This post is OLD. This was written in 2011. The MBA admissions landscape has changed radically since then. The information in this post is directionally accurate, but what's considered "good enough" for a specific school could be very different today (especially if you're in a competitive candidate pool). Here's a post from Summer 2015 that shows how things changed though this pendulum swings continually. What a "low GMAT" is considered to be as you read this today might be different.
The title of this post should really be, AM I HOT OR NOT? Because that’s what he’s asking. Primpin’ and preenin’ in the mirror, and asking over his shoulder, “Does this 720 GMAT score make my butt look big?” In response to a Brave Supplicant’s query on our who-should-not-apply-in-Round-1 post, about his “friends” who are…
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Dan V says
In my experience, if people have a good GMAT they should worry less about that more about their essays and profile. Where is all the attention going? On the gmat score or the couple thousand words you wrote? That's why essaysnark has such a busy life.
essaysnark says
Wow, Dan V – you just covered in about 50 words what it took us like 1,000 to do on our post today. We coulda just wrote, "What he said." and pointed over here. 🙂
ccatcher says
I got 690 (73%V 86%Q).Indian female,4yrs IT:( Targeting Kellogg, Tuck and MIT for round 1. Have got the essays almost ready for Kellogg (2 reviews done), recommendations, transcripts, CV- all in order.
Planning to write the GMAT again to better my chances at Kellogg. This will push my Tuck app to the Nov round most likely.
I had my life all sorted out 🙂 but then I read this post and now I am thinking again 🙁
essaysnark says
Uh, ccatcher, either we suck at written communication, or you didn't understand us. Your 690 GMAT is fine. Your quant is strong. Your verbal is good. Even a 680 would be "probably OK" as we put it above. If your essays are really ready, first round with a 690 is almost definitely going to be better for you than second round with a 700 or 710. (Can't say for certain since we haven't seen the full picture.)
**IT'S THE ESSAYS THAT WILL MATTER FOR YOU.**
Dan V says
AHHHH I have a 710 and i'm applying to schools in round 2. Commence Stress Eating!
Nah I gave up caring about the gmat once I got 710. I took it once but figured I had bigger pills to swallow like my essays… they keep me up at night.
Samudra says
Awesomeness.
And somewhere in the back of my head, the song playing is "I told you so".
But have a serious question – you mentioned for the reapplicants, an increase from a 720 to a 750+ *might* help? Really? I mean, I was under the impression that since there would be abysmally low number of BSs who got rejected because of their "low 720" GMAT score, anything increasing that would also not matter. Am I missing something here? Under what circumstances would that even come into consideration?
essaysnark says
Grrr blogger.
When the applicant is a reapplicant there are only so many levers to pull. Usually if a reapplicant has a 720 then that's that, they shouldn't bother tinkering with GMAT tests as a way to show improvement. BUT IT NEVER HURTS – if you're a reapplicant you would want to pull out all the stops and GET IT DONE. There are cases when a 750 might help that guy. It's not the first place we look in a developing the reapplicant strategy, but if he's really truly motivated (not being sexist just being brief) – or if he has nothing else to work with to improve (that sometimes happens) – he might want to add the higher score to the mix.
essaysnark says
Also important distinction: The reapplicant has time, usually 9 months or so. If the GMAT score can go up for that person, it should. This is ESPECIALLY true for reapplicants with lower GMAT scores. That, most definitely, is a topic for another day (actually that's a topic we've gone over again and again).
If you've got a 720 in hand right now, just apply in Round 1 and get it over with.