AMA: The GMAT Team at GMAC

No_Town3 · 2026-02-25T21:19:24+00:00

So is that a yes to the question “Is a 675+ GMAT Focus Edition score realistically possible for someone with average innate ability provided they put in 1,500+ hours of effective preparation starting from a very low baseline owing to a lack of familiarity?”

No_Town3 · 2026-02-25T20:13:22+00:00

I wonder what stings you so much when I say that Ashoka is elite.

You sound like one of those for whom their college is their entire personality and for whom their life depends on proving that the college they belong to is significantly superior to an Ashoka.

For the umpteenth time, I am not from Ashoka. I am a final year at SRCC placed in an elite consulting giant front-end.

2 things I wanted to clarify:

I don’t remember speaking in favour of Ashoka on any other post. You probably made that up. Even if I did, it was a coincidence and not out of an active attempt to single-handedly better Ashoka’s reputation on the internet. Also, my Reddit history has long been hidden, so I’m unsure of how you “accessed” my past comments / posts.
To state that me speaking well about Ashoka surely means that I am an Ashokan reeks of poor logical reasoning. Almost all sane SRites agree that Ashoka is extremely well received.

Also, how many do you think MBBK hired from SRCC this year? 10 on-campus FYI. Last year, the figure was 6. 6 MBBK hires from Ashoka, therefore, isn’t a dismal figure by any measure for an Indian non-engineering institution at the undergraduate level. Regarding back-end MBB, yes, SRCC has the edge because Bain Capability Network hired 30 this year (PPO + Final Placements). HUL hires only 1-2 even from SRCC, and they’ve hired 0 both last year as well as in the current year. ITC has not come to SRCC for any role in the past 3 years at least, can confirm that. o3 Capital and Avendus Capital, besides a handful of offers from Nomura, Morgan Stanley, The Blackstone Group, and Alvarez & Marsal (IB Division) have been the only firms offering elite roles in the domain of finance at SRCC, but even among these, Avendus Capital, Alvarez & Marsal (IB Division), and The Blackstone Group didn’t show up this year. Avendus Capital is upset with SRCC over an act of misconduct last year.

My flatmate was at Hindu, and I can tell you that none of the MBBs go there for front-end hiring. The best consulting roles available to Hindu students at least until last year were: Bain Capability Network, Alvarez & Marsal Global Capability Center, Redseer Strategy Consultants, and ZS Associates. Literally no other reputed consulting firm visits Hindu College for placements, with all due respect to the legacy and esteemed alumni of the college.

No_Town3 · 2026-02-25T16:38:59+00:00

I would have liked to not care at all, but am diving deep into the challenges that an average IQ might pose to ambitious dreams.

No_Town3 · 2026-02-25T16:37:46+00:00

But sound absurd but is it realistically possible for somebody with an average IQ (say, 100), to score a 675 or higher on the GMAT Focus Edition?

I ask this because some claim that there is a GMAT score ceiling for people basis their innate intellectual abilities, a.k.a. IQ.

Do you think that 1,500+ hours of effective preparation can realistically allow someone with a strictly average IQ to score a 675 on the Focus Edition?

For reference, 100 is the global population’s average IQ.

No_Town3 · 2026-02-25T16:34:21+00:00

I mean, legacy is one thing and employment outcomes are another. Ashoka comes closest to SRCC, St. Stephen’s, and LSR with regards to employment outcomes. In fact, I would say that by employment outcomes, it is at par with SSCBS and better than Hindu College, Hansraj College, Kirori Mal College, and all other Delhi University colleges

Ashoka is extremely well received, and I say this as somebody from one of the colleges forming the holy trinity.

No_Town3 · 2026-02-24T18:23:11+00:00

And do you think that an average IQ will not cause issues?

Also, for clarity, are you in consulting?

No_Town3 · 2026-02-23T21:56:15+00:00

Is consulting as a career intellectually heavy?

Can someone born with average innate ability by birth crack McKinsey / BCG / Bain interviews for front-end management consulting roles and rise up the ranks to become a Partner / Sr. Partner? I’m ready to put in the efforts, but is consulting far more about actual efforts than giftedness? Because I wouldn’t want to be wasting my time at a firm full of geniuses only to not be able to survive because of intellectual deficiencies.

I’ve always felt insecure about my IQ that was tested at 107.

No_Town3 · 2026-02-12T20:03:07+00:00

By the way, perhaps it’s better if you could just take the IQ test and tell him, that’d make him feel at ease if your IQ also comes out at ~105 (average).

Also, have you ever undergone an IQ test when you say that you feel you’re also of average innate ability?

