sorry for the length of the post but just wanted to give you some background info. Thanks,

Raheel

[mbamission]

Hi Raheel,

Sounds like you did everything right with the optional essay. The adcomm employs a holistic review process, and I have seen several strong applicants with sub par quant scores make it into top programs. To answer your question...yes, your quant score is weak, but it is not impossible to overcome.

Best of luck with the rest of the application process!

Monica Okrah
Senior Consultant, mbaMission
www.mbamission.com

Hi Akiba,

I have a similar issue as the one described above. I first took the GMAT in november and my score was a 640 (Q37/49% V40/89%). I subsequently focused my efforts on other parts of the application and I applied round 2 to the following schools: Booth, Kellogg, NYU Stern and Yale. I retook the test today, (1/27) and received the following score: 700 (Q44/67% V44/97%).

As part of the application for each school, I submitted the optional essay where I explained the following: my undergraduate GPA was 3.88 (graduated from the University of Missouri so I understand that the adcomm will discount this GPA due to the lack of repute of my school). I discussed how I double majored in Finance and Economics and that the majority of my courses were quantitative(courses in calc, stats, econometrics, mathematical finance, futures and options. (A/A- in all these courses). In addition, i studied abroad at Cass Business School (City University, London) where I took 3 very quant finance classes and received an A/A- in each of these courses.

Further, I spent 2 yrs as an investment banking analyst at a middle-market firm and have been working as a financial modeling analyst for a big 4 transaction advisory group for the past 2.5 years (so my work ex. is primarily quant/analytical). I provided the adcomm with all this info in the optional essay.

I guess my question is this: all else equal (i.e. essays, work ex, reccs, extra curr. being at par or slightly above par) do you think that the 67% quant will significantly hurt my chances at these schools: Booth, Kellogg, NYU and Yale?

I think my nerves got the better of me on my first attempt and I had very little time to practice for the 2nd test (1 week after submitting apps. Wanted to ensure that I got the score to the schools in time to remain in contention in round 2. Sent it 2-3 weeks after the deadlines). I dont think I have it in me to take the test a third time, even though I know I can score better on the quant. When I emailed my scores to the schools, I mentioned that if they have any concerns about my quant ability, I am more than willing to take a class prior to enrollment that would allay their concerns. I am thinking that if God forbid I dont get into any of my schools this year, I will do just that rather than take the test again. What do you think? Sorry for the length of the post but just wanted to give you some background info. Thanks,

Raheel