One way to make a big mess of oneself is to sit for an exam you do not know how it is scored. The same goes for the GMAT. Once you’ve decided to sit for it, ensure you carry out the research on how the GMAT scoring works.
The Graduate Management Admission Test is a standardized exam used in the US and several other countries to evaluate graduate business school applications.
Interestingly, over 5,200 graduate business programs at over 2,100 universities accept it and over 250,000 students take it each year.
How does the GMAT Scoring Work?
The verbal, quantitative, integrated reasoning and analytical writing parts of the GMAT are all graded individually.
Test takers will receive a total score based solely on the verbal and quantitative sections, as well as individual scores for each section and a percentile ranking that compares their performance to that of other students in the previous three years.
In business school class profiles and everyday GMAT debates, the total score is the most commonly mentioned number.
Many admissions experts say that the total and quantitative GMAT scores, which account for up to 25% of admissions decisions, are the most important for business school entrance.
Most times, the GMAT is much more important than undergraduate GPA in business school applicants.
How is the Verbal, and Quantitative Scores Calculated?
Both the verbal and quantitative sections have scores ranging from 0 to 60 and the calculation is done using a computer-adaptive method that considers the difficulty level of each question.
Hence, the number of right answers that correlate to a score varies. However, according to the GMAC data, high verbal scores are significantly less prevalent than high quantitative scores.
Although these sections have similar results, the average quantitative score is around 39 while the average verbal score is below 27. When you score a 46 in the verbal section, it places you in the 99th percentile of everyone who sat for the test.
However, a 46 on the quantitative section places you in the 62nd percentile. It is expedient to note that there are some very unusual scores. They are; verbal scores below 9 and above 44 and numeric scores below 7 and above 50.
Does the Integrated Reasoning Score Make up the GMAT Total Score?
The integrated reasoning section of the GMAT does not contribute to the total score. The scores are presented on a scale of 1 to 8 in one-point increments.
The sole determinant for the integrated reasoning section’s score is the number of correct answers and to gain credit, you must provide a correct answer to each portion of a multi-step problem.
Also, the mean GMAT integrated reasoning score is 4.23, according to GMAC, with a perfect score of 8 in the 92nd percentile and a score of 7 in the 82nd percentile.
How is the Exam Scored?
In an adaptive test like the GMAT, it will be highly unfair to grade test-takers on the number of questions they miss because students would certainly attack the questions with varying levels of difficulty.
Rather, the difficulty level of the questions you miss is the sole determinant of your GMAT score.
The GMAT verbal section works in a similar fashion to the GMAT quant section, except the verbal section is more sensitive to the number of errors. The reason for this is simple: writing extremely difficult spoken questions is difficult.
Generally, what determines your GMAT section sub-scores is the difficulty level of questions you miss, not the number of questions you miss and, both the standard test center GMAT and the GMAT online exam use the same scoring pattern.
You can also see how the GMAT test is scored from the table below.
A typical Example of how the Sections are Scored
| Section | Scoring | How the Section is Scored |
| Analytical Writing Assessment | 0.0-6.0 | Essays are scored using professional essay raters and a machine algorithm. The score is reported in intervals of 0.5 |
| Integrated Reasoning | 1-8 | The Integrated Reasoning score is based on the number of questions you answered correctly. Some questions may have multiple parts; you must answer all parts to a question correctly to receive credit for that question. Scores are reported in intervals of 1. |
| Quantitative and Verbal | 6-51 | The Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections are item-level adaptive, and your score is based on three factors: 1. Number of questions you answer 2. Whether your answers are correct 3. Difficulty and other parameters of the questions you answered You will earn a higher score if you answer a higher number of questions, answer more of them correctly, and qualify for questions of a higher difficulty level. Scores are reported in intervals of 1 and the standard error of measurement is 3 points. |
| TOTAL | 200-800 | Total Scores are based on your calculated performance before it gave scores for the Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections. It then converts the raw calculation to a number in the Total Score range. Scores are reported in intervals of 10. The standard error of measurement is 30-40 points. |
These results provide you and the programs who receive your results with information about your strengths and opportunities for improvement.
Why is the Scoring Pattern for Both the Verbal and Quantitative Sections Different?
The reason for the difference in the scoring pattern of the verbal and quantitative sections is the demographics of the MBA test-takers.
Most GMAT test-takers, particularly overseas students, have strong quantitative backgrounds and can ace that portion, but there are considerably fewer test-takers with exceptional verbal skills in the MBA application pool.
How do I get the Highest GMAT Score?
Below are some useful tips on how to attain the highest score level.
- Make a lot of preparations. Even if you do well on your first practice exams, you’ll need to devote a significant amount of time to preparation if you want to achieve the best GMAT score.
- Pay attention to your weaknesses. A perfect 800 on the GMAT will cause some fine tuning. When reviewing your practice tests, make a note of your weaknesses.
- Make sure you’re strong in both the verbal and numerical sections. As I previously indicated, you’ll need strong grades on both the Quant and Verbal portions to earn a perfect GMAT score.
- Examine GMAT practice exam questions from the official website. If you’re having problems with a certain question type, break it down into its essential elements.
Conclusion
This article carefully explains how the different sections of the GMAT test is scored. Take your time to go through and understand that your score isn’t determined by how many questions you missed rather the level of difficulty with which you tackled them.
References
- Manhanttanreview.com – GMAT Score
- MBA.com – How is the GMAT Exam Scored?
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