What is a good GMAT score?
A good GMAT score is one at or above the average of the programs you apply to. On today's 205 to 805 scale, a 645 beats about 87 percent of test takers and a 655 about 90 percent, so many applicants treat 645 and up as a strong score. A 605 sits near the 70th percentile, and the middle of the field is around 555 to 565 (GMAC, July 2020 to June 2025).
The total score runs from 205 to 805, and every score ends in 5. It is built from three sections, Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights, each scored from 60 to 90 and weighted equally. This scale came with the GMAT Focus Edition, which GMAC simply calls the GMAT again since July 2024. Because the old exam ran from 200 to 800, GMAC says you should compare scores only through percentiles. On that basis a 645 today sits where a 700 used to.
Percentiles shift a little every year, since GMAC updates them each summer from the last few years of test takers. The best target is still the average or median GMAT that your programs publish in their class profiles. A score below a school's average is not an automatic no: GMAC reports that Kellogg admitted students in 2025 with scores as low as 515, around the 32nd percentile. Your work experience, GPA, essays and interview count too.
Schools see your section scores as well as the total, so a very uneven profile can stand out. You can take the GMAT up to five times in a rolling 12-month period, scores stay valid for five years, and you can send your score to five schools for free once you have seen it.
| Total score | Percentile | Old scale (200 to 800) |
|---|---|---|
| 735 | 99.5 | 760 to 770 |
| 705 | 98.0 | 750 |
| 685 | 95.8 | 730 to 740 |
| 675 | 94.8 | 720 to 730 |
| 655 | 90.5 | 700 to 710 |
| 645 | 86.7 | 690 to 700 |
| 625 | 79.2 | 680 |
| 605 | 70.3 | 650 |
| 585 | 60.6 | 620 to 640 |
| 565 | 50.9 | 600 to 610 |
| 515 | 31.5 | 530 to 550 |
- 1List 5 to 10 programs and note the average or median GMAT score in each class profile.
- 2Take an official practice test under real timing to get your starting score.
- 3Set your target at or a little above the averages of your programs.
- 4Look at your three section scores and find the biggest gap.
- 5Build your prep around the question types behind that gap, then retest.
- 6Retake if you fall short: you have up to five attempts in any 12 months.