GMAT Scores - Everything You Wanted to Know About GMAT Scores and Score Reports
Average gmat score, canceling gmat scores, reporting to schools, strategies and fallacies with score reports

Let's make this the Ultimate GMAT Score/GMAT Score Report Resource - please suggest/recommend any other resources/information to add - your input will be very much appreciated.

GMAT Scores Overview:
	Total	Quant	Verbal	AWA
Min	200	0	0	0
50th Percentile	540	37	28	4.5
Max	800	51*	51*	6.0
Percentile Distribution	Attachment: Total.pdf [39.57 KiB] Downloaded 1252 times	Attachment: Quant.pdf [39.26 KiB] Downloaded 1277 times	Attachment: Verbal.pdf [38.15 KiB] Downloaded 1043 times	Attachment: AWA.pdf [37.2 KiB] Downloaded 405 times

*Technically the highest score on Quantitative and Verbal sections is 60, but nobody has ever scored more than 51, and therefore 51 is the highest possible.


How and When do you find out your GMAT scores?
Your Total GMAT score will be displayed at the end of your test (You will be given an option to cancel your score before it is displayed, not after). You will also receive a printout with your scores and percentiles at the test center (unofficial score report). Your AWA score will not be available for up to 20 days. You can receive your official scores by mail or electronically. The electronic option is faster and more convenient.


What is the relationship between Section (Raw) Scores and GMAT Score?



How to report/send GMAT score reports to schools?
At the beginning of the test, you will be given an option to send your score reports to up to 5 schools. It takes 20 days after the test for the reports to reach the schools. This service is included in the $250 test fee. You can request to send reports to additional schools, and that can be done here. Note that it will cost you $28 per report/school. Additional reports take 7 days to reach schools after the date the scores are reportable. (This means that even if you order reports the day after you take the test, they will only reach schools 27 days after the test date). You can access your GMAT Score Reports online here.


What information appears on my GMAT Score report?
Test-taker's copy of the score report (electronic or paper) will contain your demographics information, self-reported GPA and undergrad information, list of up to 5 schools you sent your scores to (this is visible only to you) and 5 of the last gmat scores taken in the past 5 years. Here is a sample of the latest score report. Note that even if you cancel your score (more about that later), a record will still appear on your report indicating the date of the test taken and a canceled score.


What information is available to business schools on GMAT Score reports?
This is a very interesting part that many test takers do not realize - the score report sent to schools is very different from what you receive.
In addition to all of the information available to you (except list of schools score reports were sent to), Admissions Committee will also receive:

• Your entire GMAT History for the past 5 years (not just the last 5 GMAT scores as appear on the test-taker's report). Some people have been "hiding" poor scores by taking gmat over and over and GMAC has changed their rules as the result. The cut off period is still 5 years.
• Your full AWA essays - make sure you are actually writing something intelligent. If your admissions essays ever become a question, they may be compared to your AWA essays to determine legitimacy.

What are the average GMAT Scores at various business schools? How competitive is GMAT Score?
US Top 50 MBA Programs
Global Top 20 MBA Programs



I can cancel a GMAT Score? Great!
Not really. You do have an option at the end of the test to cancel your test score - it appears before your gmat score is displayed. If you cancel, your GMAT score will never be displayed and will be deleted without any way to recover it. Once you move past that screen and actually see your GMAT score, you will not be able to cancel the score. The main reason for this feature is to allow for extra ordinary circumstance (you got into a car accident on the way to the test center or had a nervous breakdown or really did not do well). However, it is never a good idea to cancel your GMAT score and here is why:

• Most/all schools only take into consideration the highest gmat score
• It is impossible to predict your performance based on your impression of the test. Technically, you should be challenged with every question, but experimental questions and varying question difficulty make it very hard to gauge your performance. I felt I did not do so well on my GMAT but ended up with 750m, which was way beyond expectations
• Getting an official score is very useful since it is the only "true" measurement of your performance, no matter how bad it may be.
• Thinking that canceling a score is an option may prevent you from putting 100% of the effort - do not give up under any circumstances - fight for every question and every point - that's the only way to approach GMAT and canceling a score is not an option!

What is the best way to estimate my GMAT score?
- GMAT Prep - GMAC's official practice test software (free) includes 2 GMAT tests with retired GMAT questions. It is by far the most reliable and effective way to estimate your GMAT score. It only comes with 2 tests, but the software can be reinstalled and since the question bank is large enough, you can actually take 4 tests without seeing many repeats. More about that here: gmatprep-gmat-prep-powerprep-power-prep-free-tests-77548.html
- GMAT Score Estimator/Calculator - you can use multiple test parameters to estimate your final GMAT performance. The estimator works based on 400+ test taker results.


