GMAT Score vs Percentile | GMAT Percentile Ranking

GMAT Score vs percentile

The GMAT is an important milestone for students aiming for business school. A good GMAT score indicates a student’s ability to handle the demanding MBA curriculum. The GMAT scores range from 200 to 800, with 800 being the highest. A good GMAT score is generally considered to be between 650-740. The GMAT percentiles are also important to understand.

The GMAT has four sections: Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning (IR), and Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). The total GMAT score is calculated using only the Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections. Also, a new version of the GMAT test, the GMAT Focus edition, will be launched in the latter part of 2023.

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A good GMAT score depends on your target business school and is usually 20 points more than the average score of the incoming batch. Business school admission committees consider only your highest accepted GMAT score in the MBA application process. There are two types of score reports: 

An unofficial report, received immediately after the test, and an Official report, received within 20 calendar days of your test.

GMAT scores have a high weightage in the MBA application process and are also an important factor in getting a scholarship for your dream MBA program. So we need to understand how your GMAT score is calculated.

Verbal Reasoning

This section consists of 36 questions that assess the test taker’s ability to read and comprehend written materials, reason and evaluate arguments, and correct written material to conform to standard written English. The test must be completed in 65 minutes, and it comprises Reading 

Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction questions. The Verbal Reasoning score ranges from 6 to 51 and is based on three factors: 

The number of questions answered, the correctness of answers, and the difficulty level of questions answered. The verbal reasoning score an important component of the Total Score. 

Score in VR Percentile
51 99
46 99
41 93
36 79
31 59
26 41
21 24
16 11
11 3
6 0

Mean Score: 27.51 (Jan ‘19- Dec ‘21)

Quantitative Reasoning

The GMAT Quantitative Reasoning section comprises 31 questions, which include Data Sufficiency and Problem-Solving. These questions must be completed within 62 minutes. This section assesses a test taker’s ability to reason quantitatively and solve problems. The questions involve arithmetic, elementary algebra, and basic geometry concepts, and test takers must also be able to evaluate the amount of information needed to solve quantitative problems. 

The Quantitative Reasoning score is based on three factors: 

  1. The number of questions answered, whether the answers are correct, and the difficulty of the questions answered.
  2. Scores for this section range from 6 to 51. The Quantitative Reasoning score is also a component of the Total Score. 
  3. It’s important to note that Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning scores are on a fixed scale and can be compared across all GMAT test administrations, but they cannot be compared to each other because they measure different constructs.
Score in QR Percentile
51 97
46 53
41 34
36 22
31 14
26 8
21 5
16 3
11 1
6 0

Mean Score: 41.3 (Jan ‘19- Dec ‘21)

GMAT Total Score

The GMAT Total Score is based on the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections of the exam, which measure a test taker’s higher-order reasoning skills, including verbal, quantitative, analytical writing, and integrated reasoning. The validity of the exam in predicting success in the first year of graduate management education has been proven. Total Score ranges from 200 to 800, with two-thirds of test takers scoring between 400 and 800. 

Test takers can view their unofficial scores immediately after completing the exam and choose to accept or cancel them. If a score is cancelled, it will appear as a “C” on future score reports but not on the Official GMAT Score Report sent to schools. The Official GMAT Score Report includes all reportable exam scores completed in the past five years, including Total scores, Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Verbal, and 

Quantitative reasoning scores. It also includes the most recent AWA essay response and the background information 

provided by the test taker when creating their GMAT profile.

GMAT Total Score Percentile
800 99
750 98
700 87
650 70
600 50
550 34
500 22
450 13
400 8
350 4
300 2
250 1
200 0

Mean Score: 574.51 (Jan ‘19- Dec ‘21)

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Also Read:

GMAT B-school Predictor

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