GMAT Focus Score Chart and Score Calculator

The total score on the GMAT Focus ranges from 205 to 805 and is given in 10-point increments.

KEY FACT:

The total score on the GMAT Focus ranges from 205 to 805 and is given in 10-point increments.

The total GMAT score is based on a test-taker’s performance on the 3 sections of the GMAT Focus: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights. Each section contributes equally to the total score.

The Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights sections each have a score range of 60 to 90 given in 1-point increments.

KEY FACT:

The Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights sections each have a score range of 60 to 90 given in 1-point increments.

The official score report a test-taker receives after taking the GMAT Focus includes a score for each section, a total score, and percentile rankings for each score.

Read our article about the GMAT Focus scoring system to learn more about this topic.

GMAT Focus scores represent a consistent level of performance over time. Thus, a GMAT Focus score today and the same GMAT Focus score in 3 years should reflect the same general performance. (Legacy GMAT and GMAT Focus score conversion can be done with GMAC’s GMAT score concordance chart).

Notably, in recent years, there was an upward trend in GMAT scores globally. That trend may be part of the reason why GMAC decided to release a new edition of the GMAT, the Focus Edition, in 2023. Only time will tell whether the trend continues.

For any GMAT score calculator to be accurate, it needs to be developed using official GMAT score data. For example, the TTP GMAT Score Calculator is highly accurate because it reflects official GMAT data.

However, "accurate" is not the same as "perfect." There are two main reasons why GMAT score calculators cannot be 100% accurate:

• The GMAT Focus scoring algorithm is proprietary. So, only GMAC knows exactly which score a given exam performance will earn. Any third-party score calculator can only approximate the official algorithm.


• GMAT Focus section scores represent a range of performance. For example, even if two test-takers earn a Quant score of 84, one may have performed slightly better than the other. This performance difference affects each test-taker’s total score.

KEY FACT:

GMAT Focus score calculators can be accurate, but they cannot be perfect.

To illustrate the second point, let’s examine a scenario in which identical section scores could produce different total scores.

Consider two test-takers, A and B, who both score Q86/V83/DI82 on the GMAT Focus.

• Test-Taker A correctly answered 20 Quant questions, 17 Verbal questions, and 14 Data Insights questions.


• Test-Taker B correctly answered 19 Quant questions, 16 Verbal questions, and 13 Data Insights questions.

Although their section scores are identical, their total scores may not be. Test-Taker A’s total GMAT Focus score might be 685, while Test-Taker B’s score might be 675. Why? Because the Q86/V83/DI82 scaled scores represent a range of performance that both test-takers fell within. GMAT scores are calculated based not only on how many questions a test-taker answers correctly, but also the difficulty of those questions and whether a test-taker leaves any questions blank.

So, test-takers who did not get the same number of questions correct in a section can end up with the same section score. However, because of differences in their performances, they won’t end up with the same total score. (To learn more about how GMAC calculates scores, check out this article on GMAT scoring.)

So, think of any GMAT score calculator as a GMAT score estimator, not a GMAT score guarantor. In fact, even with an accurate score calculator, there is a possible 10-point swing in either direction for the total score produced from any section score breakdown. For example, Q81/V84/DI82 scores are likely to produce a 655 total score, which is what an accurate GMAT score calculator will show. However, due to differences in test-taker performance, those section scores could produce a 645 or 665 on the actual GMAT Focus.

The truth is, no one can predict your total GMAT score based on section scores alone. Why? Because your total GMAT score is based on your Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights performance, not your section scores. A GMAT score calculator cannot tell if your Q84 is a “high” Q84 or a “low” Q84. It simply sees Q84, and the total score generated by the calculator reflects that fact.

KEY FACT:

Your total GMAT score is based on your Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights performance, not your section scores

Our GMAT score calculator reflects actual GMAT Focus exam and official GMAT Prep practice exam scores reported by test-takers. So, it’s handy for seeing what scores you need to reach a specific GMAT score range. It’s also helpful for seeing how much improvement you need in a section to achieve the total score you’re targeting.

KEY FACT:

The TTP GMAT score calculator reflects actual GMAT Focus exam and official GMAT Prep practice exam scores reported by test-takers.

Just keep in mind that multiple Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights combinations can produce the same total score.

For example, Q77/V86/DI84 and Q81/V84/DI82 are just two possible section score combinations to produce a GMAT Focus score of 655.

KEY FACT:

Several combinations of Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights scores can produce the same total score.

Let’s say you’re an ambitious MBA candidate with a strong academic and professional background. You’re aiming high: your top choice is Harvard Business School. So, how do you earn a GMAT Focus score that can help you gain acceptance?

HBS is an M7 school that consistently ranks in the top 10 business schools, according to U.S. News & World Report. As you might expect, applicants accepted by HBS score well on the GMAT. For example, the class of 2022 had a median legacy GMAT score of 730, which is equivalent to 685 on the GMAT Focus, according to GMAC’s score concordance chart. Thus, if you’re applying to HBS, it may be wise to shoot for 685.

