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If you are considering earning a business school degree, you know that must sit for the GRE or GMAT exam. Whether official or self-reported, GMAT/GRE scores are required by the graduate institution for your application to be considered complete and ready for review by the admissions committee.
On the day of the exam, the GMAT includes five (5) score reports and the GRE includes four (4), that can be sent to your target institutions. Should you choose to postpone the official report distribution, you can order additional reports for a fee at a later date.
To minimize application costs, we recommend our clients prepare a list of the target institutions they are considering, even if said list is not final. Preparing a list of target schools while studying for the GMAT/GRE requires a bit of work in advance, but your wallet will thank you for it later as your list will allow you to minimize the number of additional reports you order and their incremental costs.
As you prepare for the GMAT or GRE, we urge you to research the institutions you may target. To help navigate this step and make the most of the reports included with the GMAT/GRE fees, we have outlined a few tips on how to select which schools to send your official GRE/GMAT report.
Narrow Down Your Target List to 10 Business Schools
In a previous post, we have provided tips on how to select your top 10 target b-schools – namely, curriculum, culture, networking, cost, scholarship opportunities, etc. You can read the full article here. Once you’ve narrowed down your list, rank the institutions in order of preference. An Excel spreadsheet can be useful here.
Review the School’s Test Score requirements
Once you have a refined target list, review the schools’ policy on test score submission requirements. Include those details in your spreadsheet to avoid confusion. Once you have a list in hand, you will notice that some schools require an official report, while others accept a self-reported GMAT/GRE score. Make sure you have read the language carefully to ensure you understand the appropriate requirements. If in doubt, no harm to ask.
Prioritize
Prioritize the schools that require an official score before the deadline. The second priority should be the schools that need the official score before a decision can be made. You should not use your limited number of included reports for those b-schools that require the official report only once you’ve been accepted into the program. Use the included official reports wisely, ensuring that you save $35 or $27 per GMAT or GRE report, respectively, for each school you apply to. Considering the cost of the application process, any amount you can save improves the overall ROI.
About Sia Admissions:
Sia Admissions Consulting is a boutique firm based in New York City. We specialize in coaching students of diverse background navigate the university admissions process. Our goal is to partner with students to help them characterize and reflect their individuality in all areas of the admissions application.
At Sia, we firmly believe that “one-size” does not fit all—each student has his or her story that, if communicated properly, a university admissions committee is eager to hear; therefore, we coach each student in originally telling his or her story. Our partnership with each student consists of – (i) recognizing the student’s story by asking poignant questions which help us (ii) identify the quintessence of his or her strengths and aspirations, so we may (iii) build an idiosyncratic strategy that helps the student distinctively present his or her story. Our aim is to coach students in showcasing a unique application that communicates their individuality as an ideal candidate for the field and institution of choice.