The Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT, is an important element of the business school application.
The intensity and pace of an MBA program require students to be academically comfortable, experts say. The GMAT, a tool to predict analytical and quantitative readiness, ensures applicants can handle rigorous coursework.
A strong GMAT score can bolster your application, while a weak score can undermine it. Ultimately, the GMAT is one of many admissions factors that is evaluated through a holistic admissions process.
“It’s never, on its own, the deal-maker or the deal-breaker,” says Esther Magna, principal MBA admissions consultant at Stacy Blackman Consulting.
Experts advise applicants to consider various factors — like target scores, application timelines and overall profiles — when deciding whether to retake the GMAT.
How Often Can You Retake the GMAT
You can take the GMAT up to five times within a 12-month period and up to eight times total. Test-takers must wait at least 16 days between attempts.
“Generally, our clients prefer to take it more than once because there is a correlation with a second sitting and a higher score,” Magna says. GMAT scores should reflect applicants’ best capabilities, experts say.
[Read: What Is a Good GMAT Score?]
Who Should Retake the GMAT and Why
Generally, it’s advisable to retake the GMAT when you have very low scores across all sections, says Teresa Peiro-Camaro, associate director of global admissions at international graduate business school INSEAD. MBA programs also prefer seeing balanced scores.
However, there are multiple factors to consider when deciding whether to retake the GMAT, experts say.
Current Score vs. Target Score
Most schools publish average GMAT scores and the full range of scores for admitted students. Experts encourage applicants to use these class profiles to determine their target score.
“I’m very adamant about publishing that range because the average can be quite intimidating,” says Steve Thompson, senior director of admissions at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Candidates’ scores should fall within the published range to indicate their readiness for the program.
“If you’re falling more toward the lower end of that range, you want to be able to clearly point to other aspects within your application where you’re above average,” Thompson says.
Magna says Stacy Blackman Consulting recommends that candidates applying to top-ranked MBA programs aim for the 80th percentile or higher in each section. Applicants might opt for a second or third exam sitting if “they feel they can do much better and are not already above the reported average scores for MBA programs,” Magna says.
If you’re not reaching your target score on your second or third attempt, consider switching to the Graduate Record Examination. MBA programs typically accept both exams, and some applicants may perform better on the GRE, experts say.
[READ: A Helpful Grad School Application Timeline]
Industry and Profile
Applicants should remember that the admissions process is holistic, experts say. As such, they should consider their GMAT scores in the context of their overall application.
In addition to the GMAT, admissions committees consider applicants’ backgrounds and professional experiences. These areas help paint a more complete picture of academic capacity.
“Let’s say someone performed a little bit below average on the quantitative analysis side of the GMAT, but they’ve had a very successful career in finance,” Thompson says. “That can help alleviate concerns.”
There tend to be higher volumes of applicants from traditional industries like consulting and finance, Magna says. If your background is perceived to be more common, or if you come from an overrepresented applicant pool, you should aim for a score that’s above the average reported by the program.
“It’s considered to be easy for applicants from traditional industries to do reasonably well on the test,” she says.
Unique industries, career paths or achievements, on the other hand, might offset a lower GMAT score, experts say.
However, it can be difficult to self-evaluate, Magna says. Applicants should seek outside opinions from admission consultants or those with graduate degrees.
Overall Application Strength
Candidates should avoid fixating to much on the GMAT, especially if they’ve already secured a strong score, experts say.
If you do well on the GMAT and feel like you can do even better, you should assess whether retaking the exam is worthwhile. A higher score may not significantly improve your candidacy, and your time might be better spent working on other areas of the application.
“We know that, academically, you’re going to succeed, if not thrive, based on everything we’ve seen,” Thompson says. “But there’s plenty of people with above-average GMAT scores that will not get admitted, and that’s because they didn’t meet the mark in other aspects that we evaluate.”
[READ: How to Choose the Right MBA Application Round]
Application Timeline
“Here is when the round becomes important, because if you’re going to apply in round four, you’re not going to have time to retake that GMAT,” Peiro-Camaro says. Instead, she recommends aiming for round one to give yourself time to prepare for a potential retake.
There are cases where a candidate may recognize that they have a below-average score but don’t have time to retake it because they relocated or were promoted, Thompson says. They might choose to address their circumstances in an optional essay. This context can be helpful to admissions committees.
How Admissions View GMAT Scores
GMAT retakes do not hurt your candidacy, experts say. In fact, retakes can demonstrate an applicant’s persistence and resilience.
“Even if that second test score is still towards the lower end of our range, you’re seeing someone has put forth the effort and was able to improve,” Thompson says. “And that’s indicative of grit and the ability to recognize a weakness and try to improve upon it, right?”
Experts advise against retaking the GMAT too many times, especially without notable improvement.
“We do consider the highest scores,” Peiro-Camaro says. “However, after more than two or three attempts, the score doesn’t give us that much information, because at some point, you will get it right.”
You are not your GMAT score, experts say, and schools recognize this.
“At the end of the day, it’s really just a check in the box,” Magna says. “There’s so much more to an applicant in terms of what their contribution is going to be to the incoming student class.”
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Decide Whether to Retake the GMAT originally appeared on usnews.com
