GMAT vs. International Undergraduate GPA

Question

For the case of an international student..

How much does GMAT outweigh undergraduate university marks?

For example, I graduated in Actuarial Science (which is quite harder than other Bachelor of Business Science degrees here in South Africa, probability of gruaduation in 4 straight years is less than 50%). Now, some top universities require at least 70% aggregate which I just missed by inches. However, I'm almost sure that I could have made it well over 70%,if not a first class honours, if I had taken another business science degree.

Now, the best I can do now to prove myself is to do well in GMAT. I took my first GMAT last week and got a 620. However, I was not well prepared (spent about solid 5-6hrs preparing, I didn't know how much was required). Now I'm going to prepare (4-5 months perhaps) for a 720+.

I want to get into a good university either in USA or in Europe. My current aim is not an MBA but a MSc in Management or one of a similar nature.

What are my chances into top elite, elite, near elite universities? Any opinions or suggestions? Especially optimistic views will be appreciated. Thanks :)

aaudetat · Answer

Generally, my understanding is that GPA can be offset by a solid GMAT, so you're right to work hard and nail a very good score.

I have also heard that GPA will hold less weight if you've been out of school longer.

I don't know about any specifics for international students.

And do remember that it is the whole package. GMAT and GPA are quantitative measurements, so it's easier to compare them and get all excited about how your numbers compare to the school's average. But you've also gotta right those essays, show you're well-rounded, do good work, etc etc.

sm176811 · Answer

That is a million dollar question. I had the same questions few months back.

I think it depends on the school. I also heard that if yu have been out of school long enough, GMAT is more important than your GPA to highlight your academic abilities.

Saying that GMAT and GPA demonstrate two different things.

GMAT - highlight your analytical and verbal abilities.
GPA - long term interest in studes and commitment to academics. Some say GPA is a more accurate estimate of a person's academic abilities, primarily because it is based on a period as opposed to a single test.

Again, these are my understanding based on articles and newsgroups- I have no clue what or how the adcom weigh GPA against GMAT.

kidstyx · Answer

Thanks guys.

I guess it doesn't matter if I'm heavily worried about it or not. The only thing that I can possibly change now is my GMAT mark.

Praetorian · Answer

How do you explain a Weak GPA? https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=35031 GPA Weight? https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=38457

kwam · Answer

I had the same doubt, and what I was told by some adcom, is that they already have a sort of "map of undergrads courses" and they compare you with this "map". 

In my case (engineer, south american) would work like that: the scores in my university ranged from 0 to 10, and usually a 7 grade in engineering would be VERY high while a 8 for business school is common, so they do not compare a 6.8 in engineering with a 7.5 from the other school. What I was informed also is that they do not know all undergrad schools but the most famous (usually the best) they know. 

To summarize, what really counts is your class/school ranking.

GMAT vs. International Undergraduate GPA

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