2004 - 2012 QuinStreet, Inc.Subscribe to RSS feedsNews | MBA HeadlinesValue of an MBAExplore MBA OptionsConnect with MBA ProgramsMBA Programs | MBA Admission | Seven admissions criteriaSeven admissions criteriaPage 1 of 7Article content:GMAT ScoreApplication essaysTimingGPAWork experienceRecommendationsInterviewsGMAT SCOREIt's sad, but it's true: your GMAT score is probablythe most important factor in determining whetheryou will be admitted to a top business school. I wantto clarify that statement, though, so you won'tmisunderstand me.Most applicants believe there is a significantdifference between a 680 and a 720 on the GMAT.There isn't. The extra 40 points won't help yourchances of being admitted. That's why I'm frustratedwhen I hear from people who score 680 and insist onretaking the exam. They would be better served byburning their GMAT-prep books and turning theirattention to the application essays (the next step inthe process).If you hope to have a reasonable chance of beingadmitted to a top program, though, your GMAT scorewill need to be "in the ballpark."If it isn't you'll have a hard time winning a spot at A-list schools no matter how good your work experienceand undergraduate GPA might be. That's why Ibelieve GMAT score is the most important factor inbeing admitted to a top program. If your score isn'tin the ballpark, you won't be in the game.So What's Considered "In the Ballpark?"At virtually all of the top programs, the ballpark startsin the mid 600s. That doesn't mean there is a strictcut-off -- there isn't. But if you look closely at a school's numbers you'll see that below about 620, yourchances of being admitted fall pretty dramatically.Take a look at the graph below. It shows the "middle80 percent range" of GMAT scores for studentsadmitted to a typical top MBA program.You can see that the median score is about 680; butthe median can be deceiving. You don't need to beatit to be accepted. It should be obvious that half of allaccepted applicants score below the median, but forsome reason many of my GMAT students feel theyneed to beat a school's median to have a reasonableshot at getting in. I've had to talk quite a few of theminto applying to MBA programs they are nowattending (or have already finished) because theywere initially discouraged when their GMAT scores fellslightly below their target schools' medians.What Score Will I Need If I Hope to Attend aTop Program?If your GMAT score is within a school's median 80percent range, even if it's 60 points below the school's median, you have a reasonable chance of beingadmitted. If it's below that 80 percent range you stillhave a shot, but it's a long shot. (I'll discuss howapplicants with GMAT scores below the median 80percent range get admitted to top programs in thenext section on application essays.)Most MBA programs now print their median 80percent ranges in their brochures. For those that don't, you can make a rough estimate by assuming therange starts about 60 points below the median andends about 60 points above it. As long as you arewithin that range, you have a reasonable chance ofbeing admitted.Are the Separate Scores for Math and VerbalImportant?Yes, especially the math score. The admissionspeople put a lot of emphasis on math skills whenmaking their decisions. (See the discussion on GPAfor more on this.) So it's important that you do wellon the math portion of the GMAT.The math and verbal scores range from 0 to about52. (I know that ETS claims the scale can go as highas 60, but it has never actually gone over 52). Mystrongest students are those in the "40-40 Club."That means they score in the 40's in both math andverbal.It's great to have that kind of balance, but if you aregoing to be stronger on one portion of the test thanon the other, it's clearly better to be stronger in math.What if I Hope to Apply to Top Schools But MyGMAT Score is Below 600?You need to take the test again. I'm not saying thatyou can't get into a top program -- you can. But yourchances are slim. So if you have time to take the testagain, you'd be foolish not to.And that brings up a good point about multiple testscores. I'm not aware of a single top school (or evenan average school for that matter) that still averagesGMAT scores. I'm sure that someone out there willfind a program that does so, but until I hear fromthat person, let's stick to the general rule: Schoolsconsider only your highest GMAT score.Can I Take the Test 15 Times and Just ReportMy Highest Score?Sort of. Before the GMAT exam begins, the computerwill ask you which schools you would like your scoresforwarded to. You get five schools