Hi Experts,

I just took my GMAT today and got about 700, but I seriously felt I could have done better (made a few careless mistake due to intense pressure). Unfortunately time is already late so I better start applying for schools now.

I wonder if I can take the GMAT for the 3rd time, and If I didn't feel good about it after the completion of the exam, I can just cancel my score. But I am not sure if this strategy would have any negative effects on my chances of getting accepted by top schools. so I would like to hear some opinions

Your response is deeply appreciated.

You're demoralizing few of us! :D

First, if you take it but cancel your score at the end, the schools will see that you sat all the way through the test and then cancelled your score at the end. Then they'll wonder why - and generally their imagination will be worse than what you actually did. :)

Second, why do you feel you need to take the test again? Do you think there is a reason why 700 won't be good enough (though there's no school that would reject you for that reason)? Or is it just a personal goal at this point - you think you can do better and you'd like to prove it to yourself?

If you think there may be a problem with the actual admissions angle, talk to a few admissions consultants to see what they think (they're going to want to know the rest of your profile, not just your GMAT score).

If it's really more of a personal goal... think about how your time is best spent right now. Applications take a LOT of work. You don't want to sacrifice any quality on the rest of the application at this point - do you have the time and energy to do stellar applications plus study for the test again? If so, great - but the apps are your #1 priority now.

_________________
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director of Online Community
ManhattanGMAT