GMAT based on gender/ethnicity

Dear IAmApplying,

Thanks for your post! You raise a question that is the subject of much debate (as well as a fair amount of controversy).

At the end of the day, it's really important to think of the MBA admissions process as a highly complex multi-variable equation (with variables like GMAT, GPA, caliber of ugrad, ugrad major, work experience, leadership potential, teamwork exposure, career goals, outside interests, language skills, international experience, personal background, etc, etc). As such, it's rarely one variable (e.g. GMAT or work experience) that decides one's admissions fate, rather it's a combination of variables.

As a former admissions officer at Wharton, I can say that the GMAT result is assessed in tandem with the other aspects of the candidate's profile. I can also say that the admissions team tries to admit a highly qualified group of applicants that come from across the globe and can represent a variety of industries, experiences, etc. As such, the best way to think of it is as follows: if you belong to an over-represented portion of the applicant pool (bankers, men, Indian nationals, New Yorkers, consultants, engineers, undergraduate business majors, etc), it's arguably that much harder to stand out from the pack. If you belong to an under-represented group (entrepreneurs, Peace Corps volunteers, women, philosophy majors, citizens of Norway, bootstrappers, etc), it's that much easier to stand out and add to the diversity of the incoming class.

So the basic answer to your question is that if you fall into an over-subscribed group in the applicant pool, you should certainly be aiming to top the averages for admitted stduents on the GMAT - since the adcom will no doubt have many options to choose from in selecting candidates from your portion of the pool.

Best of luck,

Graham