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New GMAC percentiles released! What does this mean?

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New GMAC percentiles released! What does this mean?

by smp5000 » Mon Jul 29, 2013 12:05 pm
So i noticed that the GMAC revised their percentiles recently. Obviously shifting the Quant down and keeping the verbal relatively the same.

See here: https://www.mba.com/the-gmat/gmat-scores ... means.aspx

Q49 just to break the 80th percentile?!?!?! That is crazy!!

I recently took the GMAT and it was held to this scale. Now my Q44 is held at a MUCH lower percentile, as is my overall 700.

Are adcoms realizing this trend of increasing Quant scores? Now I'm concerned that my Quant just isn't good enough (Obviously I know about the whole holistic approach. But lets face it, scores are important)

To me it seems as if the 80/80 split is becoming a bit uneven.

Anyone ave any info or opinions?!?!
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Mon Jul 29, 2013 5:24 pm
Hey there,

The short answer is this: from what we've heard from admissions directors at the top programs is yes, they are well aware of this trend. They would be terrible at their jobs if they didn't (and they're not, they're quite good)!

The 80/80 is this catchy little saying and, honestly, most of us don't have a clue where it started. Perhaps someone said it after a few glasses of wine and it stuck. Who knows.

However, part of what you said is correct - scores do matter. Your overall score needs to be in the range your target schools are looking for. The raw scores matter too. If you get a 36 quant score, an admissions director is going to raise his/her eyebrow. So think about it this way - when someone looks at your score, what are they really seeing?

Well, for one, they're seeing how you're going to impact their rankings. If they average a 717 and you have a 700, you're bringing it down. Plain and simple.

Secondly, they want to know if you can hack it. That's where the 80/80 goes out the window and your raw score comes into the picture. At a 44 quant score you're pretty solid. Are you a whiz kid with the perfect score? No. Better question is do you need to be? No.

The 80/80 split has been uneven for a very long time. With a few stand out sentences, you're merely noticing it. Kind of like the price of gas. You don't notice it's high until it hits a particular level and then, all of a sudden, everyone loses their minds! :)

You have a strong score that starts with a 7. Depending on where you apply, that could be below or above average but the fact of the matter is with a 44Q score, no one will question if you can handle the academic rigors of a fast paced MBA program.

I hope that helps - chin up! You're going to be fine :)

Bhavik
Critical Square | MBA Admissions Services

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