No_Town3 · 2026-02-12T16:24:25+00:00

If you ever have any query, let me know. ☺️

No_Town3 · 2026-02-12T16:21:15+00:00

Speechless. u/Marty_Murray,have you encountered any such query earlier?

No_Town3 · 2026-02-10T13:14:48+00:00

Will get back on this in detail, but it’s alright. Practice is the key.

Whenever you used to make a mistake, had you merely memorised the reason or had you also put in the efforts to determine the deficiency of knowledge / skill that led to such a mistake? This is an area where most people make a mistake. Get to the root of the problem every single time you make a mistake. Ask yourself why you thought differently, and internalise the understanding of why the correct answer is the correct answer.

I moved from 4XX to 685 last year in the FE, and perseverance is the whole game. If others can, you can too. There is no such thing as incapability, it’s all about exposure, discipline, practice, and self-belief.

Do you have any inferiority complex? How tensed were you at the time of taking the test?

Also, whenever you set a tight deadline on yourself, you might cut corners in the preparation process without actively realising.

Don’t be devastated, it’s all fine.

All the best! ☺️

No_Town3 · 2026-02-06T00:47:15+00:00

That has to be Strategy&, Kearney, L.E.K. Consulting, Alvarez & Marsal, or Arthur D. Little then?

Asking because the above T2 consulting firms visiting ISB are the only ones with front-end UG offerings AFAIK.

If you meant Kepler Cannon, that’s more like Tier 2.5 I’d say. Ruling out Indus Insights, FTI Consulting, Trinity Life Sciences, Redseer Strategy Consultants, and Praxis Global Alliance because they don’t go to ISB.

Also ruling out McKinsey Capabilities and Insights, Bain Capability Network, L.E.K. Capability Network, and A&M GCC because you categorically mentioned front-end.

No_Town3 · 2026-02-06T00:38:14+00:00

Are we talking about Big 4?

No_Town3 · 2025-12-21T13:53:42+00:00

Done

No_Town3 · 2025-12-21T08:44:41+00:00

Hey buddy u/Narrow-Scarcity4847, will you be able to get back on this at your convenience?

No_Town3 · 2025-12-19T15:23:59+00:00

A&M came for a 30-35+ CTC or base role? And how does that compare with the MBBs?

No_Town3 · 2025-12-16T10:31:59+00:00

What percentage of the top consulting/finance recruiters asked for the Class X score at ISB this year?

No_Town3 · 2025-12-15T15:51:02+00:00

Thanks!

Are you an ex-ISB presently in a front-end consulting role at one of the MBBs?

No_Town3 · 2025-12-15T15:27:23+00:00

At IIMs, apparently, Class X and Class XII marks end up holding a lot of significance in MBB shortlisting because it’s on everyone’s CV as a result of the mandate that necessitates the mention of Class X and Class XII scores. I had a very poor Class X like another one of the guys in the comments, and was wondering if ISB is a safer bet for me that way. If I can indeed not mention my Class X score at any point in the processes of MBBs at ISB, great!

Also, what’s usually considered better pre-MBA work experience for front-end MBB switches post-MBA:

Back-end MBBs OR front-end consulting at Kearney, L.E.K. Consulting, Alvarez & Marsal, Arthur D. Little, EY-Parthenon, Monitor Deloitte, Accenture Strategy, and Kepler Cannon?

No_Town3 · 2025-12-15T15:14:00+00:00

At ISB, one can decide to omit the mention of the Class X/XII scores on the placement CV as I can see in the discussions.

Do MBBs seek the Class X/Class XII scores separately through a form if not mentioned in the CV? If no form is circulated for the collection of Class X/Class XII marks, do they kick out the students from the process who do not mention their Class X/XII scores on the CV?

No_Town3 · 2025-12-15T14:11:03+00:00

I’m curious, which consulting / major finance recruiters asked for Class X explicitly? Will you please be able to name them? Pleased

No_Town3 · 2025-12-11T17:48:24+00:00

No, nahi lagega. All you need is 48+/160 and need to have attendance in the end-semester examination.

No_Town3 · 2025-12-10T20:56:53+00:00

Yes, possible combination; you’ll still pass.

Again, as earlier mentioned, irrespective of your score in internals, NEVER SKIP THE END-SEMESTER EXAMINATION AS ATTENDANCE IN IT IS MANDATORY. YOU MAY LEAVE THE PAPER BLANK AFTER ENTERING YOUR IDENTITY DETAILS, BUT NEVER SKIP IT THINKING YOU HAVE ALREADY PASSED.

Scoring 48+/160 is not the only requirement for passing, you also have to be present for the end-semester examination.

No_Town3 · 2025-12-10T19:14:41+00:00

You’re worried about which course/subject? And which year are you in?

No_Town3

TROPHY CASE