GMAT News

Stay up-to-date on news about and changes to the GMAT.

Published: June 12, 2024

Coming to Grips with the New GMAT Scores

In late 2023, the GMAT got an overhaul. It got an overhaul that changed it completely – scrapping a section, ramping up flexibility and cutting completion times by nearly an hour. Along with the altered format and edited content came a new scoring system, meaning that both the number of marks available and the number of marks scored on the exam shifted. What does this mean for you as an applicant? Well, anyone taking the GMAT is likely to be comparing their own performance with the average GMAT scores that students in their Read more

Published: October 11, 2023

Episode 315: GMAT Focus Edition Q&A with GMAC’s Manish Dharia

Manish Dharia We welcome a special guest to the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast to review what’s on many MBA hopefuls’ application checklist: The GMAT. In particular, we’re going to dive deep into the new GMAT Focus format with Manish Dharia, Director, Product Development at Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC). Manish has been at GMAC, the non-profit organization that owns and produces the GMAT, since 2015 and served in a number of product management roles while making his way to the director role. Since he is currently in charge of all product development, he knows pretty much everything there is Read more

Published: March 9, 2023

GMAC Announces New GMAT Format: GMAT Focus Edition

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) will be rolling out a new format for the GMAT later this year, as shared in an email update from the CEO, Joy Jones. The revamped test is called the GMAT™ Focus Edition. In explaining the decision-making process for the changes, the GMAC CEO shared, “…over the past two years, we have been working collaboratively with business school professionals representing a wide mix of program types and sizes from around the world and conducted in-depth concept testing with candidates globally representing a mix of demographic characteristics.” What will change? “Redesigned with candidates and business Read more

Published: April 15, 2020

Compare the GRE at Home vs. GMAT Online

Chances are, your checklist for applying to business school includes the GRE or GMAT. Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, test centers have been forced to suspend operations. In response, ETS introduced an at-home option for the GRE and TOEFL in late March. Subsequently, GMAC started offering the GMAT online. Now, current MBA applicants, who had plans to take the GRE or GMAT at a test center, can take either exam online. Of course, there are conditions and restrictions to ensure fair testing. For example, both require a camera and a microphone Read more

Published: March 29, 2020

GMAC to Launch Interim GMAT Online

Amid the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has announced that the GMAT will become available for online administration in mid-April. While the Executive Assessment remains suspended, the GMAT will be online in affected markets, except for mainland China. In a statement, GMAC explained: “We all recognize that this is challenging time with test center closures happening all around the world. And our biggest priority is ensuring we continue to fulfill our mission providing solutions for schools and candidates to discover and evaluate each other. Read more

Published: February 27, 2020

Coronavirus Concerns Disrupt MBA Admissions Interviews, Testing and More

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases reaches over 80,000 globally, mounting concerns have disrupted normal operations of MBA admissions testing, interviews and events. Entrance Exam Sessions Suspended GMAT, GRE, IELTS, and TOEFL testing in mainland China has been pushed back further to the end of March. On its official website, the Graduate Management Admissions Council, which owns and administers the GMAT and Executive Assessment, states the following: “In the interest of the health and safety of our candidates, all testing in Mainland China has been Read more

Published: July 8, 2019

Episode 39: 5 Key GMAT Tips As You Approach Test Day

Before taking on the dreaded GMAT, what are the most important tips you’ll need to remember? One of the world’s few owners of both a 99th percentile GMAT score and an NBA championship ring, Brian Galvin, Veritas Prep’s Director of Academic Programs, would gladly help Charles Barkley (but not Karl Malone) achieve either. Since earning a Master’s in Education from the University of Michigan, Brian has made the GMAT his full-time course of study since 2006. In addition to his amateur stand-up comedy career and status as a certified Ironman, Brian might very well be one of the foremost GMAT Read more

