Hi all, These may look a bit off-topic but I am just freaking out about my chances of getting into a top 10 US business school. After spending my Xmas holidays cramming GMAT I just went for my first attempt this week: Quantitative 41 (61%) Verbal 41 (92%) Overall 680 (86%) This score is slightly below the 700ish you are expected to achieve to get the GMAT requirement ticked. The verbal section looks good for a non-native speaker and in my view tough to improve. Clearly, I didn´t do well in quant at all. To be honest, I hate the sort of brain teasers they test despite my background. So, before moving on, I have to face the $ million question, whether it is worth it to retake the GMAT. I plan to apply for the 2010 incoming class of the usual ivy league schools next october (R1). Given the increase in the number of applications and the notch of these schools, such GMAT is definitely not a big plus, but it´s in the 80% range of any program though. The point is that, given that adcoms bother about reading a 680 GMAT app, I could easily justify that I simply had a bad day in quant (actuary, CFA LIII passed). Moreover, I guess that the average scores of the top US MBA programs are biased upwards because natives necessarily have to perform better for obvious reasons. I´d appreciate any insight about the extent to which a 700+ is a must for an international applicant (no Asian nationality). To be honest, I feel confident about my chances of getting admitted but the “700+” factor looks like a big handicap regardless of the rest of your profile. Thanks for your input and good luck with CFA prep!
Sorry to be blunt, but that won’t get it done. Your quant is too low and CFA III will not make up for that. Retake it and try to break 80% quant. Obviously you have the hardware to do that if you passed CFA III, so you just need to practice more. You have a lot of time if you are going for 2010, so just get to it.
If you were a white male American, that wouldn’t get it done. If you are an international student, that may be fine, but the low quant is a liability. If you have a great resume and write terrific essays, the 680 will probably not be a problem, but I’d take it one more time if I were you.
T2 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If you were a white male American, that wouldn’t > get it done. If you are an international student, > that may be fine, but the low quant is a > liability. If you have a great resume and write > terrific essays, the 680 will probably not be a > problem, but I’d take it one more time if I were > you. Agreed
How is it even possible to pass actuarial exams & then score a 61 percentile of quant?
Thanks guys for your input; I´m probably retaking by August so that I can chill-out and move on with the rest of the beauty contest in the meantime (TOEFL, essays, etc.)
I retook with a 690 and scored 710. You’re so close to that “magic number,” so give it a shot.
What’s the point? Really… Retaking for 30-40 points? It shows you’re obsessive, rather than focused. Actually, I just saw the 61P in Quant… RETAKE THE GMAT NOW!!! 
Try to put a lot of effort in the other parts of the application. This year it will be very difficult to get in.
20-30 points is the difference between being below or above average for an elite school - that is a signifigant difference - especially given that he may only need to invest another 50 hours to get to that point. Also dude: Some mba employers have gmat cutoffs. You want a 700 on your resume. Additionally, there really is nothing else you can do to improve your application, except the essays. You can’t retroactively improve your gpa or resume, so why not improve one very important metric?
Joemontana, I agree 100% with what you’ve said. The sad truth is that while your statement “Some mba employers have gmat cutoffs. You want a 700 on your resume.” is true. Its also absolutely absurd that any employer would have that cutoff. Having just finishd taking the GMAT (and yes I scored just over a 700) its an exam that one can study for and manipulate (granted to a degree) Kaplan, MGMAT, etc… teach you tricks and methods to game the exam. Employers should look at other factorsand not just use the “700” Gmat as a cutoff. IMOP for examle: having passed the CFA exams is much harder and more of an example of one’s potential. ok enough of my ranting and raving… Also yes if you have time def study and retake the GMAT as unforuntally you want to have over a 700. What study courses are you using? joemontana Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > 20-30 points is the difference between being below > or above average for an elite school - that is a > signifigant difference - especially given that he > may only need to invest another 50 hours to get to > that point. > > Also dude: Some mba employers have gmat cutoffs. > You want a 700 on your resume. > > Additionally, there really is nothing else you can > do to improve your application, except the essays. > You can’t retroactively improve your gpa or > resume, so why not improve one very important > metric?
AAA, a lot depends on your overall application package. if you have a lot going for you, 680 might be enough. I would highly suggest calling the admissions office of the schools you are applying to.
just wondering, how long did you spend studying for the GMAT?
As others have mentioned, a 61% in quant is a liability. I’d definitely hit the quant books hard, master data sufficiency questions, number theory, and any specific weaknesses and try to get 80%+. The top schools look at your quant/verbal split and not just your total score; a weakness in either category gives them a legit reason to ding you.
Thanks again for all your views, I´ll definitely retake it by August. My application is allegedly strong but, after putting so much efforts (and money) on all this, I cannot allow to be rejected just because of the GMAT . Although I took a 5 hrs x 8 weeks course, I basically prepared during Xmas + a week off with the official materials (BTW, easier than the actual thing). As far as I sharpen my mind with tougher stuff (I heard about Manhattan GMAT) it should not be a big deal to break the 700 barrier, although I don´t expect a 750+ either while working 10+ hrs
If your Quant was the higher score then I would say probably just leave it. However, because you are pursuing a finance career… quant and “problem solving” are essential. Raising your quant score to at least a 45 will not be too difficult. Actually it is easier to raise your quant from 40-45 than it is raising your verbal from 35+. Good luck.
I don’t think you necessarily need to retake. I scored a 680 and just started at a top 5 school last fall. I am a charterholder and have some decent work experience, so that obviously helps.
Getting Out, How many years of WE are you talking about? I´ll be applying with just 2 years of full time exp in the CF department of a big four, plus 3 internships though. I hope adcoms don´t consider my 2 years less valuable than the single year of WE that the usual McKinsey or IB kid holds when applying (that´d be rather hypocritical)
I have 4 years experience in an analyst role with an insurance company, and 2 years in a portfolio management role with a wealth management company.
AAA, what, you think schools/adcoms are not hypocritical? check again. if they were not, then more schools would admit (as some have) that they write your gmat score and your ethnicity on your folder before reviewing it.
Definitely retake your GMAT