Wharton's reversal of the GMAT score from marching ahead on the 740 route to clawing back to the 720s with a 728 in 2023 changed with a 738 resurgence in 2024, targeting Harvard's consistent 740 average.
The increased scoring pattern in GMAT over a 4-year period is a sign that 730 is a safe score for M7 and T10 schools, while T10 to T20 needs a 720 to qualify for a wide range of scholarships and fellowship options available for MBA candidates. The academic criteria in such funds also takes into consideration the scores in standardized tests. This data is useful for international students not graduating from US schools to demonstrate competitiveness with a US-university graduated peer.
Understand that GMAT score is a proxy for many of the academic weaknesses. But don't overinvest in GMAT Prep if your scores are still in the 700 to 720 range after a second attempt.
If you look at the Average GRE Scores - Total, Verbal and Quant, there is lower stringency even from the likes of Harvard that has a 740 GMAT score but for GRE the median Quant and Verbal scores are 163 each out of 170. The median is a much more reachable score for someone with strong GPA as GRE is closer to the academically heavy curriculum in Math and English.
| Top US MBA Programs (GMAT) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Stanford | 738 | 738 | 737 | 734 |
| Harvard | 740 | 740 | 730 | 730 |
| Wharton | 732 | 728 | 733 | 732 |
| Chicago Booth | 730 | 730 | 730 | 730 |
| Columbia | 732 | 730 | 729 | 727 |
| Kellogg | 733 | 731 | 729 | 730 |
| LBS | 700 | 710 | 708 | 701 |
| Haas | 730 (660: GMAT Focus) | 733 | 729 | 725 |
| NYU Stern | 733 | 732 | 731 | 722 |
| Tuck | 727 | 726 | 726 | 723 |
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