The GMAT exam has been shaken up, added to, trimmed down, and reconstructed several times over the last few years, with the final switch made to the reinvented version, dubbed the “Focus version,” in early 2024.
GMAT’s latest incarnation aims to be “more efficient, more flexible, and more insightful,” according to the test maker, GMAC. Though shorter, the exam now includes three sections: Quant, Verbal, and the new Data Insights, which incorporates the existing Data Sufficiency and Integrated Reasoning question types, the latter type no longer separately scored from the rest of the exam.
Importantly, the GMAT has also moved to a somewhat different scoring system. The previous total score range of 200-800 has been changed to a new 205-805 score range, intended to shift the distribution of scores downward from the highest score brackets.
Traditionally, the total score for which MBA applicants strived was 700+. That was the score that gained the attention of top business schools. In more recent years, the more desirable score was a 720+, although 730 had come to be preferred by the topmost ranked schools. With the current scoring system, according to GMAC, “645 is the new 700” – but what does that mean for MBA applicants?
The disruption of the exam, and especially the scoring system, has caused confusion during this transitional period, creating a “Choose Your Own Adventure” scenario for the MBA applicant. You may feel like you’re traversing the Forest of Doom. If you took the old exam, should you submit that score or try again? If you took the current exam, do you now hold the key to your target schools? Or did you fall short?
In this article I will answer the burning question occupying every test-taker’s mind: What is a good GMAT score?
Most schools don’t explain what percentages of their incoming MBA classes were accepted with the legacy scores from the GMAT 10th edition and the newer scores from the Focus version. Harvard Business School, however, revealed that of the 943 MBA students admitted to the Class of 2027, 28% submitted legacy scores and 34% submitted scores from the newer version. (The rest were admitted with GRE scores.) This year, the percentages will continue to shift as more people take the new exam.
Your GMAT score is good for five years, meaning that if you took the original GMAT exam, you can still submit that score to schools until its expiration date. For example, if you took the legacy GMAT exam on the very last date of January 31, 2024, you could use that score for school deadlines as late as Round 1 in 2028 / Round 2 in 2029. … But should you?
Recent MBA classes were admitted with comparatively high mean/median scores for the legacy GMAT exam – several business schools pumping up their numbers by 5 or more points.
As seen in the above chart, 15 top-ranked business schools now claim legacy GMAT mean/median scores that hover around the top 95th percentile, while two schools have pushed their averages up above the 90th percentile.
If you’ve taken the older exam, you probably hope to avoid taking the new one. You will need to decide whether your old score is competitive enough to open the doors to your target schools.
Following a very different trend than the others on our chart above, HBS and MIT Sloan both had median GMAT scores that dropped 10 points. However, I would counsel you not to count on either school accepting significantly lower scores in the future. HBS has had a median score of 730 since at least 2019, with higher scores in 2024 and 2023. Sloan more typically has reported median scores between 727 and 730.
The following business schools have GMAT averages that tend to vary widely in short periods. Even though their average legacy scores have dipped down, I believe that this mainly indicates the GMAT exam carries less weight in their admissions decisions than other important factors, such as career progression.
You may wonder how low you can go – so let’s look at the MBA class scores at the lowest end of the 80% scale (which filters out high & low score anomalies). Not every school publicizes the 80% scale, but based on what we know, most schools with means/medians that fall in the 95.8th and 94.8th percentiles typically post a 690 as the lowest GMAT score. Only Berkeley Haas accepted such a broad set of scores that 669 is the low end of its 80% scale. For schools with the means/medians in the 90.5th percentile, the low score might be a 660. Only Tepper at Carnegie Mellon University has such a narrow range that the low score is 700.
I believe that MBA admissions committees may view the older scores as an easy opportunity to post a high GMAT mean/median score, both for the prestige factor and, to a lesser extent, for the rankings (more on that below). They are also comfortable with the legacy scores as an assurance of the applicants’ qualifications, and their applicants are proffering very high scores.
