The GMAT is scored on a scale between 200 and 800; It’s difficult to see the average GMAT scores of admitted students and not worry. Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, for example, has an impressively high average score of 737 for their newest class. (And it has reached such numbers year after year.)
What is a good GMAT score?
When considering your GMAT score goal, it’s always a good idea to look at the averages of the schools you’re applying to, especially in the competitive 2021 admissions cycle. There are great resources like U.S. News and World Report, where you can search for averages across a variety of schools. For starters, however, here’s what you need to know about your GMAT score. Applying to a business school is never easy, especially when you’re juggling your personal and professional life. You don’t want to take the GMAT more often than necessary, but you definitely want the highest possible chance of getting accepted into your target business schools. Whether you should retake the GMAT depends not only on whether you already have a good GMAT score but also on how much effort it would take to improve it. If you have an excellent score of 770 or better and have already put a lot of time into your GMAT studies, you may be ready to move on. Everyone else should consider the merits of a replay even if they already have a good score. With so much information about GMAT scores, this is one of the biggest questions prospective business school students have. The highest GMAT score you can achieve is 800. GMAT scores range from 200 to 800, and two-thirds of test-takers score between 400 and 600. Achieving the maximum GMAT score of 800 is very rare. Each business school has a different policy for considering the GMAT in MBA applications. Some have minimum GMAT scores; others require a minimum score on both the verbal and quantitative sections of the GMAT. As a rule of thumb, for the high-level programs you must complete either the GMAT or the GRE — although most MBA applicants prefer the GMAT — and submit competitive scores to be accepted.
Why are GMAT scores important?
As most universities and the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), which owns the GMAT exam, will tell you, the GMAT score is usually the only factor that allows for a direct comparison of applicants. Everything else stuffed into applications is personal and subjective. Even undergraduate grade point averages aren’t a strong indicator, since universities (and professors) don’t adhere to a single set of assessment guidelines; In some countries, it is much harder to get high scores than in others. The balancing facets of the GMAT are hard to dispute – even if it’s only conducted in English.
What is the average GMAT score?
What is a good GMAT score? Well, the answer varies from country to country. In 2013, the United States had more GMAT test-takers than India and China combined, although those countries’ average tests scores during that time were significantly higher than America’s score. In case you’re wondering, in 2013, 53 countries with GMAT scores performed better than the US, and many of them do not recognize English as an official language in their country. It’s a trend that has continued over the years. Things have definitely changed in recent years, with sharp declines in American test-takers contrasting with serious upturns in China and India. And the increase in test-takers has resulted in higher GMAT scores in China and India, while fewer US test-takers have taken home higher GMAT scores.
How is the GMAT scored? Quantile, verbal, and GMAT percentiles
The GMAT is a computer-adaptive test, which means that the difficulty level of the questions will change depending on your answers to previous questions. The test gets harder if you get harder questions right and easier if you get questions wrong, but the difficulty of the questions and the number of questions answered correctly will determine your final score. The GMAT consists of four sections: the verbal section, the quantitative section, integrated reasoning, and an analytical writing test. While business schools have access to the scores from each section, your all-important 800 score consists only of the verbal and quantitative scores. You will be given a breakdown of your score (from 0 to 60) for the verbal and quantitative parts and these will be converted into your score of 800. Note that the verbal part is weighted slightly higher in this total score. The same scoring system is used for both the traditional test center GMAT and the GMAT online exam. GMAT scores also include percentile rankings. GMAT percentiles are recalculated each year using the previous three years of exam data. According to the most recent data, if you achieve an 800 total GMAT score, you are in the 99th percentile, meaning you outperformed 99% of the test-takers. If you score 700 on the GMAT, you are in the 88th percentile. Earning 700 points on the GMAT means you outperformed 88% of the test takers. The global average GMAT score for candidates is below 565, below what many leading business schools would describe as a “good GMAT score”.
