The email below is from a reader who reached out to me regarding the possible impact of an unbalanced GMAT score on his MBA application. He has a strong score of 700, but his concern is that the score is heavily weighted toward the quantitative side. He is aiming at Berkeley and Stanford as his top choice schools and is wondering whether his profile would make him competitive for top-5 programs in the United States.

As I’ve mentioned on here before, I’ve never worked for an admissions office before, so my opinion on someone’s application profile is just that…my own opinion. In the video response, I tell the reader that he has to take what I say with a grain of salt and proceed based on what feels right for him. That said, since he asked for my read on his profile, I gave him the best I could with the information that he provided. It probably isn’t as specific as he was looking for, but I didn’t feel comfortable saying much more without additional information from him.

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NS wrote:

Dear Sir,

I took my GMAT and scored 700 (50 Q, 34V). My AWA score is 5.5. Is this score good enough to expect an admit from some of the top 5 US business schools?

Personal details: Male/31/India
Other credentials:

• B.Tech. Dept Rank 2 (84%)
• M.Tech. IIT Bombay 9.97/10
• Experience – 7 years (by 2011) in Texas Instruments.
• I have couple of patents and papers on my name.
• Top priorities: Haas (berkeley) and Stanford

My score 700, although good overall, is not balanced as I have got 50 Q, 34V (68 pecentile). I have a strong feeling that business schools might be looking for a balanced score and my current split can put me at some disadvantage especially if I target top B-schools. I am very much interested in Haas (Berkeley) and Stanford. I don’t want to take any chance and want to make sure that I have not left any weaknesses in my profile. Could you please evaluate my profile and suggest me what should my move going ahead? Shall I really work hard and get a better Verbal score to ensure the admit or just work on the other aspects of the application.

Thanks & Regards,

NS

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My video response:

MBA applicant with concerns about impact of unbalanced GMAT from Marquis Parker on Vimeo.

Key points:

• Remember that an MBA application takes a whole profile into account, which includes:
  • GMAT
  • GPA
  • Essays
  • Recommendations
  • Extracurriculars
• If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t be as worried about the GMAT score. Instead, I would focus on strengthening the other parts of his application in time for a Round 2 submission. After submitting the applications, he can retake the GMAT if he chooses to do so and submit the updated scores to his schools upon completion of the test.