Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Dears,

I have just taken the GMAT
I scored a 650, but my score is very unbalanced: 49% in quant, 89% verbal, AWA 92% and IR 81%.

INSEAD favor balanced scores (70/75% for each) but people tell me not to worry: my good grades (masters in international business, 3.25-4.0 GPA with honors), and my good profile should amply compensate. I have been working for 6 years, the last 3.5 years for a global bluechip company with a repsonsibility for EMEA. All in all I have lived and worked in Europe (France, Germany, U.K.) Asia Pacific (Thailand, Japan, China). I currently live in Korea. I speak 4 languages fluently and have basic proficiency in 3 others. On top of that I hold a bachelor of science and a bachelor of arts.

I really struggle with quantative and have spent a considerable time on it already. Do you believe my international profile and experience can offset the disparity in my scores?

Thank you in advance.

Dear Kdegraav,

A few thoughts on your questions and profile:

1. You havent mentioned the name of your school you did your masters from or your nationality. In general, 3.25 is not really stellar; unless that's the case on a relative basis in the school you were a part of. So make sure you calibrate yourself correctly
2. The GMAT balance is something that most schools prefer, not just INSEAD. That is a fairly imbalanced score and given that the school has a fairly high average, likely to be a handicap. If you havent tried it yet, will be good to seek professional help on the GMAT and take another shot at it
3. The reason above point is more important is because you seem to have had a fair bit of international experience. Here again I would qualify it though. You have not mentioned the role you have and what kind of company/brands you have been associated with. Feel free to share that information.
4. The other relevant detail would also be to understand your post-MBA goals story and how well that connects with your current work profile

More questions than answers I know. But we avoid dishing out generic, sugar-coated advice

Cheers,

Dear mcbMcK,

Thanks for your reply.
I have decided to retake the exam and boost my quiant score. Nevertheless your advice is very useful.

I am from Netherlands and have taken my masters there. I have scored 8.25 out of 10 and depending on the conversion standard used, I get to a GPA of 3.25 to 4 (4 when using the "official" conversion).

I have worked for a global Dutch bluechip company so surely that will work in my favour.

Any way: with such a score odds are just not stacked in my favour, so i'll resit the GMAT and apply during the 2nd round.

Best regards,

Kevin

Kevin,

On the GPA aspect, unless the school specifically asks for it (in which case the WES calculator may be reliable), it is best to leave it as is. Most schools have a fair sense of the 'competitiveness' of GPAs in different geography. For instance, an 8.25 in Netherlands may place you say in top 5%, but a 3.25 in US may not really make the cut. Check with the school to get clarity on that.

All the best for the retake

Cheers,