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GMAT Percentiles – How to make Sense of them?

GMAT Percentile ScoreGMAT provides two ways to measure your score: Scaled Total and Section wise Scores. However, for Business Schools, these scores have very little value unless they can look through a comparative scale. That is where GMAT Score Percentiles help.

You might be aware that there are three GMAT Sections: Analytical Writing/Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal. The result of the Analytical Writing/Integrated Reasoning section will have no impact on your total scaled score. The Quantitative and Verbal sections contribute to the overall score. The total score is measured in a scale from 200 to 800.  Each section is measured in a scale from 0 to 60.

Total Score: 200 – 800

Quantitative: 0 - 60

Verbal: 0 - 60

How is GMAT Percentile tracked?

GMAC looks into GMAT test data for the last three years to evaluate your percentile. You should clearly understand the difference between the validity of GMAT test, which is 5 years and the percentile change that can happen if a more competitive group of students take the GMAT in one year.

For example, you took the GMAT in 2003. The Score is valid till 2008. Now let us say that the 2007 GMAT test takers were exceptional with the average test taker scoring 30 points above the all-time average. Your percentile score will change with the 2007 test data. If you apply during 2007-08, the GMAT percentile data will have an impact on your MBA Admissions.

GMAT Percentile Table - Analytical Writing

        AWA Score    Percentile

             6.0                 87
             5.5                 80
           5.0                 55
           4.5                 42
           4.0                 21
           3.5                 13
           3.0                   6
           2.5                   4
           2.0                   3
           1.5                   3
           1.0                   3
           0.5                   3
           0.0                   0


GMAT Percentile Table - Quant

Quant Score            Percentile
    
      51-60                    99
       50                        94
       49                        88
       48                        84
       47                        79
       46                        77
       45                        75
       44                        70
       43                        68
       42                        63
       41                        61
       40                        59
       39                        55
       38                        53
       37                        51
       36                        46
       35                        42
       34                        40
       33                        38
       32                        34
       31                        30
       30                        29
       29                        25
       28                        24
       27                        20
       26                        19
       25                        16
       24                        15
       23                        13
       22                        11
       21                        10
       20                         9
       19                         8
       18                         7
       17                         5
       16                         4
       15                         4
       14                         4
       13                         3
    11-12                       2
     7-10                        1
     0-6                          0

GMAT Percentile Table - Verbal

Verbal Score        Percentile

     46-60                99
       45                   98
       43                   96
       42                   95
       41                   92
       40                   89
       39                   87
       38                   83
       37                   81
       36                   78
       35                   74
       34                   69
       33                   66
       32                   64
       31                   58
       30                   56
       29                   53
       28                   48
       27                   43
       26                   40
       25                   36
       24                   33
       23                   29
       22                   27
       21                   23
       20                   19
       19                   16
       18                   15
       17                   12
       16                   10
       15                     8
       14                     7
       13                     5
       12                     4
       11                     3
       10                     2
      7-9                     1
      0-6                     0

What does the Score mean?

If you scored a total of 720, which converts to 95 Percentile, your score is above or equal to the score of 95% of the test takers, aggregated for the last 3 years.

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About the Author 

Atul Jose - Founding Consultant F1GMAT

I am Atul Jose - the Founding Consultant at F1GMAT.

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