Understanding GMAT average scores and GMAT score range
Before taking the GMAT, you should also consider the class average GMAT scores and the GMAT score ranges for the business schools you plan to apply to. Looking at the stats for student admissions at various business schools can give you a good idea of what level you should aim for. Most business schools report the average GMAT scores for their admitted students. Some also provide the GMAT score range. What GMAT score do you need for Harvard? The Harvard Business School MBA class of 2023 has a median GMAT score of 730, and the GMAT score ranges from 590 to 790. This means that although most accepted Harvard MBA students scored over 700, Harvard accepted at least one student with a GMAT score of just 590. The Stanford Graduate School of Business now has a GMAT average of 738 for its MBA Class of 2023, the highest class average GMAT score among MBA programs, and a GMAT score of 610-790. Most well-known business schools have class average GMAT scores between 660 and 710, so a good GMAT score for these schools will be somewhere in that range.
How hard is it to get a GMAT score of 700?
GMAC certainly describes it as difficult to achieve a GMAT score of 700. Two-thirds of test-takers score between 400 and 600. Of all exams taken for the 2017 GMAC report, the average GMAT score was 564. For the same period, a 700 GMAT score for a test-taker is in the 88ᵗʰ -percentile; a 710 GMAT score reflects the 91ˢᵗ percentile. GMAT percentiles tell you how well you did compare to all other test-takers. According to these GMAT percentiles, you need to do better than 90% of all test takers if you want to break the 700 mark. And if you just want to make it into those 650 brackets, you have to do better than 76 percent of GMAT takers.
Should I be aiming for 700+ on the GMAT?
There are business schools that do not require a GMAT and those that accept the GRE. But for the most part, all you have to do is buckle up and pass the test – with the aim of getting the highest score you can. For example, a good GMAT score for Harvard Business School would definitely be in the 700+ range. While any business school is quick to point out that applications involve a lot more than your GMAT score, they will certainly take a look. And they need to find reasons to keep you posted if you’re getting lower results than they want to see. Business schools prefer GMAT scores in applications to meet their established requirements, but also consider applicants with lower scores.
GMAT scores from top US business schools
It seems almost unbelievable that Stanford has an average GMAT score of 737 (which is about the 97th percentile), doesn’t it? Granted, this program currently has the best average, but in 2017 only one American business school in the top 25 of the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2017 had a GMAT average below 700. That was Duke’s Fuqua School of Business with an average of 698 (which corresponds to the 87th percentile). Today, the school average is 702, meaning there is no US program in the top 25 on the list with a GMAT average below 700.
GMAT points at the best European and Asian business schools
Across the Atlantic, the average GMAT scores of the best European business schools don’t always match those of the United States. INSEAD average scores have remained consistently between 700 and 710 over the past five years, and the London Business School has also had average scores increasing from 701 to 710 in recent years. The other European business schools in the top 25 of the FT 2018 Global MBA Ranking average between 670 and 690. (If you’re counting, that’s between the 81ˢᵗ and 86ᵗʰ percentile.) Moving further around the world, the Asian schools in the top 25 have average GMAT scores between 662 and 686. Interestingly, HKUST publishes a typical range of GMAT scores between 570 and 710 on their class profile page. That’s quite a wide range when you look at it in percentiles – between the 57ᵗʰ and 96ᵗʰ marks. Given that they’re currently ranked 14ᵗʰ, that should give some B-School applicants some hope.
Tips for getting high GMAT scores
The GMAT score range does not start from zero, and you are not awarded a specific number of points for a correct answer. Instead, the test assumes you’re average and assigns you an average score before even showing the first question. If you answer your first question correctly, the next one will be more difficult – but the program will also assign you a higher score. This continues until you answer a question incorrectly. At that point, you’ll be given an easier question and your score will go down proportionally. GMAT tutors generally agree that you should take your time with the first few questions. Getting these right (or wrong) is critical to your bottom line. You don’t lose as much of your score by getting a question wrong as by leaving a question blank. If you’ve spent too much time on the first few queries and you’re running out of time, always try to click as many guesses as possible before the time runs out.
How many study hours does it take to get 700+ on the GMAT?
Research shows that most test-takers study 100 hours (or more) to get a 700 or higher on the GMAT. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), Asian students take an average of 151 hours of GMAT preparation, while American students spend about 64 hours. The difference in grades is startling.
Conclusion
Even getting the highest GMAT score doesn’t guarantee admission, and a low GMAT score doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance at all. None of the top universities accept students based solely on their GMAT scores—not even Stanford. Therefore, while GMAT scores are incredibly valuable for MBA programs, they should not be your only area of focus.
References
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