WHAT IS GMAT?
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a standardized exam used by graduate business programs to assess candidates' readiness for graduate business education. It's administered by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) and evaluates skills in Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights. The GMAT is a computer-adaptive test, meaning the difficulty of questions adjusts based on the test-taker's performance
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Scoring System
Scores range from 205 to 805, with increments of 10 points. A score above 645 is considered highly competitive, while scores above 605 place you in the top 30% of test-takers . Notably, in the Focus Edition, scores above 735 achieve the 100th percentile, offering clearer differentiation among top performers .
Eligibility
There are no specific educational background requirements to take the GMAT.
The GMAT Score Scale
If you’re familiar with the previous edition of the GMAT, the GMAT Exam (10th Edition), you’ll notice the Total Score scale is different from the current edition, the GMAT Exam (Focus Edition). This change has been made to ensure you and schools can easily distinguish scores between editions.
Total Score
GMAT Exam (Focus Edition): 205–805
GMAT Exam (10th Edition): 200–800
The score scale for the GMAT Exam (Focus Edition) has also been adjusted to reflect changes in the test-taking population, which has become more diverse and global. Over the years, scores have shifted significantly, resulting in an uneven distribution. The updated score scale fixes that, thus allowing schools to better differentiate your performance on the exam.
645 is the New 700
On the GMAT Exam (10th Edition), many test takers aimed for a score of 700. On the GMAT Exam (Focus Edition), a score of 645 is equivalent to a 700 due to the new score scale. Therefore, while scores may look “lower” in comparison, they aren’t. The GMAT Exam (Focus Edition) is scored differently, and business schools know this when reviewing your application and paying more attention to your percentile ranking.
Percentile Rankings
What are Percentile Rankings?
Percentile rankings indicate what percentage of test takers you performed better than. For example, a percentile ranking of 75% means that you performed better than 75% of other test takers, and 25% of test takers performed better than you.
Interpreting Your Percentile Ranking
Important Considerations
- Test Attempts: You can take the GMAT up to five times a year, with a maximum of eight attempts in total. Each attempt must be spaced at least 16 days apart .
Validity: GMAT scores are valid for five years
Total Score Percentile
Total Scores for the GMAT Exam (Focus Edition) range from 205 to 805. Your GMAT Total Score is composed of the Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights sections of the exam. The contribution of each section score to Total Score is equally weighted across sections.
| Score | MEAN SCORE | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 805 | 553.35 | 100% |
| 755 | 553.35 | 100% |
| 705 | 553.35 | 98% |
| 655 | 553.35 | 91% |
| 605 | 553.35 | 72% |
| 555 | 553.35 | 49% |
| 505 | 553.35 | 28% |
| 455 | 553.35 | 15% |
| 405 | 553.35 | 7% |
| 355 | 553.35 | 3% |
| 305 | 553.35 | 1% |
| 255 | 553.35 | 0% |
| 205 | 553.35 | 0% |
TOP UNIVERSITIES THROUGH GMAT
United States
- Harvard Business School (HBS) – Average GMAT: 740+
- Stanford Graduate School of Business – Average GMAT: 730+
- Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) – Average GMAT: 725-730
- MIT Sloan School of Management – Average GMAT: 730
- Chicago Booth School of Business – Average GMAT: 730
- Columbia Business School – Average GMAT: 730
- Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University) – Average GMAT: 737
- University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School – Average GMAT: 728
- University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business – Average GMAT: 729
University of Chicago, Booth School of Business – Average GMAT: 729
United Kingdom
- London Business School (LBS) – Average GMAT: 700-730
France/Singapore
- INSEAD – Average GMAT: 710-730
France
- HEC Paris – Average GMAT: 710-730
Australia
Global Reach
With over 650 test centers across 114 countries, including India, the GMAT offers flexible scheduling options to accommodate candidates worldwide