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BudapestDreams
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 25 May 2018, 06:10
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Is there anyone preparing for GMAT for PhD in Business? Let's work together!
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 29 May 2018, 20:47
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BudapestDreams
Is there anyone preparing for GMAT for PhD in Business? Let's work together!
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Hi! I am preparing for GMAT for PhD in accounting at a to b school. How about you? I am interested in working with you!! Thanks!!

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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 30 May 2018, 04:51
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BudapestDreams
Is there anyone preparing for GMAT for PhD in Business? Let's work together!
Hi! I am preparing for GMAT for PhD in accounting at a to b school. How about you? I am interested in working with you!! Thanks!!

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Great! I would love to go for PhD in Marketing or Consumer Behaviour or Brand Reputation related areas. Let's take this chat to PM.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 30 May 2018, 08:56
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Hi! Nice to know that you would love to go for PhD in Marketing or Consumer Behaviour or Brand Reputation related areas.

As desired, lets take this chat to PM.

BudapestDreams
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Is there anyone preparing for GMAT for PhD in Business? Let's work together!
Hi! I am preparing for GMAT for PhD in accounting at a to b school. How about you? I am interested in working with you!! Thanks!!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Great! I would love to go for PhD in Marketing or Consumer Behaviour or Brand Reputation related areas. Let's take this chat to PM.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 15 Jun 2018, 10:19
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Hi everyone,

I am a German girl also preparing to get into a PhD programm in Summer 2019. Trying to do the GMAT on 07/15.
At the moment I am undecided wether to go for Marketing (Marketing Controlling, Consumer Behavior) or Hospitality/ Recreation Management (Cruise tourism).

I am actually curious about the average GMAT score that was accepted in PhD Programs. GMAT Club is offering an overview for MBA programs. Do you know if there is anything similar for a PhD program existing?

Looking forward to a great discussion.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 16 Jun 2018, 19:17
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Jvds

I am actually curious about the average GMAT score that was accepted in PhD Programs. GMAT Club is offering an overview for MBA programs. Do you know if there is anything similar for a PhD program existing?
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Generally speaking, my guess is that the average GMAT score for PhD programs in the US is around 710-720. For PhD applications, this kind of score is average, not really impressive.

However, bear in mind that the GMAT score is far from being the most decisive factor, you must think about the strength of your application as a whole, not only the GMAT. There are applicants who are accepted into top programs because of their other strengths, and applicants with stellar scores who are rejected everywhere. So, I guess a realistic range is between 680 and 750, depending on the strength of the rest of your application.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 21 Jun 2018, 00:20
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Hi,

I am also working towards PhD in Management (focus on Consumer Behavior). Would love to get in touch with individuals who are pursuing the same goal.

Aprajita
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 14 Jul 2018, 10:01
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BrazilianPhD
Jvds

I am actually curious about the average GMAT score that was accepted in PhD Programs. GMAT Club is offering an overview for MBA programs. Do you know if there is anything similar for a PhD program existing?

Generally speaking, my guess is that the average GMAT score for PhD programs in the US is around 710-720. For PhD applications, this kind of score is average, not really impressive.

However, bear in mind that the GMAT score is far from being the most decisive factor, you must think about the strength of your application as a whole, not only the GMAT. There are applicants who are accepted into top programs because of their other strengths, and applicants with stellar scores who are rejected everywhere. So, I guess a realistic range is between 680 and 750, depending on the strength of the rest of your application.
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Hi,

This is not the truth. Your GMAT is just one part of your application. Moreover, depending upon your GMAT score, you ought to apply to different tier universities. This is a wrong conception that you have score in 700s or higher and only then you will get into a PhD. It depends. Sometimes, even people with high score don't get in their dream colleges. One should be C equally focused about his/her strengthens in the area in which he/she wants to pursue PhD.


Anyways, I am in. I would love to work with you and help each other in any way we could.

Regards

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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 15 Jul 2018, 07:14
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As I wrote, the GMAT score is far from being the most decisive factor.

So, depending on your overall strength, you can get an acceptance into a good PhD program in the US with a score lower than 700, like the score of 680 I mentioned.

But don't get your hopes high for lower scores, at least not for good PhD programs in the US. Of course, one may be willing to accept schools that are ranked much lower, and then it is ok to apply even with a very weak profile, depending on how low you are willing to go. I assumed people want to get into top schools.

I answered a question about the average GMAT. So, let me just give a few examples, with actual numbers of average GMAT for a few good schools:
- The average GMAT score of those accepted by Chicago Booth was 738.
- The average GRE of matriculated business PhD students at Duke was 160V / 168Q, which is considered equivalent to 730 GMAT.
- The average GMAT of enrolled business PhD students at Washington University in St. Louis is 735.
So, at programs like these, a GMAT score of 700 is well below average.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 15 Jul 2018, 07:57
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As I wrote, the GMAT score is far from being the most decisive factor.

So, depending on your overall strength, you can get an acceptance into a good PhD program in the US with a score lower than 700, like the score of 680 I mentioned.