Published: October 3, 2018

Has the MBA Lost Its Luster? GMAC Application Trends Survey Sheds Some Light

Declining application volume at U.S. business schools made the headlines when the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) released the findings of its annual application trends survey earlier this week (10/1). “Applications Down at 70 Percent of U.S. MBA Programs—Including Harvard,” broadcast one news outlet. And it’s true. The GMAC data reveal that just 32 percent of U.S. programs reported growth as compared to last year. Overall, U.S. business schools experienced a nearly 7 percent decline, with domestic applications down 1.8 percent and international volume off by 10.5 percent. Growth in Other Markets Offsets U.S. Decline Read more

Published: April 2, 2018

A Shorter GMAT? It’s True—Starting April 16th

If you’re planning to sit for the GMAT exam in preparation for applying to business school, you might do well to hold off for a couple of weeks. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), which owns and administers the GMAT, the test will be 30 minutes shorter than it has been in the past, lasting just 3.5 hours instead of the previous 4, including breaks and instructions. But before you get too excited, we should stress that this does not mean the test will be any easier. GMAC sliced 23 minutes out of the exam sections themselves by Read more

Published: October 11, 2017

ApplyWire Reveals Class of 2020 Post-MBA Industry Preferences, Highly Competitive GMAT Scores

As MBA applicants set their sights on top MBA programs, they have been sharing their target business schools, admissions stats, and post-MBA career goals in ApplyWire, Clear Admit’s latest admissions tool. As we’ve watched the entries roll in, we’ve recognized that they provide a unique early glimpse into the caliber of the most elite MBA applicants this year—offering insight into their qualifications, career plans, and school preferences. In this and subsequent posts, we plan to share some of the observations we’re drawing from the ApplyWire data. Through ApplyWire, applicants can receive feedback from fellow applicants and Clear Admit experts when they post profile information, such as where they are applying and their pre-MBA career, GMAT score, GPA, work experience, and post-MBA goals. Since ApplyWire launched in July 2017, hundreds of prospective applicants have posted their plans, and today we’re taking a closer look at the data to identify trends in terms of what industries current applicants hope to enter as correlated to their target schools. Of course, since ApplyWire only recently launched, we should note that any conclusions are based on a small sample size and not necessarily reflective of the entire applicant pool. Read more

Published: June 28, 2017

New GMAC Report: Is the GMAT Getting Easier?

Is the GMAT getting easier? That’s the question that the Graduate Management Admission’s Council (GMAC), a non-profit organization of leading graduate management schools, set out to answer in their recent market intelligence report: The GMAT Exam Is Not Getting Easier: The Fallacy of Score Increases and the Impact of Score Preview. The 26-page white paper is the first in an annual series that will serve as a sort of quality assurance (QA) report for the GMAT. Read more

Published: June 19, 2017

New GMAT Feature Offers Test-Taking Personalization

For hopeful business school students taking the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), a significant change will be going into effect on July 11, 2017. Previously, those taking the GMAT tackled exam sections in a set order: Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and finally the Verbal section. The amendment made by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) offers considerably greater flexibility, giving test-takers some choice in the order in which they complete these tasks. The new GMAT feature, officially titled the Select Section Order, was implemented based on research from GMAC. “GMAC is committed to continuously improving the GMAT Read more

Published: May 17, 2017

Is Trump Rhetoric Driving Prospective International Business School Students to Canada?

Graduate management education has become increasingly global, but fewer prospective business school students from outside the United States cite America as their most preferred study destination than have in the past, according to a recent report from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). Anti-immigrant rhetoric and uncertainty around potential changes to student and work visas—coupled with growing numbers of high-quality programs in other parts of the world—have driven the decreased appeal of U.S. programs, GMAC’s data suggests. More prospective students than ever—nearly three in five (59 percent)—intend to apply to programs outside of their country of residence, according to the 2017 mba.com Prospective Student Survey Report, released this week by GMAC. That’s up from 44 percent in 2009. Those looking beyond their own country’s borders do so in pursuit of a higher-quality education (says 63 percent of respondents), better odds of securing international employment (58 percent), and to build an international network (51 percent). And a third of candidates (34 percent) who prefer to study outside their country of citizenship say they also hope to land a job in the country where they go to school. Read more

Published: May 16, 2017

Are Specialized Master’s Programs Cannibalizing MBA Programs?

