If you are ready to enter a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program at a competitive business school, you are probably getting ready to complete the Graduate Management Admission Test, known as the GMAT. While taking the test can be intimidating for students, having a little bit of information before you start can help ease your anxiety.

As with other graduate school admissions tests like the LSAT and MCAT, the GMAT tests your knowledge in several areas to help ensure your readiness for graduate level work. The average GMAT score is a combined total of the verbal, quantitative, total, and analytical writing assessment scores. You can look at this information in one of two ways- either as an overall average GMAT score, or as the average scores of each individual part of the test. The simplest answer is that the average scores among all people who take the test worldwide is a 570.

Your next question is probably what the average scores of people who get into MBA programs at various schools are. Competitive Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Stanford report average scores of around 720. Other top MBA programs such as those at Wharton, Sloan, and Yale are about 710. While these scores on the GMAT may seem very high, remember that this is an average score, not an entrance requirement. The average scores among students in the nation's top fifty programs is 660, a much more obtainable score. While your GMAT test score is not the only criteria that business schools look at, it is one of the most important. Don't be afraid of not reaching a certain average GMAT score though, many quality MBA programs at business schools accept applicants with a much wider range of scores. When taking the GMAT test, your focus should be on completing the test to the best of your abilities.

The best way to make sure that your GMAT test score is competitive is to start studying early by using a GMAT prep program. You can access these programs in person at local schools, online, or by purchasing study programs in books. If you are concerned about the score that you need to aim for in order to get into the school of your choice, you can contact your business schools admissions office and ask if they can provide you with information about the average GMAT scores of their students. If your score on the GMAT is lower than the average score of students in the MBA program you are looking at, you can still get into the school, but your admissions application is going to have to be a lot more impressive.

As you prepare to take the GMAT, think about your future in business school. Applicants to an MBA program, particularly those who want to enter a very competitive program, will need to spend many hours studying and learning course material. Knowing that the GMAT is like a "first impression" as you enter an MBA program, you will want to dedicate the same amount of time to GMAT prep as you will to your studies.