Thanks for sharing your profile, @SK9820. Let's understand where you stand now (with 615 Focus / 316 GRE). INSEAD avg ≈ 710 classic ≈ 655 Focus; HEC ≈ 690 classic ≈ 635 Focus. Many US T20 schools cluster around GMAT classic ~710–730 (Focus mid-660s+). And the average GRE at top US MBAs is ~322–330; your 316 is clearly below that. Given you’re an Indian male engineer in tech, schools expect you to be at or above their averages to offset the low-ish GPA and overrepresented pool. Right now, GMAT FE 615/ GRE 316 are too low for your stated target band. It will be an uphill climb at the places you’re naming. If you go for a GMAT Focus retake, the minimum score to be in the conversation: 645-655 FE. A 665-685 FE can make you competitive at (T20 + INSEAD/LBS/HEC/IESE). If you take the GRE, aim for a minimum score of 322–325 total, with Q ≥ 163, and a 325–330+, Q 165+ would help offset GPA & overrep demographic. Pick one test and commit.

For your stated tier, waiting one cycle with a better score might be smarter. We can discuss this further.

Coming to the positives: Top 3 IIT (brand), plus PM at Big Tech (brand + role). Real PM experience, press releases, tangible products shipped. Clear, realistic goal: PM/PMM in tech, not a huge pivot.

Weaker bits: GPA 6.75/10 is below the shiny top, even for IIT. Overrepresented demographic, so you’ll be compared to lots of ~720, 730+(classic) scorers. Need more explicit leadership and impact stories (team leading, cross-functional ownership, $$ or metric impact).

Things to do: Curate 2,3 “hero” product stories. For each, define context- product, user, business objective. Your role: decisions, trade-offs, cross-functional leadership. Metrics: revenue, adoption, churn, NPS, latency, etc.

To mitigate GPA, use an optional essay (if needed) to explain heavy course load/rigor, any upward trend.

Lean on quant-heavy work (analytics, experimentation, pricing, infra) to prove capability.

Network with target schools. Ask specifically about PM/PMM recruiting and what differentiates successful tech applicants.

Questions for you to reflect upon:
1) Any specific geographies post-MBA (US vs Europe vs India)?
2) In your PM role, what’s the single biggest metric you’ve moved (e.g., +X% revenue, +Y% adoption)?
3) Are you open to including a few T25–35 “bridge” schools in case test scores don’t reach the top band?

We would love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, professional experiences, and personal journey so we can offer a more tailored assessment of your profile and evaluate your chances at your target schools more accurately. Happy to discuss your profile, feel free to book an evaluation session.

Recently, most of the LBS applicants who worked with Shantanu (INSEAD Alumnus, Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond) received Interview Invites.