Business schools have been launching increasing numbers of non-MBA business master’s degrees—but not without worry that these very offerings could be gobbling up prospective applicants to their MBA programs. Responding to these concerns among its member schools, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) added new questions to its 2017 mba.com Prospective Students Survey to find out. Based on analysis released yesterday of responses from more than 11,000 individuals who registered on mba.com between February and December 2016, schools may be able to breathe a sigh of relief. “We have heard schools asking, ‘Are we cannibalizing our Read more

Published: September 21, 2016

GMAC Introduces New Features for GMAT Enhanced Score Report

In early January 2016, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), which owns and administers the GMAT, introduced the GMAT Enhanced Score Report (ESR), providing test-takers with deeper insight into their scores. Recently, GMAC unveiled a newer, enhanced version of the ESR, including three new features. The new elements build on the initial ESR, which allowed users to look at separate result segments of the GMAT and compare themselves against other test-takers. In addition to giving the test-takers a percentage ranking to see where they stack up against potential competition, it also allowed them to pinpoint the areas in which they would benefit most from additional preparation. Read more

Published: July 26, 2016

Corrections for The Official Guide for GMAT® Review, 2017

The below information about The Official Guide for GMAT® Review, 2017 is from the Graduate Management Admission Council—the makers of the GMAT exam. This content was originally posted on The Official GMAT Blog. Official Guide for GMAT Review Corrections We recently released The Official Guide for GMAT® Review, 2017 and we have discovered that this version contains a number of typos that occurred during the publishing process. We understand that these errors may make it difficult to understand certain content and could affect the study experience for the GMAT exam. Below, we’ve outlined options that provide updated materials. For complete details and a full list of Read more

Published: March 31, 2016

ETS’ Campus Badly Vandalized—All Signs Point to GMAT Bus

Princeton, NJ (Reuters)—The Educational Testing Service (ETS), makers of the GRE exam and several popular standardized tests, fell victim to vandalism on its lush, Princeton-area campus earlier this week—sustaining significant damage including to its staff-only golf course. It seems that a large vehicle, most likely a bus, drove across several acres of lawns as well as golf course fairways and greens—resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in damages. Police on the scene estimate that the bus was on the grounds for more than 90 minutes in the wee hours of Monday morning, beginning sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. Read more

Published: March 13, 2016

GMAC Debuts New Executive Assessment Test Designed Specifically for EMBA Candidates

Six leading business schools are piloting a brand-new entrance exam designed specifically for applicants to executive MBA (EMBA) programs. Called the Executive Assessment test (EA), it was developed by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), maker of the GMAT, as an alternative to the GMAT or GRE that would require less preparation time while still allowing EMBA programs to effectively evaluate applicants’ business school readiness. Read more

Published: January 10, 2016

Choose Your Own GMAT Adventure? GMAC Pilots New “Select Section Order” Option for Exam

For many, feeling like you’re in the driver's seat can make almost any experience better. But even the GMAT? The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), which owns and administers the GMAT exam, plans to find out as part of a new pilot program that will give a select group of test takers the ability to choose the order of the exam sections they complete. Clear Admit has obtained a copy of an email sent by GMAC to recent test takers inviting them to participate in the “exclusive, invitation only opportunity.” The testing period of the pilot is limited and expected to run from February 23rd through March 8th, 2016, according to the email, although exact test dates will vary depending on test center availability and other logistics. Read more

Published: November 9, 2015

GMAT Tip: Pros & Cons of New GMAT Features

It’s nice to have choices (would you have ever choose a free response test over multiple choice?), but sometimes too many choices can be overwhelming. The Graduate Management Admission Council rolled out some new GMAT features this year that give you more choices than you could have previously imagined. While most test takers are rejoicing at the options, let’s take a closer look at some of the pros and cons of the newfound choices: 16 day retest policy (replacing 31 days): Test takers (and schools) were doing cartwheels when this update was announced because every year there are Read more

