Explanation for poor GMAT verbal score

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jayofbay: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 25; Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2006 7:01 pm

by jayofbay » Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:57 am

Hi Stacy,
I am pretty close to the deadline for Haas part-time and starting to debate one point. In the essay, if my academic records are a true reflection, I decided to explain my poor verbal GMAT score.

I feel that my GMAT verbal score (V 28 51%) doesn't truly reflect my verbal and written communication skills. During my application to engineering graduate school, I scored 660 in verbal (93 percentile) in GRE. I also scored 647 out of a maximum score of 677 in TOEFL. I also scored a 5.5 in AWA.

Do you think I should even provide an explanation as my overall GMAT score is 650 with Quant at 90%? My only concern is that I belong to one of the most competitive pools- Indian software engineers where GMAT scores are typically above 700.

Your suggestion in this matter will be truly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jay

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Ask Stacy Blackman | Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:57 am

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Stacy Blackman: MBA Admissions Consultant; Posts: 1049; Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:59 pmFollowed by: 113 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 50 times

by Stacy Blackman » Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:39 pm

It's difficult to "explain" a GMAT score, but you can explain that despite a lower GMAT score, you do feel very confident about your English abilities, and provide back up. I believe this will already be apparent to them, and they are measuring other things with the GMAT as well, so it is not necessary. However, if you find a place to insert this in your application, a BRIEF mention will not hurt.

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applicant_2008: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:41 pm; Location: India; GMAT Score:660

by applicant_2008 » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:55 pm

I am in the same dillema - explaining my poor verbal GMAT score in the optional essay. I have 660 in GMAT (v 31, q 49, AWA 5) in my second attempt and I feel that my GMAT verbal score doesn't truly reflect my verbal and written communication skills given that I scored 5 in AWA and 106/120 in TOEFL (reading 29, listening 29, writing 25, and speaking 23). Additionally, my work involves generating high quality technical reports and interacting with customers around the world on a daliy basis and therefore an excellent written and oral communication skills.

My only concern here is that I took two attempts to improve my verbal score and still did not succedded in doing so. The first attempt score was 620 (v 27, q 48, AWA 4.5). Will this not counter my argument my confidence regarding my english abilities. Do you think I should even provide an explanation regarding my low verbal score. I belong to one of the most competitive pools- Indian engineers where GMAT scores are typically above 700.

I would really appreciate your view on the same.

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Lisa Anderson: MBA Admissions Consultant; Posts: 3845; Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:57 pmFollowed by: 148 members; Location: Houston, TX; Thanked: 442 times

by Lisa Anderson » Sun Sep 14, 2008 10:57 am

I would have to concur with Stacy's post above. I do think you should provide a brief explanation with supporting evidence of your verbal abilities because of the high level of competition.

Good luck,
Lisa

Lisa Anderson
Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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applicant_2008: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:41 pm; Location: India; GMAT Score:660

by applicant_2008 » Sun Sep 14, 2008 12:10 pm

Lisa Anderson wrote:I would have to concur with Stacy's post above. I do think you should provide a brief explanation with supporting evidence of your verbal abilities because of the high level of competition.

Good luck,
Lisa

Thanks Lisa. That fixes a big issue in my application.

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