740 with low quant, retake?

[gmatmaverick]

I gave my first GMAT earlier today and scored a 740, Q47 V45. While this may at first glance seem like a great score, I feel very uneasy about that quant score. Especially given that my undergraduate GPA is quite appalling and especially in quant courses, with multiple F's even. To make things worse, I'm an Indian male engineer.

On the test I found the quant section relatively easy but I think I made a few careless mistakes here and there. In addition, I also screwed up the timing towards the end and had to rush through the last two questions, most likely getting them wrong.

In terms of potential for improvement, I think I may be able to get a better score on Quant, but that being said, my highest score on a GMATPrep mock was 48. Do think I can push it a little more though. Verbal on the other hand, I'm definitely satisfied by. This was my highest verbal score but on my last 3 mocks I scored 44 consistently.

I do not plan on applying this year and am instead aiming to apply next year. That gives me around 11 months before I need to start focusing on the other parts of the application including building an alternative transcript, making a career move and bolstering my extra-curriculars. My question is, do i spent a month of that time reappearing for the GMAT or should I leave the GMAT alone and focus on the other stuff? The schools I'm looking to apply to are top 15 American programs. Also, I will also be looking to make a career move into management consulting post MBA, how would those firms view this score?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[mbaMissionKate]

Hi! Thanks for your question.

Congrats on the overall score - that is great! I can understand your concern though about the Quant. So let's think about your score from the school's perspective...they'll be looking at your GMAT to determine whether you a) can handle the curriculum and b) whether you help or hurt their average (for ranking purposes). I think a 740 overall and a 47 Quant definitely meet both of these criteria, we usually recommend at least a 46 Quant to prove you can handle the curriculum and a 740 is above the median for all the top programs. I also think that since you're coming from a more technical field, they may actually pay more attention to your Verbal score, so it's great that you have a really high score there. Based on that, I don't think you NEED to retake the GMAT. Now, you do have more time and they will always take your highest, so giving it another chance can't hurt if you're up for it. I'm just not sure that getting one more point would make a huge difference though.

I do think you should find other ways to address the GPA concern. Definitely plan to write an Optional Essay to explain that and admit you realize it's a weakness. And I think in your case, taking additional coursework could have a bigger impact than retaking the GMAT. You should seek to take these from accredited schools that give you a grade as having A's in those additional courses will be really important.

You also asked about Consulting -- from what I know, firms that do consider your GMAT score care mostly about the overall score and they're usually looking for 700+ scores, so I think you'd be just fine there. And there are plenty of other ways you can demonstrate you have the right skills from your past experience to be successful in Consulting.

Hope this helps and keep us posted if we can answer any more questions!

[gmatmaverick]

Hi! Thanks for your question.

Congrats on the overall score - that is great! I can understand your concern though about the Quant. So let's think about your score from the school's perspective...they'll be looking at your GMAT to determine whether you a) can handle the curriculum and b) whether you help or hurt their average (for ranking purposes). I think a 740 overall and a 47 Quant definitely meet both of these criteria, we usually recommend at least a 46 Quant to prove you can handle the curriculum and a 740 is above the median for all the top programs. I also think that since you're coming from a more technical field, they may actually pay more attention to your Verbal score, so it's great that you have a really high score there. Based on that, I don't think you NEED to retake the GMAT. Now, you do have more time and they will always take your highest, so giving it another chance can't hurt if you're up for it. I'm just not sure that getting one more point would make a huge difference though.

I do think you should find other ways to address the GPA concern. Definitely plan to write an Optional Essay to explain that and admit you realize it's a weakness. And I think in your case, taking additional coursework could have a bigger impact than retaking the GMAT. You should seek to take these from accredited schools that give you a grade as having A's in those additional courses will be really important.

You also asked about Consulting -- from what I know, firms that do consider your GMAT score care mostly about the overall score and they're usually looking for 700+ scores, so I think you'd be just fine there. And there are plenty of other ways you can demonstrate you have the right skills from your past experience to be successful in Consulting.

Hope this helps and keep us posted if we can answer any more questions!

Really appreciate the answer Kate. Yeah I'm definitely gonna be doing those extra courses. In fact, I've done one already. Will get a few more out of the way before applying. I'm still in two minds about the GMAT though, the fact that I may not have given my best just nags at me and I'm still giving serious thought to re-writing it. Especially since I have time. Will keep you posted. Thanks so much for the input though.

[mbaMissionKate]

Happy to help! I suppose it can't hurt to try again - schools will always take your highest. So if it's really nagging you and you're up for it, then you may want to give it another shot. I just don't think it's a must-do. Good luck!