Category: Taking the GMAT

Mar 08 2023

GMAT Focus Edition – All The Details

GMAT Focus EditionMajor announcement from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) today! In late 2023, a completely revamped GMAT, called GMAT Focus Edition, will be released to replace the current GMAT exam. The current GMAT exam will be retired in early 2024. We updated this article on March 15 to incorporate detailed information that we learned over the past week about the new exam.

Content and Section Changes

The current GMAT has four test sections: a 62 minute Quantitative section, a 65 minute Verbal section, a 30 minute Integrated Reasoning section, and a 30 minute Analytical Writing essay.

The new GMAT Focus Edition will have three sections, each of which will be 45 minutes long: Quantitative, Verbal, and Data Insights.

  • Quantitative will contain 21 multiple choice Problem Solving questions only.
  • Verbal will contain 23 Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension questions. Sentence Correction will be eliminated with the GMAT Focus Edition.
  • Data Insights will contain 20 questions – the four current Integrated Reasoning question types plus Data Sufficiency, which is moving from Quant to the Data Insights section.
  • There will not be an essay in the GMAT Focus Edition.

The GMAT Focused Edition will have “reduced content.” In addition to the elimination of Sentence Correction and the AWA essay, Geometry questions will be eliminated from Quant, as is the case with the current Executive Assessment exam that the GMAC also administers.

GMAT Focus Edition Scoring

In the current GMAT, the Quant and Verbal sections receive scores from 6 to 51 in one point increments. Only these two sections contribute to the overall GMAT score, which ranges from 200 to 800 in 10-point increments. The Integrated Reasoning section generates a separate score from 1 to 8.

In the GMAT Focus Edition, each of the three sections receive scores from 60 to 90 in one point increments. Each section, including Data Insights, contributes to the overall GMAT score. The overall GMAT score ranges from 205 to 805 in 10-point increments. Why the extra 5 points? We presume to allow schools to easily identify whether a certain score is from the current GMAT or the GMAT Focus Edition.

GMAT Focus Edition Test Taker Policies

Current test takers choose from three test section orders: Quant/Verbal/IR/AWA, Verbal/Quant/IR/AWA, and AWA/IR/Quant/Verbal. With the new GMAT Focus Edition, test takers will be able to choose any order for the test sections. This creates six possible options: Quant/Verbal/Data, Quant/Data/Verbal, Verbal/Quant/Data, Verbal/Data/Quant, Data/Quant/Verbal, and Data/Verbal Quant.

With the current GMAT, test takers must answer questions in the order received and cannot return to prior questions. With the GMAT Focus Edition, you will be able to bookmark and review as many questions as you want. You can review questions that you didn’t bookmark. Furthermore, you can change up to three answers per section. Any question review or answer changes must be done within the 45-minute section time limits. The GMAT Focus Edition will continue to be a question adaptive exam, like the current GMAT. But the scoring algorithm will presumably contain some modifications to reflect that users can change up to three answers.

GMAT Focus Edition Score Reports

Scoring reporting will also change to match up with how the Online GMAT currently works. With current test-center exams, one must select up to five graduate programs before knowing the exam results in order to take advantage of free score sending. Furthermore, all test center exam results that are not cancelled appear on the score report.

With the GMAT Focus Edition, you can choose to send five score reports after you receive your scores. In addition, each score report will contain the results only for that specific exam. Schools will not see lower scores unless you choose to send them. This change eliminates the need to cancel GMAT scores that you are not happy with.

Finally, the GMAT Focus Edition will have an improved Official Score Report with “detailed performance insights”. We don’t yet know what this entails, but surmise that test takers will automatically get something equivalent to the Enhanced Score Report that is currently available at an additional cost only for test-center exams.

Why is the GMAT Getting Revamped?

GMAT testing volume declined from 242,714 worldwide exams administered in 2018 to 124,112 in 2022, a nearly 50% decline. GRE testing volume has declined by an even slightly higher percentage. These significant drops are largely driven by test-optional policies and test waivers that MBA and other graduate programs put into place when the pandemic closed test centers in March 2020. Furthermore, over the past several years, MBA candidates who submit scores have increasingly taken the GRE instead of the GMAT.

We don’t know the GMAC’s motivation for introducing the new GMAT Focus Edition. But we think that the GMAC hopes to prevent continued declines in testing volume. By introducing a shorter exam that is more test-taker friendly, the GMAT presumably strives to convince more MBA aspirants to take the GMAT instead of the GRE. The GMAC is positioning the GMAT Focus Edition as one that “hones in on the higher-order critical reasoning and data literacy skills that are more relevant and applicable in the business environment of tomorrow.” We believe that, with this positioning, the GMAC hopes to convince business schools with test optional policies to reintroduce testing requirements.

GMAT Genius will share further information about the GMAT Focus Edition as more information about this new GMAT becomes available.

