Profile Eval - 680 GMAT w/ verbal skew

[jprice430]

I just took the GMAT and scored 680 (V41/93%, Q42/54%, IR7/82%). I was disappointed with my quant score and am debating retaking the test; however, it's mostly consistent with my practice exam scores. In any event, I'm looking to apply to part-time/executive/hybrid programs in the 10-25 ranking range. I'm fairly close to the full-time average GMAT scores for these schools, but many don't divulge part-time or executive program scores. I plan on applying next year for a 2015 start, so I have time to retake if necessary. The rest of my profile is as follows:

Background/Education
- American Caucasian
- Male
- BS in Accounting from top 25 public undergrad b-school, GPA 3.6
- MS in Accounting from same, GPA 3.7
- Certified Public Accountant
- Quant course grades were mostly in the 3.0-3.3 range with the exception of a calculus course where I earned a C.

Experience
- Big Four auditor ~5 yrs. serving Fortune 100 financial services clients
- Fortune 50 corporate finance ~2 yrs. including experience working on a transformative acquisition

Extracurricular
- Board of directors and strategy committee chair for local nonprofit

Why an MBA?
My long-term career goal is to be a Fortune 100 finance leader (CFO, Treasurer, etc.) with a strong technical skill set and the ability to think strategically and manage a finance organization effectively. My background in accounting has been both a positive and a negative for my career. It opened the door to some fantastic experiences at a large public accounting firm, which in turn allowed me to transition into corporate finance. However, it has also limited me to working almost exclusively in an accounting capacity. I have had very little experience modeling and building business cases, which I feel is essential to becoming a business finance leader. With the support of my employer, pursuing an MBA in finance along with the general management education that comes with it is the next step towards achieving my long-term career goals.

Recommendations
I plan on submitting at least one executive-level recommendation

Thanks, I appreciate any insight!

[mbamissionjenK]

Hi there,

Thanks for your post, I think your overall story of your past + the MBA leading to your future goals, and why the MBA is needed/how it will help you branch out from solely accounting, all makes sense which will read well on an application.

I would encourage you to try that GMAT once more if possible, with some intense quant practice & prep in the meantime. With your #'s-focused background, there is potentially a higher expectation for that quant GMAT score, and it's common to take it twice, schools take the highest score, so not much to lose if you are up for a re-take. Side note: the US News & World report rankings list includes average GMAT on their part-time rankings too, and I'd think schools would provide you with that info if you at least reached out and asked if you couldn't find it for some reason.

Good luck, I think something should work out for you, keep us posted with questions and your progress!