If I get a GMAT waiver for HEC or ESSEC, will it affect placements later?Do recruiters care about whether you submitted a GMAT score?

Question

Divakshi Arora · Accepted Answer

No, recruiters don&rsquo;t ask whether you submitted a GMAT score when you apply for jobs, placement decisions are based on your skills, experience, and how you perform during interviews. For schools like HEC and ESSEC, once you're admitted, you're evaluated like any other student.
What matters more is how well you do in the program, your networking, and how you use career services. That said, if you&rsquo;re targeting top-tier consulting roles like Associate or Consultant at firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, or investment banking roles like Analyst or Associate at J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, or Morgan Stanley, the absence of a GMAT might raise questions only if your academic profile isn&rsquo;t otherwise strong. Still, most recruiters won&rsquo;t care about your GMAT once you&rsquo;re in the program.

B.K Sharma · Answer

No, getting a GMAT waiver for HEC or ESSEC won&rsquo;t affect your placements later &mdash; recruiters don&rsquo;t care whether you submitted a GMAT score when you applied.
Employers focus on your experience, interview skills, and how well you fit the role, not whether you took the GMAT. The test is mainly for admissions &mdash; it doesn&rsquo;t come up in job interviews or shortlisting.
This is especially true in Europe, where most companies never ask about test scores. What matters more is how you perform during the program &mdash; your internships, class participation, and networking play a much bigger role in getting hired.
If you&rsquo;re aiming for consulting or finance, your problem-solving ability and communication skills will matter far more than any test history. As long as you get into the program through a waiver, your job chances are just as strong as anyone else&rsquo;s.

Jayant M · Answer

Once you're in the MBA, no recruiter is going to ask whether you got in with or without a GMAT score.
&bull; Campus recruiters care about your past experience, how you present yourself, and how you handle case rounds or technical interviews.
&bull; MBB, banks, and top strategy firms look closely at undergrad performance and prior roles, not test scores.
&bull; If you&rsquo;re aiming for data-heavy roles, showing proficiency in Excel, Python, or finance modeling will matter far more.
&bull; The only time it might matter is if you're applying to a company that has strict academic filters, which is rare post-MBA.
Focus more on building your skillset during the MBA, because that&rsquo;s what recruiters actually evaluate.