Forum: GMAT, TOEFL, and other tests (2 Comments)

Average GMAT seems outlandish

  • Posted by - olehner - on 14 March 2012 - 10:26pm

    I stumbled upon this message board by accident and I am quite astonished. Contrary to my initial belief, I am definitely not alone with my soul searching when it comes to my future career choices.

    I have finished a BSc (Business Administration) and a LLB (business law) at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. I am in the 97 and 90 percentile respectively. TOEFL 119 (IBT), GMAT 690 (AW 6.0), 8 weeks internship at a bank, 7 weeks internship in Mexico City with the Austrian embassy, currently a 10 hour internship with another bank in Vienna, exchange semester in the USA (University of Michigan), leadership experience and a lot of voluntary work to go with it.

    I have looked extensively into different MIM programs in Europe, although one thing keeps bugging me - the average GMAT. I do know that my CV is not bad and I should be able to get into most programs, but the Strategy Master in St. Gallen for example boasts an average GMAT of 720. I find that very hard to believe to be honest, since with that score Oxford or Harvard are probably headhunting those prospective students.

    Thomas has mentioned in one thread that the average GMAT scores should not be taken as the literal truth. Could someone please elaborate on that?

    Thank you very much in advance. From what I have seen this message board is remarkable.

    • Posted by - Thomas Graf - on 14 March 2012 - 10:53pm

      Dear Oliver,

      thank you for your message. To be honest, 720 GMAT score in the St Gallen Master in Strategy and International Management surprises me as well. Maybe they want to deter many people now that they are number 1 in the FT MIM Ranking 2011 and most likely get flooded with applications.

      What I meant with my comment on "average" was that average does not exclude a specific score per se. No one but the school representatives actually knows how this average score was calculated or how the score distribution of the current student cohort is. Maybe there are even one or tw people with a score of 600, 10 with 620 or 630. Maybe the distribution is more narrow.

      My key advise always is (based on my MBA experience): People should not get deterred based on the GMAT average score mentioned on the website unless there is a specific reason (e.g. when the school clearly says in the interview that they require a minimum of something).

      In your case, my guess is that you don't need to worry at all. First, your GMAT is great. Second, your academic education is very good. Third, your professional experience is phantastic. You will be the MIM candidate that everyone is looking for.

      Best wishes
      Thomas