What is the Total GMAT Score?

What is the Total GMAT Score?

The GMAT is scored on a range of 200 – 800; 800 being the highest GMAT score and 200, the lowest. The total GMAT score is a scaled scored arrived at after computing the raw scores of only the sections on Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning. Although the GMAT score card indicates the separate section scores, the Analytical Writing Assessment and Integrated Reasoning scores are provided separately and these scores do not add up to the total GMAT score. Practice with full-length GMAT tests to get your desired GMAT scores.
 

Source: mba.com, sample size: 739752, TY 2015 – TY 2018

How is the GMAT graded?

GMAC does not share the algorithm it follows for grading the sections on GMAT and arriving at the raw and the scaled scores. However, there are a few factors that affect the scoring system on GMAT:

• The total no. of questions answered on GMAT
• The total no. of questions correctly answered on GMAT
• The difficulty level of each of the questions correctly answered on GMAT

An important point to consider in this aspect is that GMAT does not use the concept of negative marking or penalizing for incorrect responses; however, unanswered questions on GMAT can seriously affect the total GMAT score. The GMAT is primarily a computer-adaptive test, that is, the difficulty level of each question keeps on increasing with every correct answer that you provide. If you happen to provide a wrong answer to a particular question, the difficulty level of the next question will adjust itself to be of the same level as the last correctly answered question. It is said that the first few questions on each section of the GMAT are essential to setting the pace of the test. Hence, you must pay careful attention while solving the first few questions on GMAT.

While you must always target completing all questions on each of the GMAT sections, do not panic if you happen to mismanage time during the test. On an average, you get only 2 minutes to solve each of the questions on GMAT; use these 2 minutes wisely to solve the first few questions. If you happen to run out of time towards the end of the test section, you can simply take an educated guess. As already explained above, it is better to take an educated guess and mark your response than to leave the question unanswered.

An intriguing factor about the GMAT test pattern, however, is that it includes a set of experimental questions – questions that do not carry any marks and are used only to assess the competency of the test. GMAC strives to improve the test-takers’ experience as well as keep the questions as competent and original as possible. Hence, the experimental questions are introduced as a form of collecting data. It is, however, not possible to say the experimental questions from the actual test questions. Do not worry about the experimental questions; simply concentrate on completing the test to the best of your ability.

Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning Scores on GMAT

Both Quant and Verbal sections on GMAT are graded on a range of 6 to 51 and reported in 1 point increments; with 51 being the highest Quant/Verbal GMAT section score and 6, the lowest. The total GMAT score is calculated out of the raw scores obtained in only the quantitative and verbal reasoning sections.
However, as the GMAT scoring algorithm has not been publicly disclosed by GMAC, it is difficult to suggest if a 51 in either Quant or Verbal section and a less than 40 marks in the respective other section will ensure 700+ total marks on GMAT. You may refer to the following table to understand how the respective section scores compare on GMAT:

Thus, your total GMAT score will be 790 if

• You have a scaled score of 50 on both Verbal and Quant
• You have a scaled score of 51 on Verbal and 49 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 51 on Verbal and 51 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 51 on Verbal and 47 on Quant

Thus, your total GMAT score will be 780 if

• You have a scaled score of 50 on Verbal and 48 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 48 on Verbal and 50 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 50 on Verbal and 59 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 47 on Verbal and 51 on Quant

Thus, your total GMAT score will be 760 if

• You have a scaled score of 47 on Verbal and 48 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 48 on Verbal and 46 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 47 on Verbal and 49 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 46 on Verbal and 48 on Quant

Thus, your total GMAT score will be 740 if

• You have a scaled score of 39 on Verbal and 51 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 38 on Verbal and 51 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 40 on Verbal and 50 on Quant
• You have a scaled score of 48 on Verbal and 43 on Quant

Integrated Reasoning (IR) score on GMAT

The IR section on GMAT is scored on a range of 1 to 8 and reported in 1 point increment; with 8 being the highest score in the GMAT IR section and 1, the lowest. This section is not computer-adaptive, that is, the difficulty level of the next question does not depend on whether you answered the last question correctly or not. However, the GMAT IR section consists of questions with multiple parts to it. Ensure that you answer all parts of the question correctly for the question to be considered rightly answered.

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) score on GMAT

The AWA section on GMAT is scored on a range of 0 to 6 and reported in 0.5 point increment; with 6 being the highest GMAT AWA score and 0, the lowest. This is the only section on GMAT that is graded twice and by a human grader. Once an e-rater grades the section and once a human reader grades the section; the scores provided by both the ratings are averaged to arrive at the total GMAT AWA score. If the marks happen to deviate by 1 point, a second human reader grades the section.

What are GMAT percentiles?

The GMAT percentile rankings show you the proportion of students that you performed better than. Thus, the 99th GMAT percentile indicates that you performed better than 99% of the students who took GMAT with you. The GMAT score report typically indicates the percentile ranking for each section score and the total GMAT score.

The following table indicates the percentile rank for total GMAT score:
 

Source: mba.com

How to get the perfect 800 on GMAT?

