low GMAT

($) All schools do a “holistic review.” But…

June 29, 2022 by EssaySnark

So we just spent 1,000 words yesterday telling you that the schools look at everything. And they do. In every chat, webinar, and info session, you’ll hear admissions directors of top MBA programs tell you that they do a “holistic review” of their candidates, that they don’t weight any particular component of the profile, that...

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($) “My test score is not reflective of my abilities.”

May 17, 2022 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

To this statement, we say “Uh-oh.” We see nearly this exact statement in lots and lots of optional essays submitted with MBA applications. Brave Supplicants know that their test performance wasn’t in range of what the “best” candidates are presenting, based on the averages published at their target school, and they want to say something […]

($) One easy way to tell how bad you want this

November 12, 2021 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

We have this thing called the Comprehensive Profile Review… Premium content starts here… ———– ———– Premium content ends. There are likely to be many, many twists and turns for you in this process. Some people are “Harvard or Bust!” and that’s cool! Most others are trying to find their way, kicking the tires, […]

($) Which future career paths are not going to care if your GMAT is lower?

May 19, 2021 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

(Or GRE.) Here’s the deal: Standardized tests support the meritocracy. They are biased. It’s true for all of them, the college entrance exams up through the GMAT and GRE for grad school. Last year saw the combination of the pandemic which closed down testing centers, and the long-overdue awareness in this country of racism that […]

($) Low GMAT Round 2 application tactics: Remediation

December 27, 2019 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

If you’re applying to business school with a subpar GMAT or GRE score, either a low total score or a significantly low subscore especially if it’s on the quant side, then in addition to the preamble talk we gave you yesterday about school strategy, there are in fact steps you can take to improve your […]

($) “My GMAT (or GRE) score is not what I wanted. What do I do now, since Rd 2 is happening?”

December 26, 2019 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

We totally understand the stress and frustration that can go along with a GMAT or GRE result that wasn’t at the level you expected. You’ve probably tested multiple times, and you also took multiple practice exams, and thought you were going to be fine. Yet still, for whatever reason, that score has not soared to […]

The shame of a low GMAT score

April 26, 2019 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

We want to talk about something here today that we’re guilty of contributing to — inadvertently, yes, but we’ve done it. It’s the shame that many BSers feel about their performance on the MBA admissions test. We see this in the opposite manifestation: When someone has done well on the GMAT, they’re quick to volunteer […]

($) “If I’m really really really really really excited about a school do you think they will let me in???”

January 3, 2019 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

This question coming of course from a Brave Supplicant with a really low GMAT. And the answer is…. actually, yes! Or at least, maybe! Depending on the school, and particularly if you’re trying in Round 1. In Round 2, it’s much less common for even the friendliest most culture-driven schools to be quite so accommodating. […]

($) Explaining a low GMAT or GRE score in your MBA apps

August 2, 2018 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

You know your GMAT (or GRE) score is low. You’ve debated whether to take the test again, but it’s August. You’re getting stressed about deadlines coming. What if you just write the optional essay about your low score? Shouldn’t that be sufficient? You can tell the adcom that you’ll take the test again if they […]

($) If you don’t think you can do better on the GMAT

March 19, 2018 by EssaySnark

When talking about what score is “good enough” for getting into a top MBA program, we said this: If your score is somewhere in between a 700 and a 770 and if you think you can score higher on the GMAT… then we strongly encourage you to suck it up and make it happen. If...