What Is A Good GMAT Score?
Are you looking for business schools offering MBA and business master’s programs that could help you take the next step in achieving your career goals? There are a wide variety of business schools available across the globe, finding the right one can be challenging.
When you do find a program that seems like a good fit, you might be tempted to automatically look at the average GMAT exam score of students who were accepted onto the cohort, especially if it's higher than your own.
But average GMAT scores are not necessarily the right things to focus on. Read on to find out everything you need to know about your GMAT score, and why you should look beyond business schools' average scores when searching for MBA or business master’s program.
What is the GMAT?
The GMAT – short for Graduate Management Admission Test – is a standardized exam administered by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). It is a prerequisite for applying to most top business schools around the world.
The GMAT exam is split into three key sections. They are: quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, and data insights. The various sections provide you with questions that test your critical thinking, data literacy, and problem-solving skills.
How to work out your GMAT score?
If you are searching for a place at business school, you're probably familiar with the score that GMAT test takers receive after taking the exam. Total GMAT scores range from 205-805. This provides a standardized metric that business schools can use to assess applications to their business and management programs.
You will receive your final score on your official score report, which is typically available within one to three business days of taking the exam. Your final score is a combination of your performance across the three exam sections.
While we would recommend that you prep for each section of the exam equally, some schools may value one part of your GMAT score over others: "most candidates focus on the total GMAT score. And while that is important, some schools value the quantitative score a bit more than the verbal," says Shelly Heinrich MBA admissions director at Georgetown McDonough School of Business.
"If you're getting down to the final days in which you need to study and you can only choose to sharpen up on one section, choose the quantitative section," she advises. We would recommend that you understand whether this is the case for the programs you are applying to while you prepare for the exam.
What is a good GMAT score?
It is one of the most common questions that incoming students ask admissions teams and consultants and, of course, the answer depends on your target business schools.
Top-ranked schools like the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School or University of Chicago Booth School of Business typically require a higher GMAT score than those which feature lower down the business school rankings.
That is why it's always a good idea to check out the website of your target school to find out what kinds of GMAT scores they're accepting into their programs. This will give you an idea of what GMAT score is likely to give you a good chance of getting in. Average scores are also a metric that allow you to compare business schools with each other and figure out where you have the best chance.
As of 2024, scoring in the GMAT exam has changed as part of an array of updates to the exam. These changes will impact the average exam scores reported by business schools. Knowing your GMAT score’s percentile ranking can help you calculate what score your target school is likely to require under the current scoring system. For example, a score of 645 on the current GMAT exam is more or less equivalent to a 700 on the previous GMAT Exam (10th Edition).
But while it's useful to checkout your target business schools' average scores, you can also go further by checking out their GMAT score range to get a more in-depth insight into what's possible.
The GMAT score range
The minimum GMAT score is 205 while the maximum you can score on the test is 805. Although schools consider your application holistically, at the vast majority of schools worldwide, scoring above 645 is extremely competitive. However, a score of above 605 will place you in the competitive top 30% of test takers.
Admissions teams assess each candidate based on the strength of their entire application. B-school applicants are more than just GMAT test-takers, they are working professionals with varying amounts of work experience, hailing from diverse backgrounds, and often showing different GPAs.
This means every year top business schools across the globe accept hundreds of applications with varying GMAT scores.
"MBA admissions is a holistic process," says David White, MBA admissions consultant and founder of Menlo Coaching. "Applicants can be admitted with below average GMAT scores if they bring value to the program in other ways."
Your target business schools may accept lower-scoring applicants who have impressed the admissions committee during their interview. Candidates who have a wealth of experience to bring to the classroom may also gain acceptance with a lower score.
David identifies some key characteristics that help admissions teams look beyond the GMAT exam. They include: expertise in a topic that will be exciting to your peers; previous career success that suggests potential for further success later on; and a personal story that shows you've overcome hardship.
But, he adds: "these types of applicants are even stronger if they also have above average GMAT scores."
GMAT score ranges for top business schools
So, if business schools are prepared to accept candidates with below average GMAT scores, what are the GMAT score ranges at top business schools?
You can find out the GMAT score range for your target business schools by looking at the incoming class profile for the MBA or business master’s program you’re considering online. Business schools have long reported this information, and you can find information on GMAT score averages and ranges for many of the world’s top MBA programs on their websites.
For example, the Harvard MBA GMAT score range for the Class of 2026 is between 540 and 790, which is more or less equivalent to between 485 and 725 under the current scoring system.
The MBA offered by MIT Sloan School of Management is among the top-ranked programs in 2024, according to the FT. It accepted scores ranging from 690 to 760 for its most recent class, which is roughly equivalent to a range of 605 to 705 in the updated scoring format.
Likewise, at University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the MBA Class of 2026 entered with a GMAT score range of 590 to 780, which is approximately equivalent to between 535 and 715.
Why you should look beyond average GMAT scores
A quick look at the GMAT score ranges accepted by some of the world's top MBA programs shows that scores in the 500s and below have a chance of being accepted.
Clearly those candidates with scores substantially below the class average are likely to be exceptional in other elements of their application. But if you are looking to apply to business school, checking out the range of scores that are accepted will prove to you that it's possible to land a place even if your GMAT score isn't the strongest part of your application.