Average GMAT Score and Scores for Top MBA Programs

By

Jane Nam

and

Bennett Leckrone

Updated on January 23, 2025

Edited by

Lyss Welding

• Fact-checked by Marley Rose

Learn more about our editorial process

The average GMAT score was 654 in 2023, but you may need at least a 720 for some top MBA programs.

Credit: Image Credit: Dimensions / E+ / Getty Images

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a standardized exam used by over 6,000 institutions to evaluate test takers’ readiness for graduate schools in business. This includes master of business administration (MBA) programs, business master’s, and others.

Most schools accept GMAT and Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores. Competitive test scores could increase your chances of admission to graduate school and likelihood of receiving scholarships and job opportunities.

Keep reading to learn more about average GMAT scores, score percentiles, and whether the GMAT or GRE is best for you.

Average GMAT Score in the U.S.

The average GMAT score in the U.S. has increased considerably in the past five years, jumping by 38 points from 2019 to 2023.

• In 2023, the national average score was a record 654.^{Note Reference [1]} In 2019, it was 616.^{Note Reference [1]}
• In 2023, 77.7% of students sent their GMAT scores to MBA programs, 17.7% to business master’s programs, and 4.6% to others.1^{Note Reference [1]}
• From 2019-2023, applicants averaged just over 26 years old.^{Note Reference [1]}

Average GMAT Scores by School

If you’re considering an MBA program, you might want to compare your GMAT score to the institution’s average. The average scores at more competitive schools are often higher than the national average.

Average GMAT Scores for Top MBA Programs

The most selective schools in the country have average GMAT scores above the 90th percentile. It is worth noting, however, that these are just the averages, and plenty of applicants score below or above the average for each school.

Average GMAT Scores for Other Popular MBA Programs

Other popular MBA programs also require applicants to earn competitive scores. The table below shows the average scores for each school.

A Changing GMAT

The business school admissions landscape is changing, and the GMAT is changing with it.

The revamped GMAT Focus Edition became the only available version of the admissions test earlier this year after the GMAC sunsetted the traditional GMAT.

“I believe that we have achieved what we set out to do at the inception of the redesign more than two years ago, allowing business school aspirants to best demonstrate their capabilities in the most relevant and in-demand skillsets like critical thinking and data intelligence,” GMAC CEO Joy Jones said in a previous release.

The Focus Edition has a number of features aimed at being more accessible to students: It’s almost an hour shorter than its predecessor, featuring three 45-minute sections and no longer including an analytical writing section.

Those three sections are:

• Quantitative reasoning
• Verbal reasoning
• Data insights — a new section focused on interpreting and applying data.

“The redesign makes the exam more focused, more accessible, and less daunting,” Rodrigo Malta, managing director of MBA recruitment and admissions at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business, said in an early 2024 GMAC release. “But more focused doesn’t mean easier or less valuable. It just means smarter.”

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE), another popular standardized test, underwent similar changes. The new GRE format takes only two hours instead of four.

Those changes to the GMAT and GRE come as a growing number of business schools drop standardized tests as a requirement for admissions. The University of New Mexico earlier this year announced it would no longer require the GMAT or GRE for its executive MBA program, joining several similar programs that have gone test-optional.

“Removing the exam as a requirement rewards that experience,” A University of New Mexico press release read.

Washington University in St. Louis’s new Flex MBA program, offered by its Olin Business School, likewise does not require the GMAT or GRE.

While test-optional policies are on the rise, many schools still require the GMAT for admissions. Many others allow or even encourage students to submit the standardized test, even though they don’t require it. The GMAT is accepted at more than 7,700 programs worldwide, according to the GMAC.

Some business schools even require supplemental materials in addition to the GMAT Focus Edition. Harvard Business School, one of the country’s top business programs, announced it would require a writing assessment in addition to the test.

“Writing is an essential component of the MBA program,” the Harvard Business School website reads.

“Therefore, to be admitted to HBS all students must have an official writing assessment. You can satisfy this with a valid GRE, GMAT (10th Edition), or English language test score. If you only submitted the GMAT Focus, which lacks a writing section, HBS will contact you at the interview stage about taking the separate GMAC Business Writing Assessment (to be released July 2024).”