Apr 20 2020

The Online GMAT: A Painful Experience

Online GMATI took the online GMAT today, in order to better understand how this new test format works. Unfortunately, I found the process to be a very frustrating experience. If you aren’t already familiar with the mechanics of the online GMAT, you should read my prior blog post on that topic before continuing.

Online GMAT Check-In

Last week, after registering for the exam, I went through the system test to ensure system compatibility. Although the system check hung a couple times, I ultimately got the system check to work and was therefore confident that my computer setup was fine. I spent some time yesterday cleaning up my home office, removing barred items such as papers / pens, and disconnecting my second monitor. So I was ready to go this morning.

I started the check-in process 15 minutes before my scheduled test time, completing the check-in procedure in 12 minutes. Everything proceeded smoothly, replicating what I experienced during the system check. On the last check-in screen, the OnVue browser informed me that a proctor will start the exam soon, within 10 minutes for most test takers.

Where’s the Proctor?

missing proctorAfter waiting 15 minutes, I started waiving and speaking into my webcam, hoping to get someone’s attention. After 20 minutes, still nothing. And after 25 minutes, still nothing. At this point, I informed my webcam that I need to contact someone for help and so would use my cell phone.

The Pearson system does not provide any way to get in touch with someone for help. The chat dialog was not yet present, nor was there any phone number or other contact information. I looked up the number for GMAC Customer Service. I tried calling twice, but both times just received a busy signal; the phone lines were probably overwhelmed.

So I decided to close the OnVue browser open on my computer and try again. I went back to my MBA.com account to restart the test, and fortunately I was able to do so. I had to go through the entire check-in procedure from scratch before again reaching the “proctor will be with you within 10 minutes” screen.

After 10 minutes of patiently waiting, there was no proctor. After 15 minutes, still no proctor. Once again, I started waiving and speaking into my webcam, hoping to get someone’s attention. After 20 minutes, just as I was about to close the OnVue browser again, a proctor finally announced her presence by placing a chat box on my screen.

Proctoring Experience

The proctor asked me to show (in my webcam) both the front and back of my eyeglasses and both the front and back of my wrists. Surprisingly, the proctor did not ask me to use my webcam to give her a 360-degree view of my room, as I was expecting. My online test then officially started.

During the exam itself, I could see that the system was recording me. But after a couple minutes, I was so focused on the exam questions that the monitoring was out-of-mind. Towards the middle of the Quant section, the proctor popped up the chat dialog to warn me that she heard me saying part of a question out loud. I think that I had faintly whispered a Data Sufficiency fact to myself, something along the lines of “x is an integer.” Apparently this was enough to receive a warning from the proctor. From that point onward, I had to ensure that I was completely silent; doing so made it harder to concentrate on the test questions.

Online Whiteboard

In the online GMAT, the Quantitative section comes first. I was most curious to evaluate the functionality of the online whiteboard. Since I conduct online tutoring with GMAT Genius clients, I am accustomed to using an online whiteboard. But I found the Pearson whiteboard challenging to use.

The text tool was clunky at best. It kept defaulting to 18 point Helvetica text, which I found quite large. Whenever I reduced the text size to a more manageable 12 or 14 point, it defaulted back to 18 point with the next text entry. I could not set the size of a text box, and at times the text box automatically word-wrapped, to my chagrin. Since the whiteboard lacks math notation, I had to use my own shorthand for math notation, such as r(3) for square root of 3 and x^2 for x squared.

If I made the whiteboard too big, the whiteboard covered up the Answer Confirm dialog box that appears after submitting an answer to each question. So I had to reduce the size of the whiteboard, limiting how much I could type in. The whiteboard had a tendency to keep zooming in on its own, further limiting the viewable whiteboard area. To counteract this, I often had to use the zoom out tool to see what I had placed on the whiteboard.

I was lucky in that I didn’t face many complex geometry questions. I tried to recreate one complex geometry diagram in order to work through the relationships, but it was very challenging to do so with the online whiteboard. The whiteboard does have a rectangle, a circle, and a free form shape tool. But these were useless with the more complex diagram that I had to recreate.

Tested Content

I cannot share actual test content, but I can share some broad observations. In terms of the content tested, there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I was surprised that (as I recall) my first 5 to 6 Quant questions were all Data Sufficiency. I was quite relieved to finally see a Problem Solving question. Although there were a few challenging Quant questions, I was surprised that several Quant questions seemed very straightforward and easy. I hope that this doesn’t foreshadow a Quant score below my regular Quant 51 score.

I also found the Verbal and IR sections to be more straightforward than my prior GMAT attempts. One very complex Reading Comprehension passage (science, of course) and a couple tricky Critical Reasoning questions arose. But overall I was surprised that the test content wasn’t as difficult as I was expecting. I was concerned that perhaps I missed a few questions and scored lower than typical, but ultimately I received a 770 score (IR 8, Quant 50, Verbal 46). I do think that Quant was lower than the 51 that I usually get because of the challenges in using the online whiteboard and my frustration level after the miserable check-in experience.

