Although the GMAT exam score varies by institution, a good GMAT exam score is 700 or above. Is that all there is to it? Of course not. As an MBA aspirant, it is important for you to understand and find answers to the following questions: What is a good GMAT score? What constitutes a poor GMAT score? How should a GMAT score be interpreted, as well as percentile rankings? Most importantly, what is the average GMAT score at your top business school choices?
In this article, we’ll go over what makes a GMAT score good, the GMAT score ranges of admitted students at various MBA programs, and how to set your own target GMAT score. Furthermore, it is important to note that what really determines the perfect GMAT score is a score percentile that meets your school’s requirements. Of course, no school demands this lowly.
Table of contents
How Is The GMAT Scored?
Your official score report interprets your exam results. Each of your four GMAT exam scores is recorded on a fixed scale and shown on the Official GMAT Score Report that you and your designated score recipients receive.
In most cases, candidates focus wholly on their total score. However, it is important to know that you scored in each of the sections. These scores describe your areas of strength and weaknesses.
Once the exam is finished, the applicants can check and download the non-official GMAT results. The main result can also be downloaded only after 20 days from an individual account.
NOTE: GMAT 2022 results are announced by the board (official website). The applicants who pass the round will be called to the further rounds of the selection process.
See an example of how the GMAT is scored below:
| S.NO | SECTION | SCORE RANGE | MEAN SCORE* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Analytical Writing Assessment | 0-6 | 4.5 |
| 02 | Integrated Reasoning | 1-8 | 4 |
| 03 | Quantitative | 0-60 | 38 |
| 04 | Verbal Reasoning | 0-60 | 27 |
| Total | 200-800 | 548 |
Furthermore, if you do not finish the total questions in the allotted time, your scores will be assessed based on the number of questions answered. Therefore, it is important you attempt to answer all the questions.
Other factors in your GMAT score
Now that you know how your correct answers are measured, keep the following two score factors in mind:
- You will be penalized if you leave out any answers at the end, so work on your time management skills
- You will also be punished if you guess the final set of questions (i.e. you ran out of time and decided it was better to add random answers than leave them blank). By guessing questions blindly in a row, you risk getting a series of multiple-answer questions wrong, which is not acceptable on the GMAT.
Here’s what you can do to avoid such a situation…
- Answer all the questions.
- Avoid starting slow in the exam. By developing an efficient pace, you won’t run out of time and resort to guessing at the end and/or making a string of errors.
- That you are advised to go fast doesn’t mean you should run faster than your shadows. Going too fast through your early questions has the same effect of running out of time at the end (i.e. careless errors and sloppy guessing) except with the added damage of potentially having the exam adapt to your wrong answers and consequently serving you lower-tiered questions that won’t benefit your score as much, even if you get them right.
What Is A Good GMAT Exam Score?
MBA admissions experts warn that gaining admission to a top 10 business school in the U.S is difficult without an impressive GMAT score. According to e-g,mat.com, A good GMAT score is usually above 700 if you want to get into top business schools. A 740+ score is considered an excellent score, whereas a 550+ score is considered average.
U.S News on the other hand is of the opinion that a GMAT score between 650 and 690 is good, and a score of 700 or higher is great. Whichever way, the GMAT score requirements of business schools differ.
When deciding on a GMAT score target, it’s always a good idea to look at the averages for the schools to which you’re applying, especially in the competitive admissions cycle of 2021. There are excellent resources, such as U.S. News and World Report, where you can look up averages at a variety of schools.
The idea of the GMAT is to predict your first-year performance in comparison to fellow business school applicants. According to research, a higher GMAT score is proof that you’ll do well in your first year of business school.
There is no single score that will ensure your admission, it all boils down to the GMAT requirements of the school to which you’re applying.
According to GMAC, the average score of all test takers between 2018 and 2020 was 568.21, but that doesn’t mean a score above 560 guarantees admission into any business school. At many schools, even a 600 would be a very low GMAT score. In the best MBA programs like Stanford, Harvard, Yale, UC Berkeley, and Dartmouth, the average GMAT score of incoming students is above 720.
