Really High Verbal, Really Low Quant

[eheenan1]

Hi All,

Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer. I just took the GMAT today and came out with a 660- a 45 in Verbal (99% percentile) and a 36 in Quant (%40 percentile- kill me!) I am NOT applying to the top business schools and my first choice is UT Austin for their Business, Government and Society MBA course track. I am also female. I realize that my Quant score is super low, but I'm hoping that since I plan on focusing in non-Quant subjects in b-school (and am making this clear in my app) that a retake might not be necessary. I'm going for a Round 2 deadline in December, so if I retake, I won't make that deadline. Should I retake? Will this be a huge red flag on my app? I'm torn.

[FLUID]

Hi eheenan1,
That's awesome Verbal score. Can you please share some notes or give me some tips for scoring such high. If you are not targeting for Top B schools then I don't think you need to re-take it. But, having said that you have a very high potential to go over 770 if you can correct your Quant. Some schools look for real high Quant than verbal. I guess, you should not show that you will take Non Quant courses in MBA. This shows that you are not ready to take up challenges. you may want to cover it up with something else like your continuously trying to improve Math skills and you are sure that you will score big time in the MBA courses.

[Bschool2013]

I guess, you should not show that you will take Non Quant courses in MBA. This shows that you are not ready to take up challenges.

Agree with this. Stating that you're not trying to go in a Quant-heavy field and don't intend to take quant courses is a bad idea. I'm not familiar with Texas' core curriculum, but B-school is quantitative in nature. You'll be signalling to the adcom that you won't do well in finance, accounting, statistics, etc. Those are classes that are required whether you're going into a quant-heavy concentration or not.

Instead of making an excuse, own it. Do you have decent math grades in your undergrad transcript? Do you deal with quant at your current job? If the answer to both of those is no, you have to at least show them you're taking steps to fix this weakness by enrolling in a calc course (or something of the like). Yes you won't be nearly done when the app is due, but at least you can say you're doing something about it.

Another thought is taking the GMAT after the deadline. Reason I say this is, maybe you get on the waitlist. That's better than a ding - especially if you can update the adcom with a higher GMAT score and an "A" in the math course you were taking.

Just some food for thought - best of luck!

[eheenan1]

Thanks for your replies FLUID and bschool 2013.

FLUID- The best tips I can give in verbal are 1.) read a lot of well-respected editorials and English literature- this is how I honed my ear for a lot of the sentence completion and reading comprehension. Unfortunately, just like those for whom math comes naturally, verbal comes easily to me because of experience and what I believe is a right-brain orientation. I really think that it is a skill built over time. I have been a bookworn and lover of language since I was little, so I think this really helped me. Read, read, read! 2.) Kaplan suggests making passage maps for the reading comprehension, which I found helped me significantly. Even the practice of summing up a particular paragraph's function or main point helped my comprehension of the information in the paragraph itself and saved me time in reading over the passage again. 3.) As for logic, GMAT logical reasoning problems are very similar to the LSAT logical reasoning. I took this twice, so I studied a lot of logic. There are specific logic courses like Coursera (https://www.coursera.org/#course/intrologic) that might help in developing that skill.

And BSchool2013, thanks for the advice. I should clarify that I do plan on taking Quant courses as they are a large part of business school and I am fully up to that challenge- it just won't come easily or naturally! Accounting, stats and econ courses are core program requirements in most of the schools I am applying to, so I know that showing that on my app would be a no-no. What I meant to convey was that I am not interested in going into finance or fields that would require heavy quant/theoretical knowledge, and hopefully this will make my Quant score a little less important. However, I could be entirely wrong, and that's why I am asking for advice! I am definitly going to do either an mbamath.com course or a stats/accounting course, and will definitely consider taking the GMAT again after the deadline like you suggested. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

[Bschool2013]

Accounting, stats and econ courses are core program requirements in most of the schools I am applying to, so I know that showing that on my app would be a no-no. What I meant to convey was that I am not interested in going into finance or fields that would require heavy quant/theoretical knowledge, and hopefully this will make my Quant score a little less important.

I understood what you meant, and I would still steer clear of this topic. I don't think any good can come from it. Your 660 is in McCombs' middle 80% range, don't draw any extra attention to a weakness in your application. It's okay to show your passion for the field you intend to pursue in a career goals essay, but don't use that as a cover-up for your quant score. The adcom will see your quant score and want a warm fuzzy that you can handle the rigorous curriculum of b-school, not that you intend to take electives that aren't quant heavy.

[gmatninja]

Sorry, I'm a little bit late to the discussion, but I think BSchool2013 said it all perfectly: your best bet is to ace a quant course (or two) and/or retake the test again, even if it's past the deadline. I'm not familiar with UT's specific policies, but most MBA programs are willing to consider an updated GMAT score after the deadline, especially if your application states your intention to re-take the exam. I don't think your non-quant goals are going to soften the blow of a 36, unfortunately--there's just too much quant madness in the core for an adcom to feel comfortable with your score, and you're better off finding a way to reassure them that you really can handle the quant.

