GMAT scoring system?

Question

Hi everyone, so I took the sample exam from gmatofficialprep.com, and got 15 out of 31 questions for quant, and 20 out of 36 for verbal, the score was 490, shouldn’t it be a bit higher? I mean if on average I got about a half of all the questions? Or how exactly is the 800 score works?

Answer 1

Hello Imelda:

In short, the GMAT scoring system is an enigma. MBA.com does not publish information regarding exactly how the scores are calculated, and often times, the numbers just don't make much sense, but there is some important information to remember that can explain the scoring a little bit.

First, the GMAT is a Computer Adaptive Test, meaning that the questions you see during the course of the exam will change depending on how well you're doing. Thus, while two people may have missed the same number of questions, if one answered more difficult questions correctly, they will receive a higher score. Second, the GMAT is graded on a curve, so getting half of the questions right doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a 50th percentile score, if more than half of people are answering more than half of the questions correctly.

I hope this helps explain, at least a little bit, the logic behind GMAT scoring.