How well do I have to do on math?

[vanesslondon]

Dear Stacy,

I am nearing the end of my GMAT prep and whilst I have made significant strides in the math department, I am still lacking! I have almost two months to go and one more topic to cover, but clearly what I need to spend my time doing is reviewing the math.

I recently took a MGMAT practice test and scored 680, (40 math - 61%, 42 verbal - 96%).

Verbal is my strength and I know I can push this up to get a 700. Yet I know that business schools look at the quantitative score to gauge an applicant's potential to follow finance courses, and I do not have a quantitative background.

My question is: by how much do I need to push up the math to make me a contender (all other things being equal) at the top schools? What sort of percentile?

Many thanks for your help: it will help me decide how to use my remaining time.

Kind regards,

Vanessa

[jasonc]

The general rules is try to get above a 80% on the quant.

If not, try to have something from the other parts of your app that shows strong analytical skills (i.e. parts of your job, undergrad GPA/courses/major, part time math classes at local university, etc)

[vanesslondon]

Hi Jason,
Thanks for letting me know. That's really helpful (if not the answer I wanted to hear!).
It's going to be tough to move the math up to the 80th %, but I will have to do so as I haven't demonstrated numerical ability elsewhere.
Many thanks again and congratulations on an incredible score!
Vanessa

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Vanessa,

You are correct that schools do look at your quantitative score, and candidates must demonstrate quantitative skills to gain admission. If you score above the 70% on the quantitative section, then you probably have a chance at gaining admission. Of course, higher is better and as Jason posted, over 80% is best. You will also want to highlight quantitative/analytical aspects in your professional experience to further support your candidacy for business school.

Best of luck,
Lisa

[vanesslondon]

Hi Lisa,
I am relieved that 70% might be enough. As a lawyer I don't have much, or any, numerical experience, but I do work in finance so can perhaps highlight my involvement in negotiating financing contracts, which requires financial understanding if not concrete math skills per se. Do you think that this is worth talking about? If so, where would I address it? And if I do end up scoring in the 70th % for quant, do you think I should still justify why I didn't do better or would this just draw more attention to it?
I will do my best until August, but I have been studying for many months and really want to just take the test and not defer again. I think there is still some room for improvement, but not a huge amount.
Many thanks again for your prompt and helpful reply,
Vanessa

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Vanessa,

I think if you score at or above the 70%, then you do not need to address it in an optional essay. You should highlight your finance-related experience both on your resume and in your essays. Perhaps one of your examples in an essay question can involve your finance exposure?

Best of luck,
Lisa