New and Shorter GMAT Expected to Roll Out Next Year

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has announced that the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) format and structure will undergo major changes, likely to be rolled out towards the end of 2023. With this, the current GMAT is expected to remain available until the beginning of 2024.

Coined as the ‘GMAT Focus Edition’, it has been redesigned to be shorter, more flexible, and insightful by focusing on higher-order critical reasoning skills and data literacy, which are particularly pertinent and applicable in tomorrow’s business environment.

What is the New Format

As per the announcement, three 45-minute sections in the GMAT Focus Edition will consist entirely of multiple-choice questions. The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section will be done away with, reducing the test time by approximately an hour. AWA will be replaced by a new section called Data Insights. This new section assesses candidates’ data analysis and interpretation proficiency, which is increasingly critical in the rapidly evolving business environment.

To provide added flexibility, GMAC has further adjusted the test-taking process allowing candidates to change a maximum of three answers in each section. It will also enable them to bookmark and review questions as they complete the test.

In the new edition, candidates also will be allowed to select their section order which is not permitted in the current edition. Furthermore, GMAC has promised enhanced score reporting with “detailed performance insights” to assist candidates in determining their areas of strength and improvement. The announcement added, “each official score report will only contain one exam score, and scores can be sent to up to five schools for free.”