GMAT Score Estimation?

Question

Hi, I'm looking for a very rough estimate of what I could score on the GMAT.

Statistics:
SAT: 700 CR; 660 M; 630 W
(1990 TOTAL, 1360 CR+M)
1360 = (93rd percentile)
Background: Writing section is complete BS. As for the math section: I had an incredibly weak geometry foundation, which probably lowered my score considerably; tons of geo problems on the SAT.
IQ: Don't know for sure, probably slightly above average (110-115).

I've heard that the GMAT is more of an IQ test than the SAT is, and I'm worried about that. I'm definitely not stupid, but I'm certainly not standard deviations above everyone else.

I've been looking at some sample GMAT quant questions, and they look fairly difficult to bruteforce. I wouldn't be able to bruteforce most of the problems in <2 mins in my head.

Anyway, an estimate would be great. I'm aiming for something like 710. I think I'll do well in the verbal section, but not too great in the quant.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Consultantwannabee,

Unfortunately, there's no way to realistically predict how you might score on the GMAT based on an SAT score.

If you're just beginning, then it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can download 2 for free from https://www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a bit of practice first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the general content and question types first, then that's fine - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. A FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

ConsultantWannabe · Answer

I'm actually a sophomore in college. I know that it's far too early to think about an MBA, but I'm trying to plan for the future. If I get a mediocre score like 650 now, I'll know that I probably won't be able to get into a top 20 school in the future, and the ROI simply isn't there below the top 20. As a result, I'll make different internship/career decisions.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Consultantwannabee,

Before you commit to studying for the GMAT right now, there are a couple of other things that you should consider:

1) Your GMAT score is good for 5 years. While that is a relatively long time, you would still have to complete your undergrad degree and spend some time gaining reputable Work Experience before you apply to School. It's possible that your score would expire before you could realistically apply to Business School (so you'd end up having to restudy and retest later on).

2) Many Schools expect 2-5 years of quality Work Experience from applicants. Since you've discussed limiting your applications to Top20 Schools, you would certainly want to do everything in your power to make yourself an attractive OVERALL applicant, including getting that necessary experience.

Are you looking to apply to Business School straight out of your Undergrad Program?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

ConsultantWannabe · Answer

I plan to apply to business school when I have 5 years of work experience. That's probably when I'll have the best chance of getting in. I don't plan to actually take an official GMAT anytime soon, but I do want to study perhaps a few hours every week for a couple of years, and then take the test. I've always found that doing a little at a time for a long period of time usually results in success.

I'm aiming for a 720+, not sure if that's feasible. I'm starting to have doubts because I've heard that the GMAT is essentially an IQ test. I've tested above average for IQ, but I'm nowhere near the top 2% range.

I'm aiming for a 720+, not sure if that's feasible. I'm starting to have doubts because I've heard that the GMAT is essentially an IQ test. I've tested above average for IQ, but I'm nowhere near the top 2% range.

AjiteshArun · Answer

2 years is probably too long, unless you're working on extremely basic concepts. And the GMAT is not an IQ test. I'm sure there is some correlation there, but what the GMAT really wants to do is provide schools some way to check how likely you are to do well in their programs.

Top 2% on the GMAT is 750. The 720 you're aiming for is 94%. Again, I doubt that this will come down only to IQ.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Consultantwannabee,

While you could certainly attempt to study a little-bit-at-a-time for a few years, you'll likely find that approach won't be something that you can maintain. The GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a high level AND you can do so in a reasonable amount of time. Many Test Takers spend 3 (or more) months of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so you should probably plan for that type of approach (but that won't be for several years).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

ConsultantWannabe · Answer

This is a little long, sorry:

I have a small update. I took Babson's Mini-GMAT test and scored an estimate of 560-590. The exam was 50 minutes per section, so 100 minutes total. I left about 23 minutes on the Quant and 25 minutes on the Verbal.

Obviously, I wasn't taking the exam all that seriously because I did not feel like sitting down for a full 100 minutes. I just wanted to see the structure of the test, how the time pressure felt, etc. I scored a 79% on the Quant and ~24% on Verbal. It said my weakest section on the verbal was reading comprehension, which is understandable, because I didn't read any of the passages and just filled in random choices.

I'm feeling a little better about the exam now. My main areas to improve on will be those problems where it goes like: abc =/= 0, what is a > 0? I, II, neither, together, etc. Data sufficiency it's called I believe. I have to admit I'm a little clueless when approaching those problems. Are there quick tricks for those? Everything else was fine, though. I'm quick with mental math so I was able to brute force a lot of the problem solving problems in ~45 seconds. Another question that stumped me was # of combinations (1 mother, 1 father, 2 children, 1 dog taking a family picture, mother and father want to stay beside each other, # of possible combinations?). Had no idea how to approach that.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Consultantwannabee,

While you can certainly use that 'mini-test' to help define some of the areas that you need to work on, the score result is NOT realistic, so you should be a bit suspicious of its accuracy. To start, the Official GMAT is almost 4 hours in length (when you factor in the sign-in time and breaks), so endurance is a BIG factor in one's performance. By your own admission, you spent 50 minutes on a much shorter exam, so you didn't really experience most of what makes the GMAT the GMAT. There's also some question as to whether this mini-test was actually adaptive or not - linear tests tend to be easier than adaptive ones. While I want to reiterate that it's probably too early for you to be starting your studies, if you truly want to assess your skills (and receive a realistic score result), then you have to take a FULL-LENGTH CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) under realistic conditions. There are plenty of sources for those types of CATs online, including the 2 free CATs that you can download from www.mba.com.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

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