{"id":34828,"date":"2016-10-25T06:49:25","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T13:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/gmat-score-or-gpa-whats-the-biggest-application-killer\/"},"modified":"2016-10-25T06:49:25","modified_gmt":"2016-10-25T13:49:25","slug":"gmat-score-or-gpa-whats-the-biggest-application-killer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/gmat-score-or-gpa-whats-the-biggest-application-killer\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT Score or GPA: What\u2019s the Biggest Application Killer?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How<\/a><\/p>\n

Not all MBA application pieces are equal, so focus your prep strategically.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for getting into business school\u2014but by thinking smart and planning out a timeline suited to your unique candidacy, you\u2019ll be gathering confidence and knowledge that will really pay off when it comes time to apply.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Two of the most crucial business school application components are your GRE or GMAT score and your GPA. Together, these make up the quantifiable aspects of your candidacy, and they both go a long way toward ensuring the rest of your MBA application gets the attention it deserves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why your GMAT score and GPA matter<\/span><\/h2>\n

Fifty percent of MBA admissions officers <\/span>interviewed by Kaplan in 2014<\/span><\/a> cited poor test performance\u2014a low GRE or GMAT score\u2014as the number-one application killer when considering candidates\u2014meaning that the remaining half cited all other reasons combined.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next leading factor that caused an application to find its way into the recycling bin was a low GPA\u2014but even that came in a full 18 percentage points lower, with 32 percent of admissions officers quoting it as the biggest application killer. Minimal relevant work experience factored in at distant third with 9 percent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identify your application priorities<\/span><\/h2>\n

Why is this important? Depending on what your area of study emphasizes (i.e., if you\u2019re going into a specialized business school program that places particular importance on work experience), knowing the biggest application killers can help you prioritize where you should focus your efforts in the application process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, making your application essays sound just right or polishing your resume is important, and you certainly shouldn\u2019t neglect these. But if you\u2019re putting 95 percent of your time into such application requirements, you might want to reprioritize. Depending on your projected GRE or GMAT score (which you can estimate by taking a free <\/span>GMAT<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>GRE<\/span><\/a> practice test), some\u2014if not most\u2014of those precious hours might be better spent studying for the exam, or taking a <\/span>GMAT<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>GRE<\/span><\/a> prep course. Just the same, if your GPA is hurting and you\u2019re still in undergrad, taking an extra academic course relevant to your prospective business school program might be the way to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

MBA admissions is a balancing act<\/span><\/h2>\n

Everyone\u2019s situation is different, but we know that life doesn\u2019t stop when you\u2019re applying to business school, and those work, academic, and family obligations still take up space on your schedule. So if your time is at a premium, think of the best ways to divide it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember: there are always things you can do to get more ready for business school, and it\u2019s never too late to start\u2014or continue\u2014that journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find out <\/span><\/i>what\u2019s next for your future with our five-question quiz<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u2014and unlock tools that will help you know what to expect on the GMAT and on GMAT Test Day.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The post GMAT Score or GPA: What\u2019s the Biggest Application Killer?<\/a> appeared first on Business School Insider<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not all MBA application pieces are equal, so focus your prep strategically. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for getting into business school\u2014but by thinking smart and planning out a timeline…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,558,243,940],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gmat","category-kaplan-blog","category-blog","category-gmat-prep-gmat","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34828\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}