Got 690 (q-49, v-35) from the exam

[mkutluksaman]

Hi all,

I have taken the GMAT exam for four times and my scores are as following:

09/2008 V-26 , Q-49 , total score: 610 , AWA: 4.0
10/2008 V-19 , Q-50 , total score: 570 , AWA: 4.5
12/2008 V-26 , Q-50 , total score: 640 , AWA: 4.0

These are my real exam scores. On the manhattan practice tests I was getting scores around (710 - 730). After my third GMAT exam I gave a break for my study on the exam and 1 year later I took my last GMAT exam with only 3 days of preparation and my score was:

03/2010 V-35 , Q-49, Total Score: 690 , AWA: 4.0

It was surprising to see the improvement on my score since I only studied in the last 3 days before the exam. I only took 1 manhattan pactice exam and I got V-36, Q - 48 and in total 690 on that practice exam. So my real exam performance revealed the same score that I got in my manhattan practice exam.

I think my performance was better compared to my previous exams because I had a better time management and less stress although I did not prepared for the exam.

Now with that score on hand, I am in the position to make a decision whether to retake the exam. Should I prepare and retake the exam with the hope to get a score over 700 or is it enough for top 20 schools Stanford, Kellog, Wharton, Sloan or Chicago ?

My GPA is 3.53 and my major is Industrial Engineering

In total I have 9 years of work experience , 5 year is in private sector and and 4 year in public sector. My work experience in public sector is focused on feasibility analysis, project finance and project management.

Considering my score and background, could you please give me an advice on what should I do?

Thank you for your help.

[StaceyKoprince]

That's really a great performance - congratulations!

690 is well within the range for top 20 schools. Some of the schools you listed have averages that are in the low 700s, but they still accept plenty of people with 6xx scores. My personal opinion is that the rest of your application is going to matter more at this point - an identical application with a 690 vs a 710 isn't going to make a big difference. I think the much more important story here is the progression you show from your older tests to your later test. You set your mind to it and got a much better score. (They don't need to know that you didn't do all that much, comparatively, the last time around!)

I am not an admissions consultant, though - my area of expertise is the test. So I'd suggest that you ask some admissions consultants what they think. They will probably want more specifics from you (your undergraduate school, your demographic information, any leadership positions at work or in a volunteer capacity, awards, etc). Post your question both here on the MGMAT "Ask an Admissions Consultant" thread and over at Beat the GMAT (you might as well get multiple opinions). Also, a lot of admissions consultants will offer a free half-hour consultation, so you could take advantage of that to talk about this issue in general: what should you do to make your application more competitive? (And that's a broader question than just: should I take the GMAT again?)

Good luck - let us know how it goes!

p.s. if you do decide to take the test again and want advice about what to do, come back here and ask!