Will my Quant Score Hold me Back? Looking for Advice

[gpk2011]

Dear admissions consultants,
I took the GMAT for the 2nd time yesterday. My score history is:
Sept 2010: 700 (68% M; 92% V; AWA 6.0)
Oct 2010: 700 (50% M; 99% V)

While I recognize that a 700 is a solid score, I am concerned that it will not be sufficient to get me in to the top-tier schools that I have my heart set on attending (specifically, I'm shooting for Kellogg, Harvard, & Wharton). Despite my excellent verbal scores I'm worried that my low math scores (and now the nasty drop in my math score from one test to the next) will hurt my candidacy. I'm applying in round 2 this year so time is short and I need to decide how to proceed. My options seem to be:

(1) Take the GMAT a 3rd time in an effort to bring up my math score. Will this be a red flag for admissions committees, especially given that I'd be taking the test 3x in rapid succession? How much would I need to improve my score to make this worthwhile?
(2) Forge ahead with my applications, and find a different way to convince admissions committees that I can handle the quantitative side of MBA coursework. I can ask recommenders to plug my quantitative skills and incorporate past examples of quantitative projects into my essays. Even if I do this, will the 50% score simply be too much to overcome without retaking the test?

I understand that my GMAT score is just one piece of my application. Below is more information about my background. Thank you in advance for any advice or guidance that you can offer!

Demographics: US citizen, Caucasian male, age 26
Education: BA in Psychology & Spanish from Washington U. in St. Louis (3.83 GPA)
Work Experience: 4 years in a rotational management program at a large distribution company. In my current role, my 4th at the company, I direct, coach, and evaluate a staff of 21 employees and 2 supervisors who are responsible for fulfilling 2,000 daily orders for 50,000 SKUs stocked across a 150,000 sq ft area.
Goal in Getting MBA: Move into management consulting

[mbamission]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for writing in. The target benchmark for applying to top-tier schools is to exceed 80% in each GMAT category, so you even though your second attempt has the impressive 99% Verbal, it's your first attempt that would be considered a "stronger" score.

1) Schools traditionally only look at one score, so I wouldn't worry about showing you took it 3 times in a row. But unless you have reason to believe you can raise that quant score, retaking may not be the best use of your time.

2) This is more preferred approach. Recommenders can talk about how you might use quant scores in your daily work, and you can write a short optional essay that tells why you think you can handle MBA-level math. Perhaps you can point to your college transcript, or begin taking a Finance or Accounting course at a local college to show your dedication.

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

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