When candidates who have already taken the GMAT once ask us whether they should take the test again, we always\u00a0reply with this key question: \u201cDo you think you can do better?\u201d If the individual does indeed believe that they can improve, the next question we inevitably get is \u201cWhat do business schools think of multiple scores?\u201d<\/p>\n
Fortunately, most MBA admissions committees do not frown on candidates taking the GMAT more than once. Many applicants feel that they must be \u201cperfect\u201d the first time and that any subsequent test they take\u2014particularly\u00a0if they receive a\u00a0lower score on it\u2014might be damaging to their candidacy. This is not the case.<\/p>\n
Accepting a candidate\u2019s highest GMAT scores is actually in an MBA program\u2019s best interest, because doing so can help raise the school\u2019s GMAT average, which is then reported to rankings bodies such as\u00a0Bloomberg Businessweek\u00a0and\u00a0U.S. News & World Report<\/em>\u00a0and could positively affect\u00a0the school\u2019s position in these surveys. So, do not be afraid to take the test two or even three times. It can only help.<\/p>\n Now, if you took the GMAT and feel like you finally \u201cnailed\u201d the exam but later learn that your score on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), the essay portion, is\u00a0low, should you panic?<\/p>\n In short, the answer is no. Although we have always encouraged business school candidates to do the best they can on the AWA, the truth is that we have never been told by an admissions officer\u2014nor, as far as we know, has a candidate ever been told in a feedback session\u2014that the AWA score is a factor in a school\u2019s decisions. Generally, the AWA is not used\u00a0to evaluate\u00a0candidates but to detect fraud.<\/p>\n If, hypothetically, you had\u00a0tremendous\u00a0difficulty expressing yourself via the AWA essays but wrote like a Pulitzer Prize winner in your application essays, the school would get suspicious and begin to compare the two. Not to worry\u2014the schools are not punitive and are not acting as fraud squads. Your AWA essays are expected to be unpolished, so no one will seek out your file if you did your best in both areas. However, if an\u00a0enormous discrepancy arises between the two, the AWA serves\u00a0a purpose.<\/p>\n