GMAT for Management Consulting?

Question

Quick question for anyone out there that is well-versed in the McKinsey / Bain / BCG Management Consulting industry:

I recently heard that for MBA's to get a job at one of these firms they need to have a 700+ GMAT score. Is that the case even if you are coming from a top-tier program (HBS, GSB, Wharton, etc).

If so, what is the current "going rate" for acceptable GMAT score, 700?, 720?, 760?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed some light on this issue.

jordanhendrix · Answer

since I have been on this board whenever this type of question comes up people say 700 should be good enough. Of course people get in with a 690 but the higher the better. That said, I do think the gmat "requirement" will rise considering how the scores have themselves been rising.

KingKREEP · Answer

Honestly, there is no "going rate". The purpose of the GMAT score is to see whether the candidate has some baseline analytical skills. If not with the GMAT, the presence of these skills can be communicated through a number of different ways – undergrad GPA, case competition participation and success, course grades (for schools that do not have GND) and of course, the case interview.

In any case, the best the GMAT can do is get your resume a second look. It will not be the make/break for deciding whether you get an interview invite or not. And as you might probably know, once you get the invite, it's all about your performance in the interview.

coooldude · Answer

Good answer. The GMAT alone, even a high score, can't even get you an interview. A low score (<700) is obviously more likely to hurt you, but if you have demonstrated analytical ability in other ways, you can overcome it. I'd say job experience is far more important than GMAT anyway, and the interview outweighs most all of it. The "threshold" question is the wrong way to think about it... my firm assesses the pool of candidates from any school, anyway. The school is more important than the score, so by that logic, I guess if the 700 threshold is the rule for the school, it's sorta by default the rule for the firms, too.

mbaapp07 · Answer

Thanks for the info. I was curious about this as well. It sounds like they treat the GMAT basically like the b schools do in the admissions process.

gijoedude · Answer

I went to an MBA tips and tricks session. I was told that even though 690 and 700 are not all that different, but with 700 you cross a "psychological threshold". And ofcourse higher GMAT helps with scholarships.

GMAT for Management Consulting?

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