Taking the GMAT Again: How Much is Too Much?

Today’s post is brought to you by MBA House and is written by Jarrod Stokes. To learn more about MBA House, visit the website (find a info on an MBA House promotion  DiversityMBAPrep.com Resources page) 

You’ve done the preparation, taken the test but you still didn’t reach your target GMAT score. Should you take the exam again? Well, that depends on a few factors. What degree of studying have you done? How much higher is your goal score? What’s your application and GMAT time frame? Taking the GMAT a second time is an entirely new commitment of your time and money that needs to be considered with all the cards on the table.

1. How much prep have you done for the exam, and more importantly, what was the quality of your prep work?

It’s important to be honest with yourself here. Did you take a few practice exams and work through a couple of problems before the test, or did you build and execute a study plan over several months? Did you mostly study one section and ignore the other? The breadth of your preparation is an indication of how close your score is to what your best score possible could be. Taking this into consideration will help show the range of your capabilities and pinpoint where in that range your score actually fell.

2. How much higher is your goal score?

There’s a big difference between missing your goal by 20 points and missing it by 100. If you barely missed your goal, you should determine what will enable you to improve.  If you can study new areas, take practice exams and review your work, then taking it again may be an option.  However, don’t forget that scores are approximations of your theoretical, “true” ability to perform. A certain amount of chance can positively or negatively affect your performance every time you take the test. Thus ask yourself if those 20 points really strengthen your application to determine if a GMAT retake  is worth the investment.  If you scored vastly lower than your goal, identify the reasons why. Maybe you didn’t prepare adequately. Everyone is subject to nerves and illness, which can hurt your score drastically. Also look at your goal itself: have you achieved that score on a timed CAT practice test? It may be disheartening to adjust your goals down, but it’s important to set realistic expectations which still push you to perform at your best.

3. What time frame do you have, both for the GMAT and for your b-school applications?

If you find you would need to spend a significant amount of time studying to notably improve your GMAT score but have application deadlines in two weeks, you need to ask what you can realistically achieve in that time. Pushing applications back a year is another possible option but you should also consider your mental and time capacity first. Taking the test again will only be beneficial if you work to improve, which may or may not be possible with all the other various obligations you have in life.

There’s no easy answer to whether you should take the GMAT a second time, or a third or a fourth. Your decision will depend on a number of factors unique to your situation. The key is to consider all of these factors together rather than independently so that you don’t make a hasty, emotional decision based on disappointment or deadlines. Remember, there are numerous routes to business school and a successful career – you just need to build one that belongs to you.

To learn more join next week’s TwitterTalk (Tuesday, December 4th, 9PM ET: Approaching Application Deadlines and an Uncompetitive GMAT Score (what should you do if you planned to apply in the second round but your GMAT score is way outside your target school range?)