But don't get your hopes high for lower scores, at least not for good PhD programs in the US. Of course, one may be willing to accept schools that are ranked much lower, and then it is ok to apply even with a very weak profile, depending on how low you are willing to go. I assumed people want to get into top schools.

I answered a question about the average GMAT. So, let me just give a few examples, with actual numbers of average GMAT for a few good schools:
- The average GMAT score of those accepted by Chicago Booth was 738.
- The average GRE of matriculated business PhD students at Duke was 160V / 168Q, which is considered equivalent to 730 GMAT.
- The average GMAT of enrolled business PhD students at Washington University in St. Louis is 735.
So, at programs like these, a GMAT score of 700 is well below average.
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Well said! BrazilianPhD - You could not have said in a better way!! It boils down to what are your final goals. GMAT is used as a mechanism for rejection rather than selection and you definitely don't want to get rejected due to a low GMAT score!! If you have a very good GMAT score the ADCOM will take the pain to look into your profile.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 16 Jul 2018, 04:39
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Yes, you are right. That's why I said that with lower GMAT you need to target lower tier universities. I just contradicted the fact that you said that the average score is around 710 - 720. It seemed you wanna say that below that you cannot expect to get into a good PhD program. What I said is that other factors also weigh in.

Regards !!

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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 16 Jul 2018, 08:17
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I still think the AVERAGE score is around 710-720. But that's the average, there is a standard deviation of course, and so the range would include scores that are lower or higher than that.

Let's talk a little about those "other factors". There are several other factors, but I think most people would agree that two major factors that can really help to overcome a lower GMAT score are research experience and letters of recommendation. However, very few PhD applicants have a really good research experience, and very strong letters of recommendation. And those who do have those factors as strength, usually are also able to get great GMAT scores. There is a correlation, even if it's not perfect, it's not like those other factors are independent from the GMAT score.

If you have strong research experience and strong letters of recommendation, then in my opinion it is really a shame to apply with a score lower than 700. In such cases, you will probably be accepted by a good school, when you could be accepted by an excellent school if you had a few more GMAT points.

I recently helped an applicant like that. His profile was very strong, except for the low GMAT score. Because of the GMAT score, he was aiming top 50 programs, and I was pretty sure he would be accepted in that range despite the low GMAT, given the "other factors". But I recommended to try the GMAT again, raise the score, and then aim higher. He did that, and with the higher score, he is now enrolled at UCLA, which was beyond his dreams. So, even if you have a strong profile with those "other factors", increasing your GMAT score can make a difference from a good school to a dream school.

If you don't have strong research experience and strong letters of recommendation, then the GMAT score is really the best bet to try to get the attention of good schools.

And, just to be more clear about what I mean by "good schools", my opinions and guesses (like the average) are based on programs that would be considered top 70 in the US. It's very rare to see applicants willing to go below top 70. But if you are willing to apply to, let's say, a program ranked 200th, then of course it doesn't make any sense to talk about GMAT score higher than 700. But I don't see many applicants like that around these forums.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 16 Jul 2018, 10:08
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I received a message with a few questions, but I'm answering them here since it may be helpful for other applicants too.

"Why did you feel that the candidate who initially got a lower GMAT score had a strong profile? Did he have any publications?"
- Undergrad in a top 10 school in his field. First class honors, 4.0 GPA.
- MSc, again in his field, with distinction. From one of the most famous schools in the world, top 20, recognized as a powerhouse in research. Able to get letters of recommendation from professors there.
- Experience working as RA, and then another strong letter of recommendation from his supervisor.
- Experience working as TA.
- When I started talking to him, long before application, he had almost completed a paper to publish. So, I don't know for sure, but I guess that by the time he applied, he had the paper at least under review by some journal.
So, about everything schools like to see in an application: top schools, fantastic grades, experience in research and teaching, letters of recommendation from famous professors who are active in research. The only problem was the GMAT score.

"What were the applicants before/after scores and other details. In which field did he apply for PhD? What was candidates age?"
- He had a 680 GMAT score, and was aiming top 50 program in Finance due to the low score. Improved to 740.
- Don't know his age.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 22 Jul 2018, 06:14
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BudapestDreams
Is there anyone preparing for GMAT for PhD in Business? Let's work together!
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Hi there!

Hoping it's not too late to get involved as well. I'm just in the early stages of my prep to apply for Fall 2019, and am still learning a lot about the process - I would definitely appreciate the chance to work with some folks going through the same thing.

Thanks!
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 02 Aug 2018, 08:29
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AprajitaG
Hi,

I am also working towards PhD in Management (focus on Consumer Behavior). Would love to get in touch with individuals who are pursuing the same goal.

Aprajita
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HI:
I am preparing for Gmat in India top business school .Planning to give GMAT by october end ..

Hope three months are enough.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 03 Aug 2018, 23:24
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AprajitaG
Hi,

I am also working towards PhD in Management (focus on Consumer Behavior). Would love to get in touch with individuals who are pursuing the same goal.

