The GMAT Scoring Scale
The Score Report
An official GMAT score report consists of five parts:
- Verbal Scaled Score (on a scale from 6 to 51)
- Quantitative Scaled Score (on a scale from 6 to 51)
- Total Scaled Score (on a scale from 200 to 800)
- Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) Score (on a scale from 0 to 6)
- Integrated Reasoning Score (on a scale from 1 to 8)
The total score is a scaled combination of the verbal and quantitative scaled scores and thus reflects a student’s overall performance on these sections. The AWA and the Integrated Reasoning sections are scored independently; scores for these sections do not affect the 200-800 scaled score.
The Verbal and Quantitative Sections
To compute the scaled score for the Verbal and Quantitative sections, GMAT uses an algorithm that takes the following factors into account:
- the number of questions answered within the time permitted
- the number of questions answered correctly
- the statistical characteristics (including level of difficulty) of the questions answered
At the beginning of each section, the GMAT presents a question in the middle range of difficulty. If the question is answered correctly, the next question will be harder and the test-taker’s score will adjust upwards. If the question is answered incorrectly, the next question will be easier, and the test-taker’s score will adjust downwards. (The test taker does not see this adjustment because the score is not revealed until the entire test has been completed.) Thus, the algorithm is constantly recalculating the scaled score as the student progresses through the section. As a test‑taker answers more questions, the algorithm receives more information about his or her skills and is able to calculate an accurate score with greater and greater precision.
Upon completing the GMAT, test-takers must decide whether or not to keep their scores. Those who choose to keep their scores are able to view the total scaled score along with the separate Verbal and Quantitative scaled scores. Those who choose to cancel cannot view any scores.
The real value of a GMAT score is determined by its percentile ranking. A percentile ranking indicates the percentage of test-takers who scored at or below a particular score: the higher the percentile ranking, the more competitive the score. Percentile rankings in the charts below reflect the most current data from the GMAC.
The following table shows the 61 possible GMAT total scaled scores and the percentile rankings assigned to each.
| Scaled Score | Percentile | Scaled Score | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 760-800 | 99 | 540 | 31 |
| 750 | 98 | 530 | 27 |
| 740 | 97 | 520 | 26 |
| 730 | 96 | 510 | 24 |
| 720 | 94 | 500 | 22 |
| 710 | 90 | 490 | 20 |
| 700 | 87 | 480 | 18 |
| 690 | 84 | 470 | 17 |
| 680 | 80 | 460 | 14 |
| 670 | 78 | 450 | 13 |
| 660 | 74 | 440 | 12 |
| 650 | 70 | 430 | 11 |
| 640 | 64 | 420 | 10 |
| 630 | 62 | 410 | 9 |
| 620 | 58 | 400 | 8 |
| 610 | 54 | 390 | 7 |
| 600 | 50 | 370-380 | 6 |
| 590 | 47 | 360 | 5 |
| 580 | 43 | 340-350 | 4 |
| 570 | 40 | 310-330 | 3 |
| 560 | 37 | 260-300 | 2 |
| 550 | 34 | 220-250 | 1 |
| 220-240 | 0 |
While total scaled scores range from 200 to 800, approximately half of all test takers score between 400 and 600.
The verbal and quantitative scaled scores are also assigned percentile rankings. The following table shows the possible verbal and quantitative scaled scores and the percentile rankings assigned to each.
| Verbal | Quantitative | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Scaled Score | Percentile | Scaled Score | Percentile |
| 45-51 | 99 | 51 | 97 |
| 43-44 | 98 | 50 | 87 |
| 42 | 96 | 49 | 73 |
| 41 | 93 | 48 | 65 |
| 40 | 90 | 47 | 57 |
| 39 | 88 | 46 | 53 |
| 38 | 84 | 45 | 50 |
| 37 | 81 | 44 | 44 |
| 36 | 79 | 43 | 41 |
| 35 | 74 | 42 | 36 |
| 34 | 69 | 41 | 34 |
| 33 | 67 | 40 | 32 |
| 32 | 64 | 39 | 28 |
| 31 | 59 | 38 | 27 |
| 30 | 56 | 37 | 25 |
| 29 | 54 | 36 | 22 |
| 28 | 49 | 35 | 20 |
| 27 | 44 | 34 | 19 |
| 26 | 41 | 33 | 17 |
| 25 | 37 | 32 | 15 |
| 24 | 34 | 31 | 14 |
| 23 | 30 | 30 | 13 |
| 22 | 28 | 28-29 | 11 |
| 21 | 24 | 27 | 9 |
| 20 | 21 | 26 | 8 |
| 19 | 17 | 24-25 | 7 |
| 18 | 16 | 23 | 6 |
| 17 | 13 | 21-22 | 5 |
| 16 | 11 | 18-20 | 4 |
| 15 | 9 | 15-17 | 3 |
| 14 | 8 | 12-14 | 2 |
| 13 | 6 | 7-11 | 1 |
| 12 | 4 | 7-10 | 0 |
| 11 | 3 | ||
| 9-10 | 2 | ||
| 7-8-6 | 1 | ||
The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
The AWA essay receives two scores on a scale of 0 to 6, at least one of which comes from a human reader. The other score, however, may come from a computerized evaluation program. If the scores from the two readers are identical or differ by exactly one point, they are averaged to obtain the final score for that essay. If the scores differ by more than one point, an expert human reader determines the final score.
The following table lists all of the possible AWA scaled scores and the percentile rankings assigned to each of them.
| AWA Score | Percentile |
|---|---|
| 6 | 87 |
| 5.5 | 82 |
| 5.0 | 56 |
| 4.5 | 49 |
| 4.0 | 18 |
| 3.5 | 13 |
| 3.0 | 4 |
| 2.5 | 3 |
| 0.5-2 | 1 |
| 0 | 0 |
Over 90% of test-takers receive a scaled score of 3 or higher on the AWA. Since human readers are involved in the AWA grading process, students cannot view their AWA scores on the same day that they take the test. Students who accept their scores receive an official GMAT score report approximately two weeks later that includes their AWA score.
Integrated Reasoning
The Integrated Reasoning section is scored on a scale of 1 to 8, in one-point increments. This section is not computer adaptive. Test takers are able to view their Integrated Reasoning score—along with their Verbal, Quantitative, and overall scaled scores—before deciding whether to accept or cancel those scores.
| Score | Percentile |
|---|---|
| 8 | 90 |
| 7 | 79 |
| 6 | 64 |
| 5 | 47 |
| 4 | 31 |
| 3 | 17 |
| 2 | 10 |
| 1 | 0 |