Other Issues

Need to use restroomTwo other issues are worth noting. The lack of a break between Quant and Verbal was challenging. About halfway through the Verbal section, I felt the need to use the restroom. This urge distracted me a bit during the second half of Verbal. So I was very relieved when I finally got a five minute break before Integrated Reasoning. This urge was probably exacerbated by my very lengthy (over one hour!) check-in and waiting time. If my exam had properly started within 10 minutes of checking-in the first time, this would have been less of an issue.

Second, it was very anti-climatic after finishing the exam. The OnVue browser said that I will receive my results via email within two weeks, not the seven business days that the GMAC has advertised. Then my OnVue browser closed, officially ending the exam. It really would have been nice to have the instant gratification (or pain, as the case may be) of seeing the unofficial results immediately.

On the Plus Side

The online GMAT experience wasn’t all bad. It was far more comfortable to take the exam on my computer at my own desk. I didn’t have to drive to a test center and hassle with the test center check-in procedures. It would also have been more stressful to take the test at a workstation on an unfamiliar computer at the test center. It was much less distracting to not have others in the same room as me. At a test center, there are typically 10+ other test takers who are taking various exams, and the proctor comes in and out of the testing room to assist everyone. Finally, although I would dress comfortably for a test center appointment, I could be even more comfortable at home – no shoes required!

Summary

Overall, the online GMAT was a very frustrating experience for me. I certainly hope that my situation was an aberration. No one should have to endure over one hour waiting time from starting check-in procedures to starting the exam, with 45 minutes spent staring at my computer screen, hoping that a proctor will show up. The OnVue browser states that a proctor will start the exam within 10 minutes. So it is simply unacceptable that I had to wait 25 minutes before giving up and starting over, only to wait an additional 20 minutes for a proctor. At minimum, the OnVue browser should provide a method to contact someone for help. Ideally there should also be a real-time countdown timer that states “a proctor will be with you in X minutes.” Perhaps these “opening day” kinks will be fixed over time.

Putting aside what I hope is an aberration, the online whiteboard was very clunky and challenging to use. I think that I would have been able to complete the Quant section about 10 minutes earlier if I had the regular written whiteboard instead of the online whiteboard. This may be worse for most test takers, because I am accustomed to using a (more robust) online whiteboard. To minimize further pain, I did not use the whiteboard whatsoever during Verbal and made only minimal usage during IR. I am very surprised that Pearson couldn’t have designed a more robust and user-friendly online whiteboard.

Without the problematic check-in experience that I faced and with a more functional online whiteboard (or better yet – a physical whiteboard), I may actually prefer the online GMAT, despite the other drawbacks. But I would not want to go through today’s painful online GMAT experience again any time soon.

Apr 14 2020

Interim Online GMAT Now Available

Online GMAT

The online GMAT is now available.

The GMAC released information today about the “interim” online GMAT. Appointments are available every 15 minutes, 24/7, from April 20 to June 15. Depending on how the coronavirus pandemic evolves, the GMAC may extend availability beyond June 15. The online GMAT is meant to be an interim solution while Pearson VUE centers are closed due to the pandemic. This exam is available to all test takers, but is specifically intended for candidates who are currently striving to meet current Round 3 and 4 application deadlines.

The online GMAT registration fee is $200, $75 less than the regular GMAT fee. The fee to reschedule your online GMAT is $25 and to cancel is $100. You can reschedule or cancel your appointment 24 hours or more before your scheduled exam.

Technology Requirements

You can take the online GMAT on both Windows and Mac personal computers and laptops. You must have a built-in or plug-in webcam and microphone. The online proctor will use these to monitor you during the exam. You can only have one monitor attached to your computer. Headphones and headsets are prohibited.

We highly recommend that you run a system test prior to your exam to ensure system compatibility, as detailed on the GMAC’s Prepare Your Environment webpage. This process takes 15-20 minutes and entails agreeing to GMAC / Pearson policies, ensuring that you have the necessary computer equipment, and taking and submitting photos of yourself, your ID, and your environment.

Online GMAT Structure and Mechanics

The online GMAT is similar to the regular in-person GMAT, but with some very important differences. First, there is no Analytical Writing (AWA) section in the online GMAT. Second, the Select Section Order feature is not available. The order will be fixed as Quantitative first, Verbal second, and Integrated Reasoning third. Quant remains as 31 questions in 62 minutes, Verbal is 36 questions in 65 minutes, and IR is 12 questions in 30 minutes. The scoring algorithm and scoring scales will be identical to the regular GMAT.

