![]() ![]() Understanding what the stats behind the official GMAT score report mean in context, allows you to approach the test in a more level headed manner. This distortion is why it is important to break down the average GMAT scores. Thousands of 50 or 51 Quant scores and 30 to 35 Verbal scores massively distort the average GMAT score percentiles and, as a result, it can seem to many applicants like they score very well on Verbal and very poorly on Quant.īut because those Q51 / V35 applicants were unlikely to be admitted for other reasons, they aren’t actually your competition when it comes to your own application. There are thousands of GMAT test takers fitting this type of profile. Unfortunately, without these other prerequisites, no amount of success on the GMAT will turn the odds in their favor. ![]() Nevertheless, because of the incredible value of a top MBA, applicants like this take the GMAT anyway in the hopes of an acceptance letter. His lack of interactions with customers and partners does not provide a strong base for learning from the MBA leadership curriculum, or entering a business-focused career.His spoken English skills may not be quite strong enough to be an active participant in classroom discussions.Despite strong quantitative performance, the total GMAT score would be around 680, which is not competitive in over-represented categories at top MBA programs.On the Verbal section, because English is his second language, he scores lower, perhaps 32 out of 51.Ī business school admissions committee is unlikely to admit him because: ![]() Such an applicant may well score a perfect 51 on the GMAT’s Quant section. He may be amazing at what he does and have a promising career in software engineering. Furthermore, imagine that the primary language at work is Mandarin. There are a huge number of test takers with engineering or scientific backgrounds who may want or wish to be admitted to a top MBA program… but do not have a suitable professional profile.įor example, imagine an applicant who was educated in China as a software engineer, and then worked as a programmer for six years on back-end software systems with zero client or partner interactions. The pool of GMAT test takers is very different from the pool of admitted students to top the best business schools. In order to understand the average GMAT score, we need to look at the pool of GMAT test takers. The difference is staggering and clearly something else is at work on the value of your GMAT score. A table of GMAT percentiles, broken out by Quant and Verbal, is below. However, on the Verbal section of the GMAT, you can get into the 80th percentile merely by scoring 36 out of 51 points. What does it actually look like to get into the 80th percentile of the GMAT on the Quant section? As of 2021, you need an almost perfect score: 50 out of 51 points! Missing even a few questions would put you at a Q49, which is only a 76th percentile. (The average would fall at the 50th percentile only if scores were evenly distributed above and below the average, which is not the case.) As of 2022, the overall average GMAT score is 570 points, which is around 40th percentile. This is normal and reflects the fact that although many people score well on one section or the other, only a small number score highly on both sections. If you score highly, your overall GMAT percentile will probably be higher than either your Quant percentile or your Verbal percentile. Your GMAT score report will also include percentile scores for the Integrated Reasoning (IR) and Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) sections, but here we focus on Quant and Verbal scores as the two most important sections for business school admissions committees.įinally, you will receive an overall GMAT percentile score based on your total GMAT score. (You can’t reach 100th percentile because you can’t outperform yourself on the GMAT.) By definition, the percentile ranges from just above zero, to 99.99. So, for example, if you score in the 80th percentile on the Verbal section, you did better than 80% of all other test takers on that section. Your percentile for each section of the GMAT represents the percentage of applicants who you outperformed on that section. This is separate from your total GMAT score, which can range from 200 to 800 points. ![]() They compare your scaled Quant and scaled Verbal scores, which have score ranges from 6 to 51, to other test takers. GMAT percentiles are calculated by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admissions Council, which owns and operates the GMAT. Logically, it seems like being in the top 20% on both sections of the GMAT exam would make you more likely to be accepted. This probably comes from the idea that MBA programs at top business schools usually have 10-20% acceptance rates. It borders on a cliche that MBA applicants want to achieve an 80th percentile GMAT score on both the Quantitative and Verbal sections. Take the Pop Quiz How are GMAT Percentiles Calculated? ![]()
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