Registration Opens for Revamped GMAT

• Registration for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) Focus Edition opened on August 29.
• The updated exam will begin testing on Nov. 7.
• The exam will be roughly an hour shorter than its predecessor and will feature three 45-minute sections.
• The exam allows students to choose the order they take the sections, and also has several flexibility-based features for students.

Prospective graduate business students can now register for an updated version of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).

The GMAT Focus Edition will start testing on Nov. 7, according to a release from the Graduate Management Admission Council. The test is built to be more accessible, and “was redesigned with a more efficient test taking experience and flexible new features to better support and encourage more candidates on their business school journey,” according to the release.

GMAC CEO Joy Jones said the council worked closely with prospective students, business schools, and corporate recruiters in revamping the GMAT.

“Our shared priorities are to ensure that the GMAT Focus Edition assesses the most relevant and in-demand skill sets like data analytics, problem solving and critical reasoning, and to help each candidate perform at their best by putting them in control of more flexible testing and score sending options,” Jones said. “Unlike other alternatives, the GMAT Focus Edition is the only admissions test designed exclusively with the needs of today’s graduate business programs at the forefront.

Jones also said the new test’s focus on flexibility and accessibility will help diversify business schools.

“We trust it to bring forward the most globally diverse candidate pipeline committed to a business degree and help them realize their education and career aspirations at their current stage in life,” Jones said.

The GMAC put a heavy focus on flexibility when it unveiled plans for an updated GMAT earlier this year. The test is almost an hour shorter than its predecessor, featuring three 45 minute sections. The new GMAT also drops the analytical writing assessment featured in past versions of the test.

The three sections include quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, and data insights. Quantitative reasoning focuses on problem-solving skills, verbal reasoning focuses on reading comprehension, and the new data insights section puts a focus on candidates’ ability to interpret and apply data.

The test will now feature “bookmarking,” according to a previous release, allowing students to note questions they feel unsure about as they complete the exam. Students will also be able to review questions within their remaining section time and change up to three answer responses per section, and can complete the three sections in any order.

“These new and improved features of GMAT Focus Edition are providing greater confidence to test takers in their decision to pursue business education,” Ashish Bhardwaj, senior vice president and head of market development at GMAC, said in the previous release. “We believe the test will continue to give aspiring candidates the competitive edge they need to stand out not just in school applications but also in scholarships and the financial aid process. As GMAT Focus Edition encourages candidates to prepare for and take the test efficiently, it will expand and diversify the candidate pipeline for business schools while helping more candidates achieve the life-changing benefits of graduate management education.”

Graduate-level exams have looked to reinvent themselves as schools move away from testing requirements: The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) will require half the time to take starting in September, BestColleges previously reported, featuring 46 fewer verbal and quantitative reasoning questions and one analytical writing essay instead of two.