included in thecost of the test, and any others will cost you $25 each.You can elect not to have your scores forwarded toany schools. After you have seen your scores (youget them immediately after finishing the test), youcan then pay $25 each to have them sent to theschools you choose.Your "GMAT transcript" will report only your threemost recent scores. So if you took the test four timesand scored 450 each time, but didn't have yourscores forwarded, you could still pull off thatmiraculous 700 the fifth time and then send yourscores. The admissions office would see only two 450's and a 700.It doesn't really matter, though, whether you sendyour transcript after each test or wait until you scorethe number you want. In the end, the school'sapplication will ask you to specify the score you wantthe admissions committee to consider. (And, no, youcan't mix and match your best verbal score and yourbest math score from different tests).What About the Essay Score on the GMAT?You will have to write two essays on the GMAT (the "Analytical Writing Section"). They will be scored on ascale of 1 to 6, and those points will not be added toyour other GMAT score.The essays are extremely simple. I teach my studentsa basic template to follow and they seem to do verywell with it. They regularly score perfect 6's (the 99thpercentile) just by following the template.It's been my experience, though, that your essayscore is pretty much worthless, so I spend very littletime on it in class. A few years ago I asked theadmissions director of a Top-5 school what she wasdoing with the essay scores. She laughed at me andsaid she wasn't really using them (though that isn'twhat her brochures say).I have to agree with her. The GMAT essays areridiculous. Given how well some students have doneby just following a formula, the scores seem prettymeaningless. And now the essays are being gradedby computer, making them even more worthless. Sodon't spend a lot of time studying for the AWA essays, and don't put too much emphasis on your essayscore. I can assure you the admissions committeewon't.Having the list tempts some people to try to writetheir essays ahead of time. The pool of essay topics isso large, though, that it would be impossible to writean essay for each (and remember them all) beforetest day. Your time would be better spent studyingthe other sections of the GMAT.What About Taking the Exam Under "Non-Standard Accommodations?"Most people don't know that they can take the GMATunder what ETS, the test administrator, calls "non-standard accommodations." That means you can gettwice as much time as everyone else, if that's whatyou need to compensate for a medical condition. ETSdoesn't promote this accommodation veryaggressively, but I've had many of my students takethe test "non-standard" and all of them who havegotten a truly significant accommodation (such asdouble time) have gone up at least 100 points fromwhat they were scoring with me on practice testsgiven under standard conditions.I had one student who consistently scored in the mid500s with me. He took the test under non-standardconditions (he got double time), went up more than100 points, and was accepted at Harvard. I don'tthink Harvard would have taken him in the mid-500s,so the special accommodations worked outparticularly well for him.Should I Take a GMAT-Prep Course?If you hope to go to a top school, you'd be crazy notto prepare for the GMAT. Being admitted to Kelloggor Columbia or a similar school is well worth the timeand money invested in a good prep course.I don't want to steer you toward one company overanother, but I would suggest that you take thelongest, most comprehensive course available in yourarea. And look for a good instructor. A good teachercan reveal subtleties about the test that aren't writteninto any book, and just having the structure of aclass will force you to work harder than you would ifyou chose to study on your own.Back to:MBA admissionsNext pageFeatured Online MBA SchoolsMatching School AdsPollDownload our FREEInformation Booklet:"The Insider's Guide to MBA Programs"Sign Up forMBAprograms.org's NewsletterSubscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the lateston advancing your career and enhancing youreducation.CorporateSitemapContact usHow to link to usAdvertisingPrivacy PolicyTerms of ServiceAbout UsFaqsProgramsBusiness School RankingsMBA Program OptionsMBA DirectoryMBA ResourcesInternational StudentsAdmissionsTips on ApplyingMBA Admissions CriteriaGMAT TestCareer ToolsAdvice Seeking a JobInternshipsMBA GlossaryFinancingScholarshipsCredit and LoansNewsTop StoriesMBA HeadlinesCareer Guide