Ask Veritas Prep Admissions Consulting

Hi all,

I am a British citizen aiming to apply ot Harvard.

I was working at a large investment bank until recently and want to move into non-profit. I have an average GPA 3.5. My extra-curricular activities are excellent and my recommendations will be very strong. I am sure of this.

Essentially, I feel my overall application is very strong apart from one thing - the dreaded GMAT.

At the moment I simply cannot get a score above 560 on practice tests. I am yet to sit the GMAT practice test. The scores I have got so far are

Knewton - 420
Manhttn CAT 1 - 430
Manhttn CAT 2 - 480
Manhttn CAT 3 - 560

I'm not a good test taker at these kind of tests and I'm really struggling. I think my application is strong bar my GMAT scores. I've spoken to admissions consultants and they all agree with this. I'm worried that if and when I sit my GMAT I will get such a low score that the HBS committee won't even look at my application.

Should I even bother applying if I don't get 600+?

Any advice would be really grateful.

Regards,

Jonathon Steven

You can typically look at the class profiles of any MBA program and get an idea of the range of GMAT scores that are considered. That said, it will be very difficult to gain entry into a top program with a score below 600. Try to work with an instructor who can help you pinpoint your areas of weakness and improve upon them before taking the actual exam.

Hi Scottie,

Thanks for the reply.

I havn't triedworking with a consultant but as I am planning to apply in the second round for HBS (19th Jan), there probably isn't time.

I've now taken the GMAT twice and have failed to get over 600. My third go is on 18th Jan, one day before deadline. I just had a couple of questions

1) How will the ad comm view the fact that I have taken the GMAT three times, and if in the event that I don't get over 600, is my applciation likely to get dinged? My feeling is that at least they will know that I have tried to get a competitive score (by taking three times). Are there instances when the additional essay can successfully mitigate a low score?

2) Will the ad com look at all three of my results once my app is submitted (for the GMAT). Am pretty sure that they only look at the highest one but just wanted to confirm.

3) The HBS website say they admitted in the range of 470-800 last year for GMAT scores. People obviously got less than 600 but I just wandered what percentage of people you thought this was, and what kind of applicants they would be (in terms of experience etc).

Thanks Scottie.

Best,

Jon

Hi stevieg,

Just thought I'd jump in here...

Adcomms won't really look upon your application negatively because you've taken the GMAT three times. They really are willing to look at your best score, and they know that bright people can get test anxiety, have a bad day, etc. The GMAT is a very good predictor of how well you will do academically in business school, but it's not perfect. They know that you can improve your score with more preparation and by taking it again, and they're willing to give you the benefit of the doubt here by looking at your best score.

However, I have to say that I expect a high score below 600 will make your chances of success pretty low. HBS tends to be more secretive than most other school with its middle-80% GMAT score range, but we believe the bottom end of that range is around 650. So, just 10% of HBS admits have a GMAT score below 650. (Again, that's an estimate.) Schools put out those ranges to show that anyone can get in, and that's true, but the people who get in with sub-600 scores are definitely outliers. It's not impossible, but I would say it's unlikely.

Good luck!
Scott

Hey Scott,

Thanks for your reply.

I hear what you are saying - thanks.

I just feel that now truly is the right time for me to apply to business school. People are telling me wait for a year and reapply with a better GAMT. But put simply, I disagree because I feel the time is now.

In terms of being an outlier, how many do you think HBS admit per year?

thanks a lot.

Best,

I'd really just be giving you a guess as to the exact number. But, I think it's safe to estimate that less than 5% of the class has a score below 600. Again, I'm not trying to discourage you or "talk you out of" applying to HBS, but that's the reality of the situation. to

Lost in all of this talk about the GMAT is why you specifically want to go to Harvard. I bring this up because you could consider applying to schools that may be a little easier to get into, or to schools that have later application deadlines (which might give you a chance to prep for the GMAT more before taking it). For instance, Columbia has a rolling application system, and their final deadline is March 3. If you're a U.S. citizen or permanent resident it's April 14. (We have all of the business school application deadlines on our site.)

While I don't think you should wait until the last minute to apply, I think you could get in a solid month of private tutoring and possibly increase your score into the mid- to upper-600s... Then you'd have a better shot at a top-10 school, assuming the rest of your profile is competitive.

Just food for thought. You know your situation best, but I think you deserve an honest answer!

Scott