Last visit was: 02 Sep 2026, 11:37 It is currently 02 Sep 2026, 11:37
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
heyRaj
User avatar
Joined: 23 Feb 2023
Last visit: 24 Mar 2026
Posts: 34
Own Kudos:
6
 [1]
Given Kudos: 93
Location: India
Schools: ISB '26
GMAT Focus 1: 665 Q84 V83 DI82
GPA: 7.76
Schools: ISB '26
GMAT Focus 1: 665 Q84 V83 DI82
Posts: 34
Kudos: 6
 [1]
[Need Advice] Is GMAT 665 Good Enough 24 Jul 2025, 06:52
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi everyone,
I recently took the GMAT Focus Edition and scored 665 on my first attempt. I'm wondering whether this score is competitive enough for my target B-schools, given the rest of my profile.
👨‍💼 Work Experience (3.9 Years, Management Consulting)
  • Currently at ZS Associates (excluding internship).
  • Strong client-facing experience; have received multiple awards for collaboration and innovation.
  • Interned at ZS as well.
Key Achievements:
  • Created a new reporting process that cut down effort by 90%, saving $100K+ in billable hours.
  • Built a GenAI Agent that accelerated a complex global study (3 indications across 7 geographies) which supported a Go/No-Go product decision.
🎓 Education
  • B.E. in Electrical Engineering from TIET Patiala (Tier-1 college in India), GPA: 7.76/10
Leadership Roles:
  • Vice President, Student Alumni Interaction Cell – Led 50+ students, organized alumni networking events.
  • Student Mentor, FROSH TIET – Supported new students during admissions and onboarding.
  • Documentation Head, VIRSA (cultural society) – Managed all documentation and processes.
🏅 Extracurriculars
  • A competitive shooter for 10+ years, regularly representing my state at nationals.
  • Multiple national and state-level medals.
  • Recognized by my district and Government of India; part of the Indian National Trial Team.
  • Help organize local shooting competitions and training events.
🌱 Social Impact
  • Volunteer experience with NGOs focused on education for underprivileged children.
  • Led and participated in food & medicine distribution drives during COVID-19.
🎯 Post-MBA Goals
I aim to pivot into a role with greater strategic impact, ideally involving product strategy or leadership, blending problem-solving with meaningful business decisions.
🎓 Target Schools
  1. ISB
  2. LBS
  3. Oxford (Said)
  4. INSEAD
  5. HEC Paris
Would love your honest input:
  • Is my 665 GMAT score likely to be a concern for these schools?
  • Should I consider a retake, or is the rest of the profile strong enough to balance it out?
User avatar
MBAandBeyond
User avatar
MBA and Beyond Consulting
Joined: 13 Jul 2020
Last visit: 01 Sep 2026
Posts: 4,500
Own Kudos:
982
Given Kudos: 176
Status:MBA Admissions Consulting from INSEAD, Wharton and Columbia graduates
Affiliations: INSEAD and Harvard
Location: Singapore
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 4,500
Kudos: 982
[Need Advice] Is GMAT 665 Good Enough 24 Jul 2025, 07:39
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
heyRaj
Hi everyone,
I recently took the GMAT Focus Edition and scored 665 on my first attempt. I'm wondering whether this score is competitive enough for my target B-schools, given the rest of my profile.
👨‍💼 Work Experience (3.9 Years, Management Consulting)
  • Currently at ZS Associates (excluding internship).
  • Strong client-facing experience; have received multiple awards for collaboration and innovation.
  • Interned at ZS as well.
Key Achievements:
  • Created a new reporting process that cut down effort by 90%, saving $100K+ in billable hours.
  • Built a GenAI Agent that accelerated a complex global study (3 indications across 7 geographies) which supported a Go/No-Go product decision.
🎓 Education
  • B.E. in Electrical Engineering from TIET Patiala (Tier-1 college in India), GPA: 7.76/10
Leadership Roles:
  • Vice President, Student Alumni Interaction Cell – Led 50+ students, organized alumni networking events.
  • Student Mentor, FROSH TIET – Supported new students during admissions and onboarding.
  • Documentation Head, VIRSA (cultural society) – Managed all documentation and processes.
🏅 Extracurriculars
  • A competitive shooter for 10+ years, regularly representing my state at nationals.
  • Multiple national and state-level medals.
  • Recognized by my district and Government of India; part of the Indian National Trial Team.
  • Help organize local shooting competitions and training events.
🌱 Social Impact
  • Volunteer experience with NGOs focused on education for underprivileged children.
  • Led and participated in food & medicine distribution drives during COVID-19.
🎯 Post-MBA Goals
I aim to pivot into a role with greater strategic impact, ideally involving product strategy or leadership, blending problem-solving with meaningful business decisions.
🎓 Target Schools
  1. ISB
  2. LBS
  3. Oxford (Said)
  4. INSEAD
  5. HEC Paris
Would love your honest input:
  • Is my 665 GMAT score likely to be a concern for these schools?
  • Should I consider a retake, or is the rest of the profile strong enough to balance it out?
Show more
Thank you for sharing your profile, heyRaj! Starting with your GMAT Focus score of 665, that puts you just around the average score range for your selected schools. While not a major concern, your score doesn’t give you a margin of safety, especially as a male Indian engineer, a highly competitive applicant pool. If you believe you can push your score 20 points up, a retake could help strengthen your positioning. Your 665 might be competitive, particularly at LBS, Oxford, and HEC, if your application essays, resume, and recommendations shine.

