Calculation of the GMAT score

The scores you can reach on the GMAT exam range from somewhere around 200 to a maximum of 800. The vast majority are finishing the exam with a average score that is in the area of 400 to 600. On average, people reach a score of 530. So if your score is above this border, you can consider yourself above the average test taker.

Regarding both the verbal and quantitative sections, it has to be noted that they are being taken on a computer in most instances. The program that runs these tests, has been specifically instructed to adapt to the test taker. In general, the exams start off with a relatively difficult question. If the person sitting in front of the computer is able to answer it properly and correct, the computer program sends a more difficult question to the test taker. If, however, the first question is being answered wrong, the next question will be a less difficult one. This process of adaption allows a more realistic evaluation of a person.

In order to prevent cheating, the questions in the pool are being exchanged for new ones on a regular basis.

The logic implemented into the computer program that runs the GMAT exams is a very complex one. Not many people are allowed to peek into the source code but a fewer things seem to have leaked into the public over years: the first few questions are likely to have the biggest impact on your final score. If you do badly at these, they will limit your maximum score. Another aspect to keep in mind is that the program is tracking your answers and will, if necessary, filter out any answers it deems to be an anomaly.

Maybe you have experienced that theory is a penalty for wrong answers in college or university. The GMAT exam does not have one. It actually punishes you for not having tried to answer a question. Usually, it is recommended to guess rather than leave the answer field to a question blank.

To come up with the final score, only the quantitative and verbal sections are considered. Although you will receive a rating for your analytical writing assessment, it will not show up in the final GMAT exam score. Verbal and quantitative elements are being rated on a scale of one to sixty. Every rating below 10 and above 50 is considered to be rare. However, it is very difficult to compare the scores as they are evaluating different elements.