Advice please: scored 700 today; perfect verbal, low quant

[j_o_m80]

Hi all,

I have searched for various forums on GMAT, and this appears to be the one with the most constructive comments, so here goes. (Many thanks to any/all who respond).

I sat the GMAT today. I had taken a couple of practice exams and scored 670 and 690 respectively, with the verbal score usually higher than the quant score. Before taking the actual test today, I had spent about 2 weeks brushing up on the quant stuff, with a very brief review of the verbal aspects of the GMAT thrown in for good measure. I would say that in an ideal world I would have done much more quant preparation than I did.

My score from the GMAT today was 700 flat. However, I completely botched the quant section. I actually didn't even get to the 3 last questions (ran out of time) and was so rushed on the penultimate 3 questions that I almost certainly got them wrong. Essentially, a couple of early questions threw me and I managed my time badly from then on. My quant score was 38 (51st %).

By contrast, I totally aced the verbal section (47 - 99th %). I think this may mean I answered every question correctly. In my 2 practice exams my average verbal was low 90s, and my quant was low 70s (noting that I did manage to finish the quant section on time in both practice exams I took, in contrast to my performance today on the real thing).

I am aiming to get into a top B school in the US or Europe, and ultimately to move into private equity (perhaps starting in corporate finance at an IB if necessary). I am therefore concerned that the quant score will count against me in a major way, despite the healthy overall score.

My background is that I am a lawyer working in M&A at a large international law firm in Australia. I am 29 years old. I have a law degree and a BA. My university marks are fair but not stellar. Despite my (relative) youth as a lawyer, I have risen up through my firm rapidly and am now fairly senior. I have worked on a large number of significant transactions.

I have undertaken post grad studies in finance (including valuation) at a reputable Australian institution (now owned by Kaplan), and achieved distinction level marks in those studies.

My question is, should I sit the GMAT again, to try and increase my quant score? I think I would almost certainly increase the quant score from my terrible performance today, but I am concerned that I might not do as well on the verbal as I did today, so that my overall score may fall from 700. Of course, if I can keep the verbal very high and increase the quant, I should get a really good score.

Are top B Schools likely to consider my post grad finance studies/results as counterbalancing my poor quant score (in which case perhaps I should just accept the 700 I got today), or am I better to take the GMAT again (even though I would be risking my high verbal score to try and lift my quant score)?

Many thanks, and apologies for the length of the post.

[StaceyKoprince]

Great questions. First, fantastic job on the verbal - that's really a great performance.

On the quant / should you take it again question, that's really going to depend upon the school. It is the case that they will take additional information (such as the additional quant classes you've been taking) and that may offset a lower quant GMAT score, but each individual school can handle this however it would like.

Most of the very top (top 5) schools say that they tend to look for an "80/80" meaning about 80th percentile (or higher) in both quant and verbal. If everything else is very strong, it's often okay for one of the two sub-sections to drop into the 70s, but 58 might be harder for the very top schools to overlook.

Do you know the specific schools to which you plan to apply? If so, I have a couple of suggestions for you:
1) post your situation, along with the names of the schools, in the "ask an admissions consultant" thread on this forum; the admissions consultants who answer questions there are more likely to know which of those schools (if any) want an "80/80" score or would be seriously concerned about a 58th percentile score.
2) ask the schools directly; attend an info session or email the admissions department, explain your situation (perhaps more briefly, though), and ask what they would recommend. They won't absolutely tell you what to do, but they may say something like "that kind of score would be concerning" (read: take it again) or "we do accept supplemental course work as a proxy for the quant score" (read: maybe you don't have to take it again)

If you do take it again, obviously you need to fix the quant timing problem. So here are some things to know about that.

First, this test is not just testing you on whether you know the material and can answer the questions. It's also testing you on whether you can set priorities and manage your time appropriately (as any good businessperson should know how to do!). Think about your average workday - sometimes there are things you have to leave till tomorrow or next week, right? Sometimes there are things you have to give to somebody else or say you can't do.

Second, you will ALWAYS be pressed for time, no matter how good you get (because the test will just keep giving you harder stuff). Most people have to guess on between 4 and 7 questions a section (unless they're in the stratosphere, as you are on verbal!). You have two choices:

1) do nothing, then be forced to guess on 4-7 in a row at the end
2) choose the hardest 4-7 questions as you seem them throughout the test and guess on those; make sure not to lose ANY time on these, and make sure not to spend more than 3m on any quant question ever

(Also, for future, NEVER leave anything blank. The penalty is higher for that than for guessing and getting them all wrong. But, ideally, set things up so that you don't have to guess on 6 questions in a row at the end!)

Nutshell: you're going to have to guess. The only control you have is WHEN / on which questions.

If you decide to re-take and want to discuss this (or anything test-related) further, let us know!