The MBA is one of the most reputed degrees globally because it opens up opportunities in a ton of career paths while teaching you everything you need to know in today’s ever-evolving and dynamic world. Studying business develops you both as an individual and as a professional, it teaches you leadership, and critical thinking and helps you build an analytical mindset. And these are exactly what we need to tackle the post-pandemic period. The first step to business education is to take the GMAT. The average GMAT exam total mark is around 580, and this is the 55th percentile. However, to get into a top B-school, you have to do better than the average. Over the past couple of years, the demand for MBAs has increased. Consequently, the cutoffs for B-schools have made their way up too. But the good news is that due to the global coronavirus situation, some schools are offering a tiny bit of relaxation.
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While it might seem that everybody writing the GMAT is targeting 720 and above, it isn’t absolutely necessary to get into a great B-school. In fact, some of the top Business Schools in the world like Harvard and Stanford have accepted students with scores less than 600. So, although it’s quite rare for a 600-something student to make it, it isn’t impossible. Did you know? Stanford once admitted a student with a 590 into their MBA Program of 2018. How do you ask? MBA admissions aren’t just about the GMAT exam total marks. They care a lot about you as an individual, and as a leader. They look for students who can add value to their institute, and this is why focusing on building a strong profile is just as important as a good GMAT exam total marks. And if you’ve got both, then bingo, the world is your oyster!
GMAT Score :
A score lower than 720 does not bar you from applying to top schools like Harvard, Columbia or INSEAD, it just makes the admission committee shift their eyes onto the other parts of your application. Making it a little harder to get into these schools if you don’t have impressive credentials. If you’ve taken the test and gotten a GMAT exam with total marks below 680, then worry not. 650 – 680 stands between the 70th to 85th percentile, and you’ve made a good attempt. Now, you have two options. Either you retake the GMAT to improve your GMAT exam total marks, or you apply to universities with your current score.
All about Admission with GMAT Score :
Your undergraduate GPA and GMAT score are a reflection of your academic capabilities, and you should try to get on the positive side of this. If you have a great undergrad CGPA and a fairly decent GMAT score, you might get into top universities. However, if your college GPA isn’t on the high side, a great GMAT score becomes a necessity to prove that you are serious about your studies. The GMAT can be taken 5 times in a year, and you can choose the scores you’d like to send universities, meaning that they won’t know about all your previous attempts.
While there are many MBA programs for a 680 GMAT score, if you think that you have the time and can do better on your next try, by all means, do write the GMAT again. Most applications that are accepted by universities are those that are close to the B-school’s average GMAT score. So, make it a point to apply to these institutes for a higher chance of selection. But do try your hand at some elite business schools too, most of them have a GMAT score range starting from 600 or 620 including Wharton, London Business School, INSEAD, ISB and Ross School of Business.
Here are the average scores and the score ranges for 15 well-known business universities across the world.
| S. No | University/School | Average Score | Range |
| 1 | Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, USA | 690 | 640-730 |
| 2 | HEC Paris, France | 690 | 590-780 |
| 3 | Cambridge Judge Business School, UK | 680 | 650-770 |
| 4 | Naveen Jindal School of Management, the University of Texas at Dallas, USA | 678 | 610-710 |
| 5 | Melbourne Business School, Australia | 677 | 650-730 |
| 6 | Carey Business school, Arizona State University, USA | 672 | 621-729 |
| 7 | IMD, Switzerland | 672 | 600-770 |
| 8 | Mannheim Business School, Germany | 671 | 510—770 |
| 9 | IE Business School, Spain | 670 | 600-770 |
| 10 | University of Iowa, USA | 670 | 600-720 |
| 11 | Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Canada | 669 | 500-760 |
| 12 | Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Bloomington, USA | 666 | 600-770 |
| 13 | Cranfield University, UK | 664 | 620-710 |
| 14 | Rutgers Business School, USA | 664 | 500-760 |
| 15 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore | 660 | 600-780 |
The GMAT is over for you and now is the time to focus on other things. We’ve already discussed how a well-constructed profile is super essential to be recognized among the thousands of applications that B-schools get every year, so we’re here to help. At CATKing, we let you in on the best tips and tricks to make your application stand out. Make an appointment with our mentors to enhance your resumes, essays, LORs and SOPs to bag your dream B-school. Also Read: https://catking.in/the-complete-guide-to-ielts-reading/