1. Saving over $100K+ in billable hours through process optimization.
2. Developing a GenAI Agent that influenced a Go/No-Go product decision.

...are good. These demonstrate not only analytical strength but also ownership, innovation, and business impact. LBS and INSEAD value applicants with global and client-facing consulting experience.

Your trajectory positions you as a candidate ready for product strategy or corporate strategy roles post-MBA. Would encourage you to tighten your post-MBA narrative, "product strategy" can mean many things. Is it in tech? Healthcare? Enterprise SaaS? Clarifying this will help schools see alignment between your experience, MBA goals, and school strengths. Your extracurriculars and volunteer work make you stand out distinctly in a pool often dominated by homogeneous academic and work achievements.

Additional School Suggestions: RSM, ESADE, IE, Fuqua, Yale

Polish your "Why MBA" and "Why Now" story to connect the dots between consulting, product strategy, and long-term vision. Build personalized essays that highlight both impact and passion (especially your GenAI and national sports angle).

We’d love to learn more about your profile to provide a tailored evaluation and chances at your target schools. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

We are hosting a Coffee Session: “GMAT Strategy & INSEAD R4 MBA Application Tips” on 25th July, 2025 | 9.00 PM IST | 11.00 AM ET. Click here to know more details. Register Now!
User avatar
MG4MBACrystalBall
User avatar
Joined: 29 Aug 2010
Last visit: 02 Sep 2026
Posts: 982
Own Kudos:
161
Given Kudos: 1
Posts: 982
Kudos: 161
[Need Advice] Is GMAT 665 Good Enough 24 Jul 2025, 08:16
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
heyRaj,

Some thoughts on your profile evaluation and some tough love too!

  • The academic arc is a bit of mixed bag actually. The college pedigree is unclear beyond ISB representation? The GPA may be slightly sub-par. On the GMAT, no magic minimum. However, Indian candidates to your target schools have been typically scoring in the 675+ range. A retake depends on how much effort/time it'll take. But it's worth it for all practical purposes.
  • The professional profile is promising given the ZS brand association. How has your trajectory been - faster than the norm/at par?
  • European schools value international experience a lot. Have you had a chance to gain any yet?
  • The ECs sound good, especially the organization part. The volunteer efforts appear to be dated and unclear in terms of impact - bring out both clearly.
  • If open for Indian MBA programs, worth also adding IIMA PGPX to that list.

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out for further discussion on [email protected]

Cheers,
User avatar
admitStreet
User avatar
Joined: 14 Mar 2023
Last visit: 01 Sep 2026
Posts: 1,791
Own Kudos:
590
Given Kudos: 17
Location: India
Concentration: Strategy, Finance
Schools: HEC Jan 2018 Intake (A$) ISB '19 (A)
WE:Management Consulting (Consulting)
Schools: HEC Jan 2018 Intake (A$) ISB '19 (A)
Posts: 1,791
Kudos: 590
[Need Advice] Is GMAT 665 Good Enough 24 Jul 2025, 09:20
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
heyRaj - Your work-ex sounds interesting given the ZS brand, client-facing (& tech/ AI) exposure. Were there any promotions in your roles, and have you worked with teams/ clients outside India? I'd like to understand your roles/ impact to assess better.

