Hello,

I recently graduated and took the GMAT and scored a 670. Unfortunately my score was not balanced. Quant: 62nd percentile Verbal: 89th percentile. I have "A"s in calculus courses from college as well as "A"s in finance courses from college. My overall GPA was a 3.76. If I wish to go to a top 20 MBA program (after a few years of work experience), will I be required to improve my quant score?

Thanks

Hi Paul,

The short answer is that it depends on the school. Some programs are much more interested in your splits - especially quant - because it presents some information about your ability to do the work in core classes. Haas and Sloan are two schools that take a close look. Certainly there are others.

The way a quant split is viewed is also going to depend on your other factors. Someone with hard core finance experience might be okay, while a humanities major who has been working in consumer goods might come under more scrutiny.

The easiest way to solve the problem, of course, is to retake and try to boost both your quant and your overall (20-30 points overall would help a lot for top 20 schools). Short of that, you can also take some legit match classes and perform well. You can also consider something like the CABM, which is a credentialing exam akin to the CAF and which tests core competencies. You can check it out here: https://www.apbm.org/cabm/.

Hopefully this was helpful. Definitely give us a call at 1.800.925.7737 if you would like to discuss your candidacy or find out about our GMAT and admissions consulting services.

Cheers,
-Adam Hoff, Director of Admissions Consulting

Hi Richie,

You can take the GMAT even if you have not completed your undergraduate studies. In fact, every year many college seniors take the GMAT to get it out of the way, since your GMAT score is good for five years after you take the exam. Doing it while you're still in school means it's one less thing to worry about when you're working full-time, after you graduate.

Most top business schools DO require full-time work experience. Even at the ones that do not, only a handful of students in any given year have no work experience. We recommend that you work for at least two years before applying. That will put you in a much stronger position.

Re: prep options for the GMAT, take a look at the GMAT prep services on our site!

GMAT Prep: http://www.veritasprep.com/s/gmat/
Online GMAT Courses: http://www.veritasprep.com/s/gmat/online-gmat-courses/
GMAT Tutoring: http://www.veritasprep.com/s/gmat/tutoring/

Scott