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Discrepancy between quant and verbal: Should I retake?

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Discrepancy between quant and verbal: Should I retake?

by seattle2012 » Sun Jun 05, 2011 3:19 pm
I recently took the GMAT and scored a 750: Q 47 (77 percentile), V 47 (99 percentile). I'm happy with my overall score, but I'm concerned that the discrepancy between my quant and verbal score places me at a disadvantage. I've heard that schools look for scores above the 80th percentile (and some schools look for quant scores above the 90th percentile). I currently work in consumer products (use some, but only basic, math) and took only a limited number of mathematics courses during undergrad. My top school choices are Stanford and Haas.

Thanks for your help.
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by paulsbodine » Sun Jun 05, 2011 3:43 pm
seattle2012,

Given your industry background, limited background in math courses, and selective school list, I recommend trying to raise that quant score, especially if you've only taken the GMAT once.

--Paul
Paul Bodine
Author, "Great Applications for Business School," "Perfect Phrases for Business School Acceptance," "Perfect Phrases for Letters of Recommendation"
https://www.paulsbodine.com/
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(858) 869-1959
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by PrepMBA.AlexLeventhal » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:46 pm
Seattle,

A 750 is a 750, and though you would like your quant to be higher, in your case there are likely other ways to show analytical skills, like with a course this summer for a grade. If you had scored a 720 I would say take it again, but any top school would be happy to blend your GMAT into their reported average (which of course affects rankings...).

If you were my client, I would be focusing more on other components of your profile, like your extracurricular activities and essay ideas (as Stanford and Haas are some of the most "profile" type of schools, meaning they look for a particular candidate more so than other programs).

I was a Brand Manager at J&J before HBS, and so I know that the job requires a good deal of math/analytics in terms of forecasting production, analyzing promotions with sensitivity analysis, tracking market share changes and providing rationale...

My point is that you have a lot of quant to talk about in the essays and interviews. Go take a course!

Regards,
Alex Leventhal
Harvard MBA, 1998
Prep MBA Admissions Consulting
www.prepmba.com
[email protected]
(323)424.3178
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