What Is a Good GMAT Score? Everything You Need to Know

The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) is a computer adaptive test used primarily for admission to MBA programs. It is also accepted at some law schools and other graduate programs.

Admissions officers want to see GMAT scores because it tests important skills and because it’s difficult to compare the credentials of people who went to different colleges and had different experiences. But everyone takes the same GMAT.

GMAT scores are just one part of your application, but they’re a very important part. Check out typical scores at top programs, and you’ll see that admitted students tend to have very strong scores. But what’s a strong score? Read on to find out.

The GMAT has changed recently. It used to be more than three hours long, but the current version is 2 hours and 15 minutes. The old version had an essay, grammar questions, and geometry, but those are gone now. Also, the old GMAT combined logic and quantitative skills in a standalone Integrated Reasoning section, but that’s been updated and replaced with a Data Insights section that factors into your overall GMAT score.

For a while, both the longer version and the shorter version were available, and the shorter one was called the GMAT Focus. Now, only the shorter version is available. Moving forward, this one test will be known as the “GMAT Exam.”

Why the change? The test makers say the GMAT is a better test now because it focuses on the most important skills. That’s up for debate, but it’s clear that the changes will help some students and hurt others. If you aren’t strong with writing and grammar, the changes will help you, but people with strong writing skills might have done better under the old format and might do better on the GRE, which is also used for MBA admissions.

Let’s look at GMAT percentiles, which tell you what percentage of the population you outscored. For example, if your GMAT overall score is 555, that’s the 53rd percentile, meaning you did better than 53% of test takers.

Here are the percentiles associated with different GMAT scores:

Note that:

Your GMAT Quantitative Reasoning section will give you 21 questions and 45 minutes to answer them. The math you’ll need rarely goes beyond what you learned in high school, but the test is adaptive, and the hardest questions are extremely challenging.

Expect questions on algebra, arithmetic, and statistics. The tough questions don’t require a lot of calculations. Instead, they’re a test of your reasoning skills. Scores range from 60 to 90 in 1-point increments. Here are the percentiles:

Note that going from a 70 to an 80 increases your percentile from 14 to 66! Just a few extra correct answers can really help your score.

Your GMAT Quantitative Reasoning section will give you 23 questions and 45 minutes to answer them. You’ll see reading comprehension questions and critical reasoning questions. You’ll need to analyze complex texts, identify main ideas, and spot assumptions. Scores range from 60 to 90 in 1-point increments. Here are the percentiles:

Note that going from a 75 to an 80 increases your percentile from 19 to 60. Five more points brings your percentile to an awesome 96! This means that your score needs to be well over 75 to be competitive.

Your GMAT Data Insights section will give you 20 questions with 45 minutes to answer them. You’ll see questions on graphs, tables, and charts, as well as data sufficiency questions and others that test your logical reasoning ability. Scores range from 60 to 90 in 1-point increments. Here are the percentiles:

Note that going from a 70 to an 80 increases your percentile from 24 to 86! Very few people score below 70, and even fewer score above 80.

The following table shows the average GMAT scores for incoming students in 20 popular full-time MBA programs around the U.S.

Look up the average scores at your target programs to give you a sense of what it takes to be competitive. But if your scores are lower, you still could gain admission if you have other factors in your favor. MBA admissions isn’t just a numbers game. Grades, work experience, essays, and recommendations matter as well.

Finally, think about what’s a good score for you. What’s a reasonable goal? To find out, take a practice GMAT and consider different test preparation options to help you. Your score can be “good” if it’s close to the best you can do. To know what you can reach, you need expert advice, feedback on how you’re doing, and lots of practice.