A guide on GMAT score and percentile

A GMAT score is an important factor in the admissions process for MBA programs because it helps admissions committees assess a candidate’s ability to handle the rigors of graduate-level business coursework. The test measures various skills that are considered essential for success in business school, such as analytical writing, problem-solving, and critical thinking.

A high GMAT score can demonstrate to admissions committees that a candidate has the necessary skills and aptitude to succeed in an MBA program. Additionally, a high GMAT score can also help a candidate stand out among a large pool of applicants, as it is one of the most widely accepted and respected standardized tests for graduate business programs.

Moreover, the GMAT score is a standard way of measuring the applicant’s ability to handle the coursework, it helps the admissions team to compare the applicant with other applicants and also helps to determine the applicant’s potential for success in the MBA program.

In short, a GMAT score is an important aspect of an MBA application because it provides an objective measure of a candidate’s abilities and helps admissions committees make more informed decisions about who to admit to their program.

Now that you know why the GMAT score is important, the next things you should know about are the GMAT scores and the associated percentiles, GMAT score range, GMAT quantitative and verbal scores, and how is GMAT score calculated.

In this article, we will answer all of these questions.

What is the GMAT score distribution?

The GMAT score distribution is based on the scores of all test takers. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the average GMAT score is 574.51, with a standard deviation of about 113 points. This data is based on a sample size of 414618 test takers taken between Jan 2019 and Dec 2021.

The GMAT score range is from 200 to 800, and a score of 730 or higher is generally considered to be a good score. A score of 700 or above is considered to be a competitive score, while a score of 600 – 700 is considered to be a subpar score for most MBA programs. However, different business schools have different average GMAT scores, so it’s important to check with the specific schools to which you plan to apply.

The GMAT score distribution can be divided into several categories:

• Below average: scores that fall between 200-450
• Average: scores that fall between 450-650
• Above average: scores that fall between 650-730
• High: scores that fall between 730-800

Here’s a breakdown of the GMAT score distribution:

• Approximately 1% of test takers score above 760
• Approximately 13% of test takers score above 700
• Approximately 25% of test takers score between 660 and 700
• Approximately 30% of test takers score between 570 and 660
• Approximately 20% of test takers score between 400 and 570
• Approximately 15% of test takers score below 400

It’s important to note that a GMAT score is just one of many factors that admissions committees consider when reviewing applications. Other factors such as work experience, academic record, letters of recommendation, and essays are also important in the application process.

How is the GMAT score calculated?

The GMAT score is calculated based on a combination of factors, including the number of questions answered correctly, and the difficulty level of the questions. The score is based on a scale of 200-800, with a higher score indicating better performance.

It is important to note that the GMAT is a computer-adaptive test, meaning that the difficulty level of the questions will adjust based on the test taker’s performance. This means that if a test-taker is doing well, the questions will become more difficult, and if they are struggling, the questions will become easier. This makes it difficult to predict a score based on the number of questions answered correctly.

The GMAT is divided into four sections: the Quantitative Reasoning section, the Verbal Reasoning section, the Integrated Reasoning section, and the Analytical Writing Assessment. 

The Quantitative and Verbal sections are each scored on a scale of 6-51 in single-point increments. The Integrated Reasoning section is scored on a scale of 1-8 in single-point increments, and the Analytical Writing Assessment is scored on a scale of 0-6 in half-point increments.

The total GMAT score is calculated on the basis of Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections and converting it to the 200-800 scale.

GMAT Section	Scaled Score
Quantitative score	6-51
Verbal score	6-51
Integrated Reasoning score	1-8
Analytical Writing Assessment score	0-6

What is the average GMAT score?

According to GMAC, these are the average GMAT score based on 414618 people who took the GMAT between January 2019 to December 2021:

• Total average GMAT score – 574.51
• Average GMAT Quant score – 41.3
• Average GMAT Verbal score – 27.51
• Average GMAT IR score – 4.65
• Average GMAT AWA score – 4.43

Whare are GMAT percentile scores?