Your workspace must be clutter-free. You cannot have any books, papers, notepads, watches, electronic devices, or writing instruments within arm’s reach. You also cannot have any food or drink with you, not even water. The proctor will conduct a room scan with your webcam. If your workspace does not pass the room scan, you will not be permitted to take the test.

You can take the online GMAT only once. The online GMAT attempt does not count towards the GMAT limits of five times within a rolling 12-month period or eight times lifetime. But if you have already exceeded these limits, you cannot take the online GMAT.

Pros and Cons of Online GMAT

One advantage of the online GMAT is that you take the exam from the comfort of your own home or office, on your own computer. This may help alleviate the stress associated with going to a physical test center. A second advantage is that you can select up to five schools to receive your score report either before or after your exam at no additional charge. A third advantage is the lower test fee.

There are several disadvantages to taking the online GMAT, relative to the regular GMAT:

  • You are allowed only one 5-minute break, before Integrated Reasoning. In other words, you must do the Quant and Verbal sections back-to-back with no break in between the sections.
  • You are not allowed to use a physical whiteboard or paper / pencil. Instead, you must use an online whiteboard built into the special OnVUE browser that delivers the exam. Users who are not accustomed to online whiteboards may find this unwieldy and challenging to use.
  • There is no Score Preview feature. Scores will be sent to you via email within seven business days of your exam date.
  • Furthermore, score cancellation options are not available. No matter how you perform, the score becomes part of your permanent GMAT record for the next five years. So be sure that you are ready to perform well before you register.
  • Enhanced Score Reports will not be available. So you will not have the opportunity to analyze your test day performance as you can with an ESR for the regular GMAT.
  • Disability accommodations (e.g. extra time) are not currently available, so those test takers who qualify are out-of-luck for now. The GMAC hopes to make this available in the “coming weeks”.

Summary

Online GMAT successAlthough the online GMAT is far from perfect, it is a viable solution for those who have been unable to take the regular GMAT due to test center closures but who need a score due to impending application deadlines. The lack of a break between Quant and Verbal and the restriction of an online whiteboard are serious limitations. But we understand that the GMAC needs to take precautions to ensure test security. If you decide to take the online GMAT, we wish you tremendous success and hope to hear positive results.

The big uncertainty for those who are not applying now is how business schools will treat online GMAT scores in the future. If you are not applying in the current admissions cycle, it may be better to wait to take the regular GMAT at a test center. Unfortunately we cannot say with certainty when those appointments will be available.

Jun 15 2017

Select Section Order on the GMAT

Select Section Order on the GMATThe GMAC announced today a new Select Section Order feature for the GMAT. Beginning July 11, 2017, test takers worldwide can select the order of the sections on their GMAT administrations. The GMAC claims that this will not affect the statistical validity of GMAT scores, but we believe that many GMAT takers will benefit substantially because of this change.

We often find that students score 20 to 30 points higher when they skip the AWA and IR sections on practice exams. We expect many students to achieve similar results by relegating IR and AWA to the end. Score reports will not indicate which section order you selected.

How Select Section Order Works

You will see the Select Section Order screen during your exam at the Pearson VUE test center on the computer immediately prior to the start of your exam, after choosing the schools for score reports and the navigation tutorial. You have two minutes to make a selection. If you do not pick an option in this timeframe, the original order will be chosen be default. You will have the opportunity to select from one of three possible section orders:

  1. AWA, IR, Quant, Verbal (original order)
  2. Verbal, Quant, IR, AWA
  3. Quant, Verbal, IR, AWA

No matter which order you select, you still get two 8-minute breaks. Each break will be between two of the three parts of the exam: Quant, Verbal, and AWA/IR (combined). Breaks remain optional, but we highly recommend that you take the breaks. Just be sure that you are checked-in and back in your seat before a break ends, or the test will resume without you and you lose valuable time.

What Order to Choose

We highly recommend selecting option 2 (Verbal, Quant, IR, AWA) or option 3 (Quant, Verbal, IR, AWA). Since it is by far the easiest section of the GMAT, save AWA for last, at which point mental fatigue is likely to set in.

Start with either Quant or Verbal, depending on which section mental fatigue is most likely to be a factor for you. Start with the section on which you are most likely to make careless errors. This will typically, but not necessarily, be the section you are weaker on. By tackling this section first while you are still fresh, the number of careless mistakes is likely to decline.

Some test takers claim that the original order will work best, because they need a warm-up period. We believe, however, that one hour spent on AWA and Integrated Reasoning hardly qualifies as a “warm-up” period. Why expend valuable energy and focus for one hour on the two sections of the exam that do not count towards your overall 200 to 800 score? If you really want a “warm up” period, before entering the test center, practice with a very small handful of Official Guide questions that you have previously done. Just be sure not to bring any practice materials into the test center.

Updated Test Materials

The official GMATPrep diagnostic test software and the Exam Pack 1 and 2 add-ons will be updated by July 31 to reflect the Select Section Order feature. When the software is updated, you can receive a free upgrade of GMATPrep and the Exam Packs.

