<p>If you’re talking about top schools, GMAT actually is important, since if you want decent odds of admission you want to at least be in the sweet spot for applicants to that program. For top-level programs that’s likely above 720 or 730 – the higher the better. </p>
<p>But this is not an absolute minimum, nor is there a set of numbers – GPA + GMAT – that makes you automatically credible. A super high GMAT combined with mediocre grades can mark you as bright but not an achiever. Super high grades combined with a mediocre GMAT (under 700, perhaps) may spark some concern about the quality of your training (or about you being a hard-working plodder who gets good grades but isn’t all that bright).</p>
<p>As has been mentioned, in addition to GPA and GMAT your work experience and your career trajectory (and “story” as you would tell about it in your essays, fortified a bit by letters of recommendation), matter a lot to getting to the critical stage of the admissions process: an invitation to interview. After that point the interview definitely comes into play but everything else (GPA, GMAT, essays, letters, work experience) matters for whether you get invited to the interview in the first place; but from among those interviewed, your chances are likely to be determined mainly by the quality of your interview. </p>
<p>However, the interview itself may address some questions that you mentioned or failed to mention in your essays, or perhaps some issues related to your “fit” and real interests relative to the particular program’s foci. Say your undergrad major is not typical for future MBA study (e.g., you majored in art or theater or English), then how you are able to articulate your “fit” for an MBA – and for each particular program to which you apply – will matter both to your getting invited for an interview and what the interviewer might focus on. </p>
<p>Among those invited for interviews, those who are able to articulate and explain how their specific work experiences and achievements qualify them for the particular program will have the better chance for success. They need to be able to translate their work experience and their formal training (undergrad or post-graduate studies) into a plausible picture of their readiness for the MBA program and the contribution that they might make to their cohort of co-admittees (their “class”). Say you’re interested in a program that has a special focus on sustainable business, what is there in your undergraduate study or your work experience that lays a background for this focus? If you state that as a career interest, how can you persuade the interviewer that you know what such a career might involve?</p>
<p>Can you do anything to improve your chances if your undergrad GPA is on the low side? Yes you may be able to do that, for example by taking additional foundational courses, perhaps in statistics, math, or economics, if those are weaker parts of your transcript. This will not necessarily contribute to a stronger GMAT but it could show your commitment and readiness for MBA study.</p>
<p>Can you overcome mediocre GMAT’s (but still with a good to strong GPA)? Yes if your career path, experience, leadership, and work/career achievements mark you as distinctive and promising. But if you look at the statistics on various dsicussion boards you will see that your odds of admission drop off dramatically if your GMAT is much (say, 30 points) below the sweet spot or median for the particular MBA program.</p>
<p>Having said that, one thing to stress is that while the numbers do matter, admissions is more than a numbers game. As others have noted, this is not law school admissions.</p>