GMAT composite score

Question

Why does the GMAT total score vary each year? Also it seems to be getting lower. I noticed a 47Q 35V is now around 670 compared to a few years ago where it was 690. Isnt that an issue that GMAT should at least explain? Also I noticed the online gmat is giving different scores as well. Same exact breakdown but the on test center was 20 points higher. I feel like that doesnt make it easy to compare for schools? Please can someone explain this phenomenon? Also, will schools notice the same quant and verbal breakdowns or just look at total score?

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Ibhade151,

The Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores you receive on the Official GMAT are 'rounded' off to the nearest integer for YOU to see. The calculation that determines your overall Score has the actual Q and V values though (which are often non-integers). Thus, the overall Score can vary a little depending on those actual values. For example....

a Q46.5/V34.5 might earn you a 670 whereas 
a Q47.4/V35.4 might earn you a 690 
- even though both results would appear on an ESR as Q47/V35).

Business School Admissions Officers consider lots of different factors when considering who to invite to attend their respective Programs - and they're fairly well-versed in what GMAT Score data "means." Considering all of the additional non-GMAT related information that contributes to your profile, the type of overall Score variations that you are concerned about will likely not impact your applications much (if at all).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

GMATinsight · Answer

If I take a few years ≈ 5 years then even then 49/35 resulted in 700 which is true even today

The percentile for same scaled score keeps changing though because GMAC considers past 3 years test-taker data for calculating percentiles.

However, I as a test taker wouldn't worry about what scaled score convert in what score because that's hardly in test taker's control. All the test taker must focus on is getting every present problem correct within time.

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi  Ibhade151 ,

The variation you see is normal.

1. The GMAT generates a score at the end of both the quantitative and verbal sections. These scores are on a continuous scale.
2. These scores are mapped onto an internal scale. Let's call these scores "internal scores".
3. These internal scores are combined to arrive at a total (internal) score.
4. All these scores are then converted to the scaled scores that are exposed to the test taker (6 to 51 for quant and verbal, and 200-800 for the total).

The internal scales are slightly more accurate than the ones exposed to you.  For example, let's say two people got a Q49 each. Now, a Q49 could indicate a performance level anywhere between 74% and 85% (Q50 is 85%), so it's entirely possible that one of them got a "low" Q49 and the other got a "high" Q49. This is the reason that you don't always see the same total for the same score combinations.

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