Darden Deferred MBA Overview

Short Answer – The average GMAT score at Darden is 720 for the last entering class. If you score above 720, you have a fair shot and you will receive an encouraging response to your profile evaluation from the admission committee. 

Long Answer – There is no such thing as a safe score, higher is always better. In our years of consulting experience, we have seen our clients with 640 getting selected into top schools like INSEAD and on the other hand, someone with a 770 getting rejected too. A good benchmark that we advise all our clients to beat is the average GMAT score of the last entering class as mentioned in the Class profile published every year. Scoring above the average gets you a fair shot; 

“The higher your score, the better is it for your interview or admission chance.” 

If you plan to apply with a score that is below the average, then you are starting a fight with one hand tied behind your back or, let’s say, you are starting a few yards behind your competitors. You can definitely catch up in other sections of the application by writing outstanding essays or performing really well in an interview later. But it is always nice to start ahead of the competitor. A higher GMAT score helps one gain a competitive advantage.

“What if you are from the over represented Indian or Asian Pool?”

The over-represented candidate pool of Indian or Chinese applicants usually goes through a rigorous preparation process for GMAT, with a lot of Indian applicants scoring quite high. Hence, the overall competition and the Average score for this diaspora goes up by a few notches. That is why we recommend candidates within the most over-represented profiles to shoot at least 20 points higher than the school’s class profile average.