The numbers on your score report
| Score | Range |
|---|---|
| Quantitative Reasoning | 60–90 |
| Verbal Reasoning | 60–90 |
| Data Insights | 60–90 |
| Total | 205–805 |
Total scores end in 5. That is deliberate: it makes a current GMAT score impossible to confuse with a score from the previous version of the test, which ran from 200 to 800 and ended in 0.
All three sections contribute equally. Unlike the older test, there is no section that counts toward the total less than the others, and there is no essay.
The structure behind the score
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Reasoning | 21 | 45 min |
| Verbal Reasoning | 23 | 45 min |
| Data Insights | 20 | 45 min |
The test takes 2 hours 15 minutes, with one optional 10-minute break. You choose the order of the three sections before you start, and all six orders are allowed.
Quantitative Reasoning is problem solving in arithmetic and algebra, without a calculator. Verbal Reasoning is reading comprehension and critical reasoning. Data Insights is covered in detail in our Data Insights guide.
Adaptive questions, and the review-and-edit option
Each section is computer adaptive: the difficulty of the next question depends on how you have done so far. Harder questions answered correctly are worth more to your score than easier ones, which is why two people with the same number of correct answers can finish with different section scores.
You can bookmark questions as you go and, if time remains at the end of a section, review them and change up to three answers in that section. That makes pacing a strategic decision: time saved early can be spent revisiting the questions you flagged.
Why finishing every section matters
GMAC applies a significant penalty for questions left unanswered when a section's time runs out. In practice, guessing on the last few questions almost always does less damage than leaving them blank, so it is worth keeping an eye on the clock from the start of each section.
Comparing scores and reading percentiles
A current GMAT score and a score from the old 200–800 test are on different scales and are not directly comparable. GMAC publishes an official comparison table, and schools use it; applying your own arithmetic to convert between them will mislead you.
Percentile ranks are published by GMAC and updated periodically. Because the current test's scale is newer, a total that sounds modest by old-GMAT standards can sit at a high percentile. Check the current table on mba.com rather than relying on figures quoted elsewhere. GMAT scores remain valid for five years.
Common questions
- What is a good GMAT score?
- It depends on the programs you are applying to, so check each school's published class profile. Judge a score by its percentile in GMAC's current tables rather than by the number alone, because the 205–805 scale is not comparable to the old 200–800 one.
- Why do GMAT scores end in 5?
- So that a score from the current test can never be mistaken for one from the previous 200–800 version, whose scores ended in 0.
- Can I change my answers on the GMAT?
- Yes, within limits. You can bookmark questions and, if time remains at the end of a section, review them and change up to three answers in that section.
- Is there an essay on the GMAT?
- No. The current GMAT has no Analytical Writing Assessment; all three sections are multiple-choice style and count equally toward the total score.
Sources
Test owners change formats and policies. Where this guide and the owner’s own page disagree, the owner’s page is right — and we would like to know, at contact.