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29 Apr 2025, 15:27
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Hello everyone.
26M here trying to apply R1 to M7 in the fall. After two good but not quite good enough GMAT attempts (665 FE, 655 FE), I decided to switch to the GRE, which I just took. The unofficial score is 331 (Q167, V164, still waiting on AWA). If it's helpful, here is some information about the rest of my profile:
UG: 3.87 GPA, physics and economics major, T15 univ
WE: 4 years at economic consulting firm (will be 5 when I start school), promoted from analyst to senior analyst
extracurriculars: This is where I'm most concerned. I did a lot in undergrad (I was in the marching band, in a fraternity, was a peer physics tutor, and I fundraised for a dance marathon fundraiser) but after graduation, the only "extra" things I've done have been non-billable work at the company. I helped a manager draft a paper that was published in a journal (though my role was pretty minimal lol), and completed an optional data training/certification course that the company offers, but that's pretty much all I can think of.
story/why MBA: Burned out from consulting and want to pivot. I enjoy the data analysis and interpretation parts of my job, but don't really like the unpredictability of client-facing work, so I'm trying to pivot into internal data-driven strategy roles. Since most of my work was in litigation consulting (not management consulting), this requires education about management and general business operations. Additionally, although my job involves some data analysis, there are deeper technical concepts that are involved in business analytics (e.g. A/B testing, ML models predicting market trends, consumer behavior, etc.) that I am interested in learning. Accordingly, I'm looking for schools that have strong technical elective and concentration offerings to supplement the broader business education.
reachiest reach (top choice by a lot lol): Booth MBA/MS-ADS program
other reaches: Kellogg, Wharton, Sloan
target: Tepper, Haas, Darden, Ross
safeties: McComb, Scheller
So given this, here are my questions:
1. The GRE score is above the average at most of the programs I am interested, but the GRE averages at business schools seem inexplicably low relative to the GMAT? Does this mean that a "safe" GRE score is higher to match the average GMAT score? Since a good GRE doesn't boost the school's average, is it the case that a GRE score, even a strong one, is disadvantageous? Most of the schools say they have no preference, but then what accounts for the averages being lower?
2. I was excited about a 167 quant score because I'm planning to apply to quant-focused programs and wanted the quant section to do most of the heavy lifting in my composite score. That being said, a 167 quant is only the 78th percentile, since the percentile drop off is so steep. To what extent does adcom consider this percentile curve? Would a 167 quant be an issue because it's below the 80th percentile?
3. Are there any other schools people know of that would be worth applying to given my profile and goals? Which other schools have a strong balance between the technical and business side of their curriculum?
4. Thinking about using MbaMission. Does anyone have experience with them?
Truth be told, my practice test scores were higher for both exams (highest GMAT FE mock was 695 and highest GRE mock was 337), but I do have like crippling test anxiety and since it's almost May, I might need to focus on essays and resumes and stuff soon so like idk. Any advice on the score, how to interpret it, whether to retake, or any other aspect of the profile would be hugely helpful. Anyways, thanks for reading lol I know this was a super long post.
26M here trying to apply R1 to M7 in the fall. After two good but not quite good enough GMAT attempts (665 FE, 655 FE), I decided to switch to the GRE, which I just took. The unofficial score is 331 (Q167, V164, still waiting on AWA). If it's helpful, here is some information about the rest of my profile:
UG: 3.87 GPA, physics and economics major, T15 univ
WE: 4 years at economic consulting firm (will be 5 when I start school), promoted from analyst to senior analyst
extracurriculars: This is where I'm most concerned. I did a lot in undergrad (I was in the marching band, in a fraternity, was a peer physics tutor, and I fundraised for a dance marathon fundraiser) but after graduation, the only "extra" things I've done have been non-billable work at the company. I helped a manager draft a paper that was published in a journal (though my role was pretty minimal lol), and completed an optional data training/certification course that the company offers, but that's pretty much all I can think of.
story/why MBA: Burned out from consulting and want to pivot. I enjoy the data analysis and interpretation parts of my job, but don't really like the unpredictability of client-facing work, so I'm trying to pivot into internal data-driven strategy roles. Since most of my work was in litigation consulting (not management consulting), this requires education about management and general business operations. Additionally, although my job involves some data analysis, there are deeper technical concepts that are involved in business analytics (e.g. A/B testing, ML models predicting market trends, consumer behavior, etc.) that I am interested in learning. Accordingly, I'm looking for schools that have strong technical elective and concentration offerings to supplement the broader business education.
reachiest reach (top choice by a lot lol): Booth MBA/MS-ADS program
other reaches: Kellogg, Wharton, Sloan
target: Tepper, Haas, Darden, Ross
safeties: McComb, Scheller
So given this, here are my questions:
1. The GRE score is above the average at most of the programs I am interested, but the GRE averages at business schools seem inexplicably low relative to the GMAT? Does this mean that a "safe" GRE score is higher to match the average GMAT score? Since a good GRE doesn't boost the school's average, is it the case that a GRE score, even a strong one, is disadvantageous? Most of the schools say they have no preference, but then what accounts for the averages being lower?
2. I was excited about a 167 quant score because I'm planning to apply to quant-focused programs and wanted the quant section to do most of the heavy lifting in my composite score. That being said, a 167 quant is only the 78th percentile, since the percentile drop off is so steep. To what extent does adcom consider this percentile curve? Would a 167 quant be an issue because it's below the 80th percentile?
3. Are there any other schools people know of that would be worth applying to given my profile and goals? Which other schools have a strong balance between the technical and business side of their curriculum?
4. Thinking about using MbaMission. Does anyone have experience with them?
Truth be told, my practice test scores were higher for both exams (highest GMAT FE mock was 695 and highest GRE mock was 337), but I do have like crippling test anxiety and since it's almost May, I might need to focus on essays and resumes and stuff soon so like idk. Any advice on the score, how to interpret it, whether to retake, or any other aspect of the profile would be hugely helpful. Anyways, thanks for reading lol I know this was a super long post.
29 Apr 2025, 17:34
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You have a wonderful GRE score and there is no need to retake. Submit your GRE score and don't look back.
Your reason for doing an MBA is very generic, change it.
You have a decent shot at any T-15 school. All the best!
Your reason for doing an MBA is very generic, change it.
You have a decent shot at any T-15 school. All the best!
tjogallagher
29 Apr 2025, 21:28
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tjogallagher
Hi tjogallagher,
1. I don't think that you'll be at a disadvantage. As for the averages, GRE (bschool) averages have been increasing. I'm not sure about this, but it could be that in the past the people applying with GRE scores were generally weaker test takers looking for an alternative to the GMAT. That doesn't seem to be the case now. Most people still target the GMAT, but I see more strong test takers giving the GRE a shot.
2. No. Your quant score would have to be much lower for it to be an issue. That said, you could reach out directly to your target schools and confirm this.
3. You can apply to any school you want with this score (though there's no such thing as a safe score).
