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GMAT Exam scoring: what the 205–805 score means

The GMAT Exam Total Score runs 205–805, and — unlike the old exam — Data Insights now counts toward it. How the score is built, and why you can't compare it directly to a classic GMAT number.

Published 2026-08-07 · Sources last checked 2026-08-07

How is the GMAT Exam scored?

The GMAT Exam reports a Total Score from 205 to 805 in 10-point increments, with Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights all contributing to that total (accessed 2026-08-07). The current exam therefore has one headline Total Score plus a separate score for each of its three sections.

What are the GMAT section score ranges?

Each of the three sections is reported on a 60–90 scale (accessed 2026-08-07). Because Data Insights is one of the three scored sections (accessed 2026-08-07), it is part of the Total Score rather than a separate add-on.

Why do current GMAT Total Scores end in 5?

GMAC's current scale starts at 205 and moves in 10-point increments through 805 (accessed 2026-08-07). That makes an ending of 5 a quick sign that you are looking at the current scale rather than a classic GMAT total on the old 200–800 scale.

How do current GMAT scores compare with classic GMAT scores?

Do not compare the same number across the two scales. A 655 on the current exam is not the same result as a 655 on the classic GMAT. GMAC publishes a concordance table matching classic GMAT totals to GMAT Focus Edition equivalents (accessed 2026-08-07). That historical name is relevant to the table because it documents the transition to the scale now used by the GMAT Exam.

Is a GMAT score the same as a percentile?

No. The Total Score is your scaled result; a percentile describes how that result compares with other test takers in the data set GMAC is using. GMAC's percentile and concordance data is tied to a stated data period (accessed 2026-08-07), so use current percentile guidance when deciding what counts as a good score.

GMAC can update score guidance and concordance data. Confirm the current scale on the official GMAT score-scale page (accessed 2026-08-07) before comparing results from different exam versions.
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Sources

Every source below was accessed on the listed date. Pages — especially department admissions pages — change without notice; the links go to the live versions.

  1. Evolving the Score Scale with the GMAT Focus EditionGMAC. Accessed 2026-08-07.
  2. GMAT Exam StructureGMAC. Accessed 2026-08-07.
  3. GMAT Total Score Concordance Table (January 2024, 2017–2022 data)GMAC. Accessed 2026-08-07.

Sources and corrections

Sources last checked 2026-08-07

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