The GMAC’s Business Writing Assessment, which debuted in 2024 after the GMAT Focus Edition launched, allows test takers 30 minutes to analyze an argument.

Although more schools are becoming test-optional, many are reporting high GMAT scores in their 2026 MBA classes. Olin reported a record-setting GMAT score and a 10-year high GRE score for its 2026 MBA class.

GMAT Score Percentiles

In the newest GMAT, you must score 655 or above to be in the top 10% of test takers. In the previous edition, a score of 700 put you in the top 14%. This change shows that it’s harder to achieve a top score with the updated version.

How Many People Take the GMAT?

In 2023, there were around 74,810 unique GMAT test takers.^{Note Reference [1]} The number of test takers and tests taken have decreased considerably in the past five years.

• Globally, there were nearly 150,244 test takers in 2019, marking a -50.2% change in those taking the exam.^{Note Reference [1]}
• In the U.S., the number of tests taken has decreased by nearly 52% from 2019 to 2023, going from roughly 225,621 tests taken to fewer than 110,000.^{Note Reference [1]}

In 2019, women accounted for 38% of GMAT exams taken in the U.S., a percentage that decreased to 36% by 2023. These figures fall below the global average of 44% for all countries.

When it comes to the countries with the most GMAT exams taken by women, the U.S. is third to China and India.

Should You Take the GMAT or GRE?

Most full-time MBA programs require applicants to submit either GMAT or GRE scores. While schools state that they do not prefer one over the other, the majority of accepted applicants at some of the most selective business schools took the GMAT over the GRE.

• Among Harvard Business School’s class of 2026, 63% of students submitted the GMAT, in contrast to 41% for the GRE.^[5]
• For the University of Chicago’s Booth, 56% submitted their GMAT scores, and 38%, their GRE scores.^[6]
• At Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, 58% submitted GMAT scores, and 42%, their GRE scores.^[7]

While the GMAT and GRE overlap somewhat, they have key differences, such as the scoring scale and exam sections.

The GMAT and GRE both cover analytical writing, quantitative reasoning, and verbal reasoning, but the GMAT has an additional section called integrated reasoning.

The GMAT is also known to have a more challenging quantitative section with harder math questions. The GRE tends to have a harder verbal reasoning section with more challenging vocabulary.

The GRE is more commonly required for graduate programs in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, social work, and education.

Frequently Asked Questions About the GMAT

How long is the GMAT?

The GMAT is two hours and 15 minutes long, with just 3 sections and no writing assessment.^[8] The GRE is similar in length, taking a total of one hour and 58 minutes to complete.^[9]

What is the highest GMAT score?

The GMAT is scored on a scale from 205-805.2 The GRE, in contrast, is scored from 130-170.^{Note Reference [9]}

How many questions are on the GMAT?

In total there are 64 questions on the GMAT.8 This includes a 54-minute quantitative reasoning section with 21 questions, a 45-minute verbal reasoning section with 23 questions, and a 45-minute new data insights section with 20 questions.^{Note Reference [8]}

The new data insights section is designed to evaluate a candidate’s skill in analyzing data and applying it to real-world scenarios. For instance, candidates may be tasked with evaluating various types of information and determining how they relate to one another.^{Note Reference [8]}

Sources

1. GMAT Geographic Trend Report: Testing Year 2023. Graduate Management Admission Council. November 2024. (PDF)
2. Understanding Your Score. Graduate Management Admission Council. 2002-2024.
3. GMAT History. Graduate Management Admission Council. Accessed December 2024.
4. GMAT Focus Edition Sets to Deliver Test, Pathway to In-Demand Skills, B Schools and Career. GMAC Press Release. Graduate Management Admission Council. August 2023.
5. Class of 2025 Profile. Harvard Business School Admissions. Accessed October 2023.
6. Chicago Booth Full-Time MBA Class of 2025 Profile. 2004-2023.
7. MBA Entering Class Profile. Stanford Graduate School of Business. Accessed October 2023.
8. Exam Structure, Content & Features. GMAC. Accessed December 2024.
9. Interpreting Your GRE Scores: 2024-25. Educational Testing Service. Accessed December 2024.