Retake 780 GMAT because of 4.5 AWA?

by **thejonnysan** Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:05 am

Hello! I took the GMAT for the first time last week. I used all the Manhattan books and online materials as part of my self guided study - these were great and I've already recommended them to several friends.

I scored a 780 (Q50/V47) and IR 8. However, I just got my official report back and found out I scored only 4.5 on the AWA. This somewhat makes sense since I was overcome by the initial pressure; I struggled to identify logical holes and was not able to write as comprehensively as during my practice tests. I guess I should be thankful that I was able to perform well on everything else.

Now, it seems insane to me to retake the test to improve my AWA score (it seems likely that my other scores would drop), and I know that an AWA score of over 4.0 should be sufficient. I'm also cognizant of the importance of the other components of my applications (essays, etc.) and will prepare them carefully.

However, I am targeting several top 10 programs and am concerned that 'merely sufficient' on the AWA may hurt my chances of admission. Does this low-ish AWA score warrant a retake?