Beat The GMAT

JesseDean · Sun Sep 28, 2008 3:37 pm

I posted this recently on "Ask Stacy Blackman" -- but I was hoping perhaps I could get a second opinion...

I just took the GMAT and got a 680. I'm hoping this score is good enough to apply to top schools; however, I'm very concerned about my poor performance on the quant section of the exam -- 43 (68%).

Here's a little background information about me:
Undergrad: Washington University in St. Louis. GPA = 3.6, cum laude. Major: Psychology. Minor: Legal Studies. Senior Honors thesis in Behavioral Economics and Game Theory. (QUANT HEAVY year-long endeavor...)
Professional Experience: 2+ years in Advertising at Young & Rubicam in New York City (will have 3 years by the time I start business school). Currently an Account Executive on a major GLOBAL electronics account. I was promoted to my position extraordinarily fast, and I have good relationships with very senior management. I am confident that my job responsibilities throughout my experience at Y&R will stand out amongst other applicants with a similar professional background.

With great professional recommendations (from very senior executives in the firm), and solid performance in Marketing/Advertising -- is a 680 too low to be competitive for a spot at Kellogg? I mention Kellogg in particular because it is known primarily for its Marketing program. Whereas, I do not expect a school like Wharton to consider me because it is traditionally viewed as a quant-heavy school (and my background isn't quant-heavy) -- is this a reasonable assumption?

I would very much appreciate any insight/advice on particular programs for which I might be best-suited for (and also any programs which I should probably avoid).

If I were to retake the GMAT, I suppose I could realistically raise my quant score to somewhere in the 70-80% on a good day (my highest quant scores on practice exams were 81% and 86% -- but the majority of my practice exams netted-out in the low-mid 70s.) Is it worth the time and effort to retake the test at the expense of using that time to develop my applications? I haven't started the application process yet, but if/when I do, I am hoping to apply round 2.

I've never been a "mathlete" and my job doesn't really deal a whole lot with numbers (Advertising Account Executive) -- but b-schools are looking to fill classes with people from advertising, right?...

Any information would be tremendously appreciated!

Thanks,
Jesse

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Graham · Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:04 am

Jesse,

Here's my brief take on your case:

1) Your GMAT score of 680 is below average for schools like Wharton and Kellogg (by about 30+ points). In addition, your quant result in the 68th percentile falls shy of the 80th percentile mark that many leading programs like to see.

2) While your undergraduate marks are sound (a 3.6 GPA from a decent school), my fear is that the psych major and legal studies minor (while nicely non-traditional) will not help ease the adcom's fear about your math skills. They will not view an honor's thesis in behavioral economics/game theory in the same way that they would extensive coursework in stats, calculus and accounting - especially since your major suggests that you likely came to economics more via the psych. route than the finance/econometrics route.

3) Your work experience at Y&A looks solid - and again a bit less common than the consulting, IT, finance crowd. Of course, the line of work you are in will further pigeonhole you as being more of a qualitative business person, so that's something you may need to spin differently via your essays, recs, etc.

4) I cannot offer school suggestions without knowing your career goals.

5) While I know that the stereotype says "Kellogg = marketing" and "Wharton = finance," I want you to be careful about following these generalizations, since it seems that it is leading you to believe that you don't need strong quant. skills to get into programs like Kellogg. The truth is that Kellogg has a great finance department and a quantitatively rigorous core curriculum (like most leading b-schools). Wharton has a fantastic marketing program too (usually #2 behind Kellogg in most rankings). As such, all the leading schools really need to be assured with regards to your skills in this regard.

I'd need to know much more to really guide you here (for example you might have some unique elements elsewhere in your profile that could help you rise above the score), but if you've only taken the GMAT once, and you are weak on the quant and below the overall average of 710+, it may make sense to retake. Keep in mind that nearly all the schools tell applicants that it is fine to take the test multiple times, and that they will only look at the best score, etc. Other options would be taking some quant courses (online or locally) to bolster your quant. profile. I'd really need to see your full ugrad transcripts to be of further help.

Best of luck,

Graham

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