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rlp2345
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Joined: 09 Mar 2014
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Lack of Quantitative Background? 09 Mar 2014, 18:28
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Hello all,

I am looking into top business schools for the 2014-2015 school year. I am a bit concerned that I don't have the formal math background for top-tier programs, however. I majored in English and French but took macroeconomics and calculus in college and did fine in both. My GRE (which I took instead of the GMAT because I wasn’t sure whether I wanted a Ph.D. or an MBA) quant score was 161, which seems to be right in the range of top MBA programs. Further, I am pretty well-read in economics and statistics and feel relatively comfortable with both; I can have nuanced conversations with friends who work in those areas without feeling too far behind.

Since college I have worked in a variety of education-related jobs and have obtained a Master’s of Science in Teaching, which included some, but not much, quantitative work.

My question is this: should I be concerned about this lack of formal credentials in quantitative subjects for admission to a top MBA program? I’m open to taking a community college course or credentialed MOOC in prob/stat or some other foundational area to prove to MBA programs that I can handle the work. Am I overthinking this? Will I have a chance to prove my math skills after admission, or will my lack of a quant background be a hindrance to my getting admitted at all?

Thanks for your help.
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InterviewBay2
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Joined: 25 Apr 2013
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Lack of Quantitative Background? 14 Mar 2014, 05:14
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Why business schools look for candidates look for candidates with a high GMAT or GRE score, particularly in quant is to see if you can withstand the rigors of business school curriculum. So, having a solid math background can increase your chances drastically. I think a quant score of 161 in GRE is decent, but to target top programs, you will need a higher score, particularly because of the lack of formal math background. You should definitely opt for the community college courses and buikd on your math skills. But applications are not just decided based on the GMAT or GRE score. Your work experience counts a lot and leadership skills are what adcoms look for in potential candidates. In addition to this, extra-curriculars also form a major part of the application. If you're sure of doing MBA now, i would suggest you to attempt GMAT once. If you apply for fall 2014 intake, you would be applying in R3/R4 to all the programs and getting an admit in these rounds is very difficult. I would suggest you to target fall 2015 intake. This will give you time to prepare for GMAT, if you plan on taking the test. You will also have to lot of time to work on your application. So, try giving the GMAT, decice on your target schools and start working on your essays and application. Download the free ebook on how to get into a top business school at : https://www.interviewbay.com/mba/how-to- ... -ebook.php

Good Luck!
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