Too unbalanced? 730 Q47(68%). V44(98%)

[wcfennell]

I took the GMAT for the first time today and received a respectable 730 but I feel my quant and verbal scores may be too unbalanced. My scores were as follows...
IR: 8 (92nd percentile)
Q: 47 (68th percentile)
V: 44 (98th percentile)
Overall: 730 (96th percentile)

Is a 30 point percentile split too unbalanced? I've read that if you have a STEM degree/background admissions will trust you have the quant chops and be looking for a good verbal score, and the opposite is true for liberal arts majors. If this is true I'm in good shape because I'm a mechanical engineer. I know I could have done much better on the quant but I really don't want to take it again if I don't have to. Do you think I'll be ok with my current score or will high ranking programs be a little hesitant about the split?

[[email protected]]

Hi wcfennell,

First off, a 730/Q47 is an outstanding performance (it's well above the 90th percentile, so calling it "respectable" does NOT do it justice) - and it would make any Business School happy. With it, you can comfortably apply to any Business School, so you should not have any reservations about doing so. Certain Finance programs and other Specialty programs might nitpick the Quant Scaled Score a bit more than average, but if you applied to one of those Schools and did not get in, it would NOT be because of your GMAT score.

What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[wcfennell]

Thank you for the kind words and reassurance. I'm still 2 or 3 years away from applying but am planning on applying to HBS, Wharton, Tuck, and CMU Tepper. Tepper is my high confidence pick, and I live in Pittsburgh so I won't be completely disheartened if that's the only one I receive an admit from. I figure I have plenty of time to build up the rest of my app now that I know I have the GMAT to get my foot in the door.

[[email protected]]

Hi wcfennell,

By giving yourself this 'lead time' to build up your Work Experience and work on specific areas of your application that Admissions Committees find 'interesting', you've given yourself a greater chance to succeed. Remember that many of these Schools are super-competitive and will end up accepting just 10% (and sometimes less) of those who apply. It's not just about having the qualifications; you also have to 'stand out' in the right ways. To that end, even though it's a few years away, you might consider working with an Admissions Expert. While they can't guarantee you anything, they can certainly help you to make sure that you're presenting yourself (and your overall application) in the proper way.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[brianlange77]

Congrats on a great score that many others would KILL for!!

If you are concerned about quant -- I'd ask you think about the other quant-portions of your background (academics, work experience, etc.) to determine if those might serve as an additional data point for proving competency in quant.

But, given that you are 2-3 years out, you will find many of your peers quite envious of a great score that is already "in the bank," so to speak!!

I took the GMAT for the first time today and received a respectable 730 but I feel my quant and verbal scores may be too unbalanced. My scores were as follows...
IR: 8 (92nd percentile)
Q: 47 (68th percentile)
V: 44 (98th percentile)
Overall: 730 (96th percentile)

Is a 30 point percentile split too unbalanced? I've read that if you have a STEM degree/background admissions will trust you have the quant chops and be looking for a good verbal score, and the opposite is true for liberal arts majors. If this is true I'm in good shape because I'm a mechanical engineer. I know I could have done much better on the quant but I really don't want to take it again if I don't have to. Do you think I'll be ok with my current score or will high ranking programs be a little hesitant about the split?

[wcfennell]

Just took the GMAT for the second time and got a much more balanced score. 740 with 50 (88th%) quant and 40 (91st %) verbal! I was a little bummed that my verbal came down knocking me out of the 750-760 range but I still improved overall and I couldn't be happier about the quant, and now my score is almost perfectly balanced. Reading all the inspirational stories here really gave me the confidence that I could beat the quant section.

[brianlange77]

Just took the GMAT for the second time and got a much more balanced score. 740 with 50 (88th%) quant and 40 (91st %) verbal! I was a little bummed that my verbal came down knocking me out of the 750-760 range but I still improved overall and I couldn't be happier about the quant, and now my score is almost perfectly balanced. Reading all the inspirational stories here really gave me the confidence that I could beat the quant section.

WCFennell -- This is amazing news. Congrats on getting to the promised land -- the journey was definitely worth it. Good luck with your future paths here.

-Brian