Do you address below average GMAT score in optional essay?

Are you taking the GMAT again? Or you have taken it twice? is that what you mean by "my first GMAT attempt"?
Usually, if you have several scores and unless you get 600 and 750 on the second one, you don't really need to explain anything.
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Hi bb thanks for your reply. I've only taken the GMAT once but I'm planning to take it again but since the exam is in two weeks (there are only 2 exam dates in January at my test centre) and I'm working on apps - 3 of which are all due 1 week before the test and 1 on test day itself, I'm not confident in being able to dedicate the amount of time I need on GMAT in order to really improve my score.

I'm considering rescheduling to the later exam date - Jan 23rd but will need to confirm with the schools if that's fine first. Beyond that, there are no other dates until end of February which is too late.

That being said, I'm applying with the 600 as that's the score I have and if I manage to significantly improve my score on the retake - I will submit my updated score. By that point though I wouldn't be able to add anything to my optional essay so was wondering if I needed to address the 600 score up front now...?


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Not an expert here, but something to consider - do you have anything else worthy of needing explanation in that optional essay? Is the GMAT truly your biggest application weakness?

Yes, I believe it is my biggest application weakness.

I plan to mention choice of recommender in the optional essay as some schools ask for that if current employer isn't used.




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Here are couple of quotes from GMATClub MBA Guide on this topic. In a nutshell, you should address low GMAT in the optional essay only if you think your current GMAT score does not reflect your caliber and explain the circumstances that affected your exam score.

Page #101; Reapplicants.



Page #106; When to submit an optional essay.

Thanks for sharing Narenn! That guide looks extremely helpful.

With respect to the low GMAT score, I'm struggling as to how would I go about explaining it without it sounding like an excuse?


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Hi JAE18,

if you do not have a compelling reason for your GMAT score, I would recommend you to simply state that the score does not represent you well, and that you are planning on retaking the GMAT. You could use your outstanding GPA to support this. If possible, in the optional essay, share the dates of your new test as well.

Good luck!
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Thanks for your feedback!


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Jumping in here in case there are others who are in the same boat -

The GMAT is the most objective component of your application. There's a reason why it is called a standardized test. It is the one area that allows the schools to objective compare students across every demographic category. The score is the score.

Plus, what written explanation could you possibly offer in the optional section that would actually sway the minds of the Admissions Committee? It's not as if you are only allowed to take the exam once or forced to submit every score. So even if something unusual happened on one exam, the admissions committee is aware that you have plenty of opportunities to make amends.

If anything, using the optional essay to talk about a sub-par GMAT score will not only draw attention to it (not that they will ever overlook the score in their decision making in the first place) but may also actually might work against you by portraying yourself as excuse-ridden. Focus on the other components of your application and hope that the score does not disqualify you from admission!

-The Admissionado Team
https://admissionado.com/