GMAT Exam Vs GMAT Focus Edition
Are you considering taking the GMAT exam? If you are, then it’s important to know that the GMAT exam is about to undergo a significant transformation with the introduction of the GMAT Focus Edition in the last quarter of this year. We will explore the five major changes that the new GMAT Focus exam will bring, highlighting the distinctions between the current GMAT exam and its revamped version.
Five Major Changes in the GMAT Focus Edition
- Shorter Duration: The GMAT Focus Edition aims to provide a more efficient testing experience by reducing the overall duration of the exam. While the current GMAT exam takes approximately 3 hours and 7 minutes to complete, the new GMAT Focus Exam will only require 2 hours and 15 minutes. The exam will be divided into three sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Data Insights, with each section allocated 45 minutes.
- Altered Scoring System: In the current GMAT Exam, a candidate receives three different scores. A main score in the 200-800 range and two separate scores in the Integrated Reasoning and the Analytical Writing Sections. In the upcoming GMAT Focus exam, there will only be one main score in the 205-805 range and each of the three sections will contribute equally to the main score. The candidates will also receive sectional scores for all three sections in the range between 60 and 90
- Introduction of the “Review and Edit” Option: The GMAT Focus Edition will include a “Review and Edit” option. For the first time, test-takers will have the opportunity to review their answers and make changes if necessary. This feature allows students to flag as many questions as they like and modify up to three answers per section after completing all the questions in that particular section.
- Elimination of Score Cancellation: In the current version of the GMAT exam, test-takers taking the exam from a Test Centre are required to select up to five programs before they take the exam. And hence they need to make the critical decision of either accepting or rejecting their scores right after they receive them. With the introduction of the GMAT Focus Edition, the students will have the freedom to send their scores after receiving their Official Score Report. Hence they don’t need to cancel their scores at all. They can send, if they choose, their score within 48 hours of their Official Scores being made available at mba.com
- Detailed Performance Insight: The GMAT Focus Edition will provide students with a comprehensive Performance Report, along with their Official Score Report. This report will offer percentile rankings for each subsection of the test, as well as for each question type. This detailed performance insight will enable test-takers to analyze their strengths and weaknesses in a more granular manner, helping them focus on areas that require improvement.
To summarize the distinctions between the current GMAT exam and the GMAT Focus Edition, please refer to the following table:
| Parameters | GMAT Focus Edition | Current GMAT Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 3 sections (64 questions), completed in the order of your choosing: Quantitative Reasoning- 21 questions, 45 Minutes Verbal Reasoning- 23 questions¸45 Minutes Data Insights.- 20 questions, 45 Minutes | 4 sections (80 questions), completed in a choice of 3 section orders: Quantitative Reasoning- 31 Questions- 62 Minutes Verbal Reasoning- 36 Questions, 65 Minutes Integrated Reasoning- 12 Questions, 30 Minutes Analytical Writing, 1 Question, 30 Minutes |
| Duration | 2 hours, 15 minutes | 3 hours, 7 minutes |
| Total Score Scale | 205-805 (All 3 sections are weighted equally towards your total score) | 200-800 (Only 2 sections, Quantitative Reasoning, and Verbal Reasoning are weighted equally towards your total score. Integrated Reasoning and AWA sections are scored separately on a scale between 1-8 and 1-6 respectively) |
| Score Sending | Send 5 free score reports to programs within 48 hours of receiving your Official Score Report. Additional score reports are available for a fee. | Test Center: Before your exam select up to 5 programs to receive your Official Score Report at no charge Online: Send 5 free score reports to programs within 48 hours of receiving your Official Score Report. Additional score reports are available for a fee. |
| Review & Edit | Bookmark and review as many of your answers as you want, and you can change up to 3 responses per section | Not applicable |
Which one should you choose?
Your application deadlines and university rules should be the determining factors here. If you are planning to apply in the first and second rounds of the Fall, 2024 intake, it is recommended to take the GMAT exam in its current form. Here’s what Harvard Business School has to say: ‘For the 2023-2024 application cycle, we will not accept the GMAT Focus exam for Round 1 and Round 2; we will accept the GMAT Focus exam for 2+2 applications.’ If you are targeting to take the GMAT sometime in the latter part of 2024, then the GMAT Focus will be the only exam available to you. It is important to note that the registration for GMAT Focus Edition will begin from August 29, 2023.
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