Hello,

I'm wondering how competitive MPA admissions are compared to MPA programs, especially in regards to the quantitative score on the GMAT.

I'm still considering both MBA and MPA, with Columbia and LBS for the MBA and SIPA, SAIS for the MPA.

My background:
* Graduation computer science/business from a public university in Europe, with distinction
* Worked as IT consultant/freelancer during studies, full-time during summers
* 2 exchange semesters in Europe and Singapore, 1 year high school exchange to the US
* volunteer work in education (5 years, varying positions, some leadership)
* 1 year (1 1/2 years until school would start) consulting in a top-4 strategy consulting firm

GMAT: 730 overall, with 97% verbal (44), 76% quant (47)

From other conversations, I'd guess the quant score is still "ok" to apply to good MBA schools, but could be better.

My questions:
* Would you think that MPA schools are even stricter since their curricula involves rigorous economics/statistics and so on?
* Would you think schools use GMAT scores also in scholarships and in applications for dual degree programs (i.e. for a dual degree, would your GMAT need to be even higher than for the regular program?)?
* Can it "hurt" to take the GMAT twice (i.e. if the second one isn't any better than the first, would that be less favorable than only 1 GMAT)?
* Is it actually harder (in terms of GMAT) or less hard to get into MBA schools for people outside the US?

I guess I could score a little higher on the quant part (practice tests were 1-2 points better), but I'm asking myself whether this is actually worth the effort of taking vacation and paying test fees?

Thanks for your help!

M

Hi M,

Thanks for writing in. Unfortunately I don't have much of an expertise in MPAs but I'll do my best to answer your questions. You should also be able to get most of the "average GMAT" information on the MPA programs from their websites.

* I don't know if MPA prorgams would be stricter than a top MBA program, but if you can track down the average GMAT, broken down by question, you should have your answer.
*A dual degree program is likely going to adopt the admission standards of the more competitive program. Scholarships are incredibly tough to predict, there is no "magic GMAT" score that opens up scholarships -- their prerequisites vary by program.
* Traditionally MBA programs only look at your best GMAT score, so you're safe to retake it without consequence.
* That is a great question. It's heavily-discussed that different parts of the world tend to have different GMAT scores. A lot of this is based on the fact that eduction systems vary by country and culture, but the GMAT is universal, and thus some countries might be better prepared for the test due to their upbringing. You don't mention where you're from, so I can't comment directly on how this impacts you.

Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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