Bottom line: The legacy GMAT scores accepted by top schools are higher than ever, for the most part. If you scored in the 95th percentile or higher in the GMAT 10th edition, you can probably avoid retaking the exam. However, if you didn’t quite reach the mark, it would be advisable to try again with the current GMAT exam.
This year, most MBA programs are reporting their incoming classes’ mean and median GMAT scores for the Focus Version, often for the first time. Of the 19 schools listed below, nine (47.4%) have maintained mean/median scores in the same percentile as their legacy scores, indicating a desire for consistency.
Six schools have Focus scores that fall into lower percentile brackets than their legacy scores. For three schools (15.8%), these are slight drops into comparable brackets, suggesting that a majority of business schools prefer stability in score-related admissions decisions. Changes to the meaning of the scores – such as the addition of Data Insights into the total score, the move of Data Sufficiency questions from quant into the DI section, and the removal of geometry – has not yet caused decision-makers to change course. At this time, they clearly believe that the current GMAT exam’s level of difficulty remains comparable to the older exam.
However, three schools’ score means/medians show deeper drops into more accessible score brackets. Conversely, another three schools moved aggressively into a higher bracket – the sky-high 97.4th percentile. I believe that the exam’s changes may have prodded a few admissions committees to reconsider their strategies for recruitment and decision-making.
Bottom line: Nine of 19 schools (47.5%) are hovering at or above the 94.8th percentile – a score bracket that starts at about 675. This is the new “good GMAT score” that you should aim for. That said, there a many excellent schools that will most likely fall into what is currently the 90.5th percentile of scores – a score bracket starting at around 655.
For U.S. test-takers, the average GMAT score is 564, and only about 24% achieve a 645+ score. With committed studying and the right preparation, you can outperform these test-takers to reach 655+ and start your journey to a Top 25 business school.
For the first time, schools have revealed the range of Focus version scores offered by admitted MBA students. Now we have a clearer view of the new scores at the lowest end of the 80% scale, which is more reliable because it eliminates the high & low score outliers.
From the schools reporting the very highest of mean/median GMAT scores, only Kellogg reports its 80% scale. On that scale, Kellogg’s low score is 680. That low score is very, very high.
To interpret the chart below, if you cannot reach a score in the highest percentiles, such as 675, try to reach a 645 score, which places you in the 80% range of the topmost ranked schools. If this is not achievable for you, a 615 score puts you in the range of Top 25 schools.
When time is of the essence and you don’t have time to chase after the ideal GMAT score, know which score still gives you a good chance at a successful outcome.
The U.S. News business school ranking incorporates exam scores to account for 13% of a school’s total rank. Median scores from the (1) old GMAT and (2) new GMAT and, separately, GRE sections for (3) quant, (4) verbal, and (5) analytical writing (a strange anomaly, since writing is not tested by the GMAT) are submitted by a school. Five scores are each converted to a 0-100 percentile distribution; and U.S. News weights them according to the percentage of admitted students submitting the GMAT vs. the GRE, then combines them into a single score.
All of which seems to discard the purpose of standardized testing for an apples-to-oranges-to-watermelons reconciliation. The already volatile MBA ranking seems destined to become even more so, and good luck to the admissions teams who decide to chase rankings. Unfortunately, that does mean that you may need to chase a good GMAT score.
Figuring out your path to a top business school may sometimes feel like following a twisting, turning path through the unknown. Deciding whether you have successfully completed the GMAT score course or whether you should attempt to reach a higher level is, obviously, difficult.
First, look to your target business schools and their average/median scores and 80% score ranges, and if those are not available, refer to the charts above to make informed comparisons. Once you have your score targets in mind, contact us – we can serve as your expert guide.
Austin GMAT Review is the premier GMAT test prep company in Central Texas, offering structured GMAT courses to professionals preparing to enter full-time, part-time, or executive MBA programs. Austin GMAT Review caters to busy professionals who don't have the time to sort through masses of generic study materials. Meeting with an experienced professor face-to-face in limited-size GMAT classes, students receive the personalized coaching that they need and strategies to excel on the GMAT.
If you seek top-notch expert help with the GRE test, we recommend our affiliate Austin Elite Prep for GRE preparation.
