How to Calculate GMAT Score?
In most competitive exams, the score can be easily calculated based on the number of correct answers. However, in GMAT, aspirants have been confused for a long time on how to calculate GMAT score with the Quant and Verbal scales of 6-51 and total score range of 200-800, which are not correlated to the number of correct answers we attempt in GMAT. This blog will give a clear explanation of how the scores on the GMAT are calculated, which will help you to interpret your scorecards.
GMAT score is calculated in a range of 200 to 800. The average GMAT score obtained is 568.21 out of 800. Each section of GMAT has different ranges:
- GMAT Verbal score range is 6-51. There will be 36 questions in this section.
- GMAT Quant score range is 6-51. There will be 31 questions in this section.
- GMAT Integrated Reasoning score range is 1-8. There will be 12 questions in this section.
- GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment score range is 0-6. Only one question has to be analyzed in this section.
The validity of the GMAT score is five years, and top B-schools require a GMAT score of around 700. The GMAT scores can be reported for up to 10 years.
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How GMAT is scored
GMAT is compiled of four different sections, which provides five different scores:
One score from each of the four sections and a fifth Total score is calculated from the Quantitative and Verbal sections combined.
In total, these are the scores you will receive:
- Analytical Writing Assessment (on a scale of 0 to 6).
- Integrated Reasoning (on a scale of 1 to 8).
- Verbal (on a scale of 6 to 51).
- Quant (on a scale of 6 to 51).
- Total score – Verbal and Quant together (on a scale of 200 to 800).
Percentile Ranking
In addition to the raw numbers, the GMAT also comes with a percentile ranking, which shows the percentage of test-takers who scored at or below a certain score.
The rankings for GMAT are recalculated for every period. Using the exam data from the previous years, the same score in different years might have a slightly different percentile, depending on the no. of test-takers, etc. The higher the percentile ranking, the more competitive the score is.
| SCORE | PERCENTILE RANKING |
| 800 | 99% |
| 750 | 98% |
| 700 | 88% |
| 650 | 73% |
| 600 | 56% |
| 550 | 39% |
| 500 | 27% |
| 450 | 17% |
| 400 | 10% |
| 350 | 6% |
| 300 | 3% |
| 250 | 2% |
| 200 | 0% |
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Your Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) Score
The AWA score is based on the Argument Analysis essay. The essay is independently scored by a specially designed computer software and by a human expert. Then the two scores are then averaged into your final AWA score. The scores for the AWA range from 0 to 6 (in half-point intervals).
An expert (human) gives a third evaluation if the two ratings differ by more than one point. These experts are trained college and university faculty members who look at the following:
- The quality of your ideas and your ability to organize, develop, and express them.
- The supporting reasons and examples.
- Your ability to control the elements of written English.
The experts are sensitive and fair while marking the responses.
The test-takers receive a GMAT score report that includes their AWA score via regular mail within two weeks after they take their test.
| SCORE | PERCENTILE RANKING |
| 6 | 88% |
| 5 | 53% |
| 4 | 17% |
| 3 | 4% |
| 2 | 2% |
| 1 | 1% |
| 0 | 0% |
MEAN SCORE: 4.48
Your Integrated Reasoning (IR) Score
IR scores range from 1 to 8 (in one-point intervals).
Integrated Reasoning Questions contain more than one part and in order to get points for that question, you need to answer all parts of the question correctly.
The students will receive a GMAT Official score report, that includes all the scores, via regular mail within two weeks after they take their test.
There are 12 questions in the Integrated Reasoning section. Out of the 12 questions, up to 3 of them are experimental questions, which are not factored into your total IR score. You should put your best effort into all the questions, as there is no way to tell which questions are experimental.
For example, if you have answered 7 out of 9 non-experimental questions correctly, depending on the difficulty of these specific questions, your raw score would be 7, and your scaled score would likely be 6 or 7.
| SCORE | PERCENTILE RANKING |
| 8 | 92% |
| 7 | 82% |
| 6 | 70% |
| 5 | 54% |
| 4 | 38% |
| 3 | 24% |
| 2 | 11% |
| 1 | 0% |
MEAN SCORE: 4.29
Your Quantitative, Verbal, and Total scores
The Total GMAT Score (calculated from both the Quantitative and Verbal scores) ranges from 200 to 800. We will first describe these two sections and then describe how they combine into the final score.
