A 670 GMAT Score With a Low Verbal: Good Enough for Kellogg?
Hi Kate,
I am from Pakistan. I intend to apply to Kellogg, INSEAD and London Business School.
My extra curriculars (particularly sports) are strong and I already have an MBA+ Engineering from Pakistan.
I worked for 3 years for one of the world’s top engineering firms in Pakistan and have been working in the UAE with a regional giant for the past 2 years. I also spent a semester on Exchange in France during my MBA. My academics are average with around 3.4 CGPA
My GMAT is 670 (47 Q, 35 V and 8 in IR) in my second attempt.
Does this GMAT score give me a realsitic chance of competing for admission? or should I retry for a higher score?
Thanks in advance
A couple of notes:
1. Given that you have a degree called MBA you will want to explain why you need an additional MBA in the Optional Essay portion. You may want to explain the MBA curriculum you covered would be on par with undergraduate business education in the US, hint, hint.
2. The GMAT is a bummer. If you made gains between first and second attempt, you’ve probably maxed out. Verbal is keeping your score down. To fix that verbal, you’ll need 5-8 weeks and a solid lesson plan.
If you didn’t have a score change between the first and second – and you actually put in effort between – you’re done. Unless you’re willing to invest a lot – time and money, you’re not likely to improve.
3. If your profile is great, the score won’t be what keeps you out. It won’t help you, but it won’t keep you out.
Without knowing more, I’d recommend that you focus on creating killer essays.
Good luck!
-Kate