Cancel or Keep Score

[SanihaS748]

I took the GMAT for the first time in July 2014 and got a 710 (47Q/41V). I retook the GMAT this past weekend hoping to raise my quant score. Unfortunately, I was not able to sleep well the night before and did not perform my best on the test. I got a 680 (44Q/40V) and ending up cancelling my score since both of my quant and verbal scores went down. I wanted to get advice on whether or not I should reinstate my score. Will schools be able to tell that I cancelled my score? Additionally, do you think I should consider retaking the exam or do you think a 710 is a solid school for applying to the Top 15 business schools?

[StaceyKoprince]

Schools will not see that you took the test and canceled it. Most business schools* don't care if you take it multiple times and will only look at the highest score, so it's not absolutely necessary to cancel if you get a lower score - but, since you already canceled, there's no point in paying to reinstate it.

*Note: this is not necessarily true of Ph.D. and other business-related programs. I'm only talking MBA programs here.

Next, whether a 710 is good enough...I don't know. My area of expertise is the test itself, not admissions. We've got a folder here called Ask An Admissions Consultant, and I'd recommend asking there. Warning: they will want to know a whole lot more than just your score + "top 15 schools." The score is one part of an entire package, and the schools don't consider each piece separately. A 710 is a very good score, but if you have a weakness elsewhere in your package, then it's possible that you'd be advised to offset that weakness by going for a higher GMAT score. On the other hand, the rest of your package may be sufficiently strong that lifting your GMAT further isn't likely to have a big impact. So, when you post, let them know about your profile. (I'd also suggest letting them know the specific schools that are of interest to you. There's a big difference between the #1 school and the #15 school.)