The Quantitative and Verbal sections are each scored separately, with scaled scores ranging from 6 to 51. These scores should not be compared to each other. Each section has its percentile distribution, and each section should be viewed independently.
Look at the two tables below: A score of 46 on the Verbal section is equivalent to 99%, while a similar score on the Quant section is equivalent to 58%. What this means is that you should also consider their percentiles when considering what target Verbal and Quant scores to aim for – for most people, achieving a score of 46 on the Quant section is far easier than achieving a score of 46 on the Verbal section.
Verbal percentiles
| SCORE | PERCENTILE RANKING |
| 51 | 99% |
| 46 | 99% |
| 40 | 90% |
| 35 | 76% |
| 30 | 58% |
| 25 | 39% |
| 20 | 23% |
| 15 | 10% |
| 10 | 3% |
MEAN SCORE: 27.04
Quant percentiles
| SCORE | PERCENTILE RANKING |
| 51 | 96% |
| 46 | 58% |
| 41 | 41% |
| 36 | 29% |
| 31 | 18% |
| 26 | 12% |
| 21 | 6% |
| 16 | 3% |
| 11 | 2% |
| 6 | 0% |
MEAN SCORE: 39.93
Total GMAT score percentiles
| SCORE | PERCENTILE RANKING |
| 800 | 99% |
| 750 | 98% |
| 700 | 88% |
| 650 | 73% |
| 600 | 56% |
| 550 | 39% |
| 500 | 27% |
| 450 | 17% |
| 400 | 10% |
| 350 | 6% |
| 300 | 3% |
| 250 | 2% |
| 200 | 0% |
MEAN SCORE: 561.27
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What is a Good GMAT Score?
A good GMAT score is over 640 (around the 70th percentile) and an excellent score is 700+ (around the 90th percentile). The average score for students admitted to the top 50 ranking MBA Programs is around 660.
| SCORE | PERCENTILE RANKING |
| 800 | 99% |
| 750 | 98% |
| 700 | 88% |
| 650 | 73% |
| 600 | 56% |
| 550 | 39% |
| 500 | 27% |
| 450 | 17% |
| 400 | 10% |
| 350 | 6% |
| 300 | 3% |
| 250 | 2% |
| 200 | 0% |
Know more about What is a Good GMAT Score?
Which factors influence the GMAT scores?
GMAT scores are based on 3 main factors:
- The number of questions answered correctly – There are a total of 31 questions in the Quantitative section and 36 questions in the Verbal section, but not all of the questions count towards your score. Three of the Quantitative section questions are ‘experimental’, so only 28 Quantitative section questions are taken into account. In contrast, 6 of the Verbal section questions are experimental, which means that only 30 Verbal section questions impact your GMAT score. The more number of questions you answer correctly, the better your score will be.
- The total number of questions answered – Every section of the test needs to be completed, and in the Quant section, which has 31 questions needs to be completed in 62 minutes, and the Verbal section, which represents 36 questions in 65 minutes. So, you will have two minutes on average per quant section question and a bit less for each verbal section question. Note that there is a penalty for not completing a quarter of the test! As such, if you run out of time, rather than leaving a section incomplete, we strongly recommend guessing the remaining answers.
- The difficulty of the questions answered – A very simple description of the nature of the GMAT is that it starts with a question of medium difficulty. If the question is answered correctly, the next question will be more complex and the total score will go up. If the question is answered incorrectly, the next question will be easier, and the score will go down. Your overall score is not dependent only on the number of questions answered correctly, but also on their difficulty.
We hope you found this article to be informative. You may also read the article Top MBA Colleges in India Accepting GMAT Scores (including Placements, Fees, and GMAT Cut-Offs).
If you are starting your GMAT preparation from scratch, you should definitely check out the GMATPOINT