STUDENT2STUDENT

DISCUSSION FORUM

• GMAT - 710 ( Q50,V35) retake ? From: georgepaul0071987  May 28, 2012 Posts 5

  Hey guys ,   I just wrote my GMAT exam a few weeks ago and these are my scores : Quant : 50 ( Percentile - 92%) Verbal : 35 ( Percentile - 75%) AWA : 5.5 ( Percentile - 77%) Overall - 710 ( Percentile - 92%) I'm happy with the overall score , but a little concerned that my verbal score is under the 80th percentile . For what it's worth English is not my native language and also my AWA is fairly score . From a pure GMAT standpoint alone will the verbal score be an issue ? Thanks  George   Reply

• Re: GMAT - 710 ( Q50,V35) retake ? From: Fanaticalfan  May 28, 2012 Posts 1,159

  In reply to

  George, Admissions at Wharton is not particularly scores-driven (unlike some undergrad admissions applicants may be familiar with). But adcom do want to be confident that you can comfortably handle the coursework at Wharton, and GMAT is one of several areas they look at to form an opinion on this. Where an applicant scores lower than 80% on the V or Q components, adcom will look more carefully at other areas of the application for evidence (both positive and negative) of the relevant V or Q scores. Where an applicant is running a 3.8 GPA with predominantly V type classes, they will probably be pretty comfortable with the applicant's V skills. With a transcript (and professional experience?) that is heavily stacked towards the Q side of things, adcom may be more concerned about what the GMAT says abot an applicant's verbal/conceptual skills. But the decision YOU are faced with is not whether it is an issue or not, but rather how can you best allocate your time between now and applying. At this stage there is several months before the R1 deadline, and there is probably sufficient time to retake the GMAT without compromising the time it takes to prepare a quality application. Later on in the admissions process, I tend firmly to the view that retaking the GMAT with those kind of numbers is NOT a good use of the applicant's time, and does not serve the applicant's best interests. And before retaking, it is worth considering how likely you are to improve your V score. If 75% was roughly where you were tracking in practice tests, then retaking may not be a good use of time, as a substantial improvement in scores is less likely. While adcom will consider your highest score, they may also read into what retakes say about an applicant's decision-making and priorities. FF Reply

• Re: GMAT - 710 ( Q50,V35) retake ? From: georgepaul0071987  May 28, 2012 Posts 5

  In reply to

  Thanks for the quick reply !  Actually my background is pretty heavily weighted to the Q side as well . I have a bachelors' degree in engineering with a 4.0 GPA . I plan on applying for the class of 2016. So I have quite a lot of time on my hands . So i can easily retake .  If I retake my overall score will improve , but I don't know if I'll be able to maintain the high quant score ( meaning I'm confident of improving my verbal score , but nor sure if I can maintain the quant score ) . Is a quant/verbal split of 80/80 split better than my current 92/75 split ? I was under the impression that Wharton placed much more emphasis on the quant side . So in that case , would'nt a 92% percentile on quant look better than say around a 80% percentile ? Thanks for your help !       Reply

• Re: GMAT - 710 ( Q50,V35) retake ? From: victormlee  May 28, 2012 Posts 2,555

  In reply to

  Generally speaking, Wharton AdCom will look at the best subscores you have, even if they span multiple administrations of the GMAT. Of course, if the subscores are highly divergent, this may lead to further scrutiny. A slight drop in Q subscore would likely not be a big deal, though, especially if still comfortably above the 80th percentile mark.  As one of the more analytical programs in the world, Wharton does take a candidate's quantitative aptitude seriously, but AdCom is also concerned about a candidate's verbal ability. I would not say that one is taken more seriously at the expense of the other.  Given that you say that your educational background is more skewed towards the quantitative side than the verbal side, if you do not have other evidence of verbal ability (e.g., from professional work), you may be well served retaking the GMAT.  Now, to answer your question more directly, Wharton AdCom tends to look at each subscore somewhat independently. It is therefore ideal to have all subscores exceed the 80th percentile whenever reasonably possible. Generally speaking, a more balanced set of subscores above the 80th percentile is better than lopsided results. I don't understand necessarily why your quantitative side has to go down in order for your verbal side to go up, though. It's not a zero-sum game. Yes, perhaps you will spend more time focusing on the verbal side and the quantitative side will slip a bit as a result, but if your previous quant subscore is reflective of your general aptitude and ability at this time, that quant subscore really shouldn't slip that much (from the 92nd to 80th percentile). If your quant subscore needs to slip significantly in order to bring up your verbal subscore, then there is a bigger problem and concern at stake, in my opinion. (This is also designed to deter people from trying to get a good combination score by merely focusing on the verbal side for one GMAT administration, the quantitative side for another GMAT administration, and the AWA for the third GMAT administration).  Hope this helps. -Victor WG '11 Reply