Good, but Good Enough?
I took GMATPrep test #2 today, and my reaction is mixed. I scored a 720 overall, which I was initially elated by. However, I'm concerned by my Q / V split. I got a 45 Verbal (one point better than last time!) and a 43 Quant. This is a 6 point increase from my last practice test Q score in a little over a week (much better time management and focus on my weak areas), but still only puts me in the 68% percentile which is well below the 80% plus that the top schools are looking for.
My studying is going to be heavily focused on quant for the next two weeks (test is two weeks from tomorrow); my concern is a) whether or not I can improve by the 5 points I need to break the 80% barrier and b) how important that 80% in Q & V is to the top schools, should I fall below?
Anyone have any words of wisdom for me?
Posted in: GMAT, studying on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at at 8:53 PM
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If I may offer an opinion based on my experience... I took the GMAT last March and scored 46 in verbal and 42 in Quant, which really was not a balanced score as it meant 99th percentile verbal and 70th percentile quant, for a total of 720 (90th percentile). I was still accepted in 3 top 10 schools. So I drew 2 main conclusions from that:
1. the verbal score is much more heavily weighed in the overall score than quant.
2. top schools focus on your overall score, and if you have a strong undergrad GPA and high grades in all quant-related classes you took, I think it's fine.
Now Harvard dinged me, so I can't help but think that this imbalance might have had some impact on my application there.
Hope it helps a little.
Thanks for the info - that does help!
Hi,
I would like to disagree with the above poster. There is no evidence to suggest that verbal score is weighed *more* heavily than the quant. score.
I believe that a strong undergrad GPA and/or high grades in quant. courses helped his or her cause. The same can be true for others. It would also depend on your UG major. ADCOMs will take into account your UG major and use that to interpret your GMAT split.
You are absolutely right in trying to achieve the 80% mark. I assume that you are not an engineer or a math major so achieving that mark will let the ADCOM concentrate on more important aspects of your application by allying any concerns that they may have about your quantitative skills. If you cannot get to that mark but have strong undergrad record, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
Disclaimer: I am a prospective fall 2010 application as well and have not written my GMAT. I plan to do that some time in April. Kindly take my opinion with a grain of salt .
All the best`
a note about Harvard...I'm not sure if I agree with the imbalance argument for not getting into HBS. if you are very strong in other areas, the GMAT score doesn't matter as much. I know a sub-600 and a few sub-650's that got in to HBS within the last couple years. Sure it is more competitive now but if you rock out on your essays and your interview and you will be in the running.
I think it is important that you try to achieve that 80 percentile mark first so that at least one area of your application is strong.
I have come across a lot of low GMAT success stories but when you have a chance to make one area of your application shine,why let it go?
Work hard for your GMAT and if you need resources for your prep, you can take help from the following post: http://www.totalgadha.com/gmat/2009/01/hundreds-of-gmat-prep-resources/
Good Luck :)
A female with 720 GMAT does not have to worry about their GMAT score keeping them out. I suggest taking the test and then focusing on what matters -- the essays and recommendations.
If any person has a 700+ GMAT and is denied, believe me, they were denied because they didn't standout in the work experience, essays, goals, and interviews.
Dangy is correct. All of the top schools have students with sub-600 scores. Those students were people that were successful in making the other elements of the application standout among the other applicants. However, if you can have a 720 GMAT, great work experience, awesome essays, clear and obtainable goals, as well as a great interview there is no reason for any school to deny you.
The secret behind the impression that the verbal score is "more heavily weighed" in the GMAT is actually that the grade is based on how others have performed across the world. It has a relative component to it.
The truth of the matter is that many international applicants have very average, and even less than average English skills, while being exceptionnally strong at math...just as an example, think of the tens of thousands of Indian engineers taking the GMAT every year!
Hence it is much more difficult to get a competitive edge through focusing on Quant. You're competing on this section with so many people who make a living out of it (engineers but also the thousands in finance, banks, etc).
The key to really boosting your total score (if you want to break the 700 for example) is to get a good score in Quant, and an excellent one in Verbal, as this will make you RELATIVELY better than many, many, many other test-takers.
The first poster's experience demonstrates this well, and I guess in a way you really could say that the GMAT verbal is de facto more "weighed" than the Quant.
"In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king!"