High GMAT, VERY Low Quant

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High GMAT, VERY Low Quant

by codyfisch » Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:59 am
I just took the GMAT this morning and scored a 730 (99th percentile), but made an abysmal showing in the Quant section (42, 59th percentile). I have a liberal arts degree in economics with a 3.9 GPA and 4 years work experience in nonprofit management and public policy. Aside from a recommendation from a college professor and GPA, there isn't a lot on my resume that would indicate I'll be able to handle the quantitative course work at b-school. I

I'm shooting for top ten schools - Wharton, HBS, Stern, Stanford, and UPenn - and am concerned that my extremely low quant score is going to raise red flags. My quant practice test scores have been consistently in the 46/48 range. This was the first time I took the test and I my nerves definitely had an effect. I'm confident I can get a higher Q-score, but am not sure its worth the time and money. I've got a lot of essays to get working on!

Would I be well advised to take another crack at the test? Based on practice test performance, I would guess that my Verbal score would go down and my quant score would go up...probably resulting in a comparable if not lower composite score.

Any insights would be welcome!
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by Stacey Oyler » Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:04 am
Hi,

Thanks for your post - this is a really good question. Given the lack of quant experience at your workplace the adcom may indeed question your ability to handle the quant curriculum. The goods news is that you have a solid GPA in economics - did you take many quant courses in undergrad?

The way I look at it is this - you have two options. 1. You can retake the GMAT and hope to increase your quant score while keeping your verbal around where it is now. 2. You can take a couple of courses (like statistics and accounting - if you didn't already take these in undergrad). Taking courses is a great way to demonstrate your academic ability while also taking some foundation coursework which will only help in a bschool program.

Bottom line, the choice is up to you, but you should elect to do something.

Best,

Stacey
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by codyfisch » Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:06 pm
Thanks for the insights Stacey!

I did take quite a bit of math, statistics and econometrics in college. Also, I neglected to mention I took the GRE three years ago and scored a 760 on the quant section. I think my current game plan is to submit my GRE and GMAT scores, or submit the GRE scores as supplementary material.

Cheers,
Cody

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by Stacey Oyler » Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:07 pm
Cody,

That is great news! I am so glad to hear you took those classes in undergrad. The coursework along with your strong GRE will certainly help mitigate any potential concerns.

Best of luck,

Stacey
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Stacey Oyler
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