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If you’re looking to apply for an MBA program, chances are that you’ll probably have to take the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) as a part of the admissions requirements. Contrary to what some may believe, the GMAT exam does not test any specific knowledge in business; rather, it measures your basic verbal, quantitative and analytical writing skills. 

The verbal section is somewhat similar to the SAT. It presents you with a set of multiple choice questions that involve sentence correction, reading comprehension and critical reasoning problems. The quantitative section is also written in a multiple choice format and tests you on your problem solving and data analysis skills. Unlike the previous two sections, the analytical writing skills section requires you to write two essays that present your perspective on an issue.

Since most people who take the GMAT have been out of school for some time, many fear that they won’t be able to recall the material they have learnt from previous studies. However, this is not true in many cases as some careers naturally prepare you for tests like the GMAT. For example, bankers and engineers tend to use their quantitative skills on a daily basis and therefore, generally do well on the quantitative section. As a general rule of thumb, as long as you’ve done well in your studies in the past, you should be able to recall the skills that you have learnt in the past. If not, there are plenty of options out there that offer GMAT preparation services. 

So you might be wondering: what kind of score do I need to get into a top business program? Well, the maximum score that you can receive on the GMAT is 800. The worldwide average is 570 and for the top 50 MBA programs in the United States, the average score is 660. Bear in mind that when your GMAT scores are reported to universities, the admissions officers are able to see all of your GMAT scores. Depending on the school, there may be a detrimental effect on your application (i.e. your score may be viewed as less credible) if you decide to take the test more than a few times. Thus, it is best to make sure that you are prepared for the GMAT by the time of your test date. According to GMAC, the standard of error of your testing result is approximately 29 points meaning that in about 1/3 cases, you can get up to 29 points more than your actual predictor grade, and in 1/3 cases you could get 29 points lower than the grade you received.

Here is a table of average GMAT scores for some of the top MBA programs: