High GPA, Low GMAT: Navigating Graduate School Admissions

Key takeaways

Admissions committees consider various factors when evaluating your application, and no one component will typically disqualify you from admission.

• If you have a high GPA but a low GMAT score, consider highlighting your GPA, academic achievements, and work experience when completing your application.

• Be sure to prioritize your letters of recommendation and showcase your personality, experiences, and motivations with your application essays.

• You can often still gain admission to business and management graduate programs, including Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs, with a high GPA but a low GMAT score. 

Explore how to build your graduate school application if you have a high GPA and low GMAT score in a way that highlights your strengths and sets you up for success in your pursuit of an MBA. 

What is the GMAT?

The GMAT exam is a standardized test often required for admission to business and management graduate programs, particularly MBA programs. The GMAT is designed to demonstrate your preparedness for graduate-level academic work, but it is only one component of your business school application, alongside other components like your academic record and work experience. 

GMAT sections

The GMAT is a computer-based test consisting of three parts: quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, and data insights. You have 45 minutes to complete each section, and you can complete them in whichever order you wish, making the exam more personalized and adaptable. Additionally, you can bookmark questions that you want to revisit, giving you the ability to return to questions you’re unsure about and allowing you more control over your answers. 

Quantitative reasoning

The quantitative section of this exam assesses how you use your algebraic and arithmetic foundational knowledge to solve problems. This section focuses on logic and analytical thinking rather than on the math skills themselves. To prepare for this portion of the GMAT, you need to practice solving numerical problems, interpreting graphical data, and evaluating information.

Verbal reasoning

The verbal reasoning section of this exam evaluates your reading comprehension, critical reasoning skills, and ability to evaluate arguments. Be prepared to demonstrate proficiency in reading skills, including main idea, supporting idea, inference, application, logical structure, and style. The critical reasoning portion of this section assesses your ability to make and evaluate arguments and formulate a plan of action. To prepare for this portion of the GMAT, practice analyzing and applying information and concepts presented in written form.

Data insights

The data insights portion of the GMAT assesses your skills in data analysis and interpretation, as well as digital and data literacy. You will find questions that may require math, data analysis, verbal reasoning, or a combination of all three. These questions include data sufficiency, multi-source reasoning, table analysis, graphics interpretation, and two-part analysis and are designed to assess your ability to identify relationships between multiple sources and apply those relationships to make informed decisions in real-world business scenarios. One way to prepare for this section of the GMAT is to analyze quantitative problems and identify relevant data.

Is GPA or GMAT more important?

When crafting your business or management school application, you shouldn’t focus too much on your GPA or GMAT score specifically, because while those matter, the admissions committee will also consider your positive character traits, such as curiosity, resilience, collaboration, and leadership. It’s important to remind yourself that you are not just a test score or a sum of numbers; you are a complete person with unique experiences, strengths, perspectives, and accomplishments. 

Admissions committees look at your application holistically. This means your GPA, GMAT scores, work experience, essays, and interview performance all play a role. While a high GPA or a strong GMAT score can certainly bolster your application, no single component is likely to be the sole deciding factor in most cases.

Read more: Can You Earn an MBA with a Low GPA? 

Can a high GMAT offset a low GPA?

Yes, a high GMAT score can offset a low GPA by demonstrating your ability to keep pace with the curriculum and highlighting your potential for success in an MBA program.

High GPA, low GMAT: How to build your application

When you build your application for business or management school, you will want to tell a story about who you are, why you’re applying for graduate school, and how graduate school fits into your goals. You can have many combinations of qualifications when applying to a business and management school, including a high GPA and low GMAT score, which you can complement with stellar extracurriculars, well-written essays, proven leadership qualities, and letters of recommendation. Through the process, remind yourself that admissions committees look at your application as a whole, and no one component will make or break your application. Let’s review some tips for highlighting your strengths while offsetting a low GMAT score.

Highlight your GPA and academic achievements.

Your GPA and academic records are critical components of your application, so if you have a high GPA, especially in challenging courses, emphasize this. Highlight any academic honors or awards and any particularly relevant courses or projects that showcase your abilities and dedication to your field of study.

Show your work experience.

Real-world experience within a professional business setting is a valuable part of your application. Detail your professional achievements and elaborate on your skill development in relevant areas. These abilities include leadership experience, project management, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. Real-world business experience can often speak louder than test scores. If you have experience in a business-related field, highlight what you contributed to your team and how the business school would expand your skill set in meaningful ways.

Prioritize strong letters of recommendation.

Recommendation letters are a great way to showcase your abilities and potential as a graduate learner for a business school. Choose recommenders you have worked with in a close, professional capacity and who have a personal relationship with you, particularly those relevant to your desired field of study. Strong, personalized recommendations can enhance your application.

Tell a story with your essays.

If your GMAT score is not as high as you’d like, your essays are another way to make your application come alive and showcase your personality. You should talk about your experiences, motivations for applying, long-term goals, and how this program aligns with your career aspirations. You want to use personal examples to make a case to admissions committees that you will be successful within their program and be able to contribute to their graduate school community.

Consider retaking the GMAT.

One option is to consider retaking the GMAT. Many applicants take the test more than once and improve their scores the second time. Reflect on why your score was lower than expected and develop a plan to build skills in weaker areas, such as data interpretation, when solving complex problems. You can also research the programs you’re interested in and their specific GMAT requirements. Some programs might also accept the GRE as an alternative, which could be a better option for you, especially if you don’t have much experience in a quantitative field such as finance, science, computer programming, or statistics.

Speak with an admissions counselor.

If you aren’t sure whether your GMAT score will prevent you from being considered, reach out to admissions counselors to navigate your concerns and learn more about what the particular program looks for in its applicants. Many schools have differing perspectives and valuations on individual components of the application. They may have different admission requirements, so finding schools that fit your strengths can set you up for success.

Polish your resume.

A polished resume is another way to highlight your achievements outside the classroom. Many MBA programs require work experience before admission, so you can use this as an example to demonstrate why you will successfully pursue your master’s degree. Additionally, you can explain how your professional background will benefit the program and connect your experience to how this institution will contribute to your professional growth.

MBA career options

Although earning an MBA can be challenging, you can have many exciting career opportunities in roles such as financial manager or information technology manager once you complete your degree. Here are eight careers you can pursue with an MBA and their median total salaries:

• Financial manager: $140,000

• Informational technology manager: $143,000

• Management consultant: $151,000

• Medical and health services manager: $120,000

• Marketing manager: $107,000

• Business intelligence analyst: $121,000

• Chief executive officer: $332,000

• Human resources manager: $106,000

* All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of December 2025. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

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