From the Trenches: Dealing with Your Low GMAT

For my podcast on how to respond to your low GMAT score, I had a fascinating interview with a first-year student at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, Ronald Rolph. Days before entering business school, Rolph officially became a civilian after a decade serving in the U.S. military. Rolph knew he had what it took to pursue a career in business, but because of his military deployment schedule, didn't have much time to prepare to clear the first hurdle, the GMAT. He did the studying he could, took the GMAT, and didn't get the score he felt he needed to apply to the programs of his choice. Rolph, being used to adversity and dealing with tough situations, didn't miss a beat. He signed himself up for a crash GMAT prep course -- he didn't have time for anything else -- and spent a week in New York in intensive tutoring sessions on all sections of the GMAT. He also learned techniques to combat anxiety and keep himself focused - things like breathing, understanding the structure and methodology of the computer-adaptive test, and practicing enough so taking the timed test became routine. He was then able to re-take the GMAT in the same test center he'd had the first time around - and achieved the score he needed to gain acceptance to the Booth School.

An inspiring story from an inspiring guy. You can hear Rolph's story towards the end of the podcast, "Dealing with a Low GMAT."

Low GMAT Score? UC Berkeley Haas' Perspective

Let's say UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business is at the top of your list of schools. Let's say your GMAT score is not within Haas' middle 80 percent range of 680 to 760. Do you still have a chance?

"We're not looking to admit numbers, we're looking to admit people," said Corrine Kang, Associate Director of Admissions for the fulltime MBA Program at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Kang said Haas provides the middle 80% score range to give applicants a sense of how competitive admission to Haas is, but has no minimum score cutoff.

Kang said Haas reviews every complete application it receives, regardless of the GMAT score. At Haas, like many other MBA programs, the GMAT is one of the indicators used to predict the probability of a student's success in the first semester, especially in core quantitative courses - with ONE being the operative word. Other factors schools consider in assessing your academic preparation is your undergraduate record - especially in quantitative subjects - and work experience - especially demonstrating quantitative proficiency.

Kang said applicants with GMAT scores lower than they like can do several things before their application is final. Beyond the most obvious remedy, retaking the test, Kang recommends enrolling in a statistics or calculus course, as performance in a class can predict your probablility for success in the core curriculum.

For those who get into Haas, but still feel shaky on the quantative side, Haas offers an optional quantative workshop two weeks before classes start, to bone up on core subjects like statistics and accounting. Although this course is post-admission, it can still help jump-start your preparation for the academic onslaught of the first semester, and be a big help to those who may have been accepted on qualities other than their strong quantatative background.

Listen to our show: Dealing with a Low GMAT.