Retake GMAT with a 750 (but low quant)?

[lee.bollinger]

Hi all,

I recently took the GMAT and scored as follows:

Overall -750 (98th percentile)
Quant - 45 (72nd percentile)
Verbal - 48 (99th percentile)

While I’m pleased with my overall score (98th percentile), I’m very disappointed in my quantitative score (72nd percentile). As such, I’m wondering if I should re-take the GMAT.

My low quant score is particularly problematic because my background is actually quite technical: I currently work for a highly-quantitative management consulting firm in Chicago (we do a lot of econometrics, statistics, and data analysis); prior to that I worked as an investment banking analyst at a bulge bracket firm in New York. In terms of academic background, I have a BA in economics from the University of Chicago (with coursework in econometrics, statistics, multivariate calculus, and linear algebra), with an overall GPA of 3.9 and a major GPA of 4.0.

Therefore, I find myself in a bit of a dilemma - on the one hand I feel as though I can convince the admissions committee of my quantitative skills in spite of my GMAT score; on the other hand, I worry that my GMAT score will cast doubt on the rest of my application (i.e., "if this guy is so smart, why couldn’t he do better on the GMAT?")

For what it’s worth, I’m targeting the top tier of business schools (Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, et al.) - and I'm a white male - so any weakness at all in my application is problematic.

However, at the risk of sounding too whiny - retaking the test will be fairly hard for me: (1) first of all, I’m spending the next few months working as a fellow at a social investment firm in Sub-Saharan Africa - so studying for, let alone re-taking, the GMAT is logistically difficult; and (2) I still have a lot of work to do in terms of business school essays and recommendation letters - so every hour I spend studying for and re-taking the GMAT is an hour I don't spend on these other (potentially more useful) pursuits.

Again, any help at all with my situation would be appreciated. I’m really at a loss as to how to proceed, so any advice or perspective would be a great help to me.

Many thanks in advance for the help!

[odannyboi]

I am not an mba consultant but thought I'd chime in anyways...NO you do not need to retake the GMAT!

Look at your GPAa and your work experience.. you pretty much can get into any school you want. Your transcipts with quant courses and overall GPA is proof you can handle the workload. The 750 will catch everyone's eye to look into your profile in detail. Yes, they'll see the 72% quant score... but since they are looking at your profile in detail already, they'll see you can handle quant through other parts of your application.

Plus, 750 is above ALL of the elite school averages... it'll make the school look better by bringing up their average.

Don't sweat it!

[mbamission]

Hi there,

Thanks for writing in and congratulations on your great GMAT score. While it is always easy for a candidate to poke holes in his/her own application, try and take a step back as to what the admissions committee sees. You have a high GPA in advanced math from a top-tier school, a very high GMAT score, and are about to add some very interesting experiences into your candidacy with your African social venture. I do not think retaking the GMAT to slightly re-balance your score would be worth the time investment required.

Good luck!
Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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[lee.bollinger]

Thanks to both of you for your thoughts and advice. It's a relief to hear you say I shouldn't bother taking the GMAT again -- I definitely don't want to go through that again!

On a related note, though, is there anything you would suggest I do in my application/essays to address the low GMAT quant score?

For instance, some schools have an "optional" essay where an applicant can discuss anything he/she feels needs to be addressed -- would you suggest I use this space to discuss why I feel my quant background is better than my GMAT score indicates? Or would you suggest I ignore the issue entirely and (hopefully!) let my transcripts and work experience speak for itself?

Thanks again!

[mbamission]

Hi Lee

My take is to ignore this issue. Your quant score likely isn't low enough to warrant the additional essay.

Good luck!
Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (14 individual school titles)

Visit the mbaMission Blog

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[lee.bollinger]

Thanks again Daniel -- appreciate your help.