The GMAC is working on shifting GMATPrep to a web-based interface from its current software-download format. We’re not sure whether this much-needed update will occur by the July 31 date given by the GMAC.

Other GMAT Changes

Effective July 11, the GMAC will also eliminate the profile update screens during the GMAT. These are largely unnecessary, since you can update your profile anytime at MBA.com. Removing these screens from the test experience will reduce the overall time you must spend at the test center.

Why Was Select Section Order Implemented

Ashok Sarathy

Ashok Sarathy, GMAC’s VP of Product Management

The GMAC ran a pilot program for Select Section Order in February-March 2016. The pilot program allowed the GMAC to collect valuable data from real test takers, including several GMAT Genius clients, in order to evaluate this feature. The GMAC concluded that GMAT takers appreciated the flexibility in choosing section order and that select section order did not affect the statistical validity of GMAT scores.

“The idea of being allowed to choose the section order had been commonly requested by test takers,” noted Ashok Sarathy, the Vice President of Product Management for the GMAC. “We conducted a pilot in 2016 to test this feature and received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with 85 percent of participants surveyed expressing that this new feature boosted their confidence prior to even taking the exam. Our pilot findings also concluded that taking the exam in different section orders continues to maintain the quality and integrity of the GMAT scores.”

Over the past several years, the GMAC has implemented several changes to enhance test takers’ GMAT experience. This is partly driven by increased competition from the GRE. GMAT changes over the past three years include:

  • allowing GMAT takers to cancel scores online within three days after the GMAT and to reinstate cancelled scores for five years (March 2016)
  • removing cancelled scores from school score reports and shortening the GMAT retake window to 16 days (July 2015)
  • introducing the GMAT Enhanced Score Report to provide test takers a more detailed analysis of their overall GMAT performance (January 2015)
  • showing test takers their unofficial GMAT scores before having to decide whether to report or cancel their scores (July 2014)

You can read more about the new Select Section Order feature of the GMAT on the official MBA.com website.

Mar 16 2016

GMAT Score Cancellation and Reinstatement Periods

GMAT Score Cancellation and ReinstatementThe Graduate Management Admission Council recently announced longer GMAT score cancellation and score reinstatement time periods. These changes are beneficial to GMAT test takers, and expand upon the enhanced score cancellation features that the GMAC introduced in July 2015.

GMAT Score Cancellation Options

You can continue to cancel your scores immediately upon completion of the GMAT. After you see your scores, you have two minutes in which to either cancel or report your test scores. This option remains free, and removes any indication of a test attempt from your score reports.

A new option allows you to cancel your GMAT scores within 72 hours of your test administration, for a $25 fee. You take advantage of this option online, by logging in to your MBA.com account. As with the immediate cancellation option, your score reports will have no record of the GMAT administration.

Enhanced Score Reinstatement Period

You previously had 60 days to reinstate cancelled scores, for a $100 fee. You can now reinstate cancelled scores up to 4 years 11 months after your exam date. Furthermore, the GMAC has lowered the score reinstatement fee to $50 and will now automatically send score reports to the schools that you selected during your exam. You also take advantage of this option online at your MBA.com account.

GMAT Genius’ Interpretation

As the GMAT faces greater competition from the GRE, the GMAC has been striving to introduce greater flexibility and control to GMAT takers. Rather than deciding immediately, you can now more carefully consider over the subsequent three days whether to cancel your GMAT scores. You can also seek the advice of others, such as your GMAT tutor, before deciding whether to cancel. The longer timeframe should reduce the pressure you face over this decision after completing a grueling exam.

The enhanced score reinstatement period also provides greater flexibility, now at a much more reasonable cost. You can cancel your GMAT scores knowing that you are able to reinstate the scores at any time during their 5-year validity. As a result, we expect that many more MBA aspirants will cancel their scores when they don’t meet their score objectives, and then ultimately reinstate their highest scores after further GMAT attempts. You can read more about the changes on mba.com.

Feb 23 2016

Select Section Order Pilot Program

GMAC's Select Section Order Golden TicketThe GMAC’s select section order pilot begins today! This special program, by invitation only, allows a very select few repeat GMAT takers to choose the order of their exam sections. This pilot program will provide the GMAC with data to assess whether to roll the select section order option out to all test takers. Program participants must take the GMAT from February 23 to March 16.

Participants will receive valid GMAT scores, and score reports will not indicate that they participated in this special select section order program. This is akin to receiving a golden ticket from the GMAC. You get to tackle the mentally draining Quant and Verbal sections before working on the AWA and IR sections that do not count towards the main 200 to 800 score. As a result, we estimate an overall score improvement of 30 to 40 points, consistent with what we observe when students take a practice exam without doing the AWA and IR sections.

