Has the GMAT scale changed?

[SusanS839]

Hi, about three weeks ago I scored 41 Verbal, 49 Quant on the Official GMAT Practice Exam #1 - this came out to a 740. Last night I again scored a 41 Verbal, 49 Quant on the Official GMAT Practice Exam #2 - this came out to a 730.

Have they changed the scaling in the last couple of weeks?

[StaceyKoprince]

Due to the way the scoring system works, any pairing of Q and V scores can map to up to 3 different total (3-digit) scores.

If you are curious as to why, take a look here:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... 700-score/

But, short answer: No, nothing is wrong and nothing has changed. That's just how the test works.

Finally: Nice job! Good luck on the real thing!

[SusanS839]

Stacey I am *literally* honored that you answered my question. Thanks for the good luck. Have taken the exam once already (very soon after that 740) but unfortunately did not get similar results at all. Here goes try #2...

[SusanS839]

Apologies, also I meant to say thank you for the explanation and that information is very helpful.

[StaceyKoprince]

You are very welcome!

[DukeM872]

stacey, would the absolute score or the individual components matter more to the admissions committees?

[StaceyKoprince]

In general, schools care the most about the 3-digit total score. Most, though, also look at the 2-digit subscores.

For top-10-type schools (the ones with 700+ averages), they're typically looking to see Q in the 45+ range and V in the 35-6+ range. (Note that the combination of those two "minimum" scores would be well below 700—so you actually have to do better in at least one of the two sections in order to hit a 7xx score.)