Find out what the GMAT score range is for top business schools like Harvard and Stanford, and what GMAT score to aim for to get accepted
Mon Sep 16 2024
The GMATis one of the most important aspects of a business school application as it is a quality indicator for schools when measuring your suitability for an MBA program. Two-thirds of entrants to the Harvard Business School MBA in 2023 sat the GMAT exam.
GMAT score ranges tell you what both the lowest and highest-scoring students in an MBA class earned on their GMAT exam.
Like average GMAT scores, when applying to a top MBA program, understanding the range of GMAT scores that current students at your target school submitted—and were accepted for—will help you understand what GMAT score you should aim for.
By analyzing GMAT score ranges, you can determine which schools you have a higher chance of getting into, or where you may need to increase your score to get accepted.
The GMAT exam was updated in early 2024 and has a new scoring system. Below, we show the most recent class averages based on the pre-2024 version of the test, alongside an approximation of how the competitiveness of these scores compares to scores on the updated GMAT exam. We delve more into these changes below.
Top MBA GMAT Score Range In 2024 (Based On Relative Competitiveness)
* These business schools provided no score range, only a class average. All scores are based on the most recent class data. ** Based on 2022 data † These score ranges are based on relative competitiveness and are not a direct conversion of the 2023 scores. See school websites and the GMAC concordance chart for more information.
What is the new GMAT score comparison?
The GMAT exam was updated on February 1st, 2024. Alongside changes to the format of the test, this also brought changes to the scoring.
(Don't worry: If you sat the GMAT before February 1st, 2024, your GMAT scores will still be valid for five years as normal.)
To help you better understand the competitiveness of your score compared to average GMAT scores from previous years, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), creators of the GMAT, has provided a concordance table.
When we discuss average GMAT scores below, we quote the old scores as they appear in the schools' class profiles. We show the percentile scoring to explain what that equates to in the
What GMAT exam score to aim for?
Your GMAT exam scores will range from 205 to 805. A score of 605 would put you in the 75th percentile of all test sitters, meaning you'd scored higher than three-quarters of test-takers.
While in previous years, top business schools have accepted students with an 800 GMAT (a perfect score, equivalent to 805 in the new scoring system), accepted MBA students at the likes of Harvard Business School at Harvard University and Stanford Graduate School of Management at Stanford University scored a maximum of 790 in 2023. This translates to scores of around 785 or higher in the current GMAT exam.
Before the GMAT was updated, Harvard also accepted students who scored as low as 500, in the 25th percentile. Spain’s IESE Business School accepted at least one score of 580.
Stanford University, a school that is historically the hardest to get into worldwide, accepted students with scores as low as 630. This is in the 64th percentile; approximately as competitive as a score of 585 on the current GMAT.
There have been years where top universities such as Stanford haven't accepted applicants with scores lower than 600, and years where accepted applicants scored 800.
In other words, scoring within the Stanford GMAT range does not automatically mean you will be accepted. However, you should aim to score on the higher end or above the school's GMAT range if you want a better chance of being accepted into your target program.
While it's important to use the information GMAT ranges provide, it's also important to remember there are some limitations as to what can be learned.
What GMAT ranges do not tell you is the specific scenario that comes with each submitted score. For example, was the applicant who scored the lowest in the cohort also a straight-A student in their undergraduate studies, who scored poorly on the GMAT because they were going through a difficult time?
Likewise, was the applicant who scored the highest a C-student during their undergraduate studies, who barely skated through business school admission due to their high GMAT score?
Harvard vs Stanford GMAT range
Of course, different schools have different GMAT ranges. Harvard and Stanford accepted students who scored 600 (around the 50th percentile) as well as students who earned near-perfect GMAT scores.
How could it be that these top business schools accept students who scored low on the GMAT?
This is where the limitations of GMAT ranges come into play. Maybe the student who scored 500 at Harvard had a stellar GPA and was able to wow the admissions team during their interview.
Maybe the person who scored a 790 at Stanford also had a poor GPA but an inspirational personal statement helped them with their admittance.
While your GMAT score is important, it’s not everything when it comes to applying to business school.
