700 score with low quant, should I retake?

[cfr8c]

I took the GMAT this weekend and scored a 700 (55th percentile in quantitative, 99th percentile in verbal). I'm pleased with the overall score but am very disappointed with the quantitative. I would rather not retake the exam, but I don't want the low score to be an automatic cut. My percentile rankings on practice tests were much closer together, and my practice scores were between 680-700.

I graduated from UVA (#1 undergrad business school) with a major in finance and 3.5 GPA, and am now working as a financial analyst for a private equity firm and my job is very quantitative in nature. I am a 25 year old female interested in applying to the top 10 schools only. I got mostly Bs in my college level math classes (below). What do you think??

Calc 1 - B
Calc 2 - B-
Statistics - B+
Intro Accounting - B
Intermediate Accounting - B
Quantitative and Financial Analysis - A-
Intermediate Corp Finance - A-
Intermediate Investments - B
Advanced Corp Finance - B+

Thanks for your help!

[mbamission]

Hi cfr8c,

Thanks for writing in and sharing your background info. While a 700 is certainly a good score, top-10 schools will notice the low quant score and unfortunately I do think it will hurt your profile. Although you have the college coursework in Quant areas, it would be easier to overcome that 55% Quant if the grades were A-/A, rather than mostly Bs. I advise you to retake the test once and focus heavily on Quant in your prep work. A slight slip in overall score, with more balance, is preferable to your current score.

Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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[dlang_]

Hi,

I thought I would post my question as a reply on this thread, because I am facing a somewhat similar GMAT situation as cfr8c. I took the GMAT this weekend and got a 720 (42Q, 46V, which translates to 59% quant, 99% verbal). I have a very weak quant background - I don’t use quant in my job at all, and in college, I majored in a social science and thus took only one math class, which I maybe got a B or a B+ in. I am interested in top 10, or maybe 15, schools. The math score I got this weekend was in the range of my practice tests - I think the best I ever did was a 44 for a raw quant score. I’m not excited about retaking the test, but I suspect the smart thing would be to do so. What do you think?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[mbamission]

Hi dlang,

If your practice tests indicate that this is where your natural quant score is, then it may not be worth your time to retake, as you could use those hours preparing your applications. I suggest looking at community college or online courses in Finance, Accounting and Statistics to supplement your quant skills,and you can indicate in an optional essay that you are taking those classes now to get you ready for an MBA curriculum.

Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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[aseem63]

Hi,

I and a friend of mine gave GMAT and got the following scores -

My Score -
Q 51(98%ile)
V 35(74%ile)
O 710(92%ile)
Previous score (620 - 50/23)

Friend's Score -
Q 46(73%ile)
V 44(97%ile)
O 720(94%ile)
Previous score (680 - 48/36)

We both have a background of working in world renowned Financial services firms for the past 5 years.

MY score -
Maths has been my strong point - even in my resume. Do you think my verbal score is less for applications? Will I need to justify my low verbal scores? Also, will a low 1st GMAT score affect my application?

My Friend's score-
Is the score in Quant too low for applications? Her math score was 2/4 points below her usual math score. But at the same time, her English score was 2/4 points higher than her usual score. Is it advisable to give GMAT again? Will such a score hurt her applications?


Thanks a lot for the advice!

[rachel]

Hi! Business schools are more focused on your quant scores than your verbal scores, so you shouldn't be concerned about your score at all. In addition, most schools will only look at your highest score, so your lower first school doesn't matter.

As for your friend, her score overall is strong. Her quant is OK for most schools, but for the top-tier MBA programs, she might consider taking the GMAT again to get the quant portion above the 80th percentile.

Best of luck,

Rachel Beck


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