So, for example, per the TTP GMAT Score Calculator, you could achieve a 685 with section scores of Q84/V87/DI81 or Q78/V89/DI85.

When determining the section score breakdown you need for a particular total score, consider how your target schools weigh section scores. A great total score certainly helps your MBA admissions chances, but your section scores matter, too.

For example, top business schools tend to be highly quant-driven. For instance, MBA admissions committees at top-ranked programs generally preferred scores of 47+ on the Quant section of the legacy GMAT. According to the GMAT Focus score concordance chart, a legacy Q47+ is equivalent to Q80+ on the GMAT Focus.

So, for a top school such as HBS, to use our previous example, an applicant with Q78/V89/DI85 section scores might not appear as well-prepared to tackle quant-heavy courses as an applicant with Q84/V87/DI81 scores, though both applicants earned a total score of 685. (Note that HBS’s class of 2022 had a median legacy GMAT Quant score of 48, equivalent to Q81 on the GMAT Focus.)

So, avoid using GMAT score calculators under the assumption that “anything that gets me X total score is sufficient.” Research the median and average GMAT scores at your target schools, and use that data to create a study plan that will help you achieve competitive section scores.

KEY FACT:

Top MBA programs may want to see GMAT Focus Quant scores of 80+ from applicants.

The GMAT Focus score charts below show the possible section scores and total scores a test-taker can earn on the GMAT Focus Edition and the percentile ranking associated with each score.

These charts are based on data from 866,664 tests administered by GMAC from 2017 to 2022. Now, you may be wondering, “The GMAT Focus launched in 2023, so how are the charts based on data before 2023?”

GMAC has not made public exactly how these GMAT Focus percentiles were determined. However, we do know that they were not created from scratch. GMAC seems to have used test-taker performance on question types that carried over to GMAT Focus (with an adjustment for the new score scale).

KEY FACT:

GMAC used data from 866,664 tests administered between 2017 and 2022 to determine GMAT Focus percentiles.

Each GMAT Focus score has a corresponding percentile ranking. The percentile ranking indicates what percentage of all other GMAT test-takers you performed better than.

For example, 645 on the GMAT Focus represents the 89th percentile. In other words, a student who earns this score has outscored 89 percent of all test-takers during the period in which data was collected.

KEY FACT:

A percentile ranking indicates what percentage of all other GMAT test-takers you performed better than.

As you may know, your GMAT score is valid for 5 years from your test date. However, the percentile ranking associated with your score is NOT valid for 5 years. In other words, although your score won’t change, the percentile ranking associated with it could.

KEY FACT:

Although your GMAT score is valid for 5 years, your percentile rankings could change somewhat during that time.

Unlike numerical GMAT scores, which show individual performance, GMAT score percentiles reflect how all GMAT test-takers have performed. Over time, how test-takers perform on the exam can change. Thus, GMAC releases new percentile rankings every year, using data from the most recent 3-year period.

KEY FACT:

GMAC releases new percentile rankings every year, using data from the most recent 3-year period.

As a result, GMAT percentile rankings can change depending on how aggregate test-taker performance changes. For example, a test-taker who earned a Quant score of 49 on the legacy GMAT in 2016 was in the 79th percentile of all GMAT test-takers. However, in 2021, a Quant score of 49 placed a test-taker in the 74th percentile. Because more test-takers performed well in Quant, the same level of performance landed a test-taker in a lower percentile.

It’s possible this upward score (and downward percentile) trend could continue on the GMAT Focus. So, while the GMAT Focus score chart percentiles are current as of January 2024, they may change in the future. The good news is that percentile changes are generally not dramatic. For example, we wouldn’t expect a Verbal score of 87 to drop from a 99th percentile score to an 82nd percentile score in just a few years (or even in several years).

KEY FACT:

The percentile rankings you earn on test day may change slightly in the future.

In this article, we’ve discussed several important facts about GMAT Focus scoring and score calculators:

• The GMAT Focus total score ranges from 205 to 805, given in 10-point increments.


• Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights section scores each range from 60 to 90, given in 1-point increments.


• Your GMAT Focus total score is determined by your performance on the Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights sections.


• Identical Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights scores can lead to different total GMAT Focus scores because section scores reflect ranges of performance.


• Score percentile rankings indicate what percentage of all other GMAT test-takers you performed better than.


• Your score percentile rankings might change somewhat over time.


• For a GMAT score calculator to be accurate, it must use official GMAT Focus score data.


• A GMAT score calculator can be used to estimate a total GMAT score from Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights section scores.


• Highly ranked business schools generally prefer high Quant scores. Thus, admissions committees may favor a Quant-biased high GMAT score over a Verbal-biased high GMAT score.