Should I retake the GMAT? (Score profile included)

[scottmbuckley]

I achieved a 740 on my GMAT with a Q49, V41, and AWA 6.0. I also graduated with a 3.6 in Bioengineering at UCLA. I have another GMAT appointment made but I'm considering canceling it because I don't want to get a lower score. Would it reflect poorly on me if I took it again and received a lower score or do schools not care about that? On the GMATPrep exams I got a 760 and a 730 so I feel that the likelihood of getting better than 740 is about the same as the likelihood of getting below a 740? So should I retake it or just be happy with the 740?

[rachel]

Hi! The score you have is outstanding, so you don't need to take the test again. If you do decide to retake it, the good news is that the schools only look at your highest score. If by chance your score dropped, it would not matter.

Best of luck,

Rachel Beck


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[scottmbuckley]

Thanks so much for the response Rachel! I have one other question. Would it make that much of a difference if I got a 750 or 760? Or is the difference between 740 and those scores pretty negligible? Thanks again!

Scott

[rachel]

Your score where it is now is very high. I would spend my time now working on the other components of your application - making sure you have solid leadership stories drawn from both your professional and extra-curricular activities; lining up your best people to write recommendations; pulling together "your story" of why you want an MBA and why now; deciding what you want to do post-MBA; and visiting and building relationships at the schools you want to apply to.

Hope this helps.

Rachel