You can get the perfect 800 on GMAT, or the maximum GMAT score if you score a 51 in both Quant and Verbal sections. However, it is difficult to suggest exactly how many questions you need to correctly answer to be able to score the perfect 800. GMAC sources its questions for GMAT from a vast pool of resources that ensures that none of the questions are repeated. Hence, use the best prep resources for GMAT, for instance online GMAT training or free GMAT mobile app, to prepare well for the GMAT test. Only 99% of the GMAT test-takers have reportedly scored the perfect 800 on GMAT; on the day of the exam, answer the questions with utmost concentration and to the best of your ability, you can surely score the perfect 800.

It is, nonetheless, not mandatory that the perfect 800 on GMAT will confirm your admission to top-ranked B-schools. The B-schools’ Admissions Committee consider your profile in entirety while selecting your application for admission. Your professional experience, your career goals, your GMAT score, your leadership experience, your passion for the industry or career goal that you project in your essays or at your interviews, etc., are all determining factors influencing the Admissions Committee’s decision in favour of your application. Thus the high percentile ranking will only help you stand apart from the crowd of applicants and enable your chances of admission to the top-ranked B-schools.

How important is my total GMAT score?

GMAT scores are a part of the process of application to MBA and Master programs. However, the GMAT score is only a part of the many factors that help the Admissions Committee shortlist candidates from the pool of applicants. The total GMAT score forms an important aspect of your application to only suggest your quantitative and analytical skills to the Admissions Committee. Besides, the average total GMAT scores of the last incoming batch of each school also form a crucial factor in determining the ranks of the B-schools. Hence, while it is recommended that you target a competitive GMAT score, usually in the range of 760 to 800, GMAT scores are not the only criteria determining your admission prospects to B-schools.

How important are my GMAT AWA and IR section scores?

A pertinent question may be the importance of the IR and the AWA section scores in influencing admission decisions as they do not contribute to the total GMAT score. The B-schools only declare their average GMAT score requirement and it is not possible to exactly assess the importance of the individual section scores, particularly AWA and IR section scores on GMAT. In actuality, the IR section has only been introduced in 2012 and hence, does not necessarily act as an analytical tool. However, the IR section has continued to gain in importance as suggested by the surveys conducted each year. According to the Kaplan Test Prep Survey, 2015, only 59% of the Admissions Committee officials for MBA programs confirmed assessing IR section competency while shortlisting applicants as against the report submitted by 41% of the same group of officials who had participated in the survey few years prior to the 2015 study.

At the same time, the Admissions Committee asks you to submit definite MBA essays as part of the MBA application. Thus, although they receive your AWA essays, the Admissions Committee prefers to assess your essay writing skills through essays composed in a justified environment and not in a controlled environment allowing only 30 minutes to read and comprehend information and draft an essay on the same. Nonetheless, if you are a non-native English speaker, the AWA section score will help to justify your competency in using the standard rules of the English language: the ability to produce strong, coherent passage in a limited time actually helps to determine your fluency in the language, acting as a positive enabler of your admission chances.

Therefore, although the IR and AWA section scores do not add to form the total GMAT scores, they should not be regarded as sections with the minimum importance. That the GMAT score card reports the total GMAT score as well as the individual section scores implies that the score obtained on each section of GMAT are equally important. Each GMAT section is designed to test particular skill-set of the test–taker. Thus, besides targeting a good or brilliant total GMAT score, you must also target a good or brilliant score in individual GMAT test sections because skewed GMAT score care will indicate your weakness in particular sections.

What is a good total GMAT score?

A good GMAT score is one that adequately confirms your quantitative, analytical, and verbal skills as competitive. That is to say that it is generally perceived that the higher the total GMAT score, the higher your skill set to analyse situations and effectively solve the same. Hence, if one is to consider the range of total GMAT score, the brilliant GMAT score will fall in the range of 760 – 800: only 99% students acquire this score; the good and respectable GMAT score will fall in the range of 700 – 750: about 88% to 98% students acquire this score. Scores below 600 are typically considered weak scores.

Your ideal GMAT prep routine should begin with a mock test to help you understand your present skill-set. Thus, take a free GMAT mock test to figure out your preliminary GMAT score and accordingly plan your GMAT routine.

What is the minimum total GMAT score requirement?

B-schools mostly provide the average GMAT score of their last enrolled batch; however few schools also state the minimum GMAT score requirement to be eligible for the MBA program, for instance, 600 is the minimum GMAT score requirement for NTU. Ideally, you must check the average GMAT score of the most recent batch for your program to determine the minimum GMAT score requirement; your target GMAT score should be actually be 30 grades higher than the stated average GMAT score.

The lowest GMAT score is 200 and only 10% of the test-takers score less than 400. Further, almost 44% of the test-takers scored less than the average GMAT score of 2018, 565. Hence, the lowest you can score in GMAT will be in the range of 200 – 400 and the minimum GMAT score requirement, in that context, will be between 500 and 600.

What is the average GMAT score?

The average GMAT scores gives you an idea of the ideal GMAT score that will give you the competitive advantage in your MBA application process. The total average GMAT score in 2018 was 563.43. The average GMAT score requirements of some of the world’s top-ranked programs, sorted according to geography, are provided below:

USA MBA Programs: Average GMAT Score

European MBA Programs: Average GMAT Score

Canadian MBA Programs: Average GMAT Score

Asian MBA Programs: Average GMAT Score

Indian MBA Programs: Average GMAT Score

Australian MBA Programs: Average GMAT Score

All the best!