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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, 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. An average GMAT score is around 589.6, and this is the 56th percentile. However, to get 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 cut-offs 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.

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, you ask? MBA admissions aren’t just about the GMAT score. 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 score. And if you’ve got both, then bingo, the world is your oyster!

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.

What B-Schools should YOU apply to?

Have you taken the GMAT before?

If you’ve taken the test and gotten a GMAT score 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 score, or you apply to universities with your current 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 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 in 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 678 626-730
2 HEC Paris, France 690 590-780
3 Cambridge Judge Business School, UK 685 630-740
4 Naveen Jindal School of Management, the University of Texas at Dallas, USA 600 550-700
5 Melbourne Business School, Australia 695 650-730
6 Carey Business school, Arizona State University, USA 670 621-729
7 IMD, Switzerland 680 600-770
8 Mannheim Business School, Germany 680 560-740
9 IE Business School, Spain 670 600-770
10 University of Iowa, USA N/A No GMAT score is required for 2022 session.
11 Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Canada 666 500-760
12 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Bloomington, USA 666 600-770
13 Cranfield University, UK 680 620-710
14 Rutgers Business School, USA 642 500-760
15 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 662 600-780

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 Jamboree, we let you in on the best tips and tricks to make your application stand out. Contact our admissions counsellors to enhance your resumes, essays, LORs, and SOPs to bag your dream B-school.

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