Is a 326 GRE good for HSW based on my profile?
I scored a 160 Verbal, 166 Quant on the GRE which based on the score converter on ets website converts to a 700 flat GMAT score. However i have also been told that adcoms typically have their own way of assessing gre candidates. The median scores for HW are 163 v and q and for GSB it is 164 for v and q. Im a bit below the averages for verbal but also above for quant. If this score wont keep me out i feel like i wont spend time retaking. Would love to get some seasoned perspectives if i ought to try and get a 740/750 gmat equivalent or if this gre score is solid as is.
Other info: I am an asian male working at a strong independent and graduated from target mid-tier ivy with 3.9
It's probably too low. For starters, it's below the average at most of the top schools, so by definition, it's lower than it needs to be. You're also an overrepresented minority, which isn't going to do you any favors. Lastly, the GRE is tricky, it is an easier test than the GMAT and while all adcoms know this, some weight it differently in admissions.
I'm of the opinion that there isn't as much of a gap as people would like to you believe between the GMAT and GRE when it comes to admissions, but I also think that unless you have a unique background or exceptionally strong work experience, if you're coming from a traditional banking or consulting job you need to do very well on whichever test you try to take and be above the average. Having taken both tests multiple times, I can tell you that a 700 on the GMAT is harder to get than a 326 on the GRE.
If you're shooting for HSW, you should take it again and aim for a 330+. Even for the rest of the M7, I'd say you're on the iffy side with a 326.
Thanks for the feedback, but my score is right dab on Harvard and wharton’s median / avg composite gre score. Its also quite a few points above the rest of the m7. Can you explain a bit why my score is too low based on that?
Because their averages are pulled down by demographic pools you won’t be competing against.
Correct, the GRE is a generalized grad school test. So if I were applying for a master's in education, I would likely need to take the GRE as well. GMAT is obviously business specific. The average GRE score is lower than a comparable GMAT mainly because the pools of candidates applying with a GRE is different than the typical B school applicants and thus likely have different and more diverse stories that could help them out with the admissions process. Those types of candidates are also usually bucketed together. For example, if you had a 3.9 and a 326 GRE but had worked in the Peace Corp for a couple of years, then decided you were going to go to grad school for something like a Master's in Public Policy and then decided to pivot at the end and do a dual degree with an MBA, that type of story would probably resonate more with adcoms and they would be willing to use the GRE as more of a check the box. They're also bucketing these types of candidates together and comparing their test scores against each other.
Assuming you're coming in from banking/consultant or any other white collar profession, most people take the GMAT just because it's the accepted standard. By taking the GRE from an obviously business related background, you're already raising a little bit of a flag. Adcoms will ask (and honestly I will too) why did you take the GRE instead of the GMAT? If the honest answer is, "it's an easier test and I can get a comparatively higher score on it vs the GMAT" then that's fine, might hurt you a tiny bit, but you can offset that by getting a high enough score on the GRE as well.
326 isn't a bad score, but if you're trying to maximize chances at getting into H/S, I'd retake it again. If your work experience is phenomenal and you have a great story, you might be fine with a 326. Not enough info to tell, but at the end of the day, 326 is good but not great. That fact it's on the GRE which isn't quite as common from a traditional business background also raises questions. You should seek out the free 30min sessions with all of the MBA consultants and ask them the same question.
Will have to politely disagree. Currently an MBA candidate in an M7, non HSW. GRE and GMAT are two completely different beasts and perhaps quant may be easier on gre, but verbal is much harder relative to gmat. Honestly this 330 threshold seems arbitrary to me. The GRE to GMAT calculator is unreliable as you get to the upper echelons. A 160 V 168 Q spits out a 730 composite GMAT score which by all means is a solid score to have. That is only two more questions right than what the OP got on quant. You're telling me that two questions makes or breaks an application to HSW? It sure doesn't for the rest of the M7s... esp with a stellar undergrad institution and gpa
Ehh for non HSW he might be fine, but he's specifically asking for HSW chances. It also sounds like he's an asian male from a standard background. This type of background won't stand out at HSW without a stronger test score. There's just too many candidates that are exactly the same with 750 on the GMAT. I agree the conversion calculator isn't great, but the conversion doesn't really matter, at the end of the day, he took the GRE which is strange given his background and got a literal average score.
Also, I'm sure you've spent enough time studying for these tests that, yes, getting 2 question right/wrong, especially if they're more difficult ones can make or break a candidate. It's competitive out there and you want to maximize chances as much as possible. I agree with you that test scores aren't a great way to measure aptitude, but that's how the game works. A 700 vs a 730 is a big difference, no way around it.
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