Percentile distribution of 760+ scores

Question

Hi all,

I took the GMAT today and scored a 780 (Q49, V51). I'm curious about two things:

1. Do we have any data on what percentile the individual scores above 760 are? I know that anything 760+ is 99th %, but I struggled to find any more precise data than that.

2. Same question for verbal score of 51. Anything 45+ is 99th %, but again, there's no data beyond that. I'd imagine each incremental point is exponentially less common, due to the nature of these sorts of data distributions, but I have nothing to base that on besides speculation.

Would appreciate any insight!

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  curiousgeorge13 . First of all, congratulations on a fine score. I hope you will take the time to post a debrief, since exceptionally high-scoring candidates have a lot to share that I am sure the community would find of interest. As for your questions,

1. GMAC™ keeps certain test-taker data under lock and key. Some of this information is restricted, such that only "Registered Users from GMAT Accepting  sic ] Schools" can gain access to the data, but other information is just withheld. I cannot turn up any more precise percentile information than you can probably find through a simple Google search.

2. I wonder, for what purpose do you wish to know this inter-percentile number? I know there are plenty of people in the high-IQ realm who obsess over the number of 9's after the decimal in their scores (e.g., the 99th percentile, or MENSA plus a bit, versus the 99.9th percentile, or Triple Nine Society standards). Some of these people come across as elitist. That is, few people care to hear about their extraordinary abilities besides others who might share similar fixations or abilities. And yet I can see the value for high-IQ individuals to seek out the company of other highly intelligent people when they might feel out of place or different from those around them. I have no idea what your intentions may be, but I hope they may be based more in curiosity than in ego.

To be clear, I do not have an answer for either point. I will say, however, that it might be presumptuous to assume that  each incremental point is exponentially less common . Perhaps in the year 2019, no one is able to earn a V46 or V47, but gaps may form instead within a certain score range. I have also seen data from other tests--again, not the GMAT™--that show that more test-takers earn a perfect score than a near-perfect score in certain measures. Higher scores are not as atypical as they used to be, given the plethora of test-specific information that is floating about online, as well as the many high-quality online learning modules and more traditional brick-and-mortar tutoring centers that staff GMAT™ experts.

Please understand, I am not trying to downplay your achievement.  Your score is fantastic, and if your MBA does not work out, then I am sure you could join the ranks of just about any GMAT™ tutoring business... assuming you are not in the industry already. I just hope that, given the fact that you posted little more than your scores in the forum, you might provide the community some insight into how you got to where you are now, since your very post within the forum suggests that GMAT Club may have played some part in your success.

I wish you all the best, and if you do write a debrief, I will be one curious reader. Again, well done.

- Andrew

bb · Answer

Thank you for a very thorough reply@manyorturoring.

I have never seen any official information that goes into any kind of granularity into percentiles. I have never seen a person tile with a decimal related to the GMAT.

I’m sure we could analyze every single score submitted on the GMAT Club to see the distribution but why?

The top MBA programs will not be impressed with any score. They said plenty of 760+ and they equally reject any score it seems. The top 10 admit decision will not be influenced by a score. It will be a pretty rare situation and two applicants have to be really similar and close, and as you know everyone’s unique just like everyone else

. If anything, I see a lot of 730s getting into the lakes of Harvard and Stanford.

Posted from my mobile device

. If anything, I see a lot of 730s getting into the lakes of Harvard and Stanford. Posted from my mobile device

curiousgeorge13 · Answer

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. My posting was driven principally by curiosity, as my moniker might suggest, but there is likely some amount of egotism within my curiosity as well. It is difficult to separate the two.

I had studied for the GRE and taken it, scoring a 338 (170 Q, 168 V). I decided it might be reasonably achievable to transfer some of those recently learned GRE skills to the GMAT in case business schools have some sort of bias (admissions- or scholarship-related) or in case consulting firms ascribe more value to a high GMAT score than a high GRE score (I've heard, for instance, that consulting firms value the Integrated Reasoning score of the GMAT, which of course the GRE lacks).

My study process lasted about 6 weeks. I used Manhattan Prep's GMAT Interact and worked through their course syllabus at my own pace. This involved, among other things, doing several hundred problems in the Official Guide. I took five practice tests on MBA's website: 760, 770, 760, 760, 770. Quant scores bounced between 47 and 50, while verbal scores bounced between 44 and 48 (each time I scored a 48 constituted one sole error). I also used the Advanced Official Guide from GMAC to get used to the difficulty of the most difficult questions.

My test day experience was interesting. I opted for Verbal and Quant first, which was the order I had used for my practice tests. I felt good about every verbal question, and I largely felt that they were easier than the Advanced OG's questions. I finished with about three minutes to spare. The quant was much less hospitable to me, and I ended up burning valuable time on a few questions that I was too stubborn to let go. I ended up immediately guessing on one question toward the end just to make sure that I finished on time.

IR was fine, although I spent about five minutes on one of the questions (which I believe I ended up getting wrong anyway based on my ESR), so that was a poor decision. I did still get an 8.

The Analytical Writing went well. I had scored a 6 on the GRE's Analytical Writing, so this seemed achievable. I'm still waiting on that score. I wrote about seven paragraphs.

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Congratulations on getting a stellar score. V51 is extremely, extremely rare and a super achievement. Thanks for the insightful debrief. I am a non-native speaker. Could you please share some more points on how to reach a V42+ score? I am currently around V33. You said you had 3 minutes to spare in Verbal. My problem is timing/speed. I take lots of time in reading the dense paragraphs and comprehend them.

Congrats again and all the best for your admissions.

bb · Answer

Again congratulations on a fantastic score. It will definitely catch an eye of a couple consulting recruiters and could be something You could leverage in the worst case scenario in case you need to tutor on the side.

I have heard recently though, that fewer recruiters I’m looking for GMAT scores these days or select candidates based on that metric. I’m not sure what was the contributing factor. It could’ve been a tightening labor market or a switch in the consulting industry towards client readiness, where the first impression is more important then once standardized test scores.

PS. I would definitely put your score on your resume. I did that for mine

Posted from my mobile device

AnirudhaS · Answer

Nice one. I am going to use this line from now. Thanks!

AndrewN · Answer

Thank you,  curiousgeorge13 . I appreciate the debrief and honesty in your response. (It is perfectly understandable to be somewhat proud of an achievement.) It looks as though you have your bases covered with standardized tests. I hope you might find the correct mixture of mental acuity, amicability, and integrity to succeed in your next step and in those beyond it.

Kudos from me for the response. Once again, good luck.

- Andrew

curiousgeorge13 · Answer

Hey Manish,

I'm sorry for the delay in my response. This seemed to have slipped through the cracks. For verbal, I think the best source of practice is official materials. Unfortunately most of the unofficial practice questions take too much latitude in their approach to right and wrong, whereas GMAC does such an artful job of being both intricate and precise. I also think that you could gain some passive improvement by incorporating academic reading into your daily ritual: NYT, WSJ, Scientific American, The Economist, etc. Once you've improved your verbal skills using these materials, I'd recommend picking up that Advanced OG that I mentioned, since the difficulty of those problems will prepare you for the hard-level questions on the real exam. Other than that, I do think Manhattan Prep offers some great instruction in this domain, and if you have the time, I'd recommend enrolling for one of their courses or self-study products! Feel free to message me with any additional questions; I'm happy to share what I can.

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