Looking For GMAT Eligibility Requirements? Click Here To Find Out
Is The GMAT Test Hard?
The GMAT is taken by over 200,000 people each year, with only 6% achieving a score of 720 or higher. What we can deduce from these data points is that the GMAT is a difficult exam, and scoring 700+ requires effort.
The GMAT is, at its core, a test of higher-order reasoning skills. Both the GMAC and business schools agree that these reasoning skills are critical for success in business school as well as in today’s increasingly competitive business environments around the world. Furthermore, numerous studies have confirmed that test scores are good predictors of success in business school.
Thus, for the GMAT to serve its purpose, it needs to be a true test of each candidate’s abilities. If it were easy to score in the 700+ range, the exam would cease to be a perfect means of filtering the herd of already successful applicants who take the test.
To get the best out of the GMAT test you need to prepare using the right GMAT study kit.
How To Interpret Your GMAT Result
Knowing how to interpret your GMAT result will help you properly analyze the result and get your overall score. Let’s take a look at how you can interpret results from the different sections of the GMAT exam below.
Verbal, and quantitative scores
GMAT scores range from 200 to 800, with two-thirds of test-takers scoring 400-600. Verbal and Quantitative scores range from 0 to 60; scores less than 6 and greater than 51 are uncommon.
Verbal and quantitative scores are on a fixed scale and can be compared across all GMAT test administrations, but they cannot be compared to each other because they measure different categories.
Analytical Writing Assessment Score
The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) score depends on one Analysis of an Argument essay. Scores for the AWA range from 0 to 6 in half-point intervals.
A combination of a machine algorithm and professional human essay raters scores AWA essays. All essays will be graded using an electronic system that evaluates the essay’s structural and linguistic features, such as idea construction, syntactic variety, and topical analysis.
Furthermore, some essays are chosen at random for auditing to ensure the algorithm’s quality, consistency, and performance. The audit is carried out by qualified and approved human raters to ensure that the algorithm is constantly assessing AWA essays in a way that meets both GMAC and ACT standards while maintaining the integrity of the AWA section score.
When there is a difference between the performance of the algorithm and human performance for an audited article, the score can be revised and changed. Furthermore, if you are of the opinion that your AWA score is not correct, you can request that your essay be reported using the Essay Rescore Request Form.
Your Integrated Reasoning Score
Integrated Reasoning (IR) scores range from 1 to 8 in single-digit intervals.
Scores for Integrated Reasoning (IR) range from 1 to 8 in single-digit intervals. The majority of Integrated Reasoning questions necessitate more than one response. Because the questions are designed to assess how well you integrate data to solve complex problems, you must correctly answer all of them in order to receive credit. There is no partial credit.
If you are planning to take the GMAT exam, we can help you with a personalized study plan by giving you access to Quality Study Materials To Prepare.
GMAT Score Reports
Here are the various times your GMAT score reports come in:
Immediately After Your GMAT Exam
After completing the exam, you will be able to view four of your five scores: Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning, and Total Scores (score based on the Quantitative and Verbal sections). When you see your score preview, consider the following:
- What are the minimum scores you will report? You’ll be able to see your unofficial Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, Verbal, and Total scores, and you’ll have two minutes to accept or cancel them. If you don’t make a decision, your scores will be automatically canceled.
- Do you have time to retake the GMAT exam if you decide to cancel your scores? You may take the exam up to five times a year, but only once every 16 days. The official score normally comes out in 20 days or less. Before you consider canceling your score, make sure you have time to schedule and retake the exam and have your official score report delivered to your chosen graduate business programs.
Your Unofficial Score Report
If you choose to accept your score at the test center, you will be given a printout of your unofficial Score Report before leaving. Your Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning and Total scores are included in the unofficial report. This report can be used to determine:
- If you are a competitive applicant to the schools of your choice
- Whether you want to retake the exam
Note that you may not be able to use it for your admissions applications.
Within Three Weeks Following Your Test Date
After three weeks, you will receive an email informing you that your official exam results are available. The email includes instructions for gaining online access to your scores. In addition to the scores from your unofficial score report, the official score report includes your Analytical Writing Assessment Score, GMAT Percentile Rankings, personal information you provided at registration, and scores from previous GMAT exams taken within the last five years.
