Ask Veritas Prep Admissions Consulting

Hello,

I took the GMAT two years ago (in 2011) and got a 710 (44Q/44V). I wasn't very happy with my quant score at the time (68th percentile) but thought this would be OK if I could spend time improving other aspects of my application. I was primarily concerned because I heard that MBA programs prefer an 80%+ percentile for both the quantitative and verbal sections.

However, I just checked the updated percentiles today and realized that my 44Q is now a 61% - a 7% decline in the past 2 years. Now my previous concerns have resurfaced. I plan to apply to business schools in fall 2014 and am aiming at the top 10 programs.

I have a 3.75 undergrad GPA in Economics and will have ~5 years work experience in corporate finance. How detrimental will the low quant score (and now much lower percentile) be to my overall application and admissions success? Do I significantly improve my chances by retaking the GMAT?

Application Target: Fall 2014
Age: 25
GMAT: 710 (44Q/44, 6 AWA) - old format
Work: 5 years in fortune 500 corporate finance at time of application
Undergrad: 3.75 in economics at top 20 university
Extracurricular: many volunteering projects, co-founder of mentorship non-profit


Thanks in advance for the help and advice.

I would start by creating a spreadsheet for each of the top-10 business schools of there range of GMAT scores, and then specifically drill down to the scores for each section. As a low-beta person, I also recommend aiming for being in the top quadrant (top 25%) of scores from the prior year. Factor in your demographic accordingly when assessing where you need to fall.

That said, in the end, a higher score is always better, and if you have the time and energy to really apply yourself to prepping for the test, consider that you are competing for a top-10 spot and assess whether you want to make yourself a solid candidate or the best candidate you can be.

Best of Luck!