You may already recognize the traditional GMAT structure, comprising four segments: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Integrated Reasoning, and Analytical Writing Assessment. But, let’s delve into the unique structure of the evolved GMAT Focus Edition – a test format that’s touted for its brevity, adaptability, and remarkable alignment with current business school needs. 

The newly introduced GMAT Focus Edition, which premiered last year, offers a more simplified and user-friendly experience for students. Unlike the classic structure, the Focus Edition is divided into three sections, each lasting 45 minutes. The sections are as follows: 

• Quantitative Reasoning: A reflection of your ability to reason mathematically, the Quantitative Reasoning section consists of 21 questions. These questions are designated to assess data interpretation, problem-solving, and application of mathematics in a business context.
• Verbal Reasoning: This section contains 23 questions, which measure your abilities to read and comprehend written material, reason and evaluate arguments, and correct written material to conform to standard English.
• Data Insights: Making its unique debut in the GMAT Focus Edition, the Data Insights section invites you to engage with 20 questions that evaluate your data analysis skills, a crucial competency for navigating today’s data-heavy business landscape.

The Focus Edition scales down to a total of 64 questions, a reduction not at the cost of comprehensive assessment but in the aim of precision, efficiency, and relevance. It’s more adaptive, mirroring real-world scenarios better by adjusting question difficulty based on your previous answers within each section. Superior time management is essential with each section clocked at 45 minutes. 

Another gamer-changer is the flexibility in the number of attempts and test availability. This shift from previous GMAT versions allows for you to take the test when you are at your best readiness and efficiently plan your study schedule. 

This student-oriented feature, along with others like faster score reports and the edit and review functionality for questions, make the new GMAT Focus Edition an appealing option for aspiring business students. We recommend investing time in understanding its distinctive structure to ensure you’re comfortable with the format before test day.

GMAT Focus Edition New Features

• The GMAT Focus Edition made its first appearance in 2023, offering students shorter testing times and more flexibility than the traditional GMAT.
• Notably, the GMAT Focus Edition’s structure varies from the previous GMAT in several aspects such as number of sections, exam duration, total questions, section order, question review and edit, score reports, number of attempts, and test availability.
• Since its introduction, GMAT Focus Edition has become the exclusive version of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The previous version was retired as of Feb. 1, 2024.
• The GMAT Focus Edition is adaptive, adjusting its complexity in response to the test-taker’s skill level. This makes for a personalized exam tailored to the user’s abilities.

 Review & Edit

The GMAT Focus Edition introduces an innovative tool known as the question review & edit. This tool opens up a world of flexibility for you by enabling modifications to responses even after they have been submitted. This implies that if there are certain questions you’re unsure about, you are not obligated to spend too much time on them; instead, you can revisit these questions later and refurbish your answers. Here’s how it unwraps: 

As you navigate through the exam, you can mark specific questions to revisit later. Once you’ve responded to all the questions in a section, you will gain access to the question review & edit screen for that section. However, be aware that if time runs out, you won’t access this screen, instead, you will proceed directly to your optional break screen or the next division.

The question review & edit screen artfully lays out a numbered catalog of the questions in that section, highlighting the ones you bookmarked. Simply by clicking on the question number, you’ll be transported back to that particular query. You also have the freedom to review and rectify up to three responses per section. 

Select Section Order

The GMAT Focus Edition also allows you to personalize your test experiences. Not only can you tackle the three sections in any order you prefer, but also take your optional 10-minute break whenever you deem fit – after the first or second section. Providing the greatest possible control over your process, the GMAT Focus Edition allows you to gear the test to align perfectly with your preparatory strategy. 

Score Sending

Flexibility extends to score sharing as well. After concluding the test, you get to choose the institutions to which your free score reports will be sent. This takes off the stress of worrying about scores being dispatched to schools while you’re still in the test-taking mindset. 

Score Report

An added advantage – the score reports are not only prompt, being delivered within 3-5 business days of test completion, but also exhaustive. They offer intricate details of your performance, including data analysis by section, content domain, question type, and skills for impressive time management. Allow the GMAT Focus Edition to enhance your test-taking practices with its uncompromising convenience and clarity.

The GMAT Focus Edition introduces several key changes to the exam structure and scoring system. Here’s an overview of what you need to know:

Shorter Exam Format: The GMAT Focus Edition will consist of three 45-minute sections:

• Quantitative Reasoning: Evaluating problem-solving skills.
• Verbal Reasoning: Assessing critical reasoning and reading comprehension (no longer including sentence correction).
• Data Insights: A newly developed section measuring data literacy skills, data analysis, and application to real-world business scenarios.

Increased Flexibility: Test takers can bookmark questions, review within section time, and change up to three answers per section, enhancing the exam experience.

Revised Scoring System: The scoring scale for the GMAT Focus Edition ranges from 205 to 805, distinguishing it from the previous 200 to 800 scale. This change facilitates clearer identification of the test version and encourages percentile comparison over raw scores.

Enhanced Official Score Report: Test takers receive detailed performance insights to pinpoint areas for improvement, aiding in retakes or further preparation.

Score Sending Process: Test takers can access scores before sending them to schools, with a 48-hour window to decide which schools receive them. Additionally, if unsatisfied, a 30-day waiting period for retakes replaces the need for score cancellations.

Transition Facilitation by GMAC: Registration for the GMAT Focus Edition opens on Aug. 29, with the exam debuting later in the year. The current GMAT version will remain available for candidates until early the following year to accommodate ongoing preparation and business school applications. Fees remain consistent with the current exam, and all scores, regardless of version, remain valid for five years.

These updates aim to provide a more tailored, flexible, and informative testing experience for candidates while ensuring compatibility with business school admissions processes.