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NEW DELHI: A new, shorter Graduate Management Admission Test, with changes like dropping the ‘analytical writing assessment’ section and introduction of ‘data insights’ as a new one, is on the cards.
Speaking exclusively to TOI and revealing for the first time details of the new format of test for graduate management education, Joy Jones, global CEO of Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) said the new test – GMAT Focus Edition – will be launched in December 2023 and the current version will be phased out in the first quarter of 2024.
With the introduction of ‘data insights’, along with the quantitative and verbal reasoning sections, GMAT will be delivered in a more concise form in which some ‘items’ (questions) that give less essential information will be struck off. “Questions on data insights will draw from some of our previous content on integrated reasoning and data sufficiency. Each section of the exam will be a little bit more concise, but maintaining the integrity of the kind of performance that schools are looking for,” Jones said.
The new evolution of GMAT is based on surveys of over 60 partner B-schools, 5,400 candidates, engagements by market development teams, and industry interactions. The 70 year test will no longer have the analytical writing section, which Jones said “…particularly because the schools have shared that they have other means of analysing a candidate’s analytical writing ability. Longer form essays certainly give out relevant information. But in a trade off between a shorter and more focussed exam or longer form essays, schools and candidates were supportive of us dropping that section.”
Globally, over 7,700 programmes in 2,400 universities/colleges accept GMAT scores for admission to business education at various levels. In India, over 170 colleges/universities accept GMAT scores.
Jones said preparatory materials will be offered by the end of the second quarter of this year, registration will open in third quarter, and the new test will be launched and made available by the end of this year. However, considering that many students are already preparing for the exam, the current edition will continue to be offered until early next year, she added.
“For now, GMAT aspirants can continue with their preparation… For a period of time, both test formats will be available, during which students will be able to make a choice on which test they would like to take,” said Jones.
She emphasised that shortening the exam will be helpful for the candidates “because features like being able to swipe section order or being able to review a question, among others, will help them to have more control over their preparation, which arguably will be shorter as they will have fewer item types to prepare for.”
Stating that focus on ‘data insights’ section is one of the “biggest points” of the reformed GMAT, Jones said stakeholders have agreed that this is essential “in order to be successful in today’s business environment, but increasingly so in the business environment of the future, and therefore must be incorporated in our curriculum. We need students to focus on having that data literacy and understanding reasoning not only across quantitative concepts but also verbal concepts, charts and graphs, and data elements. ‘Data insights’ brings all that together and most importantly it makes quantitative topics more accessible to people who may or may not have a quantitative background”.
Speaking exclusively to TOI and revealing for the first time details of the new format of test for graduate management education, Joy Jones, global CEO of Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) said the new test – GMAT Focus Edition – will be launched in December 2023 and the current version will be phased out in the first quarter of 2024.
With the introduction of ‘data insights’, along with the quantitative and verbal reasoning sections, GMAT will be delivered in a more concise form in which some ‘items’ (questions) that give less essential information will be struck off. “Questions on data insights will draw from some of our previous content on integrated reasoning and data sufficiency. Each section of the exam will be a little bit more concise, but maintaining the integrity of the kind of performance that schools are looking for,” Jones said.
The new evolution of GMAT is based on surveys of over 60 partner B-schools, 5,400 candidates, engagements by market development teams, and industry interactions. The 70 year test will no longer have the analytical writing section, which Jones said “…particularly because the schools have shared that they have other means of analysing a candidate’s analytical writing ability. Longer form essays certainly give out relevant information. But in a trade off between a shorter and more focussed exam or longer form essays, schools and candidates were supportive of us dropping that section.”
Globally, over 7,700 programmes in 2,400 universities/colleges accept GMAT scores for admission to business education at various levels. In India, over 170 colleges/universities accept GMAT scores.
Jones said preparatory materials will be offered by the end of the second quarter of this year, registration will open in third quarter, and the new test will be launched and made available by the end of this year. However, considering that many students are already preparing for the exam, the current edition will continue to be offered until early next year, she added.
“For now, GMAT aspirants can continue with their preparation… For a period of time, both test formats will be available, during which students will be able to make a choice on which test they would like to take,” said Jones.
She emphasised that shortening the exam will be helpful for the candidates “because features like being able to swipe section order or being able to review a question, among others, will help them to have more control over their preparation, which arguably will be shorter as they will have fewer item types to prepare for.”
Stating that focus on ‘data insights’ section is one of the “biggest points” of the reformed GMAT, Jones said stakeholders have agreed that this is essential “in order to be successful in today’s business environment, but increasingly so in the business environment of the future, and therefore must be incorporated in our curriculum. We need students to focus on having that data literacy and understanding reasoning not only across quantitative concepts but also verbal concepts, charts and graphs, and data elements. ‘Data insights’ brings all that together and most importantly it makes quantitative topics more accessible to people who may or may not have a quantitative background”.
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