Hello! And congratualations on your good score --that should stand you in good stead come application time.
A few mechanics to start....
First, your percentages are already reported to the school so there is no need to include them; the only reason to include them, in my mind, would be to highlight a particular strength that you are already focusing your application on. For instance, a great quant score and you want to go into finance.
Second, your "score" is not a grade!! It's a percentile! What that means is that some 79% of OTHER GMAT test takers scored lower than you did. It's not like school where most people (hopefully) score above, say, 60, with a couple of total slackers getting lower than that. I also emphasize that you are not being compared to the general population but to the world of other GMAT test takers. How about thinking of it like this: you're in the top 22%!!
My take on "low" quant scores is that if they are part of a larger pattern of poor quant skills than you need to address it. For instance, if you have lousy quant grades in college, lousy quant GMAT, you're talking about your love of finance, and you're applying to a quant school (Chicago, Duke, etc.) then you need to take that bull by the horns.
On the other hand, if you're talking about going into something less quantitative, have good quant scores in other areas, and aren't applying to a "pointy head school" then you're probably fine.
In general, and this gets to my philosophy of applications, you need to think through how your GMAT scores fit into your story. Do they enhance or detract (or are they neutral) in terms of the case you are making for getting into somebody's program?
Finally, you got a great score. Well done. There may be some thinking to be done on the quant side but don't forget to pat yourself on the back and recognize how very much you have helped yourself.
Stay in touch and let me know if you have other thoughts / questions--
Paxton
47Q (79%) and 38V (83%)
Should I include the percentages in my apps? They will change over time, and I feel like they are very skewed right now. 79% for a 47 in quant? That percentage sounds so ugly - like I got a C!
The schools will get my official scores in a few weeks - is it possible that those will have different percentages?
Keep me in the loop about your thinking and let me know if you have any more questions.
Paxton
Paxton Helms is an MBA admissions consultant for Kaplan Admissions Consulting. He earned his MBA from UCLA and specializes in helping clients that are applying to top twenty and "reach" programs. He can be reached directly at
[email protected].
To begin working with Paxton immediately, follow this link and request him specifically:
https://www.kaptest.com/GMAT/Admissions- ... lting.html
