When taking the GMAT it is very important to set targets so that you have a goal to work towards and design a study plan that revolves around the aim of achieving your dream score. For setting up such targets you should have thorough knowledge of the GMAT scores. Read this article to learn more about how the GMAT is scored, how to set your GMAT target score and what is your GMAT score validity.
Before we begin to understand how to set GMAT target scores, let us understand how the GMAT is scored.
Understanding How the GMAT is Scored and for How Long is it Valid
The GMAT exam is scored on a scale of 200 to 800 with 200 being the lowest and 800 the highest possible score a test taker can achieve. However, the aforementioned score ranges are outliers and extreme situations. Whatever score you achieve within the range of 200-800 are further converted to percentiles, therefore, if you score an 800 you are in the 99th percentile which means you’ve scored more than 99 percent of the test takers. The average GMAT score, currently, is 565 which is around the 40th percentile. Hence, this is where most test takers find themselves. To have a good GMAT score you need to ensure you score above the average GMAT score prevailing during the year.
To understand how to increase your score and score above average, it is essential to look at the break up of scores of each section of the GMAT, to see where you can increase your performance.
| GMAT Section | Score Range | Average Scores | How Is It Scored? |
| Analytical Writing Assessment | 0-6 with 0.5 increment | 4.45 | Average scores assigned by two evaluators |
| Integrated Reasoning | 1-8 with 1 point increment | 4.51 | Number of answers you get correct out of 12 MCQs |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 6-51 with 1 point increment | 40.38 | Quality* and Quantity of answers you get correct |
| Verbal Reasoning | 6-51 with 1 point increment | 27.11 | Quality* and Quantity of answers you get correct |
*Quality of scores in the above table refers to the difficulty level at which you answer questions correctly.
Since the integrated reasoning section and the analytical reasoning section are scored separately, we will not consider these scores for now and will look at the quant and verbal reasoning to see how you can improve your raw scores which contribute largely to your overall GMAT score.
From the above-mentioned table, it is visible that you need to score above 40 on the quantitative reasoning section and over 27 on the verbal reasoning section to increase your scores above the average score. Once you increase your raw scores on these two sections, you will see a significant improvement on your overall GMAT score. Your GMAT score validity is for a period of 5 years from the day you receive your score report.
How to Set Your Target GMAT Score?
To set your target GMAT scores, you need information regarding the average GMAT score that the university reports of the incoming class of the particular programme you’re interested in and the minimum score required as stated by the university. Once you have these two sets of information, you can analyse the average GMAT score that the university considers to be strong enough to further consider your application to the programme. Hence, you should aim to score above that average to increase your chances and gain a competitive advantage.
It is essential to remember that although GMAT scores are a good way of depicting your ability to cope with the demands of the programme, they are not the ultimate deciding factor. In addition to your GMAT scores, you should focus on gaining work experience, writing a good SOP and demonstrating strong leadership and communication skills.
Now that we have informed you about how the GMAT is scored, what is its validity and how to set your target GMAT scores, you’re better positioned to prepare for your GMAT exam.
