Blog Archive Common GMAT Concerns Taking the Test Again and Dealing with a Low AWA Score

Blog Archive Common GMAT Concerns Taking the Test Again and Dealing with a Low AWA Score When candidates who have already taken the GMAT once ask us whether they should take the test again, we always  reply with this key question: “Do you think you can do better?” If the individual does indeed believe that he/she can improve, the next question we inevitably get is “What do business schools think of multiple scores?” Fortunately, most MBA admissions committees do not frown on candidates taking the GMAT more than once. Many applicants feel that they must be “perfect” the first time and that any subsequent test they takeâ€"particularly  if they receive a  lower score on itâ€"might be damaging to their candidacy. This is not the case. Dartmouth Tuck, for one, anticipates that applicants will take the exam more than once and openly states its  willingness to “consider your highest quantitative and highest verbal scores,” if they occur on separate tests. Meanwhile, other programs have been known to call candidates and tell them that if they can increase their GMAT scores, they will be offered admission. Accepting a candidate’s highest GMAT scores is actually in an MBA program’s best interest, because doing so can help raise the school’s GMAT average, which is then reported to rankings bodies such as  Bloomberg Businessweek  and  U.S. News World Report  and could positively affect  the school’s position in these surveys. So, do not be afraid to take the test two or even three times. It can only help. Now, if you took the GMAT and feel like you finally “nailed” the exam but later learn that your score on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), the essay portion, is  low, should you panic? 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 officerâ€"nor, as far as we know, has a candidate ever been told in a feedback sessionâ€"that the AWA score is a factor in a school’s decisions. Generally, the AWA is not used  to evaluate  candidates but to detect fraud. If, hypothetically, you had  tremendous  difficulty 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 worryâ€"the 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  enormous discrepancy arises between the two, the AWA serves  a purpose. So, if you did well on the GMAT and have a low AWA score, that is unfortunate, but it will not be  the  difference in a school’s decision about your candidacy. Rest easyâ€"as long as you truly did write both! Share ThisTweet GMAT Blog Archive Common GMAT Concerns Taking the Test Again and Dealing with a Low AWA Score When candidates who have already taken the GMAT once ask us whether they should take the test again, we always  reply with this key question: “Do you think you can do better?” If the individual does indeed believe that he/she can improve, the next question we inevitably get is “What do business schools think of multiple scores?” Fortunately, most MBA admissions committees do not frown on candidates taking the GMAT more than once. Many applicants feel that they must be “perfect” the first time and that any subsequent test they takeâ€"particularly  if they receive a  lower score on itâ€"might be damaging to their candidacy. This is not the case. Dartmouth Tuck, for one, anticipates that applicants will take the exam more than once and openly states its  willingness to “consider your highest quantitative and highest verbal scores,” if they occur on separate tests. Meanwhile, other programs have been known to call candidates and tell them that if they can increase their GMAT scores, they will be offered admission. Accepting a candidate’s highest GMAT scores is actually in an MBA program’s best interest, because doing so can help raise the school’s GMAT average, which is then reported to rankings bodies such as  Bloomberg Businessweek  and  U.S. News World Report  and could positively affect  the school’s position in these surveys. So, do not be afraid to take the test two or even three times. It can only help. Now, if you took the GMAT and feel like you finally “nailed” the exam but later learn that your score on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), the essay portion, is  low, should you panic? 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 officerâ€"nor, as far as we know, has a candidate ever been told in a feedback sessionâ€"that the AWA score is a factor in a school’s decisions. Generally, the AWA is not used  to evaluate  candidates but to detect fraud. If, hypothetically, you had  tremendous  difficulty 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 worryâ€"the 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  enormous discrepancy arises between the two, the AWA serves  a purpose. So, if you did well on the GMAT and have a low AWA score, that is unfortunate, but it will not be  the  difference in a school’s decision about your candidacy. Rest easyâ€"as long as you truly did write both! Share ThisTweet Application Tips GMAT