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ps955
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GMAT vs Work Experience 31 Mar 2017, 04:09
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I took the GMAT a year ago and scored a 700 (43 Q 42 V 7 IR). I am an Asian American Male (US Citizenship) have a 3.6 GPA from a top 10 school where I studied economics and currently work in Investment Banking at a BB bank in NYC. In June I will be joining a $10bn PE firm.

I was wondering if my work experience/background would make me competitive for H/S/W or if I should plan on retaking the GMAT?
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GMAT vs Work Experience 31 Mar 2017, 08:51
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Hi there,

You always want to put your best foot forward when you are applying to business schools. So, I would recommend re-taking the GMAT to get a higher quant score despite a 3.6 GPA from a top 10 school and strong professional work experience. I have been seeing lower quant scores hurting those in tougher demographics (including Asian American male), so I wouldn't recommend leaving anything to chance.

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Shaifali
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GMAT vs Work Experience 31 Mar 2017, 11:40
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ps955
I took the GMAT a year ago and scored a 700 (43 Q 42 V 7 IR). I am an Asian American Male (US Citizenship) have a 3.6 GPA from a top 10 school where I studied economics and currently work in Investment Banking at a BB bank in NYC. In June I will be joining a $10bn PE firm.

I was wondering if my work experience/background would make me competitive for H/S/W or if I should plan on retaking the GMAT?

I hate to say it but you should definitely retake. Unless there is something really special about you, a 700 is quite low for your demographic for H/S/W and a 43Q is just too low. The chances would be very low right now of it working out. Focus on raising the quant to a 50 which should bring you to a competitive range. Good luck and reach out with any other questions.

Best,
Scott
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GMAT vs Work Experience 31 Mar 2017, 15:21
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I would retake, you have a really strong program but given you come form a tough demo and with your GMAT below the avg it may be tough to crack H/S/W. You want to aim for a 730+
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GMAT vs Work Experience 31 Mar 2017, 16:24
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I completely agree with the feedback above. Across the board, we're seeing GMAT scores continue to climb year-over-year at the top programs. And this early in the year, you definitely have time to study for & retake the test even before the apps go live. So why not do everything you can to maximize your chances of admission in a very competitive process? The GMAT is only one part of a holistic application but in a competitive pool like yours (i.e. finance/IB/PE), GMAT scores tend to skew quite high so you want to make sure you're putting yourself in the running.

Best of luck!

Kindly,
Melody
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GMAT vs Work Experience 31 Mar 2017, 20:07
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Thank you all for the feedback. Would Columbia/booth/Kellogg also require a higher gmat score?

In general, how could a person from my background (bb Ib and upper middle market PE) stand out? It seems like there are a lot of people who have very similar experiences as I do (I think I'm a pretty vanilla finance candidate).

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GMAT vs Work Experience 31 Mar 2017, 20:32
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ps955
Thank you all for the feedback. Would Columbia/booth/Kellogg also require a higher gmat score?

In general, how could a person from my background (bb Ib and upper middle market PE) stand out? It seems like there are a lot of people who have very similar experiences as I do (I think I'm a pretty vanilla finance candidate).

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This gets into the nuanced feedback and consulting that is much better done one on one as I don't really know a lot about your background. However, you would really want to retake the GMAT for those schools as well. Just take a look at the averages and try to exceed them given your background. In terms of the story, contact me if you want to set up a consultation to talk about how we can work on your story. It is hard to say how to differentiate yourself on a forum. scott@personalmbacoach.com

https://www.personalmbacoach.com

Best,
Scott
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GMAT vs Work Experience 31 Mar 2017, 20:55
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For you to gain admission to a top 5-10 MBA, you need to articulate your value proposition, points of diversity and all of that ON TOP of a killer GMAT score. If you have test taking anxiety, address it - as an Indian (even American Indian) you need to meet the average GMAT at least but truly, need to add 20 points on top of that to become a viable contender. Sorry about the bad news. If you put forth a terrific app (resume, letters, online app, essays) and have a 700 GMAT, top 15 is attainable, maybe top 10, but not top 5.
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GMAT vs Work Experience 31 Mar 2017, 22:59
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Thank you all for the honest feedback, I really appreciate it a lot.
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GMAT vs Work Experience 02 Apr 2017, 02:36
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It's be interesting to note that an Asian American with a US citizenship is also considered on par with Indian diaspora. Strange.
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GMAT vs Work Experience 09 Apr 2017, 17:55
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You will need to improve your GMAT. These are the top schools in the world so its not enough to just have the right credentials (which you certainly have). To put yourself in the best position possible a higher GMAT and a focus on your essays should help get you there