Got 710, is retake advisable?

[roman.kirsanov]

I took GMAT yesterday after a long and tough preparation and scored 710 (Q46/V41) . This is my second attempt (first was in Feb12 630 (Q47/V29). Verbal always has been my weakest area and I focused on it heavily. Meanwhile before the second attempt my Quant score on GMATPrep never was less than 49.
My last GMATPrep:
29.09 Q49 V42 750
03.10 Q47 V40 710
11.10 Q49 V40 720

710 is obviously a good score, but the point is that I scored quite good at Verbal - 41 and less than usual in Quant. Now I feel that by working a little bit on Math (my strong area) I can achieve around 750.
I’m targeting to the top 5 schools including H,S,Ch,W in R2 and I’m 10 years out of college, so I think that high GMAT score is essential for top-3 schools.
Right now I’m considering two strategies:
1. Accept this score and focus on essays. Thus I have enough time for essays and won’t have score less than I have now.
2. Retake the Gmat in mid-November. Possibly higher score, less time for applications.
Couple of words about myself: 34 yo, non-native(Ukraine), currently working as a marketing manager in telecom


Please advise

Please also clarify whether schools consider my last attempt or my best score in case if I will retake and will have a worse score than current 710?

[mili]

Hello!

A 710 is a good score. Could you tell me what your percentile breakdown was? This will help inform my response.

FYI - the schools will consider the highest official score you received. Doesn't matter if it was your 1st test or your 2nd or your 3rd attempt. But I rarely recommend any more than 3 attempts.

Your age is slightly on the older side for full-time program applicants (as you may be aware), so a higher GMAT could help in this regard... it's a tough call. Tell me your percentile breakdown and I'll get back to you with a more detailed response.

Thanks,
Mili

Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com

Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (16 individual school titles)

Download mbaMission’s Free Personal Statement Guide

Visit the mbaMission Blog

Follow mbaMission on Twitter