Ask mbaMission

Hello,

I am applying to b school for round 2 and my major insecurity lies in my potential GMAT score.

Here's the rundown:

EDUCATION
- Summa cum laude from Harvard College (GPA 3.92), studied History
- Won award for best History senior thesis, best LatAm-related thesis, and Hoopes Prize for senior thesis
- Was President of the largest student group on campus for students interested in politics

WORK EXPERIENCE
- Business Analyst (and former summer BA) at McKinsey & Company in Dubai, distinctive (top 1%) performance rating in last review cycle
- Have served clients in all over the Middle East (including Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Israel) as well as in Mexico, London, India, and the US

PERSONAL BACKGROUND
- From Argentina and grew up all over Latin America
- Currently living in the Middle East out of Dubai
- Gay

The complication is I haven't taken my GMAT yet - I have it scheduled next week - but I've been getting scores of 660-690 and I know this does not measure up to my actual potential. Thoughts? Should I crunch myself studying or settle for a 660-690 and hope other facets of my application will speak for themselves?

Thanks!

Hello ksadhah, thanks for your question.

The GMAT is only one data point in your application. Of course, the other facets/strengths of your application will speak for themselves regardless of your score. If your GMAT ends up at or near the median/mean of the schools, then you should have nothing to worry about. Even still, if your GMAT is within the middle 80% range, then I would still think you have a shot.

If your test is next week, then definitely spend as much time between now and then cramming for the best possible score. At this point, we're far enough away from the deadlines where cramming for a week will not negatively impact your essays. You can reassess after the test whether you need to retake.

Best of luck,
Brian

Thanks so much for this!

I'm unfortunately on a pretty intense study at the moment so hard to cram this week That said I have the next two weeks off so am planning to use the time to cram and then take the test mid-Nov. In the meantime, I'll do some essay writing but mostly focus on GMAT. Thoughts?

Thanks again