For whatever it's worth, I'd be willing to bet that you could dramatically improve your quant (and composite) GMAT score if you put enough time into it. I seem to meet a few high verbal/low quant types every year, and they pretty much always end up somewhere in the 40s after enough effort and guidance. GMAT quant is a funny beast: its 10th-grade math, rolled up in really oddball ways. You're clearly amazing at reading test questions, and that makes me think that your "upside" on quant is probably pretty high--just like it has been for every other high verbal/low quant student I've ever met. You almost certainly won't miss any quant questions because you mis-read them... and that's far more unusual than it may sound.

I obviously don't know enough about you to say what, exactly, is holding your quant score back, but if you shake off enough rust on your math fundamentals and if you manage your time really well on the test, then I'm sure that you'll be able to at least climb into the low 40s, if not higher. Again, I've never seen a high verbal/low quant person fail to achieve at least that on the test.

So if you decide to give it another shot, you have every reason to be optimistic. And if you're in absolutely no mood to take the GMAT ever again, I can completely understand that, too.

Good luck with everything!

[eheenan1]

GMATninja:

your best bet is to ace a quant course (or two) and/or retake the test again, even if it's past the deadline. I'm not familiar with UT's specific policies, but most MBA programs are willing to consider an updated GMAT score after the deadline, especially if your application states your intention to re-take the exam.

Thanks GMATNinja. Good advice. UT allows you to update your GMAT scores after the app deadline. I'm torn between taking the GMAT again and enrolling in an MBAmath.com course and submitting the transcript with my app. I don't have the time due to my work schedule to both study for the GMAT math again and take an MBAmath.com course. Would I be better served taking the GMAT again (which I am REALLY hesitant to do) or do you think a good transcript from a math course would be better (or equally as good)?

Thanks again everyone for your comments-- they have been really helpful and enlightening!

[gmatninja]

Well, if I were in your shoes, I would definitely prefer a 45 in quant--or even a 42 in quant--to a transcript from an online math course. If the adcom is antsy about your quant score on the GMAT, the online math course isn't guaranteed to make up for it.

Then again, there's no guarantee that you'll do well on the GMAT if you start studying again, especially if you don't have much time to prepare. So I wouldn't blame you if you decided to take the "sure thing" of a transcript instead of retaking the test. It looks like UT is familiar with the course already, but there's always a risk that the adcom would frown upon an online course from a non-accredited institution, so make sure that the adcom actually respects that specific course before you move forward with it. (For what its worth, I think that the MBAMath.com website looks pretty convincing--but that doesn't mean that adcoms agree.)

Two other options, if you're feeling particularly paranoid and/or ambitious: run through the MBA Math course as quickly as you can, and then take one last shot at the GMAT, even if it means waiting until well past the deadline. Or take the GMAT in the next, say, six weeks, and tell UT that you've already enrolled in one or two quant classes. Sure, they'll have to wait for your transcripts in the latter scenario, but at least you're sending the message that you're serious about dealing with your quant weaknesses... and you might make the quant grades moot with a great GMAT score, anyway.

Let us know what you decide to do!

[Jim@StratusPrep]

Definitely take again. That type of score can kill an otherwise stellar application.

[vomhorizon]

I would echo the voices here. You have a stellar Verbal score, and only need to concentrate on one aspect of the GMAT. So 5-6 weeks of prep (even if it is couple of hours a day) will go a long way and even more so if you try to figure out what is holding you back in quant (If you can narrow down to a few areas such geometry, or remainders etc for example). There is no reason for anyone with such a stellar verbal score to score below 40 in quant(You are good at reading and comprehending which means you have one important aspect of the GMAT figured out ( WORD PROBLEMS) You are good at LOGIC and Sufficiency therefore you have a head start on DS).

I have not taken a quant class in over a decade and within a couple of months of prep i am hitting 42-44 (i started from the absolute bottom)so if i can progress from not KNOWING what to do in quant to mid 40's ANYONE CAN.. (and go beyond for that matter). The best way to prove to the ADCOM that you are OK in quant is to get a decent QUANT score on the GMAT (remember they themselves claim that GMAT is the biggest thing they are looking at followed by GPA etc). I would first try to improve my quant score and then consider college level management courses online. Infact after i take my GMAT i intend on taking college level Calculus, finance and stats classes as a bonus (even if i get 45+ in my GMAT quant) to better prepare myself for MBA core courses to follow and to remove any doubts that the adcom may have on my quant background (or the lack of it)..

Your verbal score suggests (to the adcom) that you are a 700+ scorer and if you do manage to get around 42 in quant you will not only score 700+ but also improve your chances of scholarship.