I have been put on the wait list at my first choice MBA program. Should I reconsider retaking the GMAT in order to help get accepted at this point or will it not do much for my case?
My original scores are below:
Scaled Percentile
Quant 38 56%
Verbal 35 76%
Total 610 73%
Writing 5.0 73%
GMAT Forum
4 postsPage 1 of 1
- MBA Mission
Re: I am on the Wait List should I Retake the GMAT?
ChiefHero,
Before I answer your question, I should mention that I am presupposing that you think that you can do better on the GMAT. Obviously, if you don’t think that you can improve your score, there is no need for you to retake the test, even if you are in waitlist-purgatory. Also, it is important to note that the school itself may take the "guess-work" out of the equation for you; depending on the school that you are applying to, you may have a Waitlist Manager assigned to you, who may be perfectly happy to explain the school’s main reasons for placing you on the waitlist. While your GMAT might seem to be an obvious reason, it is possible that the school’s concerns lie elsewhere and that other steps may be necessary to dislodge you from the waitlist.
Because you don’t mention the school that you are applying to or offer details of your personal/professional profile, it is difficult to offer you targeted advice. Nonetheless, it is fair to write that top-20 schools would view a 56% quantitative score cautiously and would expect an overall score higher than a 610. While we have certainly helped candidates with scores lower than yours to succeed at the highest levels and understand that the GMAT is a single indicator along with several others (work experience, community involvement, grades, references, interview, etc.) it is probably advisable that you retake the GMAT "” a significantly improved score offers you an opportunity to enhance your target school’s perception of your candidacy, which is exactly what you need right now.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
http://www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBA Mission
Before I answer your question, I should mention that I am presupposing that you think that you can do better on the GMAT. Obviously, if you don’t think that you can improve your score, there is no need for you to retake the test, even if you are in waitlist-purgatory. Also, it is important to note that the school itself may take the "guess-work" out of the equation for you; depending on the school that you are applying to, you may have a Waitlist Manager assigned to you, who may be perfectly happy to explain the school’s main reasons for placing you on the waitlist. While your GMAT might seem to be an obvious reason, it is possible that the school’s concerns lie elsewhere and that other steps may be necessary to dislodge you from the waitlist.
Because you don’t mention the school that you are applying to or offer details of your personal/professional profile, it is difficult to offer you targeted advice. Nonetheless, it is fair to write that top-20 schools would view a 56% quantitative score cautiously and would expect an overall score higher than a 610. While we have certainly helped candidates with scores lower than yours to succeed at the highest levels and understand that the GMAT is a single indicator along with several others (work experience, community involvement, grades, references, interview, etc.) it is probably advisable that you retake the GMAT "” a significantly improved score offers you an opportunity to enhance your target school’s perception of your candidacy, which is exactly what you need right now.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
http://www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBA Mission
chiefhero Wrote:I have been put on the wait list at my first choice MBA program. Should I reconsider retaking the GMAT in order to help get accepted at this point or will it not do much for my case?
My original scores are below:
Scaled Percentile
Quant 38 56%
Verbal 35 76%
Total 610 73%
Writing 5.0 73%
- chiefhero
Re: Waitlist
I am on the waitlist at Tepper which is a highly quantitative school. Perhaps even though I have a Software Engineering background, the GMAT score counts more. The 610 falls within their 80% range. I think that I could improve my score somewhat, but the question is whether 2 months of intense studying will be enough to help push me over the mark. In the wait list letter, they say not to contact them about feedback because they are too busy during the admissions cycle. So I could try to contact someone but I risk annoying them and I am not sure that would spell out that they want a higher GMAT score.
The bottom line to me seems to be this, the GMAT score is something that I can improve on and change at this point. Most of the rest of my application is fixed so this is something active that I can do to improve my chances although it might only improve them a little bit.
What are your thoughts?
Mark
The bottom line to me seems to be this, the GMAT score is something that I can improve on and change at this point. Most of the rest of my application is fixed so this is something active that I can do to improve my chances although it might only improve them a little bit.
What are your thoughts?
Mark
- MBA Mission
Re: Waitlist
Mark,
When it comes to waitlists, you should always obey the requests of the committee. If their letter says not to contact them, then definitely do not contact them. So, we are left with some guesswork and my guess would be that a quant-oriented school like Tepper would like to see a higher score from a software engineer, as they probably have a strong relative pool of your peers. Further, it really seems as though you have nothing to lose - you think that you can raise your scores and should have the time now that the application process is behind you. My recommendation is that you take the test in the next two months as planned, unless they have informed you that they will be making decisions on their waitlisted candidates on an ongoing basis; then you should take the test sooner.
What score is your target score?
Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
http://www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission
When it comes to waitlists, you should always obey the requests of the committee. If their letter says not to contact them, then definitely do not contact them. So, we are left with some guesswork and my guess would be that a quant-oriented school like Tepper would like to see a higher score from a software engineer, as they probably have a strong relative pool of your peers. Further, it really seems as though you have nothing to lose - you think that you can raise your scores and should have the time now that the application process is behind you. My recommendation is that you take the test in the next two months as planned, unless they have informed you that they will be making decisions on their waitlisted candidates on an ongoing basis; then you should take the test sooner.
What score is your target score?
Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
http://www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission
[url][/url]chiefhero Wrote:I am on the waitlist at Tepper which is a highly quantitative school. Perhaps even though I have a Software Engineering background, the GMAT score counts more. The 610 falls within their 80% range. I think that I could improve my score somewhat, but the question is whether 2 months of intense studying will be enough to help push me over the mark. In the wait list letter, they say not to contact them about feedback because they are too busy during the admissions cycle. So I could try to contact someone but I risk annoying them and I am not sure that would spell out that they want a higher GMAT score.
The bottom line to me seems to be this, the GMAT score is something that I can improve on and change at this point. Most of the rest of my application is fixed so this is something active that I can do to improve my chances although it might only improve them a little bit.
What are your thoughts?
Mark
4 posts Page 1 of 1