hopeful4cornell

grouchomarxist: k, so my scores are math: 800, cr: 650, w: 710(i didnt care aboout this section since my colleges aren't factoring writing for first year)...

so if 1500 is cutoff for some companies i shud probaly retake for 700 verbal then?

GrouchoMarxist

you are fine. the management consulting companies generally only go to harvard, princeton, yale, columbia anyways. theyve used it as a cutoff at stern. it would be an idiotic reason to retake the SATs, just to join one possible company that is super competative regardless of SAT score. (McKinsey had a minimum gpa req. of 3.7, min SAT req of 1500. they took one sternie, BCG was similar). I interviewed with 20-30 firms for full time, about 15 for summer analyst, 3 offers in total. With that SAT score youll get into good schools and get good interviews. Its moreso to make sure you didnt slip through the cracks (they generally dont want any one lower than 1300 unless you have something to compensate with like good work experience or a 4.0) and also see if youre more verbal or numerical. firms weigh everything for and on interviews, school, difficulty of majors, classes taken, ECs, work experience (most important), standardized test scores, interests, communication. dont obsess over one but try to do as much as you can and do the things you enjoy well. DO NOT TAKE THE SATs again. My original point is that the SATs do matter for a period, then the GMAT, GRE, and LSAT matter, but really just as a quick means of comparison.

sdot

groucho.. what if im a HS sr and i barely missed 1350.. should i retake them this coming january although colleges probably won't see them, at least i can say that i broke 1400s (M & CR) when im getting asked about my SAT scores?

Flavian

So I guess the SAT is important even after you get into college...

sakky

While I can't speak for what is happening at Stern, and I agree with GrouchoMarxist that it is probably foolish to retake your SAT, I would say that if you are really thinking of retaking a test in order to get a job, you may want to think of taking the GMAT. After all, think of it this way. A lot of you will probably want to go to B-school later anyway so you will need to have taken the GMAT. The GMAT is good for 5 years. Even if your GMAT score expires and you have to take it again, it is still good practice to have done it before. Again, I don't know what is happening at Stern, but at other schools, I would argue that a good GMAT score will be more impressive than a good SAT score for getting a business job.

But again, I do not recommend taking any of these tests. What I'm saying is that if you're going to take a test, you might want to consider the GMAT.

Tpeck

No investment bank is going to ask for your SAT scores. Actually no business that I ever heard of is going to ask for your SAT scores or even GMAT scores. They want to know your experience, not your SAT score you took 7 years ago.

Edit: and even if they did ask for you SAT scores in an interview you could say "uhhhh 1540" and just make up a number, like they're going to check for a SAT score.

legionaire

I haven't heard from anyone applying for i-banking jobs that they are not applying because they don't make the cut-off for SAT scores.

MrTrojanMan

maybe they do things different in LA, but i have yet to come across a BB firm that requires disclosing SAT scores.

but, i did read in a book long ago that if a prospect didnt take any quant classes (like calc, stats, whatever) recruits will look at SAT math scores to assess a prospect's quant skills.

in my opinion, and i do mean just my opinion, is that if you feel like your SAT math and grades suck, study hard for the GMAT and take it, as you may end up doing it anyway.

amazon

I guess if people at Stern have GPA's below 3.0 that means that they don't throw you out for a GPA below 3.5? I saw that statistic somewhere and I've just gotten interested in Stern again but I haven't been able to get an answer about it? Also, if you're having problems in something like calculus or computer science, is it easy to get help?

ajp87

it has come to my attention by some people in this forum that SAT scores are looked at while applying for jobs after college. that is ABSOLUTELY REDICULOUS. if thats the case...dammit i dont even know. thats so stupid that i cant even think of something worse. do you realize we were 16 year old kids when we took that worthless piece of garbage that they call the SATs. those grades are never a reflection of who a student is at the time he or she takes the test LET ALONE who they are now when they are applying for jobs.

PLEASE someone tell me this isnt the case. i'll write every friggin senator in the senate about that B.S. so you're saying that if i have a 3.9 gpa comming out of college, i'm gonna have to put down my 1060 SAT score? give me a break. this is beyond rediculous. i'm moving to Canada (sarcasm)

legionaire

GrouchoMarxist: I really don't know what interviews you took. Are you imagining things?

311Griff

First he makes sure to disclose his opinion that SAT results determine one's aptitude to think about things:

Then, he makes a far fetched generalization (to me, an inability to "think about things") that has no grounds except his perception/delusion about the world:

what did you say you got on the SAT?

ryanbis

My experience when applying to the Big 4:

Your GPA, cover letter and resume determined whether or not you got the interview. Once you got the interview, none of those factors mattered at all--whether or not you received an offer depended on your interivews (where they try to assess how well you fit with the company).

Similarly, what school you went to only determines whether or not you are recruited on campus (and, thus, how hard it is for you to get an interview). Once you get an interview, your school won't matter (what you've done there and how you express those things, though, will matter).

It your GPA is below a 3.0, you are generally told not to list your GPA. Keep in mind, though, that many employers have a minimum GPA requirement. For Big 4, it is a 3.2-3.3. You simply won't be able to appy. There are, however, plenty of jobs and employers that don't care as much about your GPA.

Of the three Big 4 firms that I applied to, all of them asked for my overall GPA, major GPA and SAT scores on their on-line employment application. While they did ask, I can assure you that they did not look at my SAT scores. In fact, I don't think I even had to fill some of those online forms until AFTER I was extended an offer.

That does not mean, however, that your SATs won't matter at all. If you're applying for a position at a firm that does not recruit on your campus, they may care. Certain firms/individuals may also care because it has been a good indicator for them based on past experience. In general, however, people do not use them. I think that it would be foolish to retake the SATs when you could be focussing on your GPA, resume, networking and work experience.

ajp87

but i mean COME ON!!! like i'm working my ass off to get rid of my horrible high school record and now its going to back and bite me in the a$$ when i apply for jobs??? i think its outlandish that i could potentially have a 3.9 gpa in a specialized business major and be forced to sumbit a 1060 SAT score that i took when i was 16 years old and couldnt care less about school work. SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE IN THIS COUNTRY

311Griff

What if a person didn't take the SAT in HS? only the ACT.