On the academic front, what was the sectional split of your GMAT score, and was it in line with your mocks?

Considering your slightly lower GPA and the competitive applicant pool at your target programs, a higher GMAT score (675-685+) would be ideal.

Regards,
Arvind
Founder, admitStreet | Testimonials
W: https://admitstreet.com | Request a free profile evaluation
­
heyRaj
Hi everyone,
I recently took the GMAT Focus Edition and scored 665 on my first attempt. I'm wondering whether this score is competitive enough for my target B-schools, given the rest of my profile.
👨‍💼 Work Experience (3.9 Years, Management Consulting)
  • Currently at ZS Associates (excluding internship).
  • Strong client-facing experience; have received multiple awards for collaboration and innovation.
  • Interned at ZS as well.
Key Achievements:
  • Created a new reporting process that cut down effort by 90%, saving $100K+ in billable hours.
  • Built a GenAI Agent that accelerated a complex global study (3 indications across 7 geographies) which supported a Go/No-Go product decision.
🎓 Education
  • B.E. in Electrical Engineering from TIET Patiala (Tier-1 college in India), GPA: 7.76/10
Leadership Roles:
  • Vice President, Student Alumni Interaction Cell – Led 50+ students, organized alumni networking events.
  • Student Mentor, FROSH TIET – Supported new students during admissions and onboarding.
  • Documentation Head, VIRSA (cultural society) – Managed all documentation and processes.
🏅 Extracurriculars
  • A competitive shooter for 10+ years, regularly representing my state at nationals.
  • Multiple national and state-level medals.
  • Recognized by my district and Government of India; part of the Indian National Trial Team.
  • Help organize local shooting competitions and training events.
🌱 Social Impact
  • Volunteer experience with NGOs focused on education for underprivileged children.
  • Led and participated in food & medicine distribution drives during COVID-19.
🎯 Post-MBA Goals
I aim to pivot into a role with greater strategic impact, ideally involving product strategy or leadership, blending problem-solving with meaningful business decisions.
🎓 Target Schools
  1. ISB
  2. LBS
  3. Oxford (Said)
  4. INSEAD
  5. HEC Paris
Would love your honest input:
  • Is my 665 GMAT score likely to be a concern for these schools?
  • Should I consider a retake, or is the rest of the profile strong enough to balance it out?
Show more
User avatar
heyRaj
User avatar
Joined: 23 Feb 2023
Last visit: 24 Mar 2026
Posts: 34
Own Kudos:
6
Given Kudos: 93
Location: India
Schools: ISB '26
GMAT Focus 1: 665 Q84 V83 DI82
GPA: 7.76
Schools: ISB '26
GMAT Focus 1: 665 Q84 V83 DI82
Posts: 34
Kudos: 6
[Need Advice] Is GMAT 665 Good Enough 24 Jul 2025, 10:04
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi,

Thanks for replying.

Replying to your queries:
  • My trajectory has been faster than normal.
    • I got promoted in 4 Cycles (2 Years) which is faster than company average of 2.5 years
    • I have won multiple awards and recognitions as well.
    • I have managed 3 different Big Pharma Companies, 2 Mid Pharma and also worked with clients in Rental Sector (Hertz to be specific)
  • In terms of international exposure:
    • We have a global model, i.e, the team comprises of people from all the geographies involved
    • I have regularly conducted GEN AI sessions for my onshore team as well
    • I have my US Travel planned for October (It's after R1 deadline)
  • In terms of Volunteer Experience, I can definitely quantify the impact but wanted to highlight that this is ongoing and usually monthly supplies collection drives

As far as GMAT is concerned, I am planning to retake it but wanted to check if by any chance I am not able to get a better score before R1 deadline, would it still be possible to have a shot at these schools?
MG4MBACrystalBall
heyRaj,

Some thoughts on your profile evaluation and some tough love too!

