Breaking News! GMAT Is Introducing Superscores
Rising Star
💫We are excited to share really fantastic news for all GMAT test takers: You’ll be able to get a GMAT Superscore if you take the test more than once.
What’s a GMAT Superscore?
If you take (or took!) the new GMAT (11th edition / Focus edition) more than once, then you will get not just your single-sitting test scores but also a Superscore that uses your best results from each individual section.
For example, if your best Quant score is from your first GMAT and your best Verbal and DI scores are from your second GMAT, any score reports you send to schools will automatically include a Superscore using your best Quant, Verbal, and DI scores across all sittings to calculate a new (higher!) Total score.
Your score report will also show the full set of scores from the single GMAT sitting that you choose. Basically, you’ll still do what you do today (select your best GMAT sitting to send to a school), and then the report will also include your GMAT Superscore, at no extra charge.
If you took the SAT, ACT, or TOEFL, which all use superscoring, the GMAT Superscore is based on the same principles.
When will the GMAT Superscore take effect?
GMAT Superscores will officially launch in August (exact date TBD) and they will be retroactive to all sittings of the new GMAT (11th edition / Focus edition). So if you have already taken the new GMAT two or more times, after the launch date, you will see a Superscore in your account and any score reports you send after that date will include your Superscore.
If I already took the GMAT, can I still get a Superscore?
Yes! Anyone who has taken the new GMAT (launched in November 2023) more than once is eligible to get a GMAT Superscore. If this applies to you, the only reason you would not get a Superscore is if you had all of your best scores in one test sitting. In that case, that one sitting is already your best score, so Superscoring isn’t necessary.
What if I already sent my scores before the GMAT Superscore takes effect?
After launch, look on mba.com for details. If you’ve got an application in process (that is, you’ve already paid to send a report to that school) and just want to send an updated score report to include your new GMAT Superscore, they’re planning to have some kind of mechanism to do so. (Note: This would only apply if you have not retaken the exam and gotten new scores in the interim. If you take the exam again, then you have new scores, so you’d be sending a new score report. They would also presumably verify that you did previously pay for a score report to that school, so this isn’t a back-channel way to get free score reports.)
What will the GMAT Superscore report look like?
You will still order your GMAT score reports exactly the same way that you do now: by selecting a single test administration as your best sitting. That single-sitting score will be reported to the schools, and after the August launch date, the score report will also include your Superscore (if you have one).
Some business schools will prefer the GMAT Superscore (some b-schools already calculate this themselves right now!) and some will prefer your best single sitting. Ask the admissions office at your target business programs whether they use your best single sitting or your Superscore.
I took the GMAT more than once. Why don’t I see a GMAT Superscore?
There are a few reasons why you might not see a GMAT Superscore in your account:
- You achieved your best scores across all sections in one single sitting. In this case, your GMAT Superscore is equivalent to your scores on this one test, so you won’t have a different Superscore.
- You haven’t taken the new GMAT more than once. The new GMAT (aka 11th edition / Focus edition) launched in November 2023.
- The program hasn’t launched yet. The program is going to launch in August.
Did I take the old GMAT or the new GMAT?
The easiest way to tell: On the new GMAT, the total score ends in a 5. On the old GMAT, the total score ends in a 0. If your total score ends in a 5, you took the new GMAT.
Do you have any questions or comments? Leave them below.
Comments
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I've already had one student contact me with a question: Their best single-sitting score is 645 and their Superscore is 685. They're gearing up to re-take, but that Superscore is what they were hoping to get on the re-take. So here's my full answer to their question—if you've got a different scenario, post here and I or one of my fellow teachers (Ally and Alex) will advise you.
First, obviously, if any of your desired schools says they're going to stick with the traditional single-test-sitting method, then continue with your plans to re-take the exam.
If all of your schools say they're going to use the Superscore, but you've already paid to retake the test, check to see what kind of refund you could get if you canceled your test now:
If you aren't going to get a refund or the refund will be really small, you might as well just go ahead and take it. Who knows? You could bump up your score even more.
If you haven't already registered for the re-take, then ask yourself how confident you feel about these two things:
(1) How definitive were your desired schools when you asked them whether they're going to use the Superscore? If they sounded wishy-washy at all, then probably don't count on being able to use the Superscore. In this case, continue with your re-take plans.
(2) Are there any other schools that you aren't currently planning to apply to but you might change your mind? If so, check with those schools as well and follow the above advice accordingly.
I hope you find out that all of your schools will use the Superscore and you don't have to re-take the exam! Good luck! 🤞
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