The Application Process

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to apply to some top mba programs (Stanford, Harvard, INSEAD, Wharton and LBS) and I was wondering what people think would be the minimum GMAT score I'd need to get. I've been studying for about a month now and my scores range from 640-690 and I'm aiming for somewhere between 670-700. I'm scheduled to take the test on the 2nd of June...

From a candidate profile perspective I'm 26, with 4 years experience in management and pharma consulting, quite international experience (European but went to an American high school and have been living in London for 9 years), good references and a good range of extracurricular activities.

Do you think my profile is looking good and if so, would a GMAT of about 670-700 give me a good chance of getting into these programs?

Many thanks,
Nick

Hi Stacey,

Thank you very much for the reply!

In terms of extra information, here's some that I hope can help clarify my situation a bit more:

I have a bachelors+masters engineering degree from University College London (UCL) in the UK, graduating with a 1st class honours which is roughly a 3.8 GPA. In terms of work experience I've spent just over 2 years with Accenture Management Consulting working on strategy type projects and also another 2 years with IMS Health, a pharmaceutical consultancy, working primarily in business development/strategy and presenting industry viewpoints to top10 pharma clients. I've been nominated for accelerated promotion twice so I have good references both from my current and previous boss. In terms of extracurricular activities, I've been captain of a sports team (volleyball) at university and have also been heavily involved with the LGBT society at work

I hope this gives you a better idea of where I'm coming from. i just dont know if I'll be able to get a 700 and therefore wonder whether i should even bother applying to these schools with anything less than that.

once again, thank you very much for your feedback.

Nick

Hi

You seem to have a strong well-rounded profile with international exposure. I would suggest that you work hard on your GMAT and try to cross the 700 mark. The primary reason for this is that these programs are very competitive and you need to give the adcomm fewer opprtunities to eliminate you.

The Apphelp Global Team
www.apphelp.us

Hi Nick,

You have a great profile and as long as you have your story straight, you'll have a fair chance at the top schools. Stacy's recommendation of aiming for 700+ is probably about right. Remember that these schools have an average GMAT score of around 720 so you want to make sure that the GMAT is something they can glance at and not give them any reason to doubt you on that basis.

Best of luck!

Thank you both for your valuable advice. Makes me feel a bit better because I guess the GMAT is something I have control over...in a way!!

My dilemma is now whether to sign up for a class... I've been studying on my own for about 6 weeks now and my scores range from 640-710 so with two months to go I wonder whether I can do 700+ consistently. I'm pretty disciplined in terms of my studying and do about 1.5hr every day + 4/5 per day on weekends but I always wonder whether my approach to sudying is correct....

Eskimoroll, did you feel that the classes really helped you push your score to 700+ or was it more of a motivational thing?

Many thanks,
Nick

ngkontos wrote:Thank you both for your valuable advice. Makes me feel a bit better because I guess the GMAT is something I have control over...in a way!!

My dilemma is now whether to sign up for a class... I've been studying on my own for about 6 weeks now and my scores range from 640-710 so with two months to go I wonder whether I can do 700+ consistently. I'm pretty disciplined in terms of my studying and do about 1.5hr every day + 4/5 per day on weekends but I always wonder whether my approach to sudying is correct....

Eskimoroll, did you feel that the classes really helped you push your score to 700+ or was it more of a motivational thing?

Many thanks,
Nick

If I were you, save your money, leverage resources like this site, and I think you'll be fine. I took a Princeton Review class because my work paid for the class and I found it personally valuable because it really forced me to study every day for the two months leading up to the test. If you're already in the 640-710 range with two whole months to go, the classes will mostly be a waste since they cover mostly fundamentals and do not go into depth about the more advanced questions that you will need to get right to push your scores into the 700s.

The only recommendation I'd have for you is to work on your timing and try to test in an environment similar to the real test. I made sure that at least some of my final practice tests were done in a library cubicle and I always tried to do the full essay sections each time so that I built up my mental stamina. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions about applying to some of those target schools of yours.

Once again, thanks very much for the feedback! I always time myself and try to take at least a CAT per week. Planning to take all my CATs in the last month under real conditions i.e adding the essays too

Right now I've just bought some extra books to go into more detail on some of the concepts:

-MGMAT-Number properties, Word translations and Sentence correction
- Powerscore - Critical reasoning bible

Anything else you can recommend for the more difficult questions would be most welcome!

Once im done with the GMAT I might have to come back to you on the application process

All the best,
Nick

Generally a score above 700 would improve your chances in getting into your desired university offering MBA. However you should keep in mind that scores are not the only thing that will help you gain admission to these elite universities. A strong profile is needed as well. In order to assess your profile, I would need a more in-depth understanding of your background to analyse the strength of your profile.

Thanks,
Kavita Singh,
CEO,
FutureWorks Consulting

Finally took the GMAT last week and scored a 720 (94%) with Q47 (77%) and V42 (95%) so not planning to take it again!! I presume there's no point in me doing so especially given my high GPA?