MBA Admissions Tip: Stop Optimizing Your Test Score. Optimize Your Application Instead.

As an MBA admissions coach, I usually don’t start working with someone until they’ve taken the official GMAT at least once. If someone’s scoring in the mid-500s, my application strategy for them is going to look different from my strategy for someone scoring in the high 600s or low 700s.

“That’s pretty obvious, James,” I’m sure you’d say. Everyone knows that schools care about your test scores. One of the most repeated MBA application tips out there is that if your scores fall below a school’s median, your chances of getting in are lower.

But your test scores are just a starting point for your application. While they can significantly boost or lower your odds, they’re not the end-all, be-all of your profile.

Think about this from the perspective of an admissions officer. Say you’re looking at an applicant with a GMAT score of 645, and the median score of admitted students at your school is 675. When you see that 645, you don’t need more than half a second to clock that this applicant might be less prepared for certain aspects of MBA coursework. You’ll need perhaps another 30 seconds to look at their score breakdowns, compare that to their desired post-MBA job, and reach a conclusion on whether this person has their head screwed on straight when it comes to aligning their competencies to their goals.

Now, let’s say you’re looking at a different applicant. They’ve got a hefty 715 GMAT score, coupled with a very impressive 99th percentile in quant. They’ve breezed past the median score of 675. The amount of time you’ll spend interpreting this data is also going to be less than one minute. This person clears the bar, is likely ready for the classroom, and has a 99th percentile in quant, so they’re going to be low-risk for certain post-MBA recruiters.

In both of these cases, you’re spending about one minute on test scores, give or take. Then, you move on to reviewing everything else the applicant’s submitted.

Where MBA Admissions Decisions Are Actually Made

Remember that applicant with the 715 from earlier? Let’s say you’re reviewing their essays, and you’re finding that there’s… nothing to get excited about in their MBA admissions essays. No evidence that they understand your school in contrast to other schools, no effort to explain how they picked up the leadership skills they claim to have, and no clarity when it comes to connecting their past experience to their short-term and long-term goals.

On the other hand, you might find that the candidate who scored below median not only has an incredibly clear vision and a very strong understanding of their fit for your school, but they also have a very valid and relatable explanation for why they scored so low and how they’re going to compensate. They’ve done the legwork to give you a plan that expresses clearly: “I know what my challenges are going to be in the classroom, and here’s how I’m going to address them once I’m enrolled in my MBA.”

Right now, as you’re reading this, who to admit seems pretty obvious. But once September rolls around, it’s easy to forget what we’ve just talked about. You might not have scored as high as you wanted in August, and now you think you need to give up on applying for Round 1. You’re agonizing over how many times you’re going to need to retake the GMAT, all while finishing your essays for Round 2.

An MBA Application Tip: Don’t Get Caught in the Trap

Many applicants get caught in the trap of trying way too hard to optimize their test score. They assume that an extra 20 to 30 points are going to vault them into a new category of consideration for elite schools.

Part of my job is keeping applicants’ eyes on the bigger-picture trade-offs. How many hours are they willing to shift away from their MBA admissions essays into grinding for those extra points? Why aren’t they willing to just drop a couple of their dream schools and replace them with schools where their scores are already more competitive?

These are the MBA application tips that actually move the needle on your interview invites and post-interview offers, and they’re rarely about getting a higher score.

When you think about your application holistically, it’s easier to get in the mindset of an admissions officer. Because their job is to understand you as a candidate, not as a number. And the part of your application that most helps them achieve that understanding isn’t your GMAT score. It’s everything that comes after.