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riverripper
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 09 Aug 2008, 12:26
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edwarise
I think average numbers mean nothing. Its like "the average temperature in the hospital". the real average GMAT score in S/W/H for white men non-gay is about 730+ as I've heard. for Chinese/Indian/Russians - 740+. but if you're black lesbian from Honduras you are lucky and should not try so much:)
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I think it goes far beyond that...I would break the gay/lesbian out of that first of all since I know a few and they would be very offended by that since they said they did not mention that anywhere in their applications. If you are an Indian engineer yes your GMAT is going to be high...but if you are an Indian who worked in some unusual field like a field reporter for CNN in India, probably wont need a 740+ GPA.

I would say the vast majority of applicants these days at the top schools do fall in the 680-730 range. People picture 700 as the mark of being competitive and retake numerous times to get there.
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 09 Aug 2008, 16:37
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Pathfinder_77
Yeah, 720 is average but it is the average score of ADDMITTED students. If it were average score of all the applicants that would be the reason to worry.
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I also about admitted. Do you really believe that average numbers for admitted men and admitted women are the same? they are not. take it into account.
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edwarise
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 09 Aug 2008, 17:13
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I just mean that you should not think about average GMAT numbers very much. each situation is unique and considered by adcoms separately.
For example, if you had 9 years of WE your GMAT is not so important. But if you had bad GRA - it becomes much more important. If you are working as an engeener you are expected to have higher than average score, but if you have fine art degree - lower than average is acceptable. if you are a woman (they have in average 30 points less scores) and non-english country resident you are not expected the same score as american man (despite non-english Chinises have the best average gmat results in the world). So the every case is individual and everyone has the optimal "expected" score which may be much higher or lower than average. and the task - get this optimal result, becouse the result which is higher than your profile candidate expected to have really do not give you a lot of additional points. it's my view on this issue.
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 09 Aug 2008, 21:21
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edwarise
non-english country resident you are not expected the same score as american man (despite non-english Chinises have the best average gmat results in the world).
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The scoretop cheating scandal has brought to light a reason for that...

Like it or not the GMAT is an important factor in your application. It also extends beyond that, if you have a high its common to put it on a resume...some industries ask you for your gmat when you are applying for positions.
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 10 Aug 2008, 01:48
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edwarise
non-english country resident you are not expected the same score as american man (despite non-english Chinises have the best average gmat results in the world).
It also extends beyond that, if you have a high its common to put it on a resume...some industries ask you for your gmat when you are applying for positions.
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Really? I've never heard about it. In my country most of employers know nothing about GMAT (and many know nothing about MBA to be honest:)

I think for managerial positions GMAT can not be the factor, it does not show the real abilities. May be in some industries it can, but I think mostly for starting positions. I've never asked applicants I interviewed about their GMAT even they hold MBA.
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 10 Aug 2008, 01:54
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riverripper
edwarise
non-english country resident you are not expected the same score as american man (despite non-english Chinises have the best average gmat results in the world).
It also extends beyond that, if you have a high its common to put it on a resume...some industries ask you for your gmat when you are applying for positions.

Really? I've never heard about it. In my country most of employers know nothing about GMAT (and many know nothing about MBA to be honest:)

I think for managerial positions GMAT can not be the factor, it does not show the real abilities. May be in some industries it can, but I think mostly for starting positions. I've never asked applicants I interviewed about their GMAT even they hold MBA.
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some management consulting firms will ask for GMAT scores.
there may be other industries that ask for GMATs as well
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edwarise
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 10 Aug 2008, 01:57
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edwarise
non-english country resident you are not expected the same score as american man (despite non-english Chinises have the best average gmat results in the world).

The scoretop cheating scandal has brought to light a reason for that...

.
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Excuse me, what is the scandal? Chinese really cheating on exams?

Actually I was surprised when knew they had average 602 score against 529 in US and 525 in the world. Even Indians who are more technical knowledge oriented and easy with English and math have only 578. But is it real that most of 13000 applicants may cheat? Difficult to believe for me.
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 10 Aug 2008, 09:35
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edwarise

Excuse me, what is the scandal? Chinese really cheating on exams?
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It goes beyond the actual scoretop scandal, that is what brought it to many peoples attention. There is a coutage industry in China where people take the test and memorize questions. These are compiled into question banks (I think they are called JiJing aka JJs aka jungle juice). I guess GMAC is trying to crack down on this and cancel scores of those caught...when that happens those people can say goodbye to ever getting an MBA.

https://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jan2006/bs2006015_2198_bs001.htm
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 10 Aug 2008, 12:37
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edwarise

Excuse me, what is the scandal? Chinese really cheating on exams?

It goes beyond the actual scoretop scandal, that is what brought it to many peoples attention. There is a coutage industry in China where people take the test and memorize questions. These are compiled into question banks (I think they are called JiJing aka JJs aka jungle juice). I guess GMAC is trying to crack down on this and cancel scores of those caught...when that happens those people can say goodbye to ever getting an MBA.

https://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jan2006/bs2006015_2198_bs001.htm
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Thanks, its very interesting.
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 12 Aug 2008, 12:50
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I think that it's partially true. I mean, the average GMAT scores are trending upwards. Test takers are spending more time studying and have many more resources today (such as this forum!) versus five years ago. Why do you think the 750 dropped to 98th percentile? Not so special anymore. This stratification of test-takers will only continue until only getting an 800 will be 99th percentile. Years ago, 720 was considered 99th percentile. It's just a evolution of test taking and increased competitiveness worldwide. I think naysayers just have their heads in the sand.
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 12 Aug 2008, 12:52
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As I always say "You can put your head in the sand, but your butt is still out there to get kicked by your problems."

rigger
I think that it's partially true. I mean, the average GMAT scores are trending upwards. Test takers are spending more time studying and have many more resources today (such as this forum!) versus five years ago. Why do you think the 750 dropped to 98th percentile? Not so special anymore. This stratification of test-takers will only continue until only getting an 800 will be 99th percentile. Years ago, 720 was considered 99th percentile. It's just a evolution of test taking and increased competitiveness worldwide. I think naysayers just have their heads in the sand.
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 12 Aug 2008, 13:09
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jallenmorris
As I always say "You can put your head in the sand, but your butt is still out there to get kicked by your problems."
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JAllen, something about a head and a butt sounds/seems all too familiar.
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GMAT: Is 750 the new 700? 12 Aug 2008, 14:14
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I think younger people are also applying more to b-schools, and I'd be willing to bet that the average college senior has a higher GMAT score than the average person with 5 years of experience (all others things equal). This could be a reason for higher GMAT scores. It'd be nice to see some numbers though.
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