Should I retake GMAT? (740 - Q47, V45)

[KevinC971]

I recently took the GMAT and scored a 740 with splits of Q 47, V 45, 8 IR. While I am happy with my overall score, I am concerned with my Quant score. I want to attend a top 10 B-School and have heard that many of the top schools have a threshold of ~80th percentile for Quant.

I was a Math/Econ undergrad so I was pretty disappointed in my Quant score. I know that I could have done much better on that section. For the majority of my practice exams under real conditions (for example GMAT Prep exams 1, 2, 3) I followed the old section order of AWA, IR, Quant, Verbal. I scored 710, 740, 760 and scored Q49 on the last two. On the real exam, however, I decided to go Quant, Verbal, IR AWA (I changed order last minute because I forgot to bring food and felt like I wouldn't be able to sufficiently replenish for the 'big' sections during my break). I think this was a mistake and negatively impacted my Quant score since I felt a bit groggy and my mind spent too much time warming up/getting used to the true exam environment.

Basically, I feel like the 63rd percentile Quant score will look pretty bad on applications. I know I can improve this if I retake the exam. So should I retake it? Are there cases where retaking would not look good/is unadvisable? I have heard mixed reviews, but my initial reaction is that retaking the exam probably won't hurt. I would appreciate any and all input.

Thanks!

Kevin

[StaceyKoprince]

The 80th percentile for Q thing no longer applies.

10 years ago, 80th percentile for quant was a score of 46. The skill / knowledge level that it takes to get a score of 46 has not changed—rather, the pool of test takers has changed, which changes the percentiles only. (Basically, there are many more non-North-American test-takers now. Most of the growth has come from regions of the world in which quant skills tend to be very high. So the percentiles have skewed down—but the skill levels needed for specific scores have not changed.)

Now (and then), top-10 schools like(d) to see scores of Q45+. So you are fine*, I'm happy to say. (More than fine—great job!)

(*Note: If you are in one of the areas where Q skills are very much higher (eg, China, India), then a Q45 might be considered on the low side for your demographic. In those demographics, a Q47 or 48 might be safer. But you write like a native English speaker and your name is Kevin, so I'm guessing you are in North America. Correct me if I'm wrong.)

If you do want to take it again just to see what happens, go for it! But don't do so because you think Q is "bad"—it's not.

[redexpo]

Thanks Stacey! I found this very useful myself.

[StaceyKoprince]

Glad to help! Good luck with your studies!