The GMAT is an important requirement for many MBA programs. While many schools provide information about the minimum GMAT score required to apply for an MBA program, looking at the average GMAT scores for admitted candidates can often be more informative. If you know what the average GMAT score is at an MBA program you’re applying to, you’ll have a good idea about what score would be considered competitive.
You’ll find a clear trend when it comes to MBA admissions. The higher the business school ranking, the tougher the entry criteria. The average GMAT scores for the top MBA programs reflect this trend more clearly than any other parameter in the overall MBA application.
1. What is a Good GMAT Score?
Generally, a GMAT score of 650+ is considered a good score and a GMAT score of 700+ is excellent. However, a good GMAT score would vary from person to person and would depend on the target business schools.
The total score ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 800, with about two-thirds of test-takers earning between 400 and 600. According to GMAC, here is the average GMAT score based on 695,794 test-takers between the period of January 2017 to December 2019:
- The average GMAT score is 564.84
- The average GMAT Verbal score is 27.11
- The average GMAT Quant score is 40.38
- The average GMAT AWA score is 4.45
- The average GMAT IR score is 4.51
The overall, worldwide average GMAT score of test-takers is 564.84. However, that number incorporates everyone who takes the GMAT, including those who don’t end up applying or getting into business school. So, that does not mean you just have to get above a 570 to get into the schools of your dream.
So, What GMAT Score Should You Aim For?
It depends on the average GMAT score of your target business school. The starting point here is to research the average GMAT scores for your target schools (provided in the appendix at bottom) and use this as a baseline.
Why care about the average GMAT of your target business schools?
This average GMAT score, adjusted for your profile, can give you a guideline for the score that will make you competitive.
A lower score may suffice if you have distinctive experiences or come from an under-represented group (e.g., you are a Hispanic woman and a successful entrepreneur), but you may need to have an even higher score if you come from an over-represented group (e.g., you work in investment banking and consulting).
Generally speaking, to be safe, you should have at least 20 points higher than the average GMAT score of the last incoming class of your target business schools. .
You should also consider:
- A low score can keep you out, but even a great score of 760 or 770 does not, on its own, guarantee acceptance.
- Even if you have a good score already, having a GREAT score will increase your chances of winning merit-based scholarships.
Average GMAT scores at top MBA programs worldwide are especially high, ranging from the 700s at top-ranking MBA programs like Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and the University of Chicago, to the 650+ range for mid-ranking schools.
Business schools also see an increase in the average GMAT scores of their class profile over the years. These increases are partly due to the influx of international students taking the exam, as many students from outside the U.S. score more highly on the quantitative section than do American test-takers. Another factor is the schools’ desire to move up in MBA rankings, which are partly based on average GMAT scores. MBA programs seeking to move up the rankings ladder often offer more scholarship money and other incentives to high-scoring students.
|
GMAT Ranking |
Business Schools |
Average GMAT (2020) |
|
1 |
Stanford Graduate School of Business |
733 |
|
2 |
730 |
|
|
3 |
(UChicago) Booth School of Business |
730 |
|
4 |
(UPenn) Wharton School |
730 |
|
5 |
727 |
|
|
6 |
(UC Berkeley) Haas School of Business |
727 |
|
7 |
Columbia Business School |
726 |
|
8 |
(NYU) Stern School of Business |
723 |
|
9 |
(MIT) Sloan School of Management |
720 |
|
10 |
(Dartmouth) Tuck Business School |
720 |
|
11 |
Yale School of Management |
720 |
|
12 |
(Michigan) Ross School of Business |
710 |
|
13 |
(UT Austin) McCombs School of Business |
710 |
|
14 |
(USC) Marshall Business School |
707 |
|
15 |
(UCLA) Anderson School of Management |
706 |
|
16 |
(Virginia) Darden School of Business |
703 |
|
17 |
(Duke) Fuqua School of Business |
700 |
|
18 |
(Cornell) Johnson Graduate School of Management |
700 |
|
19 |
(UNC) Kenan-Flagler Business School |
694 |
|
20 |
(Georgetown) McDonough School of Business |
692 |
|
21 |
(UWashington) Foster School Business |
692 |
|
22 |
(Emory) Goizueta Business School |
690 |
|
23 |
(UMinnesota) Carlson School of Management |
690 |
|
24 |
(Rice) Jones Graduate School of Business |
689 |
|
25 |
(Washington) Olin Business School |
687 |
|
26 |
(Arizona State) W.P. Carey School of Business |
685 |
|
27 |
(Georgia Tech) Scheller School of Business |
681 |
|
28 |
(CMU) Tepper School of Business |
680 |
|
29 |
(Vanderbuilt) Owen Graduate School of Management |
680 |
|
30 |
(Notre Dame) Mendoza College of Business |
670 |
|
GMAT Ranking |
Business School |
Average GMAT (2020) |
|
1 |
(Oxford) Saïd Business School |
680 |
|
2 |
(University of Cambridge) Judge Business School |
680 |
|
3 |
Cranfield School of Management |
664 |
|
4 |
Warwick Business School |
660 |
|
4 |
Imperial College Business School |
660 |
|
5 |
(City University) Cass Business School |
635 |
|
6 |
Manchester Business School |
630 |
|
7 |
University of Bath School of Management |
610 |
|
8 |
Lancaster University Management School |
601 |
|
GMAT Ranking |
Business School |
Average GMAT (2020) |
|
1 |
University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management |
670 |
|
2 |
McGill University – Desautels Faculty of Management |
655 |
|
3 |
University of Western Ontario – Ivey Business School |
655 |
|
4 |
Queen’s University – Smith School of Business |
650 |
|
5 |
Univ of British Columbia – Sauder School of Business |
646 |
|
6 |
University of Alberta |
623 |
|
Country |
Business School |
Average GMAT (2020) |
|
France |
INSEAD |
670-750 (middle 80%) |
|
France |
HEC – Paris |
690 |
|
Switzerland |
University of St. Gallen |
656 |
|
Switzerland |
IMD |
672 |
|
Spain |
IE Business School |
672 |
|
Spain |
ESADE |
660 |
|
Spain |
IESE Business School – Navarra |
669 |
|
Italy |
SDA Bocconi |
665 |
|
Germany |
Mannheim Business School |
671 |
|
Germany |
European School of Mgmt (ESMT) |
645 |
|
Portugal |
The Lisbon MBA |
645 |
|
Netherlands |
Erasmus University (RSM) |
643 |
|
Netherlands |
TiasNimbas Business School |
620 |
|
Ireland |
University College Dublin (Smurfit) |
619 |
|
Belgium |
Vlerick Business School |
600 |
|
Country |
Business School |
Average GMAT |
|
India |
Indian School of Business |
711 |
|
India |
IIM-A PGPX |
706 |
|
India |
IIM-B EPGP |
702 |
|
China |
CEIBS |
689 |
|
China |
HKUST (Hong Kong) |
671 |
|
China |
University of Hong Kong |
664 |
|
China |
CUHK Business School |
640 |
|
Singapore |
Nanyang (NTU) |
670 |
|
Singapore |
National Univ of Singapore (NUS) |
650 |
|
Australia |
Melbourne Business School |
677 |
|
Australia |
Australian School of Business:AGSM |
650 |
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