GMAT Allows Test Takers to "Preview" Score
Prospective business students taking the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) will now be able to preview their unofficial scores before deciding whether to report or cancel them.
The change, announced today (June 25) by the Graduate Management Admission Council, will take effect on Friday, June 27. Under the change, business schools will still know that a person took the exam and cancelled a score. Roughly a quarter of a million people take the GMAT annually, getting an average score of 546. The test is used by more than 6,100 graduate business and management programs around the world.
This may come across as arrogant, and I apologize in advance, but it boggles my mind that 546 is the average score. I wondering if there are people who just give up on the test halfway and get a 300 and bring the average score way down.
It doesn't surprise me at all, University of Miami, while not a top 25 program has a 25th percentile of 580, Florida State has an average of 580. These are programs at what many people would consider decent schools, while not targets, if you're working in Florida and aren't standard WSO material this would be your target. You can imagine how as you go down the quality ladder to unknown schools how easy admissions becomes.
My guess it a lot of people sign up for the test and just take it without preparing and get low scores....or they leave halfway through as you said. But I agree and I think the average score of people who put in the work and actually study and take it seriously is higher...which is a pretty obvious point to make i admit
I imagine this will lead to some gmat score inflation
EDIT: actually, the score still probably counts towards the overall GMAT statistics. But it might affect the average B-school gmat score reported at top schools
gmat scores have been trending up YoY for some time now. As you mentioned, it will impact the numerical score, not the percentile.
Keep in mind that GMAT takers are supposed to be college graduates, or current undergrad students who are near graduation.
Only about 30% of adults 25 years of age and older get a bachelor degree in the US.
In other words, 546 is basically the average score of the top 30%!!!
I'm often amazed at how bad "average" is.
It's not just Americans taking it, I suspect a huge deal is the relative value of scores, a 680 is low for an M7 program, but at a lot of flagship state schools, it is more than "good enough", it might net you a full ride. If you just need a generic MBA, how much effort will you really put in?
A buddy of mine goes to a State School and their "requirement" to get into the MBA program is 450. So yeah i think you're right on that one.
Yea?!
Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize -- half of em' are dumber than that.
edit: nevermind :-)
median person*
Know plenty of M7 Grads and current students who have lower than a 680. GMAT is a test for great test takers; if you suck at test taking, it's a hard nut to crack. Thankfully, b schools have a holistic approach to admissions.
More and more threads I see about b school, I see a serious disconnection between perceptions here and the how b schools admissions operate in real world.
Kellogg says 6% of admitted had less than a 640 and 25% had a 650 to 690, 10% at Sloan were at lower than 700 (Middle 80% was 700-770). At the top 10 it's probably somewhere between 10 and 20% of a class with a 680 or lower. Presumably these people are making up for it in other ways. WSO cares so much about the GMAT and getting a high score because at that point it's the only thing you really have control over, besides for the essays and for the average "finance" applicant they need to bring better scores to the table than someone at a non-profit.
I took it and did well. That said, it's not an easy fucking test.
Everyone on this board worked hard to get where they are today...and some use the same logic for the GMAT.
However, the GMAT is an aptitude test. While hard work is vital, it is the minimum, and does not guarantee success. There are some people who will not break 700, even if they put in 700 hours. It is humbling and is basically a proxy for IQ. There is a reason that MENSA accepts it.
As for this preview thing...I think that unless you have a panic attack or something...a cancelled score looks worse than a bad one. You can take it again, and show progress/perseverance. A cancelled score just makes you look like a bitch.
I'd have to disagree. I don't think its an IQ test at all. Its basically a measure of how much and HOW you prepare (though many IQ tests are the same way, so I guess i'd say its not a test of "natural intelligence"). I think that the majority of people with "average" intellect can be taught how to take the test and perform pretty well. The issue is that a lot of the more vaunted forms of prep cost a lot of money (ex. Manhattan GMAT costs about $1500).
PS. IQ tests in large part are a crock (who is to say what correlates with "intelligence" and how fluid is it over time?). The fact that the tests that MENSA accepts (even though i'm no big fan of the org) has changed over time kinda highlights the issue.
I knew people in my undergrad(non-target) that were studying for the GMAT to get their MAcc struggled for months studying just to get to the 550 mark they needed.
People on here need to realize that a lot of people arent studying for their MBA, especially with the influx of "5th year programs" like MAcc, MSF, MiM. Therefore, the percentage of people studying for their MBA is smaller than you would expect.
From there the people targeting M7 schools with averages of around 700 is much, much smaller. Then you have to factor in the fact that there is an even smaller percentage of people that are actually getting into these schools, then you have to realize that those attending a M7 school with a 700 score most likely took the test more than once.
Sometimes you have to take a step back and realize that this site inherently filters out "average" and "lower-than-average" candidates. Even then, a lot of people that are smart enough take it without studying thinking theyre going to crush it first time. I for one started with a score in the 500s and was able to increase 100+ points so somebody starting from scratch could score 550 even if they are of above average intelligence.
Veniam ex libero velit velit beatae debitis. Illum et aut aut omnis perspiciatis occaecati. In accusantium repudiandae eaque. Sit quas hic quam saepe assumenda voluptas. Quibusdam eius omnis ut qui et fugit.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...