Published: September 29, 2015

Choosing Between the GRE and GMAT

This post has been republished in its entirety from its original source, metromba.com. As you begin to explore an MBA education, the question of whether to take the GRE or GMAT may soon arise. While the GMAT has traditionally been the test that MBA applicants take, more and more top graduate business programs are starting to accept the GRE as well. Ultimately, accepting both tests gives the schools a larger pool of applicants, allowing them to be more selective in terms of which students they accept into their programs. A good first step in deciding which test or tests to take is to determine which scores your target schools accept. Some schools will only accept the GMAT, in which case your choice is made for you. When it comes to schools that accept either GMAT or GRE scores, there are several considerations you should take into account when choosing between the two, ranging from the differences between the tests themselves to the different ways admissions committees may interpret your choice of test. To help you make an informed decision, we've provided a breakdown of the different tests' various sections and consulted with an admissions professional for some industry insights. Read more

Published: September 21, 2015

MBA Application Volume Up Around the Globe, According to Latest GMAC Survey

At the annual Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) conference in Denver this past June, the admissions directors we talked to from leading business schools were almost giddy. It was still early in the cycle, but application volume had been high—and applicants had been strong—making preliminary profiles for the Class of 2017 look very exciting. As students have come to campus and schools have shared their actual Class of 2017 profiles, the cause of that excitement has become clear. The average GMAT score for this year’s first-year students at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management jumped from 716 last year to an all-time high of 724. At Wharton, the mean score for the incoming class this year is 732, up from last year’s record-setting 728. At Harvard Business School (HBS) the median GMAT score rose from 724 last year to 730 this year. (HBS does not publish mean GMAT scores.) Today, GMAC, which owns and administers the GMAT, released figures from its 2015 Application Trends Survey , revealing that the giddiness at last June’s conference was warranted—MBA application volume was indeed up around the globe, with a majority of full-time MBA programs reporting an uptick in applicants. GMAC consulted 641 graduate business programs at 306 universities worldwide to arrive at its findings. Read more

Published: August 24, 2015

HBS Draws More Women, Adds Six Points to GMAT Median

When it released its preliminary class profile in June, Harvard Business School (HBS) was expecting its incoming class to be 41 percent female, a record for the school. In August, with students preparing to move in on campus, things look even better. HBS DRAWS MORE WOMEN THAN PRELIMINARY PROFILE SUGGESTED Dee Leopold, HBS managing director of admissions and financial aid, posted the final Class of 2017 profile on her Direct from the Director blog today, revealing that women will in fact make up 42 percent of the class, a two point increase over last year. While this still trails Kellogg and Wharton—each reported earlier this month that 43 percent of their incoming classes will be women—it puts HBS ahead of last year’s leader of the pack, UC Berkeley’s Haas School, which this year slipped to 41 percent, from a high of 43 last year. Read more

Published: July 14, 2015

New GMAT Features Scheduled to Debut July 19th

This post has been republished in its entirety from its original source metromba.com. The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) will introduce new features for the GMAT entrance exam for applicants to business school. These three new features, which will go into effect on July 19th, are designed to help improve the GMAT exam experience. They come in response to GMAC surveys of GMAT exam takers’ experiences. Read more

Published: November 9, 2014

U.S. GMAT Percentile Scores Drop as Asia-Pacific Test Takers Dominate Quant Section

Increasing numbers of prospective business school applicants from Asia-Pacific countries such as India and China are taking the GMAT and outperforming U.S. students on the quantitative portion of the exam, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. As a result, though U.S. students’ raw scores have remained consistent over the past several years, their percentile ranking has slipped as more higher-scoring international applicants take the exam. The lower percentile rankings can seem to suggest that U.S. student aptitude is declining, GMAC CEO Sangeet Chowfla told the Journal. Ten years ago, a raw score of 48 on the quantitative section (for which scores typically range between 0 and 51) would have yielded a ranking in the 86th percentile, whereas today the same raw score places a test-taker in just the 74th percentile. Read more

MBA Applywire

November 20, 2024 9:42pm ET

Applying: Babson / Olin, , Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Emory / Goizueta, Rice / Jones, Rochester / Simon, SMU Cox, UCI Merage, Washington U. / Olin

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Technology - Entrepreneurship

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Entrepreneurship

GRE: 333

GPA: 2.56

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Lagos

Notes:

I just got rejected for WashU Olin and I have an interview invitation with Questrom. GPA continues to bother me but I addressed it in my supporting essays.

