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Magoosh will update this post as more information becomes available.
Latest update: April 16, 2020
Due to the new coronavirus, many of you have had your in-person GMAT exams canceled. With test dates up in the air, Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), the makers of the GMAT, announced that they have launched their GMAT Online Exam, allowing students take their admissions test from home.
When Can I Take GMAT Online Exam?
The GMAT Online Exam is available for registration as of April 14, 2020, with test slots open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, beginning April 20, 2020 until June 15, 2020. With the situation rapidly evolving, the June 15 end date may be re-evaluated.
Who’s Eligible?
GMAC has released the interim GMAT option to anyone in a market impacted by COVID-19. The exceptions are Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Slovenia, and mainland China due to IP and/or regulatory restrictions. With 242,714 GMAT test takers in 2018, 29.5% of would-be test takers are ineligible. It’s also important to note that the GMAT online exam is only available in English with English-speaking proctors for the time being.
How Similar Is the GMAT Online Exam to the Regular GMAT?
The at-home exam will be less expensive, coming in at $200 USD for registration, where the in-person exam registration costs $275 USD.
There will be no AWA section. That feels like a substantial change in that you have thirty fewer minutes of testing which is 16% of your would-be total test-taking time!
The test will still have the Quant, Verbal, and IR sections, in a fixed order, with the same amount of questions and time available as the in-person exam. That is, there will still be:
- 62 minutes for 31 Quantitative questions
- 65 minutes for 35 Verbal questions
- 30 minutes for 12 IR questions
The online test is expected to take approximately 3 hours, with 2 hours and 37 minutes of online test-taking time. Test takers will receive 15 minutes to check into the online Pearson VUE proctored system and have a 5 minute break before the IR section starts. Just like the in-person exam, interacting with the test proctor via Live Chat will not pause the clock ticking down.
Taking the online exam will not count towards a student’s 12-month and lifetime GMAT limits. Usually, students are only allowed to take the GMAT no more than 5 times in a 12-month period, with a lifetime availability of 8 total GMAT exams possible. That said, students may only take the online exam once.
Regarding check-in protocols, the GMAC has said, “The check-in and security protocols will be modified to accommodate online delivery and remote proctors will be used to manage test integrity.”
GMAT test takers will have to pass a room scan in order to continue to the exam. You’ll have to take photos and videos of your desk area for a proctor’s review, ensuring that there are no pens, papers, books, in reach. That means no physical whiteboards. However, a digital whiteboard will be provided. Unlike the GRE’s approach to at-home testing, GMAT test takers will be allowed to use either a Windows or a Mac.
After you’ve finished up your online exam, you’ll receive your score within 7 days. Any schools you’ve selected to receive your scores will receive these also. However, the interim GMAT will allow test-takers to send their scores to additional schools for at no cost, where it usually costs $35 for each additional school.
- Tip: Take the interim GMAT, if you’re happy with the score you received, send your score to desired schools for free!
Will accommodations be available for the GMAT online exam?
For students requesting accommodations, GMAC has reported that accommodations will be available mid-May for the online GMAT exam. There will be an extended break before the IR section begins but no other breaks. Otherwise, students may receive %50 – 100% more test-taking time depending on their accommodation.
TL;DR
- The online exam registration costs $75 less than the in-person registration
- There will be no AWA section
- There will be the same amount of Quant, Verbal, and IR questions and time available
- You may only take the online GMAT exam once, no retakes or score cancelations, unless verified technical difficulties occur
- Your online GMAT will not count towards your 8 total available GMAT tests
- An online whiteboard is available but no physical whiteboards, papers, pens, or pencils will be allowed
Should I Plan to Take this Online GMAT Exam at Home?
If you’re finding yourself with an interest in applying to business school, having more free time on your hands to take the GMAT, and you have a private space at home where you could take a test, you may want to consider it. You’ll potentially be able to practice in the exact same environment as that of test day, and you’ll have a test that is thirty minutes shorter than the in-person GMAT.
If you decide that you’ll take the interim GMAT, make sure to check the system requirements and run the On VUE system test.
We’ll update you as we learn more, so keep an eye on this blog. In the meantime, if you’re still studying, you can use our GMAT prep product, which has been used by over 50,000 students.
You can also read the full announcement on the GMAC website here.
Will you be taking the GMAT online exam? Let us know in the comments below.
The post GMAT Canceled? You Can Take the GMAT Online Exam At Home appeared first on Magoosh GMAT Blog.
