Is a 690 GMAT score good enough

[kalo]

i was told that anything over 700 is ok for top programs.
mine is at the mid-600 range, and i was shortlisted in a couple of top 20 programs in b-schools. (no news yet, perhaps my gmat score explains why).
no one brought up the topic of my low gmat score in interviews.
i did ask interviewers what they thought about my gmat score, and they said it matters much less than what we think.

[Prawler]

You can't know what is coming next about applications. I got rejected with a decent GMAT score (720) from a b-school which has averages of 640-660. Admission criterias differ from one school to another.GMAT is important for some schools to maintain their averages, but others may care about your general profile and your capability of research and endeavors

[Hocking]

Furthermore, the amount of work that a particular department wants to put into making admit decision also has an impact on how GMAT scores are weighted. Some school simply eliminate everyone with a GMAT score below a certain number just so they don't have as many applications to shuffle through. So, in the end, they are being a little lazy about how they make their admit decisions.

Other schools only look at the GMAT scores as a part of the overall application. They then start looking at other things like GPA, Graduate Degrees, Letter of Intent, Letter of Recommendations, ect.... Then they make a more informed decision on who they want to accept. These schools will usually end up with the better candidates by far.

The GMAT and GRE is not a measure of ones ability, and research has proven this time and again. In most cases, these scores are only separating out those who spend hours upon hours taking classes and studying for these tests from those who do not. The tests were really designed to be taken with minimal preparation, but now people take classes and everything else to drive up their scores. To weight the GMAT/GRE scores above undergraduate GPA and Graduate GPA is simply rediculous.

By the way, when I first took the GMAT I scored a 620 on it. Then, about a month later, I took it again and scored a 690. What did I do in that month to prepare for the test? Absolutely nothing. I mean I did not look at one thing about the GMAT because I didn't have time. For scores to change that dramatically from test to test says something about what we are all fooling with here. I find it a complete waist of time.

[doubtful]

I do not know about GMAT...

I am getting 3 interviews at top10-20 programs with a 780 Q GRE... so again is not true that you need a perfect score...

[AstralTraveller]

Originally Posted by doubtful

I do not know about GMAT...

I am getting 3 interviews at top10-20 programs with a 780 Q GRE... so again is not true that you need a perfect score...

And yet 780Q on the GRE is roughly equivalent to 50Q and more on the GMAT, which will translate in over 700 in the overall score as long as you don't bomb the Verbal section (I got thirty-something on verbal (83%), 50Q (95%), and it translated into 710, percentile 94%). My 780Q was about 90something percentile, or at least that said my report.....

You need to know beforehand what is the actual cutting point for each program. A professor at Chicago told me that they didn't look at GRE below 770Q, and they wouldn't look at it again during the application, so for some places it only seems to serve as a cut-off point, no more no less.

Just my 2 daktari,
AT

[kalo]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

You need to know beforehand what is the actual cutting point for each program.

how does one find out the "actual cutting point" for each prog?

[AstralTraveller]

Originally Posted by kalo

how does one find out the "actual cutting point" for each prog?

Asking the secretaries, that's how I found out....sadly didn't keep notes

Some programs display their cutting points on their website. Where it is not available, ask the secs. They are really helpful.

[Ancalagon The Black]

Whew !! I just made the cut off it seems with a 770Q !! Luckily I performed better on the verbal (700V)

But, I don't think that verbal is something that look too much into.

[doubtful]

@AT: my Gre was 780 90% Q, 580% 81% V, so roughly you could think of a 700 GMAT if a percentile translation is plausible. I do agree with your point of view, that the GRE/GMAT is just for the first cutoff, after that all the applicants start at the same level.

It is even true that some some business schools like to show on their website that the panel of enrolled students in a certain year, had a 720 Gmat average. I guess that taking a GRE could be an advantage to that respect, they are not gonna translate the GRE into GMAT for the average purpose..


finally, is 690 enough? it could be, but if you think you can score above 700.. take the test again..

[Hocking]

I guess I forgot to mention where my 690 score was getting me. At this point, I have received two official offers for Finance PhD Programs. One from a top 40 school, the other from a school outside the top 50 (probably around 60 or so). I have also received an offer to visit another Finance PhD Program at a school in the top 50 that would more than likely lead to an offer. Either of the two top 50 schools had graduates this year that were getting jobs in the $140,000-$160,000 range at very respectable schools, so I would be happy with either one of the schools.

If you are aiming for a school in the top 20, then you would definitely need a 700 score or more. I had one school tell me that they would not accept me until my score was above a 700, and they were probably a top 40 school. So it really depends on the department. The best advice given is to just call the departments and ask them.

Good luck