Georgetown McDonough MBA GMAT: Average Scores, Ranges, and What You Need to Know

Georgetown McDonough's most recent incoming class has an average GMAT 10th Edition score of 700, with the middle 80% of admitted students scoring between 660 and 740. For the GMAT Focus Edition, the school reported an average of 625, with a range spanning from 569 to 687 among the middle 80% of the class. The 80-point spread on the classic GMAT scale, and the 118-point spread on the Focus Edition, demonstrates that McDonough admits students across a genuinely wide spectrum of test scores, and standardized test results alone do not determine admission outcomes. This score profile places McDonough in the competitive tier of top-20 MBA programs, though it remains more accessible than many of its peer institutions. Your GMAT score will carry weight in the admissions process, but it functions as one component among many that the committee evaluates when assessing your overall fit for the program.

A competitive GMAT score for McDonough typically falls between 680 and 720 on the classic scale, putting you comfortably within the range of admitted applicants. You could gain admission with a 665 GMAT if your professional background demonstrates significant quantitative work experience and your essays reflect genuine engagement with McDonough's mission, but you could also face rejection with a 725 if your overall profile shows limited work impact or unclear career direction. There is no officially published minimum GMAT score requirement, but scores below 660 place you below the middle 80% range and create additional pressure to demonstrate quantitative readiness through other channels. McDonough has a test waiver policy for candidates who meet specific criteria, such as holding an undergraduate GPA of 3.1 or higher in quantitative fields like business, engineering, science, technology, or mathematics, or demonstrating strong quantitative work experience. If your GMAT score falls into the 670 to 710 range, you position yourself well within the competitive zone, and your test performance becomes a neutral or positive factor in your application review.

When evaluating what constitutes a strong GMAT score for McDonough, you should recognize that the 700 average represents applicants with highly varied backgrounds and professional trajectories, and achieving a score above this average provides meaningful advantage. A score of 720 or above on the classic GMAT moves you into the upper portion of the admitted class and signals strong quantitative capability, though this advantage does not substitute for weak essays, limited professional achievement, or a generic application narrative. Conversely, if you score in the 690 to 710 range, you remain well-positioned and competitive, and your application success will hinge on the strength of your work experience, recommendations, and essays rather than your test score. The realistic minimum threshold for a genuine opportunity at admission sits around 660 to 670, below which you would need to demonstrate compelling evidence of quantitative skill through your professional history, advanced degrees, or technical certifications that offset the lower test result. Any score below 660 requires truly exceptional strengths in other areas to overcome the deficit in this competitive applicant pool, and you might consider whether retaking the exam or exploring alternative MBA programs aligns better with your profile.

Georgetown McDonough is not strictly test-optional, but it does offer a test waiver policy for qualifying applicants in the full-time MBA program. You must either submit a valid GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment score, or apply separately for a test waiver by demonstrating strong quantitative credentials through your academic background and professional experience. The test waiver application requires meeting predetermined criteria such as holding an undergraduate GPA of 3.1 or higher in a quantitative major, completing rigorous quantitative graduate coursework, or possessing extensive quantitative work experience in roles like financial analysis, data science, or engineering. If you have valid test scores from the GMAT, GRE, or EA taken within the last five years, you are not eligible for the waiver and must submit those scores with your application. The majority of admitted students, however, do submit test scores, and this remains the most straightforward path to demonstrating your readiness for McDonough's analytical coursework.

Your GMAT score serves as one specific tool that McDonough's admissions committee uses to assess whether you possess the quantitative reasoning ability needed to succeed in the program's rigorous finance, analytics, and data-driven courses. The committee evaluates your entire profile holistically, including your undergraduate GPA (average 3.3), professional work experience (average 5 years), demonstrated leadership and career progression, quality of your recommendations, thoughtfulness of your essays, and fit with McDonough's values-based approach to business education rooted in Jesuit principles. A high GMAT score does not guarantee admission and cannot compensate for a weak professional narrative, poor recommendations, or essays that fail to demonstrate genuine engagement with why you need an MBA at this particular moment in your career. The school uses your test score as evidence that you can handle quantitatively demanding coursework, but it does not predict whether you will contribute meaningfully to class discussions, lead effectively in group projects, or leverage the MBA to create positive impact in business and society. Your score is a readiness indicator, not a predictor of success or a deciding factor in admission.

McDonough explicitly states in its admissions materials that the committee reviews applicants through a holistic lens, meaning your GMAT score is weighed against the totality of what you present. If you score 730 but your work experience consists of two years in a junior role, your recommendations offer limited insight into your leadership potential, and your essays read as generic responses to application prompts, the admissions committee will view your application unfavorably despite the strong test score. Conversely, if you score 680 but you have spent five years building a meaningful career trajectory with evidence of progression into leadership roles, your recommendations speak glowingly to your capabilities and character, your essays articulate a sophisticated understanding of your goals and how McDonough specifically fits your path forward, and your profile reflects the diversity and thoughtfulness that McDonough values, then your application will be reviewed favorably. This holistic reality explains why some applicants with GMAT scores in the 670 to 690 range gain admission, while others with scores above 730 receive rejection letters, because the GMAT is just one piece of a much larger evaluation puzzle. You should aim to submit the strongest GMAT performance you can reasonably achieve while simultaneously investing equal effort into building a compelling application narrative that shows who you are as a professional, what you have accomplished, and what you will uniquely contribute to McDonough's collaborative and intellectually rigorous community.

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