Do I take the GMAT a third time?

[jberuff]

Hello,

I plan on applying to top 15 B-schools only. I have taken the GMAT twice now, and below are my scores:

GMAT 1 (June-09): 640 (Math 41 (61%); Verbal 36 (78%))
GMAT 2 (October-09): 660 (Math 48 (83%); Verbal 33 (66%))

I have consistently scored above 90% on Verbal since I first took the test in June, so I consider the Verbal result on the second test a complete anomaly (I even felt as if I scored atleast 80% on vebal when I finished the test...very weird and frustrating. Why would such a big swing take place in my verbal score?). I have improved dramatically on the MAth section, and I strongly believe that if I were to take the test a third time I would score above 80% on both sections which would secure me an overall GMAT score in the 700's.

My last 3 practice exams before the October-09 GMAT were:

CAT #5: 720 (Math 46 (79%); Verbal 42 (96%))
GMAT Prep Test #1: 710
GMAT Prep Test #2: 660

Is it advisable for me to take the GMAT a third time considering I'm only applying to top 15 B-schools?

Thanks a lot for your help!

[StaceyKoprince]

In terms of whether the scores are good enough to make you competitive at top 15 schools, post your situation in the Ask An Admissions Consultant folder (and give more detail - specific school names, undergrad school, major, and GPA, job experience, etc).

In terms of why your verbal score might drop:
1) Did you take your practice tests under full official conditions, including the essays? If not, then you weren't prepared for the full length of the test (just under 4 hours) and your performance dropped towards the end because you began to become fatigued - and the verbal section is last.

2) Did you have any timing problems on the test? Too fast or too slow at any point? Forced to make quick, random guesses at any point? Forced to work a little bit (15-30sec) more quickly than you would have liked? If these things happened on more than 1 or 2 questions, then you mismanaged your time (even if you finished the section on time).

3) Did you have good "brain-energy" stuff to eat and drink on the breaks? (Complex carbs, protein, good fat) Did you avoid caffeine before the test and at the first break? (You'll crash before the end of the test if you have caffeine too early.) Again, could have added to a stamina problem.

What did you get on your AWA? (essays)

[jberuff]

Thanks for your response, Stacey.

I actually was taking the majority of my practice tests without the AWA essays. This might have played a role in me being unprepaed for the actual test in terms of stamina.

I ate a full, well-rounded breakfast before the test that morning and did not consume any coffee; however, I did not eat during my breaks. I think the biggest problem on the verbal section was the fact that I was presented with 2 sperate 4-paragraph Readking Comp. Passages (4 questions for each) that took a long time to read through and grasp. Is that unusual for a test? This took up a lot of my time and I was forced to rush a little bit towarsds the end of the section.

Still, at the end of the day, I was very surpirsed to score a 33 on verbal. While I knew it wasn't me best performance on that section, i was confident that I had done better than 33. I didn't feel particularly fatigued throughout the test.

I scored 4 on the AWA essays when I first took the GMAT. I'm still awaiting my AWA scores for the second test.

[StaceyKoprince]

The two most common RC scenarios are 3 short, 1 long and 2 short, 2 long. (And, typically, for long passages, we get four questions.) So, yes, this might happen again next time, and you'd definitely need to think about and practice what you would want to do differently next time if you do get 2 longs.

The essays and the lack of food (energy) on the breaks were probably additional major factors. You were already underprepared for the mental stamina and made it worse by not replenishing your body. And it's not surprising that you didn't necessarily feel fatigued - you would have had a lot of adrenaline pumping through your body. But we're not talking about physical fatigue. We're talking about mental sharpness - you're just not going to be as sharp / "on" if you're only prepared for a 2.5-hour-long test and, suddenly, the test length jumps to 3.5 hours. Notice that it isn't your quant score that's dropping - it's the verbal score, and that's the one that would be affected by the "stamina underpreparedness" for the last hour.

If you took our course or one of our Guided Self-Study packages, then you're eligible for a free Post-Exam Assessment (if you didn't already use it after your first official test). This is a phone call with an instructor to figure out what went wrong and come up with a plan to re-take the test. If this applies to you, please send an email ASAP to studentservices@manhattangmat.com and request the Post-Exam Assessment.

If that doesn't apply to you and you want to dig in a little deeper to figure out more about what went wrong and what to do next, read the below article, and come back and post here. We'll help you figure it out!
http://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/10/26/my-score-dropped-figuring-out-what-went-wrong

[jberuff]

Stacey, thanks for your advice. The Beat the GMAT article was very helpful!

[StaceyKoprince]

Great - I'm glad! Let us know if you want to discuss anything!