What’s a good GMAT score?

Are you thinking of pursuing an MBA? You may be required to take the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test), which is part of the admission process to many business and management schools in the world, including top ones in the US.

While the pandemic has meant that some business schools are making the GMAT optional, some schools still recommend that candidates submit their results to demonstrate academic preparedness.

GMAT is a computer-adaptive test that serves as a standard measurement tool graduate business schools use to predict students’ chances of success. A GMAT score ranges from 200 to 800 — with 200 being the lowest score, and 800 the highest.

Test takers’ score is valid for five years after the test date. Those who want to bolster their chances of securing a spot at a business school will want to aim for the highest score possible when sitting the test. However, what exactly does a “good” score entail?

There’s no clear cut answer as to what constitutes a good GMAT score

What a “good score” entails largely depends on the business schools you’re gunning for. Aspiring MBA students can find the average GMAT scores on some university websites, which will give them a good idea of what score they should strive for.

According to GMAC, here is the average GMAT score based on 695,794 test-takers between the period of January 2017 to December 2019 is 564.84.

Kaplan takes it a step further by breaking down the scores and notes the following:

• Scoring between 710 and 800 will put you in the top 10% of all test takers
• Scoring between 650 and 700 will put you in a highly competitive place in admissions, or in the top 25 percent of all test takers
• Scoring between 550 and 640 can put you ahead of the pack (50% +), but it won’t be as advantageous for students applying to highly competitive programmes
• Scores below 550 may be enough for students to get into a variety of college programmes, but these scores are below average compared to the testing population

Ultimately, there’s no clear cut answer as to what constitutes a good GMAT score; business schools have different average GMAT scores, with some being more selective than others, so it helps to check what each schools’ requirement or average scores are to serve as a benchmark.

For example, in speaking about its Class of 2022 profile, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania — one of the best business schools in the US — notes on its website: “There is no minimum GMAT or GRE score requirement to apply to the Wharton MBA programme, and we don’t have a preference for one test over another. For the Wharton MBA class of 2022, the average GMAT score is 722.”

A score of 700 and above could help you get into a top business school, but a lower GMAT score might be acceptable if you’re planning to pursue your MBA at a lower rank school.