We probably should’ve posted this a long time ago, but given that this is Call Out the Adcom Week (after our rant on MIT Sloan on Tuesday) then it seems appropriate to talk about this today.
As you’re doing your research and preparing your applications, you must keep this truth in mind:
Whatever an adcom person says is relevant and accurate and applicable ONLY TO THEIR SCHOOL.
There’s a lot of commonalities, and similarities, and overlapping truths – if your GMAT score is too low, it’s harder to get in to a top school; if you’re over a certain age, you may have more luck at an EMBA program; etc. etc. etc.
As we posted in September, there are some school-specific application idiosyncrasies that you need to be aware of – things like when the recommendations must be received by in relation to a round deadline, that sort of thing.
You definitely need to research the policies carefully.
You also may need to take more global-seeming advice with a grain of salt.
Specifically, what we need to discuss today is something that we heard Yale SOM Admissions Director Bruce DelMonico offer up in an admissions webinar back in December 2012, where he said that when you’re thinking about re-taking the GMAT, “it needs to be a 40-point change in order to be statistically meaningful, per GMAC.” (Yes, that’s a direct quote; we take copious notes during those things.)
We brushed that off at the time; we didn’t actually think that he was committed to this as advice to offer to the full population of MBA applicants. It was an anecdote; an interesting datapoint to share.
However, his statement has since been codified in a post on the MBA.com Ask The Expert column which we’ve captured here. Specifically he said:
[T]o really make a difference in your score, as a general matter you need to feel as though you can improve it by 40 points or more. If you’re looking to improve by 10 or 20 points, that’s really not a meaningful change in your profile.
We pretty much agree with the last line. Ten points aren’t going to do much of anything for you in your chances at admission. It may help in that it shows you’re committed to the process, which is often useful. But we get it. A 10-point increase ain’t much. Agreed.
However, we pretty much fully and completely disagree with the first part. It’s rather ridiculous to claim that a re-test is not meaningful unless you get a 40+ point improvement.
And we’re not the only ones. Here’s an exchange on Twitter – first we said this:
Bruce DelMonico @YaleSOM Adm Dir: Don't bother retaking #GMAT unless you'll add 40 pts http://t.co/QULY0TDAF3 <Not all adcoms wd agree
— Essay Snark (@EssaySnark) October 14, 2013
And then our friend @akilbello picked it up and sent it to some real-life adcom (or former adcom) peeps (thanks Akil!):
@nsombir @saulsk @tepperdiversity @jonathanfuller would u agree w/ @yalesom : unless you add 40 pts dont retake #GMAT http://t.co/b3Hbgg44c4
— Akil Bello (@akilbello) October 14, 2013
Here’s what they replied:
@akilbello @NsombiR @TepperDiversity @JonathanFuller @YaleSOM Quick question: How do you know you will add 40pts unless you retake it?
— saulsk (@saulsk) October 14, 2013
@akilbello @saulsk @NsombiR @TepperDiversity @YaleSOM and doesn't everyone agree that practice tests are always bullet proof predictors?!
— Jon Fuller (@JonathanFuller) October 15, 2013
@akilbello @saulsk @NsombiR @TepperDiversity @YaleSOM way more nuanced decision than 40 points. Where's your starting point? 600 or 700?
— Jon Fuller (@JonathanFuller) October 15, 2013
@JonathanFuller @akilbello @NsombiR @TepperDiversity @YaleSOM why 40? Why not 30 or 50?
— saulsk (@saulsk) October 15, 2013
@saulsk @JonathanFuller @NsombiR @TepperDiversity @YaleSOM 30 is in the GMAT standard error of measurement
— Akil Bello (@akilbello) October 15, 2013
@akilbello @saulsk @NsombiR @TepperDiversity @YaleSOM OK I actually read the article. Here's Bruce's problem:
— Jon Fuller (@JonathanFuller) October 15, 2013
@akilbello @saulsk @NsombiR @TepperDiversity @YaleSOM GMAC's assertion that 40 pt spreads are "functionally equivalent"
— Jon Fuller (@JonathanFuller) October 15, 2013
@JonathanFuller @akilbello @NsombiR @TepperDiversity @YaleSOM agreed!
— saulsk (@saulsk) October 15, 2013
@saulsk @JonathanFuller @NsombiR @TepperDiversity @YaleSOM i think 40 is about right for the distinction between scores but needs nuance
— Akil Bello (@akilbello) October 15, 2013
@akilbello @NsombiR @TepperDiversity @JonathanFuller @YaleSOM More confusing than clarifying. Nuance is reality and must be included.
— saulsk (@saulsk) October 15, 2013
In case you’re not familiar:
- @akilbello is an awesome test prep dude – he started the brilliantly-named Bell Curves in NYC
- @saulsk is Darden adcom
- @JonathanFuller used to be Ross adcom until earlier this year
Moral of the story:
Anything you hear from an admissions person is accurate and actionable for their school only. Don’t extrapolate to other schools. Just, don’t.
And for the record: If you can raise your GMAT score, you probably should retest – even if it’s “just” 20 points, that can often make a difference! It partly depends on which 20 points we’re talking about – 600->620 ain’t gonna cut it, but 710->730 looks an awful lot better depending on your candidate pool – and if the increase in your total score comes from an improvement in the quant where you were previously weak, it can make a MASSIVE difference.
All GMAT scores are not alike. To paint with such a broad brush is doing a disservice to BSers everywhere. Adcoms, please be more responsible with your statements.
Tell us what you think.