GMAT Score at Undergrad Level

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New answer on Jul 16, 2020
10 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Jul 09, 2020

Hey everyone,

I am a Senior at a Tier 1 university (Business Degree with majors in Marketing and Strategic Mgmt) in Asia with a strong alumni network in all the major consulting firms. When I came to college, I wasn't that focused on my career/studies and that resulted in a low first sem GPA. Since then, I have managed to pull up my quite significantly but still, it's no way near the level required by consulting firms (It stands at 3.30/4.0 currently and I have projected to pull it up to 3.5-3.6/4.0 by the time I graduate).

After doing a few strategy internships and consulting projects, I have realized that consulting would be the best field for me after undergrad. Therefore, I want to give my best in my last year to have a shot at a consulting role (I know the odds are against me but I feel that I should try my best). To boost my education section on the resume, I was thinking of taking GMAT and getting a decent score on it. So, do you guys have any idea if a high GMAT score (750ish range) will help in landing an interview? Also, if there are any recruiters on here, how would you feel about seeing a GMAT score at an undergrad level?

Target Firms: MBB, Oliver Wyman, Roland Berger etc. (basically all tier 1 and tier 2 consulting firms)

Also, what other strategies could I adopt to improve my chances? Any help would be appreciated!

(edited)

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Anrian
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replied on Jul 09, 2020
Ex Kearney Senior Manager | Ex McKinsey Engagement Manager | Interviewer & Case Coach at McKinsey (200+ Real Interviews)

Hi There,

Your concern has been addressed here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/does-taking-gmat-help-with-undergraduate-hiring-1906

In short, You will have a solid GPA (if you achieve that 3.5-3.6) and some internships exposure when applying. So, GMAT is really not helping anything. In fact, for undergrad, the CV screener (speaking from my experience) tends to neglect this part, but rather focusing on what you have accomplished and did throughout your undergrad years.

Hope this helps.

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Originally answered question:

Does taking GMAT help with undergraduate hiring?

Anonymous replied on Jun 26, 2018

Hi Serdar,

The short answer is no, GMAT won't act as a substitute for University grades.

A Good GMAT score could be helpful though in some cases, for example:

1) If you are doing a non-quantitative degree, a good GMAT quant score can demonstrate your quantiative ability

2) If you are studying at a University where the scoring system is not easily understood by the office you are applying to, then GMAT could serve as a decent benchmark.

A 3.6 GPA by no means would be an application killer, so I wouldn't worry too much at this point, and work on the other parts of your CV (e.g. extra curriculars, getting more work experience) and on pushing up your GPA with the courses you have left.

Hope that helps!

Alessandro

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Originally answered question:

Does taking GMAT help with undergraduate hiring?

Vlad
Expert
replied on Jun 26, 2018
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School
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Originally answered question:

Does taking GMAT help with undergraduate hiring?

Dorothea
Expert
replied on Jun 26, 2018
Ex-Oliver Wyman with 100% interview success rate - specialized in female career coaching

Hi Serdar,
unfortunately, an excellent GMAT will generally be seen as a bonus point, but not as something to offset weak grades. Most consultancies have very strict limits when it comes to grades (incl. Master, Bachelor and A-levels) where you may not pass the threshold.

However, these thresholds vary across consultancies and not all consultancies require "excellent" grades (as they claim), but rather consistently "good" grades, then taking into account the overall picture of grades, working experience and bonus points. It may also depend on your type of studies and your university, where precisely that threshold is going to be applied (for computer science very likely lower than e.g. for business).

In my opinion, taking the GMAT can only increase your chances, but it may make sense to test upfront with a few consultancies whether you would be invited before you start with preparations.

Hope this helps!
Dorothea

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Originally answered question:

Does taking GMAT help with undergraduate hiring?

Anonymous updated the answer on Jul 10, 2020

Dear Serdar,

A good GMAT score >700 is good extension in your profile but its'not a must.

In your situation with a very low GPA in resume, try either not to show it or get an internship first trhough a referral, and then through the internship try to secure your full-time offer.

Make you internship as soon as possible that you can have a couple of tries. Ideally you comlete 1-2 internships, before you greduation in consulting.

If you have any questions, reach out to me and I can help you.

Best,

André

(edited)

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Ian
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Content Creator
replied on Jul 11, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

I think 3.5-3.6 is actually high enough to meet the bar. Honestly, for me, GPA is table stakes (i.e. you need a minimium level, but I don't care about the difference between 3.5 and 3.8 nearly as much as I do about experiences).

GMAT wouldn't hurt, but I do question if it's worht the time/energy/money unless you plan to use it eventually for Bschool. If you do want to include it, >750 would help the resume imo.

Another strategy to improve your chances: Get a killer resume! Format + conciseness is key...make sure you don't just have good experiences, but that you sell them well!

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Anonymous updated the answer on Jul 10, 2020

Dear A,

A good GMAT score >700 is good extension in your profile but its'not a must.

In your situation with a very low GPA in resume, try either not to show it or get an internship first trhough a referral, and then through the internship try to secure your full-time offer.

Make you internship as soon as possible that you can have a couple of tries. Ideally you comlete 1-2 internships, before you greduation in consulting.

If you have any questions, reach out to me and I can help you.

Best,

André

(edited)

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Originally answered question:

Does taking GMAT help with undergraduate hiring?

Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 30, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Nope, only for business school!

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 16, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

GMAT unfortunately only gets better with practicing. Good news is that there are many ways of doing so!

There are free exams in the internet that you can use for practice (the one of LBS MBA page, Verits prep, as well as some free trials for courses such as the one of The Economist (https://gmat.economist.com/)

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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Originally answered question:

Does taking GMAT help with undergraduate hiring?

Anonymous replied on Jun 30, 2020

Hi,

No, GMAT won’t help.

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Anrian gave the best answer

Anrian

Ex Kearney Senior Manager | Ex McKinsey Engagement Manager | Interviewer & Case Coach at McKinsey (200+ Real Interviews)
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