Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) - What Your Percentile Ranking Means

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Your GMAT score includes a percentile ranking that gives you a measure of how your skill level compares with your peers'. GMAT percentile rankings look at the last three years of test-taker data and tell you how you match up.

Percentile Rankings

Total GMAT scores range from 200 to 800. Two-thirds of test takers score between 400 and 600.

The percentile rank of your score shows you the percentage of test takers who scored lower than you for the most recent three-year period. Every year, each test taker's score is updated with the most recent year's percentiles.

Using a combination of GMAT scores, transcripts, work experience, essays, and interviews, admissions professionals strive to build strong, cohesive cohorts each year. Comparing each individual GMAT score with the most recent three years of test takers gives them a more complete picture of the b-school applicant pool.

Example

You achieve a total score of 690, putting you in the 88th percentile. This tells you - and the schools you choose - that your total score and skill level are greater than or equal to 88% of all GMAT test takers over the last three years.

Note: GMAT scores are valid for five years. Even though your score won't change, your percentile ranking might change when compared with a newer pool of applicants.