It is also expedient to note that your official score is legitimate for five years, giving you the chance to take the exam and send your GMAT score to schools when you are ready. In addition to your GMAT exam scores, your Official Score Report includes:
- The digital photograph that was taken at the test center
- Self-reported background information, like telephone number, undergraduate institution, grade point average (GPA), and intended graduate study
- Percentile rank
Enhanced Score Report
This GMAT Enhanced Score Report provides a more in-depth analysis of your test performance. Personal insights will be provided to you based on question type, area of focus, and pacing, providing you with actionable information to help you better understand your exam performance.
Your Official Score Report
Before taking the exam, you will have to choose up to five schools to receive your Official Score Reports. This is incorporated in your original registration. However, you can also select additional schools to receive your scores online for a fee.
POINTS TO NOTE
- Your GMAT exam scores are legit for five years and are available for reporting for up to 10 years. Scores over 10 years are not available.
- Official score reports, which include copies of your essays and a digital photograph, are only made available at your request—either when you take the test or when you request an additional score report.
- You can cancel your scores on test day after your Score Preview, or within 72 hours of your scheduled exam time for a fee.
- If you decide to cancel your scores but later decide to reinstate them, log in to your mba.com account or contact GMAT customer service. Canceled scores can be reinstated for up to four years and eleven months after the exam date.
GMAT Exam Score Percentile Rankings
When applying for MBA programs, you’ll be competing with your peers for a limited number of coveted spots, so your GMAT score must be comparable to theirs. This means that your GMAT percentile rankings may be far more important than your actual score.
GMAT percentile scores, which are given on your score sheet, give you a clear view of how you did on the exam as a whole and on every section of the exam relative to other test-takers. For instance, a total score (Verbal and Quantitative sections combined) of 650 will give you a percentile ranking of 75%. A 75% percentile ranking means that you got a higher total score than (or equal total score to) 75% of your peers and a lower total score than 24% of fellow GMAT test-takers.
As a result, 650 is a good starting point for a high GMAT score; it typically hovers around the 75th percentile ranking spot, which is a good place to be in comparison to your fellow applicants. A low GMAT score, on the other hand, is defined as anything less than 550.
Every year, percentile rankings are compiled based on test-takers from the previous three years. This means that, while the possible scores for each section remain constant year after year, the percentile rankings change.
See the list of GMAT percentile rankings from the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) for the past three years, beginning with the total score and followed by section-specific charts for the Verbal and Quantitative sections, the Integrated Reasoning section, and the Analytical Writing Assessment:
| Total Score | Percentile Ranking |
| 800 | 99% |
| 750 | 98% |
| 700 | 88% |
| 650 | 75% |
| 600 | 57% |
| 550 | 41% |
| 500 | 28% |
| 450 | 18% |
| 400 | 11% |
| 350 | 6% |
| 300 | 3% |
| 250 | 2% |
| 200 | 0% |
Verbal & Quantitative Percentile Ranking
| Score | Verbal Percentile Ranking | Quantitative Percentile Ranking |
| 51 | 99% | 96% |
| 46 | 99% | 60% |
| 41 | 94% | 43% |
| 36 | 81% | 31% |
| 31 | 62% | 20% |
| 26 | 44% | 12% |
| 21 | 27% | 7% |
| 16 | 13% | 4% |
| 11 | 4% | 2% |
| 6 | 0% | 0% |
After looking over the table above, it is important to note the differences in Verbal and Quant percentile rankings: With a score of 51, you would be in the 99th percentile for the Verbal section and the 96th percentile for the Quant section. While a score of 46 would place you in the 99th percentile for Verbal, it would place you in the 60th percentile for Quant!
This is because students perform better in the Quant section than in the Verbal section, which is due in part to an increase in the number of international students.
