GMAT® Score Chart

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GMAT® Score Chart

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Thu Mar 10, 2022 10:13 am
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Whether you’re about to embark on your GMAT® prep or you need to improve your GMAT® exam score, this easy-to-use GMAT score chart can help you determine what Quantitative and Verbal scores you need to reach your target total GMAT score and target percentile rankings in the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the GMAT.

To calculate GMAT® scores, simply select your target score from the dropdown menu. Highlighted boxes will appear on the table that indicate the various combinations of scores on the Quant (row) and Verbal (column) sections of the GMAT® that are likely to result in your target total score.

GMAT® Score Charts Can't Guarantee Scores

Because a Quant section score or Verbal section score represents a range of test performance, there is no GMAT® score calculator that can predict what total score will result from a particular set of Quant and Verbal section scores with 100% accuracy 100% of the time. In other words, test-takers who earn the same Quant and Verbal scores could earn different total scores.

For example, say Test-Taker A and Test-Taker B both score Q48/V40 on the GMAT®. However, Test-Taker A correctly answered 24 Quant questions and 30 Verbal questions, while Test-Taker B correctly answered 23 Quant questions and 28 Verbal questions. Although their section scores are the same, Test-Taker A's total GMAT® score would likely be 720, while Test-Taker B's would likely be 710. In other words, the Q48N40 section scores represent a range of performance that both test-takers fell within, but since they got different numbers of questions correct, their total scores would be different. (To learn more about how GMAT® scores are calculated, check out this article on GMAT® scoring.)

The upshot of this feature of GMAT® scoring is that there is a 10-point swing possible in either direction for the total score associated with any combination of section scores. For example, per the score chart, Q49N41 scores are likely to result in a total GMAT® score of 730. However, because each section score represents a range of performance, those same Quant and Verbal scores could result in a 720 or a 740 total score.

So, you should think of any GMAT® scoring table more as a GMAT® score estimator than a GMAT® score predictor. The truth is, no one can predict your total GMAT® score on the basis of your section scores alone, because the GMAT® bases your total score directly on your performance on the Quant and Verbal sections, rather than on your numerical section scores.

That said, our GMAT® score chart is based on actual GMAT® exam scores reported by test-takers and data from official Enhanced Score Reports. So, it is still a very useful tool for seeing what kinds of scores you need to reach a certain score range or how many points you may need to improve in a section in order to reach your target total score.

Don't Lose Sight of Your Section Score Goals

You'll notice when using the GMAT® score chart that several different combinations of Quant and Verbal scores can result in the same total score. For example, Q48N37 and Q45N40 are just two of the section score combinations that could result in a total GMAT® score of 700. However, not all 700 scores are equal. When determining the section scores you need to reach a certain total score, you need to consider how the schools you're targeting weigh individual section scores. For example, top business schools tend to be highly quant-driven, so MBA admissions committees at top-ranked programs generally prefer to see scores of 47+ on the Quant section of the GMAT®.

Let's say your top-choice school is Harvard Business School, an M7 school that is consistently ranked in the top 10 business schools by U.S. News & World Report and whose Class of 2022 had a median GMAT® score of 730. So, you set your score goal at 730. Per the GMAT® score chart, you could achieve that 730 with section scores of, for instance, Q50/V40 or Q46/V45. Now, V45 is undoubtedly a fantastic Verbal score -- one that only 1% of test-takers are able to achieve. However, given that the median Quant score in HBS's Class of 2022 was 48, all else equal, an MBA hopeful who applies to Harvard with Q46/V45 might not look as well-prepared to tackle a quant-heavy course load as an applicant with Q50/V40, even though both applicants earned a total score of 730 on the exam.

So, avoid using GMAT® score calculators with the attitude of "anything that gets me to X total score is good enough." Research the median and average GMAT® scores at your target schools and take your overall applicant profile into account in order to determine the minimum individual Quant and Verbal scores you need to be a competitive applicant.

GMAT® Score Percentiles Have Changed Over Time

You'll notice that there are percentile rankings associated with the Quant and Verbal scores on the GMAT® score chart. Percentile rankings tell you how your scores stack up against the scores of other GMAT® test-takers. For example, a score of 49 on the Quant section of the GMAT® currently would put you in the 74th percentile for Quant, meaning that you scored better than 74 percent of all GMAT® test-takers on the Quant section.

The thing about GMAT® score percentiles is that, unlike numerical GMAT® scores, which are based on individual performance, percentile rankings are formulated on the basis of how all GMAT® test-takers have performed. Thus, percentile rankings can change over time, depending on how aggregate test-taker performance changes. In fact, according to a 2018 report by GMAC, in the 5-year period from 2013 to 2017, the percentage of GMAT® test-takers globally who earned a total score of 600 to 690 increased, and the percentage who earned a total score of 700 or higher increased as well. Since those increases mean that a greater percentage of test-takers earned, for example, a 700 score, the percentile ranking associated with a 700 score decreased somewhat over that 5-year period.

The same goes for the section score percentile rankings you see on the GMAT® score chart. While those percentiles are the current rankings as of 2021, if, say, more GMAT® test-takers start scoring 44 on the Verbal section, that score will eventually no longer put a test-taker in the 98th percentile of all test-takers. Perhaps V44 would put a test-taker in the 97th percentile instead.

Numerical GMAT® scores, on the other hand, are meant to represent a consistent level of performance over time, so that they can be compared. So, a GMAT® score from 5 years ago and the same GMAT® score today should reflect, essentially, the same general level of performance.
However, it's important to keep in mind the upward trend in GMAT® scores globally, because as more and more test-takers earn higher GMAT® scores, MBA admissions committees could start raising the bar for what they expect from applicants when it comes to GMAT® performance.

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