An individual percentile ranking is provided for each of the five GMAT scores that you read above, showing what percentage of test participants you outperformed. 

A score of 75% indicates that you performed as well as or better than 25% of test takers, while 75% did not perform as well. Percentile scores are adjusted annually based on GMAT score data from the past three years, so while your GMAT score will remain constant over time, your GMAT percentile may fluctuate.

What are the current GMAT scores and percentiles?

GMAT scores and their associated percentile scores in 2023 are as follows:

Total GMAT score and percentile

GMAT score	GMAT percentile
800	99%
790	99%
780	99%
770	99%
760	99%
750	98%
740	97%
730	96%
720	94%
710	90%
700	87%
690	84%
680	80%
670	78%
660	74%
650	70%
640	64%
630	62%
620	58%
610	54%
600	50%

GMAT Quant and Verbal scores and percentiles

GMAT Scaled Score	Quant Percentile Score	Verbal Percentile Score
51	97%	99%
50	87%	99%
49	74%	99%
48	67%	99%
47	59%	99%
46	56%	99%
45	53%	99%
44	47%	98%
43	44%	98%
42	39%	96%
41	37%	94%
40	35%	90%
39	31%	88%
38	29%	84%
37	28%	82%
36	25%	80%
35	22%	75%
34	21%	70%
33	20%	68%
32	17%	65%
31	15%	60%
30	15%	58%
29	13%	55%
28	12%	50%
27	10%	45%
26	10%	42%
25	8%	38%
24	8%	35%
23	7%	31%
22	6%	29%
21	5%	25%
20	5%	22%
19	4%	18%
18	4%	17%
17	3%	14%
16	3%	11%
15	3%	9%
14	3%	8%
13	2%	6%
12	2%	4%
11	1%	3%
10	1%	2%
9	1%	2%
8	1%	1%
7	1%	1%
6	0%	0%

GMAT Integrated Reasoning score and percentile

Integrated Reasoning score	Percentile score
8	90%
7	79%
6	64%
5	48%
4	31%
3	18%
2	8%
1	0%

GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment score and percentile

Analytical Writing Assessment score	Percentile score
6	88%
5.5	81%
5	57%
4.5	47%
4	18%
3.5	12%
3	4%
2.5	3%
0.5 to 2	1%

What is a good GMAT score?

A GMAT score of 760+ is considered an excellent score and a GMAT score of 700 and above is considered a good GMAT score.

However, a good GMAT score is the one that would increase your chances of getting into your target business school. 

So, what is a good GMAT score in 2023? A good GMAT score is the average GMAT score of the class of 2024 of your target business school.

Here are the average GMAT scores of top business schools:

Business School	Average GMAT 2022	Average GMAT 2021	Average GMAT 2020
Harvard Business School	730	730	730
Wharton	733	733	722
Stanford GSB	737	738	733
Chicago Booth	729	732	724
Northwestern Kellogg	729	727	727
MIT Sloan	730	730	730
Columbia Business School	729	729	726
Dartmouth Tuck	726	724	720
UC-Berkeley Haas	729	726	727
Yale SOM	725	726	720
Duke Fuqua	718	713	702
Michigan Ross	720	722	710
NYU Stern	733	729	723
Virginia Darden	720	715	703
Cornell Johnson	710	710	700
Carnegie Mellon Tepper	702	691	680
UCLA Anderson	711	714	706
USC Marshall	732	716	707
UNC Kenan-Flagler	706	696	694
Texas-Austin McCombs	706	708	704
Washington Foster	710*	704	692
Indiana Kelley	685	679	652
Georgetown McDonough	697	705	691
Rice Jones	702	705	689
Vanderbilt Owen	690	690	676
Emory Goizueta	700	692	683
Georgia Tech Scheller	690	682	680

FAQ – GMAT score and percentile