Aprajita



HI:
I am preparing for Gmat in India top business school .Planning to give GMAT by october end ..

Hope three months are enough.
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Hello pihu77

3 moths are enough.

Of course that also depends on your background, your current score, your target score and amount of time and quality of work you can invest.


Hello SpidersFromMars

Its is never too late.

Welcome aboard.


Hi BrazilianPhD

Thanks for sharing valuable information to other PhD aspirants and congrats (belated) on your admission to Bauer.

Great school.


Hello SonalSinha803

You are absolutely right.

GMAT is just one aspect of application, and after you cross some threshold, being in range of average scores of previously admitted students at particular university, it becomes less important for admission decision.


Hi CAMANISHPARMAR

Yes GMAT is exactly that, a way of cutting/sorting down applications to the smaller pool of students they may admit.

Then they look at your profile carefully and holistically.


Hello AprajitaG

You are most welcomed to join us here.


Hi Jvds

How did your GMAT exam go ?

If you tell me/us where you want to go/apply, I can help you with average score info.

It is very different depending on school, specialization or region, like US vs. Europe etc.


Finally, hello to BudapestDreams

Thanks for starting conversation and yes I agree we should all work together :thumbup:


Additional info for you guys, BrazilianPhD has provided you with some info for top schools like Booth, Duke etc. however many very good schools in US (which is most competitive region) are not that demanding, for instance at his Bauer business school (Houston) average GMAT score of admitted students was around 680.

https://www.bauer.uh.edu/doctoral/admissions/faq.php

So those are good news for all of you.

For instance, for PhD in Finance which is by far most competitive specialization at any business school, in another words most hard to get in, due to admission demands and open slots, the average GMAT score for Bauer was 698, with range from 640 to 760.

https://www.bauer.uh.edu/doctoral/finance/faq.php

In other regions, like Europe that would be only lower, sometimes much lower, to the point they will not even mention their lower target score, meaning they want to encourage you to apply :-)
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 03 Aug 2018, 23:56
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Hi guys!!

Count me in to, older candidate, been out of school for about 10 years now, preparing for GMAT.

Does anyone know how critical is research experience in PhD applications? Since i have none, does that jeopardise my application?
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? Updated on: 04 Aug 2018, 03:39
Originally posted by BrazilianPhD on 04 Aug 2018, 02:28.
Last edited by BrazilianPhD on 04 Aug 2018, 03:39, edited 2 times in total.
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The last actual average score they informed us for PhD acceptance at Bauer is 706, for Fall 2017. Don't trust that information about an average GMAT around 680 at Bauer, that's old news. So, please be careful, if you are a PhD student you also know that the information that is publicly available is often not the best. Skepticism is healthy for PhD.

Also, even if Finance is generally the most competitive, it is not true that it is BY FAR the most competitive specialization at ANY business school. This looks like of the common GMAT traps. This is too strong a statement, as different schools have different characteristics.

I don't have much data to really compare the different departments here at Bauer. But the reputation of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship is stronger than the Department of Finance's. For research about sales I really think Bauer is one of the top in the world because of Mike Ahearne, for example. And Finance accepts much more students than Marketing (twice). With much more students, the range and the deviation of GMAT scores in Finance are probably much larger than in Marketing. If you are applying to Quant Marketing, for example, there is usually only 1 spot available a year, don't expect it to be any easy. Since they will only get 1 new student, you have to be the best they can have, and that is usually someone very, very good. I don't think the difference here between the average GMAT score of Finance and Marketing is that significant.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 04 Aug 2018, 03:02
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MrTodd
Hi guys!!

Count me in to, older candidate, been out of school for about 10 years now, preparing for GMAT.

Does anyone know how critical is research experience in PhD applications? Since i have none, does that jeopardise my application?
Show more

It is more critical for some schools than others. Generally speaking, the highest ranking schools are harder on that, but it's always hard to tell.

For a PhD application, you are expected to show that you have the potential to be a researcher, that academic research is something you'd like to do for the rest of your career. Having research experience is one of the best ways to show that. It's harder to convince someone that you want to do research for life when you haven't done anything yet.

For a younger applicant, it's often easier to explain why they don't have research experience. They just didn't have time yet, since they are young. But older applicants like us cannot use that as an excuse. You have to explain why you took such a long time to start.

So, you need to look for other ways to compensate for that weakness in your profile. You must show that you know what you're getting into, and that you are committed to it. I'm also older, and even with research experience they asked me a lot of questions to be sure I have what it takes. They wanted me to explain how to conduct an academic research, asked questions about software used in academic research, things like that.
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Anybody preparing for GMAT to get admission in PhD? 04 Aug 2018, 06:11
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billionaire


Yes GMAT is exactly that, a way of cutting/sorting down applications to the smaller pool of students they may admit.

Then they look at your profile carefully and holistically.

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Thanks billionaire

I am going to apply for doing a PhD in accounting/finance.

Thanks for your inputs!! I will definitely take your help once I have my GMAT score handy :)

Regards,

Manish
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