GMAT 710 to GRE 333

Question

Hi All

This is my score breakup 710 - Q47 and V40 (2024), and i recently scored a GRE 333 Q170 V163 (2025). I am from the fashion field with a B.Tech in Fashion Technology. I have around 4+ yrs of work experience. GPA-8.1.

I would like to target M7, including HSW, INSEAD and LBS. Would love to hear your thoughts on this and which schools I can target. I would like to get inside the best school possible and meet the best people from the world.

Would like to know is GRE 333 a good score to start with? Since I would like to target the best business schools.
Would also like to know how much will it matter in a recommendation from a person in the US who we have been reporting to.

Would love to connect with a few experts on this and discuss further.

It would be great to hear your thoughts on the same.

arjun221199 · Answer

Bump

RonPurewal · Answer

That perfect Q170 definitely jumps off the page in a way that Q47 just doesn't. For an applicant from an arts-adjacent field, it's even more of a proverbial exclamation point.
So, if I were you, my default instinct would be to send the GRE score, with very few if any second thoughts.

Just to pile on a bit more, your GRE score is on the current scale, whereas your GMAT score is on the scale that was retired almost 2 years ago (at the end of January 2024). Adcoms generally do respect the 5-year validity of the scores, so theoretically this shouldn't be a huge consideration—but, if your candidacy is right on the bleeding edge of the admit pool, you could definitely get that last boost over the fence in the adcoms' subconscious minds by having a score that's more 'current' and thus more directly comparable to those of the other applicants.

arjun221199 · Answer

Thank you Ron, I applied to a lot of T15 schools last year with a 710 GMAT and got rejected in all of them. So i was wondering how much of a improvement would a score boost help as my work has not changed much.

RonPurewal · Answer

Keep in mind that the GMAT, while important, is not THE most important part of your application. That honor goes to the elements of the application that directly testify to your future ability to be a capable leader at a large, dynamic corporation—and that provide school officials with assurance that   their   MBA program fits nicely into a well-defined, SPECIFIC career trajectory, thus maximizing the likelihood that the school will eventually see returns on its investment in you, just as you'll see returns on your investment in the school.
(Business schools—especially top-tier ones—absolutely view the admission of each new student as a  literal  investment.  Stanford kicked off a scandal in the 2010s by adjusting financial aid packages based on their "valuation"—in literal dollars!—of each student ; however, Stanford is one of the very few business schools that does not give any merit-based scholarships, so it can easily be argued that Stanford was just finding a way to accomplish what most other business schools do with their merit-based scholarship awards.)

Accordingly, there's no way I could speak to your chances of admission to any particular school without becoming familiar with your entire profile and candidacy. But, as general advice, keep in mind that /1/ you need to have SPECIFIC post-MBA plans, and /2/ the MBA, unlike a law or medical degree, is not a required credential for anything, so ultimately the ongoing significance of the MBA degree is a function of MBA students and grads themselves. In other words, each school's MBA degree should help to uniquely define your future path, but your future path should also confer honor and significance back onto the program itself.

arjun221199 · Answer

Thank you for you comment RON, I am a reapplicant this time and got rejected from every school in the T15 list when I applied last time. Not sure how much of a change the score would have considering nothing much has changed in my profile from that to this time.

arjun221199 · Answer

Thank you for you comment RON, I am a reapplicant this time and got rejected from every school in the T15 list when I applied last time. Not sure how much of a change the score would have considering nothing much has changed in my profile from that to this time. The below is from 2025 Intake.

College   
   Status (2025 Intake)   
   Round   
   Score Applied   
 
   Georgia Tech (Scheller)  
  Rejected  
  1  
  710  
 
   Indiana (Kelley)  
  Waitlisted  
  1  
  710  
 
   Texas-Austin (McCombs)  
  Waitlisted  
  1  
  710  
 
   Duke- Fuqua( blue cup tournament)  
  Rejected  
  1  
  710  
 
   Kenan Flagler  
  Waitlisted  
  1  
  710  
 
   Michigan (Ross)  
  Rejected  
  1  
  710  
 
   Emory (Goizueta)  
  Waitlisted  
  1  
  710  
 
   Virginia (Darden)  
  Rejected  
  2  
  710  
 
   UCLA (Anderson)  
  Rejected  
  2  
  710  
 
   Tepper  
  Waitlisted  
  2  
  710  
 
   Northwestern (Kellogg)  
  Rejected  
  2  
  710  
 
   London Business School  
  Rejected  
  2  
  710  
 
   Cornell (Johnson)  
  Rejected  
  2  
  710  
 
   Columbia  
  Rejected  
  2  
  710  
 
   TUCK  
  Rejected  
  2  
  710

RonPurewal · Answer

Thanks for the detailed info.

Honestly, I think your line of work is unique enough that you realistically don't need to worry about picking up every single point you possibly can on the GMAT or GRE, as you might if you where coming from a more crowded field like banking or consulting.
With a score that's already at or near the median at every top school, I think you'd be better served by turning your attention to the other components of the application—essays, recommender testimonials, and work/leadership experience—with a focus on developing a  specific  personal story and  specific post-MBA plans  to contextualize your desire to go to business school, and to convince the adcoms that YOUR admission to their program is an investment that will one day pay concrete returns.

If you don't have much (or any) leadership experience, you should consider deferring your MBA application for a year or two and using that time to pursue as many leadership, professional development, and networking opportunities as possible—things that will prove your potential as a future leader of teams, people, and/or enterprises.

GMAT 710 to GRE 333

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

College	Status (2025 Intake)	Round	Score Applied
Georgia Tech (Scheller)	Rejected	1	710
Indiana (Kelley)	Waitlisted	1	710
Texas-Austin (McCombs)	Waitlisted	1	710
Duke- Fuqua( blue cup tournament)	Rejected	1	710
Kenan Flagler	Waitlisted	1	710
Michigan (Ross)	Rejected	1	710
Emory (Goizueta)	Waitlisted	1	710
Virginia (Darden)	Rejected	2	710
UCLA (Anderson)	Rejected	2	710
Tepper	Waitlisted	2	710
Northwestern (Kellogg)	Rejected	2	710
London Business School	Rejected	2	710
Cornell (Johnson)	Rejected	2	710
Columbia	Rejected	2	710
TUCK	Rejected	2	710