Hi Ah84 - Thanks for asking for input from EssaySnark! Your questions are actually a bit slippery... it would be unfair to toss out a specific GMAT score that you need to get and claim that it would be enough to get you in. We know that that's not literally what you asked but it's sort of heading in that direction.
You have a strong profile and you seem like a good fit for bschool based on your past experience in finance. That work history plus the fact that you've already got the CFA level 1 under your belt indicates you'll do fine on the GMAT quant. Oftentimes the verbal is harder for non-native speakers. So it's not necessarily the total GMAT score that will matter most for you - we're assuming you're going to nail the Q but if you flounder on the V then that could be an issue. It really depends on every factor.
To offer a non-helpful answer: If you come close to the average GMAT at a specific school, you're generally in line. That's non-helpful because it doesn't give insight into this issue about score breakdown that we're referencing.
And the real big non-helpful part is that the GMAT score is just one component of many. While we're telling you that a high GMAT quant is going to be expected from you, given that background, at the same time we have had a whole bunch of clients who have made it into GREAT bschools coming from a finance background with an abysmal quant score.
So the most unhelpful answer of all is, IT DEPENDS.
We're not trying to punt on your question, just being honest.
A > 700 score is recommended as a loose target.
You're coming from a region of the world that gets fewer apps and the schools all like to have diversity in the mix, so that can always add an advantage.
You seem a good fit for an MBA based on the IB etc background you're presenting.
But many schools care a lot about career goals too and that's where people often fall down.
That, and presenting compelling stories about how they've had an impact in the career.
So we can't offer a helluva lot more than what we have. We're happy to answer other questions if you've got them but the GMAT thing is very context-sensitive: it depends on you/your actual profile, and it depends a lot on the school too.
Here's a couple posts from the EssaySnark blahg that are loosely related to this:
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“What is a low GMAT?” (or, are you effing kidding?!?)*
“What is a low GMAT?” the real answerHappy to entertain follow-ups!
EssaySnark