How Select Section Order Works

If you are participant in the pilot program, you register for the GMAT using a special link that is sent to you. You will have the opportunity to select from one of four possible section orders that differ from the normal order of AWA, IR, Quant, Verbal:

  1. Quant, Verbal, IR, AWA
  2. Quant, Verbal, AWA, IR
  3. Verbal, Quant, IR, AWA
  4. AWA, IR, Verbal, Quant

What Order to Choose

We highly recommend taking selecting option 1 (Quant, Verbal, IR, AWA) or option 3 (Verbal, Quant, IR, AWA). Since it is by far the easiest section of the GMAT, save AWA for last, at which point mental fatigue is likely to set in.

Start with either Quant or Verbal, depending on which section mental fatigue is most likely to be a factor. Start with the section on which you are most likely to make careless errors. This will typically, but not necessarily, be the section you are weaker on. By tackling this section first while you are still fresh, the number of careless mistakes is likely to decline.

Should You Participate in the Program

Absolutely! Some other test preparation companies have proposed two nonsensical reasons to avoid participating in the select section order program.

  1. Since existing practice exams do not have the select section order option, you cannot practice with a different order. Our response: so what? We are confident that you are adaptable enough to take the test sections in a more advantageous order than with what you can practice.
  2. You should allow for a warm-up period. Our response: one hour spent on AWA and Integrated Reasoning hardly qualifies as a “warm-up” period. Rather, the vast majority of GMAT aspirants will expend valuable energy and focus on the two sections of the exam that do not count towards your primary overall score. If you really want a “warm up” period, before entering the test center, practice with a very small handful of Official Guide questions that you have previously done. Be sure not to bring any practice materials into the test center.

Other than not receiving an invitation, there are only two valid reasons not to participate: 1) you do not plan to retake the GMAT or 2) you will not be adequately prepared to retake the GMAT in the program’s timeframe. After all, why pass up the opportunity to boost your GMAT score?

Some of GMAT Genius’ clients have been invited to participate in the select section order pilot. We’ll share the results after the pilot program concludes. In the mean time, here are the official GMAC FAQs on the program.

Jul 15 2015

2015 GMAT Percentile Rankings

GMAT Percentile RankingsEvery year, the Graduate Management Admission Council updates the percentile rankings associated with different GMAT scores. Although your actual scores don’t change, the percentiles on your score reports are updated to reflect the latest three-years of data from live GMAT administrations. The GMAC recently released its latest percentile rankings, reflecting data from July 2012 through June 2015.

Percentile rankings indicate the percent of test-takers who score below a given score. In the tables below, we show data for the three-years ending June 2015 and the prior data for the three-years ending June 2014. For your convenience, we have highlighted the specific changes. Read more about the meaning of percentile rankings on our About the GMAT page. You can access the latest full percentile ranking tables at MBA.com.

Overview of Changes in Percentile Rankings

As expected, there are no drastic changes to the percentile rankings, only minor shifts. The AWA percentile rankings are completely unchanged. There are just minor shifts in the Integrated Reasoning and Verbal percentile rankings.

The most noticeable change is the slightly higher mean average overall GMAT score accompanied by a slight shift downward in percentile rankings corresponding to a given score. This is driven by similar changes in the Quantitative percentile rankings. As test-takers from math-proficient countries such as China and India continue to make up a larger proportion of the test-taking population, it becomes harder to achieve a high-ranking in the Quantitative section. To illustrate, consider that a Quant score of 50 (out of 51 for all practical purposes) translates only into an 87% ranking.

Data from 2015 GMAT Percentile Rankings

Scores Halfway Mean Median 70th %ile 90th %ile
AWA 3.0 = 6% 4.34 = 30% 4.5 = 44% 5.0 = 60% 6.0 = 92%
IR 5 = 53% 4.32 = 43% 5 = 53% 6 = 67% 8 = 92%
Verbal 30 = 58% 27.1 = 46% 28 = 50% 34 = 71% 40 = 91%
Quantitative 30 = 22% 38.3 = 39% 42 = 50% 47 = 67% 50 = 87%
Overall 500 = 30% 550.1 = 44% 570 = 50% 630 = 70% 700 = 89%

Note: Percentiles for mean scores are estimates.

Data from 2014 GMAT Percentile Rankings

Scores Halfway Mean Median 70th %ile 90th %ile
AWA 3.0 = 6% 4.34 = 30% 4.5 = 44% 5.0 = 60% 6.0 = 92%
IR 5 = 52% 4.33 = 42% 5 = 52% 6 = 67% 8 = 92%
Verbal 30 = 58% 27.0 = 46% 28 = 51% 34 = 71% 40 = 91%
Quantitative 30 = 22% 38.0 = 41% 42 = 51% 47 = 68% 50 = 88%
Overall 500 = 31% 547.4 = 44% 570 = 51% 630 = 71% 700 = 89%

Note: Percentiles for mean scores are estimates.

