You will receive four scores on the GMAT:

An overall score, ranging from 200 to 800.
A math subscore, ranging from 0 to 60.
A verbal subscore, ranging from 0 to 60.
A score for the Analytical Writing Assessment, ranging from 0 to 6.

Your GMAT score is valid for five years.

Percentile Rank

Each of the aforementioned scores are accompanied by a percentile rank. The percentile rank highlights what proportion of test takers scored lower than you on the test. The higher the percentile rank, the better you did. For example, if you received a percentile rank of 56, you did better than 56 percent of test takers. This number tells business schools exactly where you fell with respect to other candidates who took the GMAT.

The Essay

Each essay is given a separate grade on a 0-6 scale by two different graders - a human and a computer named the "e-rater." These grades are assigned holistically, taking into account all aspects of content, writing style, and grammar.

If the two grades for an essay agree, that score will be assigned. If the two scores are markedly different, then a third scorer, a person, will read the essay to determine its grade. In addition, business schools may receive copies of your typewritten essays.

What's a "good" GMAT Score?

What you consider a "good" score really depends on your own expectations and goals. The median GMAT score is somewhere around 500, but you need a score of at least 600 to be considered competitive by the top business schools. According to the latest U.S. News and World Report guide to graduate schools, the average GMAT scores of the top business schools in the country--such as Stanford, Sloan (MIT), Kellogg (Northwestern), and Wharton (Penn)--are around 670. This translates to a percentile figure of 94 and up! A lot of information about average test scores at different schools is available, so do some research and see if your scores are at least in the ball-park for schools you'd like to attend.

More Information

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