There is one question that almost every ISB aspirant asks us:

“What’s the GMAT cutoff score for the Indian School of Business?”

It can be quite confusing when you find a variety of answers:

“Do not apply with a sub-700 score”
“My cousin got in with just 640”
“You don’t stand a chance without a 740”

Worry not! In this detailed article, we will help you resolve your confusion when it comes to ISB GMAT requirements for 2020.

Here’s what we’ll discuss:

1. What were the Average GMAT Scores at ISB over the Last Decade?
2. What GMAT Scores do I need for ISB?
3. What is the GMAT Score Range at ISB?
4. Can I apply to ISB with a sub-650 Score?

Let’s get started!

1. What were the Average GMAT Scores at ISB over the Last Decade?

Here are a couple of things you will notice straight away:

• All the scores have 7 in the most significant place. For the less technically inclined, what we mean is: the average GMAT score for ISB has always been 700 or above.
• The highest average GMAT score was in 2009—a whopping 716! And the lowest average was in 2015 at a 700.
  Let us look at the same data from the perspective of analyzing the trend. This time, the data taken is from 2007 to 2017.

Let’s be honest: there is no trend to analyze here.

But if you do want to read into it – you can see a spike around 2009 but the average scores are now back to what they were in 2007.

The biggest drop was for the ISB class of 2016 for which the number dropped from 711 to 700.

Takeaway: Though the class size at ISB has been increasing (574 graduates in 2012, 900+ students in the class of 2020), the average GMAT score has consistently hovered above 700!

Now that you have seen all this data, let us look at how this affects you.

2. What GMAT Scores do I need for ISB?

Do you fit into one of the following categories?

1. You have taken the GMAT and are not sure if your scores are enough.
2. You have not taken the GMAT and are wondering how much will be enough.

Let us tackle the second category first. If you have NOT taken the GMAT, go ahead and score as high as possible. Simple!

But, if you have taken the GMAT already and are unsure about your scores, this bit is for you: you need to look at the mid 80% range on the GMAT.

What this means is, you stack all the students in order of their GMAT scores and remove the outliers. In other words, remove the top 10% as well as the bottom 10%. What you’re left with is the mid 80% range of scores.

You eliminate the outliers because they are the extreme cases: say someone like an astronaut-turned-monk-turned-Olympic-athlete got in with a 600 🙂 (<- just kidding!)

The point is that some people with low scores may have gotten into ISB because of other factors in their portfolio. That may not apply in your case. So, it’s best not to draw conclusions about your odds based on their examples. That’s why you eliminate all such outliers; it helps keep things realistic.

Mid 80% Range for Years 2009 to 2015

What can we interpret from this?

• You pretty much need to have a GMAT score above 670 if you are not an outlier. In other words, a 650 will be of no use if your profile is average.
• Getting a score around 750-760 will put you in the top 20%—not the top 2%. In other words, it is not a big deal if you have a 760 on the GMAT.
• In general, if you are in an over-represented demographic such as IT or Finance, you need to make sure that you bulk up your GMAT scores.

Getting in with an exceptionally high score (read: 760+) is not tough. What is tough is getting in with a low score. Read about how some of our students got in with low or average scores:

Sudeepta Sahu – GMAT 620
Siddhartha Mukherjee – GMAT 680
Apoorva Mishra – GMAT 700

3. What is the GMAT Score Range at ISB?

We were able to get the data for ISB score range. Let’s try can get some more juice.

The good news is that we can compare ISB Hyderabad GMAT scores and ISB Mohali GMAT Scores.

The bad news is that we did not get the data for all the ten years.

NA = Not Applicable as the first graduating class of ISB Mohali campus was in 2016

We would love to give you a magic formula and say, “Here, if you do this, you’ll get in!” But the truth is that a one-size-fits-all approach will not help. Instead, you can start by looking quite objectively at some facts:

• The lowest GMAT score EVER was 590, scored in 2016 by someone who got into ISB Mohali campus (clearly an outlier). Except for that, the lowest score seems to be 600.
• There is almost ZERO variation in the scores for the last two years. This pretty much means that there is no difference in the two campuses as far as GMAT scores are concerned.
• The highest score ever at ISB was a 780.

4. Can I apply to ISB with a sub-650 Score?

As we mentioned above, with an average profile, try to shoot for a higher than 650 score. But what if you have a 620? Or a 650?

Use the application money to get beer instead?

There’s no need to lose hope just yet. We think you still have a fighting chance if your profile has unusual elements on it. You can play to your strengths and show ISB what your unusual experience can contribute to the class. If you do this well, there are chances you could get an admit in spite of a low score.

However, if your profile is mostly average, you’re going to need a strong GMAT score to help improve your chances. So, we would recommend that you take another shot at the GMAT and try to get a score close to or above 700. A score like that will significantly improve your chances of getting into ISB.

Here are some helpful articles if you’re planning to go ahead and apply:

ISB Essay Analysis
Comparing ISB Hyderabad & ISB Mohali
3 Mistakes ISB Applicants Make
14 Post-MBA Career Questions that ISB Answers

Myths about ISB MBA Applications: Busted!

If you have any thoughts, questions, or feedback related to this article, please drop a comment in the section below. We will be happy to hear from you and help resolve your queries!

Want to know if you’ll get that interview call from ISB?

At CrackVerbal, we have experts with many years of experience who can look through your profile and GMAT score to predict your chances of getting an ISB admit.

Also Read: How I Made it to the ISB