November 19, 2024 12:51pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, INSEAD, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Tech in government

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Entrepreneurship Companies: Bain , McKinsey

GRE: 319

GPA: 2.9

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

I got cancer when I was undergrad that's why my undergrad GPA is low. After MBA I want to work in consulting then make a social impact in Africa through entrepreneurship

November 19, 2024 12:06pm ET

Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, U. Washington / Foster, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden

Pre-MBA Career: Wealth Management and Military

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Asset Management, inc. HF, Other Companies: Bain , BCG , Deloitte , McKinsey , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Asset Management , State Street , Vanguard

GPA: 3.80

Years of Work Experience: 7

Location: San Diego

Post MBA Location: Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis, Charlotte

Notes:

UG Degree: BBA Financial Markets at an Accredited Institution.

Civilian Work History: 3 years as Wealth Advisor under an RIA in Minneapolis and Denver. Total AUM of ~$350-400M, served as a salaried advisor in a primary and secondary capacity. Holistic services to include investment management, estate planning, retirement planning, insurance planning, tax planning, etc.

Military History: 4 years as a supply/logistics officer heading efforts for air/ground mobility, defense contracting, supply and procurement, and fiscal budget management while located at various bases within CONUS and multiple forward deployed locations.

Professional Certifications: Obtained Certified Financial Planner designation (2022) and Series 65 (2019).

November 18, 2024 12:50am ET

Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, NYU Stern, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Consulting

Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking Companies: Bank of America , Barclays , Citibank , Credit Suisse , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Chase

GRE: 323

GPA: 3.32

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

Education:
- Combined Major in Economics and Statistics
- CFA Charterholder (passed all three levels on the first attempt)

Professional Experience:
- Manager at a Big 4 firm Specializing in capital projects and infrastructure, with a role similar to investment banking
- Seven years of experience, mainly in financial services in Ghana

Extracurricular Activities:
- Pro bono capital-raising services for SMEs
- Aspiring to run a full advisory firm for SMEs in the future
- CFA exam coaching and tutorial classes for candidates
- Founder of a travel and tour club offering affordable trips to explore beautiful and historic scenes in Ghana

Will being 32 years old affect the attractiveness of my candidacy?

November 17, 2024 9:24am ET

Applying: Columbia, , Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, INSEAD, NYU Stern, Oxford / Saïd, Stanford GSB, UCLA Anderson, Yale SOM

Pre-MBA Career: Higher Education

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Media, Undecided Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey , JP Morgan , Morgan Stanley , JP Morgan Chase , Apple , Google , Microsoft , Andressen Horowitz , Charles River , Sequoia Capital , Blackstone , KKR , 21st Century Fox , Comcast , Walt Disney

GPA: 3.97

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Denver, Colorado

Post MBA Location: New York City

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MBA LiveWire

November 21, 2024 10:36am ET

Accepted to Cornell / Johnson

Round: Round 1

Received via phone November 21, 2024

GPA: 3.5

GMAT: 760

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: United States

November 21, 2024 4:51am ET

Waitlisted at NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on November 19, 2024

GPA: 3.54

GRE: 331

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: Nicaragua

Note:

Waitlisted without interview. How can I flip this in my favour?

November 21, 2024 3:13am ET

Accepted to Washington U. / Olin

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 20, 2024

GPA: 3.81

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: Los Angeles

Note:

100K scholarship!

November 20, 2024 11:49pm ET

Interview Invite to Berkeley / Haas

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 20, 2024

GMAT: 645

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Note:

Consortium

November 20, 2024 9:20pm ET

Interview Invite to Dartmouth / Tuck

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on September 04, 2024

GPA: 3.74

GRE: 311

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: Tampa, FL

Note:

Applied early enough to guarantee interview.

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