Table of Contents
- 1. GMAT Focus edition to be launched by GMAC
- 2. The GMAT Focus Edition will be one hour shorter than before
- 3. No more essay section!
- 4. Integrative Reasoning to be renamed Data Insights
- 5. The questions at a glance
- 6. What will stay and what will go
- 7. A closer look at the multiple-choice sections
- 8. Summary
GMAT Focus edition to be launched by GMAC
This new GMAT is known as GMAT Focus Edition, but the current GMAT will be available for students until early 2024. This means students who have prepped for the current GMAT could either switch and sit the new version or stick with the current version when it comes to sitting their exams.
The GMAT Focus Edition will be one hour shorter than before
The new GMAT Focus Edition will be nearly one hour shorter than the current exam. It was previously 3 hours and 7 minutes long but now it will be 2 hours and 15 minutes long. It will comprise three 45-minute long sections.
No more essay section!
There will be no more essay section. The half-hour analytical writing section has been scrapped completely and all questions will be multiple-choice. This will come as good news to many students.
Integrative reasoning to be renamed data insights
The other big change is that integrative reasoning will be renamed data insights. This will go from 12 questions to 20 questions and it will be extended from 30 minutes to 45 minutes long. The brand-new data insights section includes questions on table analysis, graphics interpretation, two-part analysis, data sufficiency, and multi-source reasoning.
The questions at a glance
GMAT Focus Edition will have just 21 quantitative reasoning questions instead of 31. The amount of time set for that section has been reduced by GMAC from 62 minutes to 45. The verbal reasoning part of the exam will have 23 questions instead of 36 and this part of the test will be 45 minutes long instead of 62 minutes.
What will stay and what will go
Sentence Correction has been dropped from the GMAT Focus Edition, and the Verbal Reasoning section will contain Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension questions only. Geometry has been removed as a quant content area, and small changes to other quant content areas will likely be made.
A closer look at the multiple-choice sections
You’ll only be shown one question at a time, except for specific data insights questions. There will be radio buttons for the answers to multiple-choice questions instead of letters. Data insights section will give answers in random order. You will have to select your answer before being allowed to move on to the next multiple-choice question. You can bookmark certain questions and will have the option to go back to them later, you can also bookmark them and review your answer later on. At the end of a section, you can go back and edit your answers to three questions within that section.
Summary
This newer shorter GMAT Focus edition means more students will want to sit it and go on to apply to business schools. This could mean getting a high score on your GMAT is more important than ever. We’re experts at preparing students to get high GMAT scores here at 700+Club and we’re confident we can help you get a high score whether you’re planning to sit the current GMAT or hope to take the new GMAT Focus Edition exam.
If you’re prepping for the current GMAT then you can still sit that exam until early 2024. Continue prep for the current version and you can always pivot and sit the Focus Edition when it becomes available later this year if you want to. This is a positive change for the GMAT exam. If you have any questions we’re always here for you.
