Profile eval. + retake? 710 but mainly bc high Verbal

[suzannes368]

Hi there,
I took my first GMAt today and scored 710 but mainly due to a high verbal score. Scores were 47Q/41V, which are respectively in the 65th and 94th percentile. Overall I got 91 percentile with both scores. I'm wondering if this score will be good enough to go to a top school, given that quant is relatively low. Also my IR was fairly low (5 vs 7 and 8 that I was getting in practice tests). Should I consider re-doing the exam for these 2, but esp. for Quant? Please note: I'm looking at doing an EMBA, not MBA - mentioning this as I'm wondering if EMBA progs may be less hardline with GMAT scores (esp. quant score) given the difference in demographic of EMBA applicants (old-er, and having left school a looong time ago). Kind of surprised at the percentile score of quant - I thought 47 was decent, given that on a practice GMATPrep CAT I got 41 and was in 73 percentile - shocked to see 47 is a lower perc. (I guess it means the GMATPrep dbase of scores may not be up-to-date and that recent GMAT takers have been doing a lot better on Quant than their forerunners?)
Also: my academic degrees are very quantitative in nature: chem eng. in Trinidad and Masters/PhD in econ. in France - would this help to offset the low Quant?
Basically, I would welcome your advice as to whether I should consider retaking the GMAT? (really hoping I don't have to ) . But I am looking to go to a top school (INSEAD, Wharton...).
Thanks,
Suzanne

[mbamissionjenK]

Hi Suzanne,
Congrats on a strong score and getting it under your belt! Given that you are aiming for an EMBA, I'd feel good about where you are at now. Yes it is true-- quant percentiles continue to rise as test takers do better and better on quant, and there are a lot of finance and engineering test takers etc. So it's harder and harder to score in the 70's percentile-wise, and the schools do know that as well. And yes having other areas of your profile in which you've shown quant ability helps. The only other thing to consider is practice test scores etc... if you did better overall on recent reputable practice tests, you could give it one more try to see if you did better. But in my view I don't feel it's urgent and likely your decision will be based upon the rest of your profile. Good luck!

[suzannes368]

Thanks Jennifer!
Best,
Suzanne

[mbamissionjenK]

You are most welcome!