  • The academic arc is a bit of mixed bag actually. The college pedigree is unclear beyond ISB representation? The GPA may be slightly sub-par. On the GMAT, no magic minimum. However, Indian candidates to your target schools have been typically scoring in the 675+ range. A retake depends on how much effort/time it'll take. But it's worth it for all practical purposes.
  • The professional profile is promising given the ZS brand association. How has your trajectory been - faster than the norm/at par?
  • European schools value international experience a lot. Have you had a chance to gain any yet?
  • The ECs sound good, especially the organization part. The volunteer efforts appear to be dated and unclear in terms of impact - bring out both clearly.
  • If open for Indian MBA programs, worth also adding IIMA PGPX to that list.

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out for further discussion on [email protected]

Cheers,
Show more
User avatar
heyRaj
User avatar
Joined: 23 Feb 2023
Last visit: 24 Mar 2026
Posts: 34
Own Kudos:
6
Given Kudos: 93
Location: India
Schools: ISB '26
GMAT Focus 1: 665 Q84 V83 DI82
GPA: 7.76
Schools: ISB '26
GMAT Focus 1: 665 Q84 V83 DI82
Posts: 34
Kudos: 6
[Need Advice] Is GMAT 665 Good Enough 24 Jul 2025, 10:08
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi,

Thanks for replying!

Replying to your queries:
  • Were there any promotions in your roles - Yes, I got promoted last year to Associate Consultant. Took me 2 years (faster than company standard of 2.5 years)
  • Have you worked with teams/ clients outside India? - Yes, All my work has been mainly with US clients only. In addition to US, I have worked on projects in EU, UK, Japan, Brazil and China

Do let me know if I can give anymore info!
admitStreet
heyRaj - Your work-ex sounds interesting given the ZS brand, client-facing (& tech/ AI) exposure. Were there any promotions in your roles, and have you worked with teams/ clients outside India? I'd like to understand your roles/ impact to assess better.

On the academic front, what was the sectional split of your GMAT score, and was it in line with your mocks?

Considering your slightly lower GPA and the competitive applicant pool at your target programs, a higher GMAT score (675-685+) would be ideal.

Regards,
Arvind
Founder, admitStreet | Testimonials
W: https://admitstreet.com | Request a free profile evaluation
­
heyRaj
Hi everyone,
I recently took the GMAT Focus Edition and scored 665 on my first attempt. I'm wondering whether this score is competitive enough for my target B-schools, given the rest of my profile.
👨‍💼 Work Experience (3.9 Years, Management Consulting)
  • Currently at ZS Associates (excluding internship).
  • Strong client-facing experience; have received multiple awards for collaboration and innovation.
  • Interned at ZS as well.
Key Achievements:
  • Created a new reporting process that cut down effort by 90%, saving $100K+ in billable hours.
  • Built a GenAI Agent that accelerated a complex global study (3 indications across 7 geographies) which supported a Go/No-Go product decision.
🎓 Education
  • B.E. in Electrical Engineering from TIET Patiala (Tier-1 college in India), GPA: 7.76/10
Leadership Roles:
  • Vice President, Student Alumni Interaction Cell – Led 50+ students, organized alumni networking events.
  • Student Mentor, FROSH TIET – Supported new students during admissions and onboarding.
  • Documentation Head, VIRSA (cultural society) – Managed all documentation and processes.
🏅 Extracurriculars
  • A competitive shooter for 10+ years, regularly representing my state at nationals.
  • Multiple national and state-level medals.
  • Recognized by my district and Government of India; part of the Indian National Trial Team.
  • Help organize local shooting competitions and training events.
🌱 Social Impact
  • Volunteer experience with NGOs focused on education for underprivileged children.
  • Led and participated in food & medicine distribution drives during COVID-19.
🎯 Post-MBA Goals
I aim to pivot into a role with greater strategic impact, ideally involving product strategy or leadership, blending problem-solving with meaningful business decisions.
🎓 Target Schools
  1. ISB
  2. LBS
  3. Oxford (Said)
  4. INSEAD
  5. HEC Paris
Would love your honest input:
  • Is my 665 GMAT score likely to be a concern for these schools?
  • Should I consider a retake, or is the rest of the profile strong enough to balance it out?
Show more