An update on a recent change in the GMAT structure…

With a view to enhancing the overall GMAT experience, the Graduate Management Admission Council has announced two major changes in the 2017 GMAT release. These are as follows:

1. Select Section Order

The Select Section Order is a new feature that will provide test takers the flexibility to choose the section order, in which they wish to take the GMAT test. In effect from July 11, 2017, this feature will provide students three options at the beginning of the test. These are:

1. Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, Verbal (original option)
2. Verbal, Quantitative, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment
3. Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment

A few other points…

• In case, a test taker fails to select an option, the first option, which is the default option, will be automatically selected. The option,which is chosen by the test taker will not be visible to the schools he/she applies to, as it will not be visible in any official or unofficial score report.
• The optional eight-minute breaks will be spaced at relatively even time intervals throughout the exam and will largely coincide for all test takers, irrespective of the chosen section order.
• There is no recommended section order and the choice is a prerogative of the student, based on his/her competencies and testing preferences. The scores attained from each format are absolutely comparable, a fact proven during the pilot study that was conducted by GMAC IN 2016.
• Those, who have scheduled their test already (before July 11, 2017) and would like to take advantage of the Select Selection Order feature, may reschedule their test by calling the GMAC call center. The reschedule fee and phone fee will be waived if the request is received within 7 days of the announcement i.e. June 22, 2017. For reschedule requests received after June 22, the standard reschedule charges will be applicable.
• The Select Selection Order feature is currently not available in the full-length practice tests available on mba.com. The products offered in the mba.com store will be updated with the new feature by July 31, 2017.
2. Removal of Profile Updation Screens from Test Centers

Following the completion of a test, each student is required to answer a series of profile questions (education details, work experience, demographic details) that appear on the computer screen. However, with effect from July 11, 2017, these screens will be removed from the testing centers. While the profile questions will still need to be updated, the test taker can complete this task on mba.com, at any time, either prior to the test or after the same.
Thus, test takers will now be able to view their unofficial scores immediately after the exam and the total time spent by them at the testcenter will be reduced by a few minutes. In doing so, GMAC wishes to streamline the test center experience for all candidates.