Jun 25 2015

GMAT Policy Changes – Cancelled Scores

Cancelled ScoresThe Graduate Management Admission Council announced two significant changes to GMAT policies. Both of these changes, which take effect July 19, are beneficial to GMAT test takers.

Attempts with Cancelled Scores Not Shown

After completing the GMAT, a test taker is shown her scores and has two minutes in which to decide whether to keep or cancel those scores. If she chooses to cancel the scores, her score report currently indicates a cancelled GMAT attempt with a “C” notation. Effective July 19, score reports will no longer show test attempts in which users cancelled their scores. The GMAC will retroactively apply this change to all previously cancelled scores. This policy change does not affect score cancellations generated by the GMAC, such as those due to technical issues or policy violations.

Reduced GMAT Waiting Period

Currently you can take the GMAT a subsequent time only after a 31-day gap. This waiting period will be reduced to 16 days effective July 19. As before, you are limited to a maximum of five GMAT attempts in any 12-month period. Frankly, we cannot imagine why anyone would want to take the GMAT more often than that.

Why Were These Changes Made?

The GMAC said that it received feedback from test takers that business schools may negatively perceive cancelled scores, and that test takers therefore wanted this change. Since candidates may cancel their GMAT scores for a variety of reasons, removal of score cancellations will prevent schools from misinterpreting score cancellations. Although most business schools would probably overlook one cancelled score, several cancelled attempts may raise questions for an admissions officer.

These changes are also in the GMAC’s interest. Without any indication of score cancellation, test takers will be more willing to take the test more often, generating more fees for the GMAC. Perhaps not so coincidentally, the GMAC will now also allow test takers to retake the GMAT sooner.

GMAT Genius’ Interpretation

Both of these changes are beneficial to GMAT takers. You can now retake the GMAT with significantly less risk. For example, consider a test taker who scored 680 on the GMAT the first time and wants to try for a 700+ score. She can now retake the GMAT knowing that she can cancel any score that doesn’t exceed her prior 680, and business schools will be none the wiser. She may now even be motivated to try a few times for a 700+ score.

As another example, consider a test taker who falls sick just before his exam. A test taker who reschedules his exam within seven days of the scheduled date loses the entire test fee. Previously, someone who fell sick would either waste the $250 fee by rescheduling or risk the dreaded “C” on his score report. Our test taker can now take the test while sick as a practice run, knowing that he can cancel his score without the cancellation showing on his report. Furthermore, he can retake the GMAT sooner, while he has greater retention from his studies in advance of the first test date.

We recommend that GMAT aspirants retake the GMAT only if they have good reason to believe that they can score higher. The GMAC has just reduced your risk in doing so. You can read more about the changes on mba.com.

Jun 25 2014

New GMAT Score Preview and New Official Guides

GMAC logoWe have two important updates from the GMAC to share. First, the GMAC announced today that effective this Friday (June 27), all GMAT test takers can preview their four unofficial scores (Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, Verbal, and Overall) before they decide whether to report or cancel the scores. The AWA score is not included, since that score is not immediately available due to the human scoring element. Ashok Sarathy, GMAC VP of Produce Management, said, “We are pleased to offer this feature as part of our efforts to make preparing for and taking the GMAT exam easier. The new score reporting feature gives test takers more certainty and control in the testing process and in how their scores are reported to schools.”

How Score Preview Works

Test takers currently must decide to report or cancel their scores without any indication of how they actually performed on the GMAT. If a test taker currently cancels her scores, she will never know what the scores actually were. This change should prove to be a big anxiety relief for test takers. This should also reduce stress levels for test takers during the exam. GMAT examinees will now confidently be able to decide whether to keep or cancel scores, depending on how the scores match up to their goals and expectations. Examinees will no longer need to guess how they performed and then second-guess their decision if they cancel or if they report and receive a lower-than-expected score.

The process works as follows. Immediately after finishing the GMAT, test takers will be shown their four scores. A test taker has two minutes to decide whether to report or cancel. If a test taker does not make a choice, her scores will be automatically canceled. A test taker whose scores are cancelled (either by choice or automatically) will have to option to reinstate the scores within 60 days of the test date for a $100 fee. Since two minutes is not much time, the GMAC wisely recommends that you decide in advance what are the minimum scores you would want in order to report the scores. You can read more about the announcement here.

New Official Guides

The second update is that new versions of all three Official Guides for GMAT Review will release on July 8. If you are just starting your preparations and your test date is far enough out, we suggest that you wait for the new Official Guides. The latest versions will include online access to the questions, and you can create custom practice tests. You can buy the three books as a bundle or individually: Official Guide, Quantitative Guide, and Verbal Guide. We will provide our analysis of the books once we receive and go through our copies.