Integrated Reasoning Percentile Ranking
| Integrated Reasoning Score | Percentile Ranking |
| 8 | 93% |
| 7 | 82% |
| 6 | 70% |
| 5 | 55% |
| 4 | 40% |
| 3 | 26% |
| 2 | 12% |
| 1 | 0% |
The percentile rankings for the Integrated Reasoning section show that 7% of test-takers get a perfect score in the section since a perfect score of 8 would put you in the 93rd percentile. A high GMAT score on the Integrated Reasoning section is roughly considered to be 6 or above.
Analytical Assessment Percentile Ranking
| Analytical Writing Assessment Score | Percentile Ranking |
| 6.0 | 89% |
| 5.0 | 54% |
| 4.0 | 18% |
| 3.0 | 5% |
| 2.0 | 3% |
| 1.0 | 2% |
| 0.0 | 0% |
11% of test-takers get a perfect score on the Analytical Writing Assessment. A high GMAT score on the AWA is usually considered to be 5.0 or above.
GMAT Exam Score to Get Into Business School
As previously stated, the GMAT exam score of Business Schools varies. If the goal is to gain admission to one of the top ten MBA programs, GMAT scores of 720 or higher are required. Incoming student average scores for mid-to-high-level business schools (those consistently ranked between 25 and 80 on annual rankings lists like U.S. News) are typically in the 600-700 range.
Let’s examine the average GMAT exam score for 15 different MBA programs. Remember that some schools include the ‘low 80% range’ in their class profiles. Except for the bottom and top 10% of the grades, this table shows the distribution of GMAT scores of all new candidates:
| Top-Tier Business Schools | Average GMAT Score of Recent Incoming Class | Middle 80% Range of Recent Incoming Class |
| Harvard Business School | 730 | 690-760 |
| Stanford Graduate School of Business | 737 | Total range: 590-790 |
| University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business | 717 | 680-750 |
| Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business | 717 | 680-750 |
| Yale School of Management | 730 | 690-760 |
| High-Level Business Schools | ||
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Business | 656 | Not available |
| George Washington University School of Business | 643 | Not available |
| Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management | 670 | Highest GMAT 770; 99% over 600 |
| University of Iowa (Tippie) | 676 | 610-730 |
| The University of Maryland, College Park (Smith) | 660 | 600-720 |
| Part-Time/Online Business Schools | ||
| The University of Texas at Austin: McCombs School of Business (part-time) | 635 | Not available |
| The University of Massachusetts, Amherst: Isenberg School of Management (online and part-time options) | 570 | Not available |
| Georgetown University McDonough School of Business (part-time) | 666 | 590-710 |
| Arizona State University W.P. Carey School of Business (online) | 596 | Not available |
| NYU Stern MBA Manhattan (part-time) | Not available | 620-730 |
FAQs On Best GMAT Exam Score
The GMAT score requirements of Business schools differ. However, a good GMAT score is one that guarantees you admission into the school of your choice. Therefore, it is important you check the school’s website for updated GMAT benchmarks.
Most top business schools, like Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton, have an average score of around 730. This means that a 740 score, “good” by most standards.
Firstly, the GMAT exam is specifically designed to test the applicant’s skills that should help them succeed in their MBA program. This means that the questions are designed to see how well applicants will solve the type of problems they will encounter in the course of the MBA program.
GMAT is taken by more than 200,000 people annually and only 6% of the total takers score 720 or more. What we can understand from these data points is that GMAT is a hard exam and it takes effort to score 700+.
It is also expedient to note that your official GMAT score is valid for five years, giving you the chance to take the exam and send your GMAT score to schools when you are ready.
GMAT stands for Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). It is a 3 hour 7 minutes long Computer adaptive test that has four sections:
1. Verbal
2. Quant
3. Integrated Reasoning
4. Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
Conclusion
Before you set a GMAT score target for yourself, it is highly important that you find out the GMAT benchmark of the school you are applying to and focus on how to get the best GMAT exam score that will qualify you for admission into your dream business school.
References
- mba.com – How is the GMAT™ Exam Scored?
- e-gmat.com – How hard is the GMAT? Is it difficult or an easy exam?
- usnews.com – What Is a Good GMAT Score?
- gmat.economist.com – How the GMAT is scored
- prepscholar.com – How Does GMAT Scoring Work?
