Profile Analysis - Need GMAT Retake?

[tkatz561]

Hi,

I took my GMAT May 2012 and got a 660, but retook it February 2013 and got 710 (V38/Q49). I was so excited, but just received my IR score, which is extremely disappointing: 2 (12th percentile). I think I was just nervous about retaking the exam.

Here's some background information on me: I'm a 27 year old female and attended an ivy league undergraduate school with a 3.7 GPA. I'm currently at a boutique management consulting company and previously at a large HR consulting firm working in executive compensation consulting. The IR score is definitely not reflective of my analytical skills, especially since I use it heavily at work. I'm involved in non-profits and also have a leadership role in one of the programs this year.

I would like to apply to top MBA schools (Harvard, Wharton, Columbia, etc), but am terrified that I will be dinged for the low IR score. I don't want to retake the exam a third time because even if I improve my IR score, there is a possibility that I may score lower on the Verbal/Quant section.

Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[trollasaurus]

Generally speaking, schools don't care about IR scores right now so don't worry about it.

[mili]

Hello,

I'd agree with Will -- ad coms are not likely to weight the IR score too heavily, given that it's still a relatively new/experimental section on the test. I'd still apply to top programs, but add some safety schools to the list!

Good luck,
Mili

Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
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[tkatz561]

Thanks for the quick response! I'm just concerned it will look really awkward when seen with my Quant/Verbal score. I saw that article from Stanford noting they won't be looking at IR scores, but that was from last year. I figure this year schools might be checking it for correlation and quite frankly, 12th percentile is just embarrassing! I'd hate to have it come up during an interview and have no explanation other than I was nervous and rushed through it! I'm wondering if this might prevent me from getting into a top school since I only want to apply during this year's application cycle... in which case, I suppose I could just retake the exam. Although it does seem silly since I could potentially score lower on my Quant/Verbal while achieving that higher IR score.

Any further thoughts or advice from people in the same situation would be greatly appreciated!

[mili]

At the end of the day it really depends on your tolerance for risk - it's a risk to apply with a very low IR score, and it's a risk to retake the GMAT. However, there's the possibility that you could retake the GMAT and do the same or better on all sections - that would be a great scenario. Worst case, you apply with your current score and see what happens. You're right that they may look more closely at IR this year, but I still don't think it'll be a major factor.

Good luck,
Mili

Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com
 
Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (16 individual school titles)
 
Download [url=http:// http://info.mbamission.com/MBA-Personal-Statement-Guide/]mbaMission’s Free Personal Statement Guide[/url]
 
Visit the mbaMission Blog
 
Follow mbaMission on Twitter