Jul 03 2013

My New GMAT Score: 770

GMAT Score 770I retook the GMAT in late May, because I had not yet taken the Next Gen GMAT with Integrated Reasoning. My new GMAT score is 770, same as my prior score. My scaled section scores are Q51 and V42. My AWA score remains a perfect 6 and my IR score is a perfect 8. Based on this testing experience, there are some observations that I can share. Obviously I cannot share information about specific questions that I saw in my examination. Please also keep in mind that because every GMAT administration is different, your experience may vary.

Pre-Test Experience

My test day didn’t start off well, as my son woke me up more than an hour earlier than usual. So I was a bit tired and cranky, despite having gone to sleep early the prior night. For breakfast, I ate two Sausage McMuffins with Egg from McDonald’s. Not the healthiest breakfast, but I recommend lots of protein for mental concentration. I then completed a few light errands, avoiding anything that would be mentally taxing. I then drove to the testing center, stopping at a different McDonald’s for a light lunch; I ate only the grilled chicken inside a McWrap. I also drank a Coke Zero, as I needed some caffeine after the early awakening.

My test time was 12:15 pm at the Pearson center in Lake Forest, CA. I liked the Lake Forest location more than Pearson center in Anaheim, where I have gone previously. The Lake Forest location seemed quieter, calmer, brighter, and more welcoming than I remember the Anaheim location to be. The Pearson staff was very friendly and helpful. I arrived at the center 30 minutes in advance of my appointment time, as recommended. I was promptly checked in, and since a workstation was available, I was seated for my test around noon. Although I felt a little nervous before the test, some deep breaths and positive affirmations helped me quickly overcome any stress and focus fully on the test.

During the GMAT

During the 8-minute breaks, it took about one minute each time for the test proctor to notice that my hand was raised and to come escort me out of the testing room. I had already scoped out the restroom and asked permission to use it during the breaks. My break routines followed exactly what is outlined on our Taking the GMAT page, with the entire routine taking about five minutes each time. For each snack, I had half a cheese stick and a few sips of Gatorade. I made sure to get checked in and escorted back to my workstation with at least one minute to spare each time.

On test day, Integrated Reasoning, the entire math section, and Reading Comprehension turned out easier than I expected. On the other hand, Sentence Correction and Critical Reasoning were harder than I expected. This is reflected in a lower verbal scaled score than I expected (especially compared to the V49 that I received using GMATPrep). My expectations were based primarily on my familiarity with GMATPrep and the Official Guide. Keep in mind that I was expecting very hard questions on the adaptive math and verbal sections, consistent with a 99 percentile score. Yet the difficulty of some SC and CR questions still surprised me. Let me elaborate a bit for each section.

Observations About Test Sections

AWA

The Analysis of an Argument essay was very straightforward, as expected. The most helpful form of AWA preparation is to write full essays for several prompts picked at random from the Official List of essay topics.

Integrated Reasoning

As described in my prior post about the 105 official GMAC practice IR questions, difficulty for the practice questions varies but includes some very challenging questions. The IR questions in some third-party (non-GMAC) diagnostics are even harder and far more calculation-intensive. In my practice, I had consistently found it challenging to complete 12 IR questions within the 30-minute time limit. By contrast, the 12 IR questions that I saw on the real GMAT were relatively straightforward. I would not rate a single of these questions as difficult. No question took more than 3 minutes to complete. Based on the GMAC practice questions, I was not expecting to use the calculator much. In fact, I only used the calculator for some basic calculations on two of the 12 questions.

Math

Question difficulty overall was easier than I expected, although still challenging. I had faced harder questions in GMATPrep and elsewhere. Due to careless errors and other mistakes, Q50 was the highest I had scored with practice diagnostics. Since several questions on the real test seemed quite straightforward and because the math section is adaptive, at times I wondered whether I messed up along the way. Fortunately this was not the case. The easier difficulty was seen in both Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency questions, and across all types of math concepts.

Verbal

Reading Comprehension was a bit easier than expected, mainly because three of the four passages were shorter than diagnostic test passages. Some RC questions were subtle but not extraordinarily difficult. Sentence Correction and Critical Reasoning, however, contained some very challenging questions. Fatigue may have set in by the time I reached the Verbal section, compounding the difficulty. A few tricky SC questions underlined only a few words, and I struggled to determine the best construction between two possible answers. On a few tricky CR questions, none of the answers seemed appropriate (a situation I have rarely faced) and I needed to make a best guess. I was hoping that these were experimental questions, but based on my final verbal score, that doesn’t seem to have been the case.

Final Notes

As a final note, the free preparation advice on the GMAT Genius website is completely solid – nothing changes based on my test experience. I followed the advice that we offer, and this advice served me very well. Similarly, the math and verbal concepts that we teach to our clients remain perfectly applicable. No additional concepts were required to answer the questions that I saw, nor does our material contain extraneous content. Every GMAT experience is different, but hopefully these insights will help in your preparations.