700 (Q43/V42) - Re-take?

[MM261]

Hi Stacey!

Very happy to report that I got a 700 (Q43/V42) on the GMAT today. Hitting the 700 mark was a big psychological barrier for me, so it was a relief to see that number on the screen. A huge thanks to the MGMAT team - the course was fantastic and the CATs incredibly challenging.

My goal was always 700+, and I've technically now reached that goal, but I'm wondering if I should consider taking it again. I'm aiming for top 10 schools and planning to apply R1. I'm definitely a bit below the median, though I know that the GMAT is only one component (albeit an important one) of the overall application. I feel confident about the other areas of my application, but a higher GMAT score obviously couldn't hurt.

As for the actual test: my verbal score dipped a bit (not by much, though). Quant dipped a tiny bit from my last test, but to be fair, this was only the second time I've scored in the 40s in Quant.

Should I do a bit more studying, take it again, and see if I have a better day?

To give you a sense of what my practice tests were like:

MGMAT1, April 24: 610 (Q37/V36) - Diagnostic
MGMAT2, May 25: 620 (Q37/V37)
MGMAT3, June 30: 620 (Q39/V36)
MGMAT4, July 14: 650 (Q39/V40)
GMATP1, July 18: 660 (Q36/V44)
MGMAT5, July 25: 650 (Q38/V40)
GMATP2, July 31: 720 (Q45/V44)
Actual GMAT: 700 (Q43/V42)

Thanks for your help!

[StaceyKoprince]

That's fantastic - congratulations!

Your verbal score is more than good enough for any score. Your quant score could be considered low, depending on the program. It'd be low for a 1-2-3 school. It might be fine for an 8-9-10 school.

I'd actually talk to MBA Mission (or another admissions consulting firm). Our students get a free 30-minute phone consult with them (look in your student center for details). They'll be able to take a look at the rest of your background (school classes + grades, quant background at work), as well as the specific schools you're actually thinking about, and give you a better idea of whether the 42 is okay or potentially problematic.

If they say to take it again, come on back here and we'll discuss. (Actually, will you let me know what they say either way?)

[MM261]

Hi Stacey-

Spoke to MBAMission and they think I should take it again - especially to get the quant up. I've scheduled a re-take for the 27th, which gives me around two weeks.

My plan is to continue practicing verbal (primarily to make sure that I don't get rusty and that I can keep that score up). I'm going to review the different CR question types and approaches again, as I definitely felt myself fading a bit toward the end of the last exam - want to make sure I have a clear strategy for each type and can keep better track under pressure.

Now, about quant. My quant score hovered between 36-39 for a long time and only began to rise during the last couple weeks of my studying, during which I mostly did tons of OG problems and reviewed (and re-reviewed) wrong answers on a daily basis. It peaked at 45 on my last practice exam and went down to 43 on the actual test.

I'm thinking I should continue to do as many practice problems as I can, reviewing incorrect answers until those questions and the approaches behind them make complete sense. I was also thinking it might make sense for me to read through each MGMAT quant strategy guide one last time.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

[StaceyKoprince]

Agreed that you should keep practicing verbal to keep those skills up - don't want that to drop next time.

For quant, your focus should be on a few things:

(1) Low hanging fruit. Where do you sometimes make mistakes on things that you do know how to do? Especially on lower-difficulty questions. Where do you know how to do something, but it takes a while and an alternative approach would be easier / more efficient? Work to make those areas very solid. Don't go after your biggest weaknesses - you're just trying to get back to that 45, so go after the stuff that's most likely to pay off.

(2) Make better decisions about where to spend your time and mental effort. It doesn't matter if you get the hardest questions wrong, but it does matter if you're making mistakes or getting sloppy on lower-level stuff because you spent too much time and/or mental energy on the harder stuff. Most people could pick up a point or two in each section just by being more discerning about what they're choosing to do and NOT to do.

So, given the above, I wouldn't thoroughly read through every chapter in every guide, no. That just reinforces the (faulty) mindset that you're trying to get everything right, which interferes with #2 above. Instead, I would pick and choose based on what was most likely to pay off.

Go through your last couple of practice tests and analyze thoroughly. Concentrate on stuff that you knew how to do but got wrong and stuff that you did get right and knew how to do but there may be more efficient ways to solve next time. 6 or 7 days before the real test, take another practice test, repeat your analysis, and then move forward with whatever low-hanging fruit comes out of that analysis.

You can, of course, do a light read-through to remind yourself of major rules / formulas / etc. But your goal is not to learn every last thing thoroughly.

If you want to get more practice with the decision-making in an adaptive setting, you can try GMAT Focus - this is a product from the real test makers. Read more about it in the store section of mba.com, but it's basically a quant-only adaptive section (24 questions instead of 37, but still adaptive). If you use this, just note that they don't give a time limit, so set a 48-minute time limit for yourself.

And of course come back here and check anything with us that you want!

[MM261]

Hi Stacey!

Thanks for the suggestions. I've been having major issues with the GMATPrep software over the past couple of weeks, so I did a bunch of questions on Magoosh and revisited most of the questions in my error log to identify mistakes I often make, etc.

Unfortunately, I had a pretty odd re-take experience - scored a 640 (Q34/V44) and promptly cancelled it. Interestingly, it's the worst math score I've ever gotten (even my diagnostic was a 36). For some reason, I just found myself struggling with basic computations. The questions also seemed a little foreign to me; I think shifting away from official material to Magoosh might be partly to blame. It might also have been the fact that I took it at 8 am. Or the experience could have been a total outlier. When I got to verbal, however, I felt fine. Relaxed, sharp, and on it.

I'm not upset - just a little baffled. Very relieved I already have a 700.

Should I take it again in a couple weeks and see how it goes? I'd have less time to concentrate on my R1 apps. I could also apply to some schools R1, study for the GMAT again, and then apply to more schools in R2 if needed.

If I do decide to re-take, should I just follow your initial suggestions again and stick to the official material?

Thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

That's too bad. Okay, let's diagnose.

First, are you not a morning / 8am person? (My score would definitely go down if I took it at 8am!)

Second, were you maybe burned out / mentally fatigued? That could explain feeling like you couldn't do basic computations. What did you do in the last 3-5 days before the test?

You don't want to diminish the quality of any apps, since you do already have a 700. You could still try "lightly" - follow what I wrote before but studying is second priority to making those apps beautiful. All it'll cost you is your own time and $250.

If you have the ability to exchange email with MBA Mission, may want to ask whomever you spoke with: would they advise applying Round 1 with the original score* or postponing to Round 2 to really try to go for that higher quant? (*And then you could still do the "hey, I'll give it one more light try" path.)