Is a 690 in the GMAT enough for my profile?

690 is a good score.
And rather than studying for 3-4 months in order to give it agin,I recommend that you concentrate on the Apps.
It will More beneficial.


Regards
Stone Cold

I think a 690 is great for the schools you are applying to. I'd suggest you compare this with the average GMAT scores at your target schools. You can also have a crack at the GRE if these schools accept it. My understanding is that the verbal sections on the GRE are different than those on the GMAT; the verbal on the GRE puts more emphasis on the vocabulary. It is worth a shot in my opinion.

Hey There,

Congrats on the 690, it is definitely a good score as everyone else mentioned. However, can you give a bit more information regarding the part of your profile which you cannot change?

I am asking this because, if application to American schools is any indication of the admission philosophy in Europe, some traits definitely matter a lot. Just to name a few:

1. How old are you? With 3.5 years of executive experience, I would imagine you're not a 25 year-old applying for b-school. Most top European schools have an average age at matriculation at around 29, so if you are around the late 20's/ early 30's age group, it would help. If you are, say, 40 now, then it might be a different story.

2. Your race/ethnicity? In the US, if you're of African or Aboriginal descend, you could likely get into a top 10 schools with sub-700 GMAT scores fairly easily. Whereas if you are Chinese or Indian, you are looking at a 720+ for a school like UCLA or Duke. Not to get into the debate here, but just keep that in mind when you are deciding whether to merit another GMAT attempt.

3. Your gender? I think this is pretty universal - if you are a woman, you would generally be having an easier time at least for the admission process. If you are a man, the opposite.

4. Your company? If you work for a well-known company, then you would have a much better chance than working for a small size, nameless firm somewhere in the middle of nowhere. This is not fair as I believe you actually learn more from a small firm - but I just know business schools also care about their own prestige, and would hire an Apple employee over someone from Company Balabububalabu.

If you are slightly more experienced than your expected classmates, belong not to a group that enjoys preferential treatment, male, and work for a smaller firm, I would recommend you shoot for a 720. I think you have a chance to get into your listed schools, but with a 720 it just increases the odds substantially. OR, have you considered EMBA? Those programs care less about GMAT average (I personally disagree with this approach but oh well), and put more emphasis on your work experience. Maybe you can try that?

Hope that helps.

I will suggest you listen to Stonecold. He's a man of great wisdom. However I am going to ask you one question. Do you think you will be happy in life with a 690 score? Seriously ask yourself. is 690 enough for you? Will you be able to live with yourself thinking that you could've gotten 700+ but you chose to settle for 690. A good score nonetheless no doubt but not the score that everyone wants especially not you. You have a goal in mind, and you got so close to it. You could very well spend some time and reach that goal or you could simply just focus on your app.

Its up to you.