GMAT Score Report Fallacies & Myths
There are several GMAT Reporting fallacies worth mentioning - let me know if you know others or disagree. Most of the trickery does not add any value but only wastes money.
1. Some will not send their score reports to schools until they are actually satisfied with their GMAT Score, so applicants would not request any reports at the test but only after they have seen the score. Though logical, this is not recommended. With the cost of $28 per score report, you are wasting anything between $28 and $140. Schools only use the highest of gmat scores. One way or another they will see that 450, if that's what you are concerned with.
2. Applicants who are somewhat happy with scores (600-700) but want to retake (usually for 700+), will actually order a report to send to a school before retaking, just in case they score lower on the retake (which is somewhat common unfortunately). Again, most of the time it just wastes money. Schools don't care if you score less on the second attempt. Pathfinder is a good example - he got into Wharton with 720 (first GMAT score) and 690 (retake) on his score report.

Perfect. Thanks - like always!

Great post. Would have saved me lots of research/time if it would have been posted months ago.

I have some free time on my hands before I start work and plan to take the GMAT. To utilize the 5 free scores, I would have to send them when I plan to take the test (in about a month). I don't plan on applying to B Schools for at least 3-4 years.

How early is too early to send scores? Will they just open a file for me upon receiving them and wait for the rest of the application?

There is not such thing as too early as long as you are within the valid score window. If the school thinks it wants you, you'll begin receiving thing in the mail from the school advising you to apply, otherwise your score sits dormant waiting for your application.

I always thought that you had to send your scores the year of application (I may be wrong) but I would bet you can't let your scores sit for 3-4 years. My understanding is that schools clear their physical and electronic files each year.

That may be true, but your score is valid for 5 years. If the school claims it does not have your score, you can contact the GMAC and the person you speak to can check the submission file to ensure your score was submitted to said school. (I had to do this once when a school claimed it did not receive my score)

http://www.mba.com/mba/thegmat

thank you!

Is there a point for me to send a score to a school that I have not decided to apply for? I have a similar dilemma. I don't expect to apply for B-school for at least 3 years, but am taking the GMAT in a few months. Should I send my score to schools that I *anticipate* applying for or just leave it for later?

I'm thinking that the best course of action is to send some of my scores to schools that I would consider but are not my dream schools - and during the actual process re-submit to the ones I apply for at $28 a pop. This gives me a bit of a buffer in case things don't turn out really well on test day.

Can anyone provide some more information on their experiences with this, if they've gone through the same? I wonder if schools would start sending solicitations if the score you submitted was very high.

Thanks for the help!

There is a limited window for the "free" submission of scores. You should take advantage of this as even if the schools clear their records, you can request the GMAC re-submit your score to the school (you're already paid for the school to have that score, you don't have to pay for it again).

No matter what, when you apply the school will receive ALL your scores. The schools can also "see" score cancellations. There is no real buffer the way you have it defined above. The only thing you're doing is donating more money to the GMAC by giving the group $28 per score submission three years from now.

Use your five schools when you take the GMAT. The schools won't look at your score UNLESS the school REALLY wants you to apply. If said school really wants you to apply, you'll start receiving stuff through the mail from the school. Otherwise, the score just sits in the submission file waiting to be tacked to an app.

Good post. I like the Score rubric. Pretty helpful. Saved me a lot of time. Thanks. you guys are just great.

I just gave Kaplan CAT and got 52 on my Math score. Is it possible?

1. Congratulations!!! 52 on Kaplan is very impressive
2. No, on the real GMAT 52 is not possible

awesome..

i like raw score to scale score conversion .

I have been looking for that chart for a long time!!! THANKS!!!

Btw, I heard that up to 1/4 of the test questions may be experimental. Is that so? If no, then approximately what percent is experimental?

You're welcome!
That sounds right. I've heard numbers between \frac{1}{4} and \frac{1}{3}, which means that if you see an out-of-place question on the test (extra easy or extra hard), it is most likely experimental. There is no way to know which questions count and which don't, and it is best not to think about this - just take it one question at a time.

For the 5 free score reporting, what information of the school/program should I know upfront before the test day? would there be any program number or school number that I need to carry to the test center instead of fiddling to find the schools of my interest on the test day before the test ?

Thanks in advance, Srinvas

You'll have a list of schools by name, so as long as you know the names of the 5 schools you want, you should not need anything else.
If you don't, you can randomly pick them

I took my GMAT last Saturday and received my electronic score report today (Thursday). Will it still take 15 more days for the schools to receive them?

If you had an AWA score with your report (which I assume you did), then the schools already have it (sent electronically), though it may take a few days for the schools to process it.