Should I repeat the test?

[d.fradkov]

Hey everyone,

I just completed my first GMAT exam and the result wasn't really what I expected it to be. Therefore I wanted to ask the experts among you whether I should retake the whole thing or stick with my score. So here is the story:

I bought the Manhattan Gmat-set and was able to take some of the simulation you get along with the set. Each time I scored between 600 and 620, which would have been fine for the real exam. But my actual score now is 590 and the really weird thing comes next: During my simulations I traditionally scored between the 52 and 60 percentile in Quant and about 67 in verbal.
Now, the real thing resulted in the 35th percentile in Quant and the 82nd in Verbal, so both of them diverged by quite a bit. The math part just didn't go my way and I am concerned about the emberassing result, although I am really content with the verbal part as you can imagine. Maybe if I retake it I'll just lose some verbal points in exchange for a gain in math and the overall score will be about the same...
So, what do you guys think of this? Is the math score simply too low to apply for some decent business school or should I keep the one I have with the good vebal results?

thanks in advance

[StaceyKoprince]

Hi, interesting result! Your overall score was in line with your practice tests (these tests all have standard deviations - a range of expected scores - so your results were right in the range for your practice tests).

But the Q / V split is different. Nice that you scored so well on verbal! But obviously quant isn't so great. Your next step is to look at the websites of the schools to which you want to apply. What do they say about the overall scores that they want / that their admitted students receive? Do they say anything about wanting minimums on Q and V separately?

You can also email them to ask. Don't tell them your results, just tell them that you're starting the process and want to know whether they have any minimum requirements, as well as whether they have any average results for the students that they do admit.

Two things:
(1) DO check their website for that data before you email them. If it's already on the site, then they'll think you just weren't being diligent.
(2) DO triple-check your email to make sure it's grammatically correct, polite, respectful, etc. :)

If you decide to take the test again and want advice about how to prep, just let us know. Use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT (this should take you a minimum of 1 hour):
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Also, read these two articles:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... lly-tests/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

Figure out your strengths and weaknesses as well as what you think you should do based on that analysis. Then come back here and tell us; we'll tell you whether we agree and advise you further. (Note: do share an analysis with us, not just the raw data. Part of getting better is developing your ability to analyze your results - figure out what they mean and what you think you should do about them!)