Major Changes for GMAT in 2023 - GMAT Focus Edition - What We Know

GMAT Focus Edition - What We Know

On March 8, 2023 GMAC has announced changes to the GMAT Exam and a new version of the exam called?"GMAT Focus Edition"(official announcement link)?Changes were vaguely described but here is what we know

• No timeline provided except "later this year"
• AWA will be removed
• SC will be removed (not official information but Amazon screenshots from the latest OG prove this)
• More IR will be added into the test 18 questions instead of 12 most likely (not official but Amazon screenshots from the OG prove this)
• The test will have 3 sections 45 mins each and will be a total of 2 hours and 15 mins long instead of 3 hours and 7 minutes today. No information on breaks or sections or questions at this point
• The sections confirmed via Amazon screenshot are Verbal, Quant, and IR
• Speculation: most likely this means 22 Verbal questions (11 CR and 11 RC) since each section is 45 mins
• 23-24 quant questions since there is 45 mins for quant
• Geometry is missing from quant review, so we can assume it will be removed (it is not present in EA either). Link with OG math review contents
• No exact date was given but we can speculate it will be in the second half of 2023, most likely Fall - the timeline is likely quite accelerated and perhaps as early as within a few weeks/months.
• The old (current) version of the exam will remain in place through early 2024
• GMAT will remain to be adaptive but you are now able to go back and change answers on up to 3 questions per section.
• Official Guide 2023 that was announced in Nov 2022 has been removed and scrubbed from Amazon.com (we are hearing this is temporarily and likely means the description will be revised and republished.
• It appears most likely the Official Guide 2023-2024 will be released as planned at the end of March and the reason for removing it from Amazon was hiding the preview feature which allows you to browse several pages of the book. Those pages revealed the details of the GMAT Focus mechanics which you can see on a screenshot below.

What does it mean for Test Takers?

Immediately, it is likely noise and distraction and yet one more change to keep track of. This should not impact anyone applying for R1 or R2 next season.

1. The current test format will be available through early 2024, so if you were planning to take the GMAT, I would keep on working on your score. I am expecting that the rollout will be longer than expected and there will be delays so I can expect the original GMAT likely be administered for another year.

2. I don't expect the test to change too significantly. The only change that was announced was that the AWA section was removed. While there is a hint at making the test more data-focused and "tomorrow", that sounds a bit like the IR overview we heard back in 2012

3. Should you buy a course/book/GMAT Prep Practice tests? I think there are some opportunities and threats here. First of all, I would only buy now what you need. If you are planning to study for the GMAT, then get the books you need, get the OG, or courses. However, if you are not ready to take the GMAT yet, I would wait to purchase the GMAT Prep practice tests until you need them. Last time there was a system upgrade from old to new GMAT Prep platform, none of the progress was transferred.

4. Will the new test be easier? Maybe... Some feel EA is easier than the GMAT as it is shorter and you get through it faster. It is still competitive though and whatever skills you have learned on the GMAT, you can apply on the EA (it is Quant, Verbal, and IR).

My Take on This Change (BB):

There have been rumblings about changing GMAT for a while. Pandemic has forced many changes upon schools and test prep. GMAT suffered during the pandemic and saw its test-taking volume go down 50% since 2018. GRE has been growing in popularity so changes were almost inevitable as the test has been under pressure to evolve. The big question about this transition will be on - what is being prioritized here? Will execution actually pull it off?

1. I am going to go out on a limb and say that the next 6 months will be confusing. Some people have been preparing for years to the GMAT, purchased books, etc, etc - vague announcements like these are going to confuse people and likely only shift people away from GMAT towards tests like EA or GRE

2. GMAT is becoming easier? Hard to tell yet but the messaging seems to imply it or at least market it as such. Anyone else got this feel?

3. We all have seen the execution of GMAT online and shift from GMAT Prep to a new platform. These were painful events. Execution has suffered in the past and I am hoping this will be a better transition that will be easier for test-takers. I am just thinking about comparing your scores from the 800-point test to the new test. Is the test scale going to be the same? This also means that if you are taking the test in the fall, you can take Full Test online, Full Test at a test center, Focused/short test online, or Focused/Short version at a test center. Lots of Choices...

4. No essay seems an interesting change in the world of ChatGPT but the AWA has been dead for a while...

5. 3 sections likely means Quant, Verbal, and IR of some sorts? It would be helpful if they were less mysterious

6. Not surprising GMAT is making changes since the test volume has gone down 50% in the past 3 years. But are these the right changes?

7. I think it would be better for the test to address online testing issues because no matter the length of the test and other changes, if the online test experience is subpar, it is subpar in both formats.

8. This means more confusion among applicants about the GMAT vs. GMAT Focused version vs. EA vs. GRE vs Whatever?

9. I feel that it is insufficient to provide just Official test materials since OG and Tests are such a small portion of the preparation experience and looking at the announcement from GMAC, it seems they are not recognizing the value and the contribution that test prep companies are providing to the success of the test takers and the test itself. I am looking at all the companies that have built courses, products, tests, etc that would have benefited from input and advance warning/notification so that they can launch/build products. Apple does that for their developers even so that they new version of iOS does not show up with out apps.... I feel this was a missed opportunity that would have been so easy to capitalize on.

Speculations & Rumors (Officially Unconfirmed)

One report (logical enough) indicates that the Sentence Correction portion of the test will be scrapped. This has not been officially confirmed by reported by doublecool

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GMAT & Admissions Expert Panel

We will be featuring a panel with experts?GMATNinja,?ApplicantLab?and hosted by one of the GMAT Club's moderators and PM Interns and Darden 2024 Class MBA Student,?MaliFri?about what these changes mean, what you should do if you are preparing, and what does it mean for the GMAT.

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