GMAT Score Use in Employment

I am certainly not in a position to say why GMAT scores play such a large role for consulting firms, however I don't think it is mere correlation between top GMAT scores and top business schools. From what I've seen, even in top business schools the higher a student's GMAT score the more likely they will get a consulting interview. Once a student does get the interview, however, I don't think the GMAT matters for the offer.

I was explicitly told of the GMAT's importance by one prestigious consulting firm. I was contacted by a recruiter who said he wanted to make sure I applied to his company. I told him I was flattered and wanted to know why they specifically wanted me to apply. He seemed taken off guard by the response and said "Your GMAT for one thing." I don't know if they did the same thing to students with the same or higher scores...so take what you want from that story.

Glad I found this thread. This is exactly why I'm taking the GMAT in the first place, to get into a top consulting firm. I feel that having a solid GMAT score (700+ range) will bolster the rest of my CV and simply make me a safer bet when it comes to recruiting. Having talked to quite a few consultants/partners from the top firms, none of them mentioned a minimum, but all of them agreed that a good score would only help.

I am also wondering about this, although in a different situation. How important is the GMAT (for employment) for the EMBA graduate? Perhaps it's insignifant for employment since EMBA has a lot of work experience?

I also did a search on the keyword gmat in monster.com (just like what rhyme did in 2006) and got only 1 job that's not related to teaching. So, based on that it seems that nowadays a high gmat is only useful for teaching employment unlike in 2006? I was expecting to get a lot of hits using the gmat keyword in monster.com, since I only got 9 hits and 8 of them are teaching work, I assume the gmat is not that important for employment. Any other opinion please?

I would assume that you're right about the EMBA. I'm guessing that most companies that hire EMBA's are not going to look at your GMAT score. In fact most companies that hire full time MBA's don't look at GMAT scores, the major exceptions being blue chip consulting firms and investment banks. However your Monster search is irrelevant. Number one most of these companies do not post MBA jobs on Monster. They go to a select group of schools and recruit on campus. Number two even if they were to post their jobs on Monster, they would not advertise that fact in the job posting...that would open them up to criticism. However if you go to any one of their sites and attempt to fill out their long online application forms, you will see the GMAT questions, and at some companies it is a mandatory field.

Finally, I hate to beat a dead horse, but I had a heart to heart with a current recruiter from a top tier consulting firm, and he told me in no uncertain terms, that when ranking MBA applications for interview invites GMAT is an extremely important factor.

Does anyone actually know of anyone who didn't get past the resume screening process with a 700+?

Sure, I have a 760, and I did not get past the resume screen for several consulting firms. Most firms that I had any meaningful interaction did invite me to interview, but one major one did not.

GMAT is not everything, for many though, it is a nearly necessary check mark.

rhyme's search for 'gmat' keyword returned a few results in monster.com

I Wish to move into Consultancy domain post MBA. Can someone advise if i need to retake the exam? Would getting a 720 or 730 increase my chances of getting a job compared to 700? Do employers view 730/720 differently from 700?

Thanks,
LC

Because your quant score is perfect, I don't think it would make much of a difference, unless you KNOW you could maintain the same quant score while easily improving your verbal score.

I'm a current student and I retook it specifically to make myself more attractive to consulting firms. It's amazing how big of a deal this test is. I tried to explain to friends and family and even some other business students why I was retaking it and several didn't understand my reasoning.
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How did the receuiter know your gmat score if you had not applied yet?? Do schools share this freely to anyone?

Just wanted to add two instances to the discussion above-- I know that a student at a top 3 UK Mba program had to retake GMAT to get into the top consulting firm of his choice, his present score was 680 and he wanted a 700+.

Another friend at a top Indian B-school (one of the IIM) was asked to retake the test by career services to make her profile more appealing to finance firms even though she didn't have to take it as a qualifying test (the CAT exam score is used to qualify).

So,I guess the GMAT score is important both for MBA admissions and post-MBA career prospects.

Nice thread. I know for a fact that top consulting firms also scan for very good GPAs, apart from great GMAT scores. These numbers are all used as checks in their filtering process. So, if you have good stats, your chances of landing an interview are good, which is not to say these are the only criteria factored in the selection. Basically, they are looking for superhumans(and do end up finding many)!!

I would think that the GMAT score can get you into a top business school, and the top business school is your key to a top management consulting firm.

GMAT is definitely a factor in deciding who makes the MBB closed list, however its importance varies by firm. At BCG for example, it is a relatively minor part of the resume screening criteria (less important than the prestige of your schools and employers, your professional experience, and your leadership and communication skills). In terms of the actual score, anything below 680 is a detractor, 750 and above is a positive, and 680-740 is considered neutral.

McKinsey has a greater emphasis on high (700+) GMAT scores as well as their problem solving test (PST)

My general advice to candidates is that if you have a 700+, you have basically checked the box for the "raw horsepower" the firms are looking for and should be focusing on presenting your background well on your resume, networking effectively, and then getting ready for those (hopefully) upcoming interviews.

-Jeff

I should add that GMAT is completely irrelevant for those of you who want to be into general management / marketing.

I applied to a couple GM / Mkt positions back in my first year of business school and the recruiters in those industries told me they did not care about GMAT scores.

-Jeff

Based on your experiences at BCG, did you see anyone getting in with a <650, but who aced the interviews?
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Hi Hailmary,

Yes, people with lower GMAT scores (>650) do get offers, but candidly it can be difficult to do so. The biggest challenge with a low GMAT is getting the opportunity to interview. What I have seen is that people who have low GMAT's but still get interviews tend to have one or more of the following characteristics:

- Significant strengths elsewhere in their profile (e.g. great school, prestigious work experience, demonstrated leadership)
- Other quantifiable data that shows their "horsepower" (e.g. high SAT score, good grades)
- Strong presence when networking with the firms (i.e. charismatic, well-spoken)

Basically, the key is to show your strengths and try to minimize the area of "weakness" in your profile.

I hope this helps! Feel free to follow up with any additional questions on our thread at https://gmatclub.com/forum/interview-prep-with-former-mck-and-bcg-interviewers-157459.html and check out our Facebook page for future tips at https://www.facebook.com/beyondcaseprep

Do MBB care about your AWA and IR scores? Also, what is the acceptable score...is it 700, 720 or higher?

Do MBA candidates in the UK have to take the Mckinsey PST test?