To Daniel & others that have opinions -

I just finished taking my first GMAT exam. First off, let me say a hearty thank you to the folks at MGMAT - they do a terrific job.

Next, I'd like to get your opinion on a few things. I scored a 670 on my first GMAT (45Q 71%, 36V 79%, 670 84%). While I had been consistently getting scores between 650 and 680 (never above) on various practice exams, I am somewhat irked by my real score, despite it being in my previous "range". I had a slight anxiety rush with about 10 questions left on the Quant. section that caused me to just start mostly guessing on questions as my time was running low. Now, I will never know if this wouldn't have happened what my score would have been, but part of me wants to know... So my first question to you is: would you advise trying again, knowing that this score is in my "range", and that I worked my tail off for 3 months for studying - is it worth it to try again in another month?

Second, considering the above, would you please evaluate my profile (perhaps this will dictate your answer to 1) above):

1) GMAT: 670 (45Q, 36V) - AWA pending - let's assume 5.0 or 5.5
2) Education: B.S. - Big Ten University - Accountancy (Overall & Major GPA 3.77) and
Master's in Accounting - Same Big Ten University - (GPA 3.95)
- Graduate TA for 200-level class.
3) Certified Public Accountant license (passed on 1st try)
4) Work Experience: Big 4 firm - auditor - 2 years at the moment - will aim to have 4 years by time of enrollment
- Early promoted at firm
5) Take a casual assumption of good recommendations and good essays as to why I believe an MBA is beneficial, etc.
6) Outside leadership / extracurriculars: Due to long hours at Big 4 firm, not as much as I'd hope, but can cite heavy recruiting involvement for the firm and occassional work w/ church. (I recognize this needs to be improved...).

Considering the above, as well as my target schools:
Choice 1a: Northwestern (FT pref, PT's good as well),
Choice 1b: U of Chicago (FT pref, PT's good as well),
Choice 3: Duke (FT only)
Choice 4: U of Michigan (FT only),
Choice 5: Notre Dame (FT only),
would you advise retaking to see if I can somehow score outside of my "range" and perhaps get a 690 or 700 (best case scenario, in all honesty)? Or, are my current credentials and GMAT good enough to get me into 1 of the programs above. Only other consideration is that I am currently 25 - will be 27 in 2 years (projected enrollment), and am a white male.

Again, thanks very much to all that provide opinions. You will never know how much I appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you and best of luck to everyone - I wish we could all get into our dream schools...

Hi there,

Thanks for the kind words and providing your detailed information. While it may be frustrating that you feel you rushed the end of the test, if your practice and studying revealed this to be your "true" score, additional prep may not be worth your time. Perhaps consider prepping for another 1-2 weeks and taking some practice exams to see if the score goes up. Also, keep in mind that the questions at the beginning of the test have a much larger impact on your overall score than those at the end, so even if you answered a few of the last 10 incorrectly, the impact on your score is likely small.

Given your academics and work experience, I would rate Kellogg and Booth FT as "reach" schools (though you may be more competitive for the PT programs), Ross as a near-reach, Duke as competitive, Notre Dame as very competitive.

I do think there is time and opportunity to improve your extracurriculars, and perhaps that can be an area of focus for you. After all, most candidates work demanding jobs, but some are able to find ways to participate in community as well. While this may seem overwhelming, these are also the people you will be competing against for admission.

Hope this was helpful and best of luck!

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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