Recommender Grid - scale?

Question

Hi guys,

I've just got off the phone speaking to my recommender, and he asked me what the recommender grid scale is supposed to be.

In specific - the first option says "no information" so that's like a null option. Essentially then it's. 4 pt scale to grade on and anything lower than a 4 would be "bad"

But when I read the tags, a score of 3 is "opportunity for improvement" which seems about right.

Ultimately he wants to say that I'm really strong at most things, and can develop further in a few. So we are wondering if this should be a mix of 5,4 and 3's or if the 3 actually means a poor rating (which is not the intention at all)

Opinions/knowledge appreciated! Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

souvik101990 · Answer

Hello. I am not sure if you realized it, but you ended up creating a flood of posts on the HBS forum. HBS flood.png

souvik101990 · Answer

I think it should be as genuine as possible. If it is all 5, it screams a fan letter. If it is a mix of 5 and 4, it seems about right but manufactured nonetheless. If one of the items has a 3, I think it makes it more real. I doubt anyone would "only" be rated in 5s and 4s in all of the indicators.

artihcs · Answer

Oh gosh that's crazy! That's the problem with posting through my phone

Apologies about the flooding. Got an error the first time i tried and posted the second time. Didn't realize this was the result!

warriorguy · Answer

Can't say that the app posted it multiple times (signature has posted from the app) since the time is different in most of the posts.

Maybe the poster didn't see the post and re-typed?

Trying to see if the app misbehaves in android version.

souvik101990 · Answer

Yeah the app is unreliable at times.  artihcs  - no worries.

Coming back to the point, I think the actual content of the recommendation is more important than the scale. If I had to guess, I'd say that the scale is to quickly check if the recommendation is positive or negative. I have heard how some recommendations intentionally snub some applicants and the scale seems to be the easiest way to do that.

artihcs · Answer

I got logged out multiple times, and was asked to contact support. Using an iPhone (if that helps!)

FuturePM91 · Answer

I think its important to remember that there will be a lot of applicants who write their own recommendations so the scale will be skewed in the positive direction. I had the same question for my recommendations and I asked a reliable source/friend of mine who worked in admissions who said basically that it is unrealistic to get 5's in everything, but a 3 is a "kiss of death" on a recommendation, meaning yes, it is not necessarily a bad rating but when compared to the rest of the applicant pool it will put you at a disadvantage. But I do agree with the above that the text and content of the rec is the most important part.

bb · Answer

Recommender Grid - scale?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards