Get accepted to HBS with low GRE?

Question

Guys -

What is a good GRE score for M7 schools?

Reason I ask - if you look at HBS' class median GRE its 163 / 163 (Q and V). This, according to ETS, translates to a 690 GMAT. Isn't this bad??

Moreover, I've seen on other forums (such as clearadmit), people have frequently been getting into M7 schools with 320-322 GREs (650-670). Is it easier to get in with a GRE score???

HBS class median GRE link:

https://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/clas ... fault.aspx

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  nycguymba . The short answer to your question is  no , there is no backdoor, little-known easy way to gain entry into an M7 school with a GRE® score instead of a GMAT™ score. Keep in mind that in many programs, way more students submit GMAT™ scores, so the data could be skewed. Furthermore, behind the numbers, you have no idea who those successful applicants may be. I see news stories year after year about a top school taking in some war hero or underprivileged student whose dream it was to even see the hallowed halls. Trust me, if the GRE® made things easier regarding admissions to such programs, the word would have gotten out long ago. My advice? See which test plays to your strengths, and of course, make sure you know exactly which test or tests may be admissible for each school you are considering, M7 or no.

Good luck.

- Andrew

nycguymba · Answer

Thanks Andrew, but I don't think this answers my question. My question stated in other words -

Isn't a 163 / 163 (Q and V) a low GRE score when converted to GMAT (690)? If so, this GRE score is actually the median (per HBS). So, even though there might be a few anomalies, that shouldn't change the vast majority of applicants shouldn't it? Maybe the answer to this question is that scoring a 690 equivalent on the GRE is MUCH tougher than on the GMAT? Just guessing here. tnx

AndrewN · Answer

Right. To answer your original question, there is no singular  good score  for HBS or a similar school. You always want to score as high as you can on whatever test you decide to submit. The school can find enough high-scoring candidates to balance out the lower-scoring candidates and end up with a median score that looks attainable to a larger group of people. Since you focused on HBS specifically in the original post, consider that 80 percent of the matriculating class submitted GMAT™ scores and the other 20 percent GRE® scores. With a smaller sample size, the median GRE® scores might not be as reliable as the scores submitted from the other 4/5 of matriculates. Yes, on paper, a 163/163 translates worse than a 730 on the GMAT™, but if admissions were all just a numbers game, we could all either earn the target score and get in or not earn it and be left out. Remember that the application package is considered holistically, so work experience and other background information is more pertinent than a single test score, however high or low that might be.

My personal view of the two tests, with which I believe most people in the industry would agree, is that the GRE® Quant is easier than the GMAT™ Quant to score high on, but that the opposite is true of the Verbal. GRE® Verbal requires a certain proficiency with upper-level vocabulary and a nuanced understanding of such words in context, while the GMAT™ SC portion does not really match it in difficulty. Although the GMAT™ includes more CR questions than the handful of such questions that fall under the Reading Comprehension umbrella on the GRE®, their difficulty is about the same. In short, a 163V, when paired with a 163Q, might not be as simple to achieve as a percentile match across the two tests (or a score converter, official or not) would indicate.

If you have further questions, please let me know.

- Andrew

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