690 Q V - Should I retake?

[torag1007]

I just took the GMAT and scored a 690 (Q45 V40). This is an increase from my score two months ago of 640 (Q43 V35). I am happier with my score but am not sure if I should consider retaking the GMAT. I have 3 years of work experience in audit & tax, so my work history does reflect heavy quantitative experience. I graduated from a top public university with a 3.75/4.0 GPA and majored in Finance. I am interested in schools in the Midwest as well as in California. More specifically I am looking at Haas, Booth, Kellogg and Anderson. I understand that it is difficult to determine whether or not I will still stand a chance at this schools but I am not sure whether or not it will be worth it to spend more time & money trying to break the 700 barrier. Since I work in tax I generally work 70-80 hour weeks from January-April so it will be difficult to devote a lot of time to studying but I am concerned that it would also be detrimental to put off studying since I am already in the swing of things. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

[StaceyKoprince]

Nice work! The average improvement from official test 1 to official test 2 is only 30 points. :)

The best person to ask is an admissions consultant - my specialty is the test itself, not the admissions process. We've got a folder here called Ask An Admissions Consultant. I'm sure you can also find other forums where you can get advice from consultants.

As a general rule, look up the average incoming scores of the people those schools actually accept. Also take a look at the other stats (work experience, GPA, etc). Where do you fall in the pack for those schools? Are you already above average? Are you above in some areas and below in others?

Obviously, a lot more goes into the admissions decision than the numbers, but this is one way to get a quick read of how competitive you will be initially. For the "numbers," you mostly just want to get past the "Can this student handle the work?" hurdle. The real decision will then be made based upon the more intangible stuff (work experience, recommendations, personal essays).

My guess is that a 3.75 and 690 are definitely more than adequate for the first hurdle, and your focus should be on the intangibles, but talk to an admissions consultant to find out what the real experts think.