ds17 wrote:
Hello Jon,
Thanks in advance for your help/advice.
I took the GMAT two years ago (in 2011) and got a 710 (44Q/44V). I wasn't very happy with my quant score at the time (68th percentile) but thought this would be OK if I could spend time improving other aspects of my application. I was primarily concerned because I heard that MBA programs prefer an 80%+ percentile for both the quantitative and verbal sections.
However, I just checked the updated percentiles today and realized that my 44Q is now a 61% - a 7% decline in the past 2 years. Now my previous concerns have resurfaced. I plan to apply to business schools in fall 2014 and am aiming at the top 10 programs.
I have a 3.75 undergrad GPA in Economics and will have ~5 years work experience in corporate finance. How detrimental will the low quant score (and now much lower percentile) be to my overall application and admissions success? Do I significantly improve my chances by retaking the GMAT or does the work experience in finance help to overshadow this?
Application Target: Fall 2014
Age: 25
GMAT: 710 (44Q/44, 6 AWA) - old format
Work: 5 years in fortune 500 corporate finance at time of application
Undergrad: 3.75 in economics at top 20 university
Extracurricular: many volunteering projects, co-founder of mentorship non-profit
Thanks again!
Thanks in advance for your help/advice.
I took the GMAT two years ago (in 2011) and got a 710 (44Q/44V). I wasn't very happy with my quant score at the time (68th percentile) but thought this would be OK if I could spend time improving other aspects of my application. I was primarily concerned because I heard that MBA programs prefer an 80%+ percentile for both the quantitative and verbal sections.
However, I just checked the updated percentiles today and realized that my 44Q is now a 61% - a 7% decline in the past 2 years. Now my previous concerns have resurfaced. I plan to apply to business schools in fall 2014 and am aiming at the top 10 programs.
I have a 3.75 undergrad GPA in Economics and will have ~5 years work experience in corporate finance. How detrimental will the low quant score (and now much lower percentile) be to my overall application and admissions success? Do I significantly improve my chances by retaking the GMAT or does the work experience in finance help to overshadow this?
Application Target: Fall 2014
Age: 25
GMAT: 710 (44Q/44, 6 AWA) - old format
Work: 5 years in fortune 500 corporate finance at time of application
Undergrad: 3.75 in economics at top 20 university
Extracurricular: many volunteering projects, co-founder of mentorship non-profit
Thanks again!
Hey there man,
Well actually some good news: The percentages are relative (meaning for the pool of people you took it with), so you are actually STILL 68th percentile (although keep in mind that schools don't actually use the percentile. Basically the most important thing is overall score, and then they look at the split, hoping for some sort of evenness (but higher Q than V is better than higher V than Q... well, most of the time).
But really, I think you are worrying for nothing. You have a great GMAT score, you have a fantastic GPA in a quant heavy subject, and then you work in corporate finance.
Soooooo my advice: stop worrying about the GMAT! It's great....
Now you can just start worrying about your essays
