GMAT scores: 205 to 805, and why they last five years
The GMAT Total Score runs from 205 to 805 in intervals of 10, and every value ends in a 5. Each of the three sections is scored 60 to 90 and weighted equally. The score is valid for five years — the longest of any test on this site — and if you sit it more than once you automatically receive a Superscore.
How the score is built
| Score | Range | Intervals | Standard error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Score | 205–805 | 10 | 30–40 points |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 60–90 | 1 | 3 points |
| Verbal Reasoning | 60–90 | 1 | 3 points |
| Data Insights | 60–90 | 1 | 3 points |
The standard error is worth taking seriously. A Total Score carries a measurement error of 30 to 40 points, so a 645 and a 665 are not meaningfully different results — they are the same performance measured twice. Retaking to move 20 points is usually spending US$275 on noise.
Superscore, which is automatic
If you take the GMAT more than once you automatically receive a Superscore: a Total Score calculated from your highest section scores across all valid attempts. The contributing section scores appear in your Official Score Report alongside the test date and delivery details.
- Expired and cancelled scores are not included.
- The contributing scores are visible to schools — this is not a way of hiding a weak attempt, it is a way of being credited for your best in each section.
- It happens without you doing anything, which makes a targeted second attempt more worthwhile than on a test without it.
Superscore changes the retake arithmetic. If you were strong in Quant and weak in Data Insights, a second attempt where you focus on Data Insights can lift the Superscore even if the new Total is lower.
What a competitive score looks like
Business schools publish the median GMAT of their admitted class, and that median is a far more useful target than any stated minimum. Broadly, on the 205–805 scale:
- 655 and above is competitive at most well-regarded international programmes.
- 685 and above puts you in range at the schools that publish high medians.
- 605 to 645 is workable at many programmes, particularly with strong work experience.
Read the class profile of the programmes on your list rather than a general threshold — and remember the standard error before treating a ten-point gap as meaningful.
Your unofficial score, and what you may not do with it
Immediately after the exam your unofficial Quantitative, Verbal, Data Insights and Total scores are displayed on screen. You are not permitted to record, save, screenshot or print them. The Official Score Report follows in your mba.com account, with an email when it is available.
Retaking
- You may take the GMAT again after 16 days.
- Scores are valid for five years, so an early attempt is not wasted.
- Superscore means a focused retake on one weak section is often the efficient move.
- A full attempt costs US$275 at a centre or US$300 online — so decide from the section scores, not the Total, which section you are actually retaking for.
GMAT results & scores — FAQs
5 questions
On the 205 to 805 scale, 655 and above is competitive at most well-regarded international programmes and 685 and above puts you in range at the most selective. Check the median score of your target programme's admitted class.
Five years from the test date — longer than any English test, and longer than most candidates realise.
A Total Score calculated automatically from your highest section scores across all valid attempts. Expired and cancelled scores are excluded, and the contributing scores are shown to schools.
After 16 days.
Not really. The Total Score carries a standard error of 30 to 40 points, so scores within that range represent the same performance measured twice.
Sources
Checked on 25 September 2026 against the official pages below. Fees and formats change — the official page is always the final word.
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