Interpreting Your GMAT Score
GMAT score reports contain four separate scores: a quantitative score, a verbal score, an analytical writing score, and a total score. The quantitative and verbal subscores range from 0 to 60; in recent years, the average subscores have been between 28 and 32. Scores below 10 and above 46 are rare. Analytical writing scores go from 0 to 6 (6 is high) in half-point increments. The recent average has been between 3.5 and 4.5. The total score, which is what most people consider as their GMAT score, is based on the verbal and math scores and ranges from 200 to 800. The average total score hovers around 500.
Here are some sample percentiles to help put these numbers (representing total scores) in context:
- 99th percentile — 750 or above
- 95th — 710
- 90th — 680
- 80th — 630
- 74th — 610
- 51th — 540
The report lists your three most recent GMAT scores within the past five years. GMAC (the General Management Admission Council, which administers the test with ETS) will report older scores if you request them, but will add a cautionary note that those scores may not reflect your current abilities. If it’s been five or more years, some schools may require you to retake the test.
As soon as you have finished the exam, you can choose to either see your unofficial score (which is almost always identical to the official one) or cancel it. If you cancel your test, it won’t be scored and will appear on your GMAC report as a canceled score. No one, including you, will ever know how you did. Don’t worry — B-schools won’t think less of you for canceling a score. If you choose to see your score (which won’t include your writing score — that will come with the official report) you can also select additional schools to which you would like your scores sent. The official score report should arrive both at the schools and your home within about two weeks of the test.
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