GMAT Scores

GMAT Scores: Understanding the GMAT scoring system is an excellent way to prepare for taking the test. Each time a student takes the test, they receive four scores, one each for Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing Assessment, as well as one Total score. Total scores range between 200 and 800, with two-thirds of all students scoring between 400 and 600. The Verbal and Quantitative scores range between 0 and 60, with most scores somewhere between 10 and 40. When a student does not complete all questions in a given section, the score for that section is based on the number of questions they answered.

The scoring for the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)section is very different from the straightforward, multiple-choice Verbal and Quantitative sections. Both the Analysis of an Issue and the Analysis of an Argument sections are averaged to produce the overall AWA score, which ranges from 0 to 6. Each student's written responses on the AWA are read by an independent reader (usually a college faculty member) and an E-rater. The E-rater, a computerized system that checks over 50 structural and linguistic aspects of the essay, usually agrees with the independent reader. If they differ substantially, an expert reader resolves the conflict and issues the final score. The independent readers use the following criteria to evaluate the AWA responses:

• strength of argument in relation to the issue presented
• grammatical clarity
• relevance of supporting evidence
• organization and expression of ideas

Test-takers can receive all of their scores immediately after they complete the test. They can also have official score reports sent to their selected schools two weeks after the test date. Most schools do not accept scores from tests that happened more than five years before. One important point about scoring is that just because a student receives a certain score on the GMAT once, that does not mean they will score the same the next time they take the test. In fact, the second time a student takes the GMAT, they improve about 30 points on average. However, if they retake the test more than once, the improvement is typically much less significant.

While the GMAT is useful for business schools because it allows them to compare applicants in a standardized way, it is by no means the only factor in getting accepted to an MBA program. Interviews, grades, applications, and letters of recommendation go a long way in convincing admissions representatives the student is the right choice. That being said, a high score on the GMAT has become a virtual necessity to become accepted at a top business school. Average GMAT scores have risen substantially in the last decade as the number of applicants to business schools has snowballed. In order to get into a top ten school, students will most likely need to have a score that is at least close to 700, if not above.