A new break between Quant and Verbal is confirmed
but still no ESR in sight!
New Clarifications about the 2nd Optional Break, ESR, and Multiple
GMAT Online retakes are confirmed by GMAC. On Feb 20, 2021, the Graduate Management Admission Council announced the enhancements outlined for the Online GMAT. ‘GMAC is introducing enhancements to the
GMAT online exam that provide additional flexibility for test takers and create greater parity with the test center exam experience’, mentioned the press release.
A major change that stands out in the new version of Online GMAT is the introduction of the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section. Addressing this key change, Joy Jones, GMAC’s Chief Product Officer and General Manager of Assessments said, “There was interest from schools to include the AWA online, and we worked to make this happen to support application cycle seasonality. We’ll continue to make investments that support our schools and test-takers with enhanced and comparable online and test center exam experiences.”
Additional changes in the examination pattern include the ability to
select the section order among Quants, Verbal and IR/AWA,
preview the unofficial test scores immediately after the completion of the test, and
avail additional, extended breaks!
Furthermore, an
increase in the reschedule and cancellation fee,
shift from PearsonVUE to Examity as the official exam provider are two noticeable changes!
In our recent post, we spoke in length regarding the enhanced features of the enhanced online GMAT! At the time, we were yet to hear from GMAC regarding a few additional questions we’d surfaced.
We also noticed a lot of you echoing similar concerns and hence we took perseverance, in all its overrated glory, a little too earnestly and got through to several GMAC officials to seek answers! Here is a compilation of all the burning questions we had and
GMAC’s official response to the same. Take a look!
1. Why isn’t ESR available for the online GMAT exam?The GMAT Enhanced Score Report (ESR) is only available for GMAT exams delivered at a test center. For the initial launch of the enhanced GMAT online exam, we focused on improvements related to the candidate test-taking experience. We will continue to look to make enhancements to the online exam prep experience such as the addition of an ESR for our online exams.
2. When can the candidates avail of the two 8-min breaks?
Online exams administered on or after April 8, 2021, will include the AWA section, the ability to select your Section Order, two optional 8-minute breaks (The break structure will be the same as the test center exam. There will be an optional 8-minute break between the Quant and Verbal sections, as well as one before or after the AWA+IR sections depending on the section order selected), an unofficial score preview at the end of the exam. To learn more about the differences in the GMAT™ online exam before and after April 8, click here
3. What is the reason behind the move from Pearson VUE to Examity as the official exam provider? What can the candidates expect from this change?As we move to a standard, the permanent offering of online and test center delivery formats for the GMAT exam, our goal is to ensure that we have optimal solutions in place for those experiences. With the move to our enhanced GMAT online exam solution to Examity, tests delivered beginning April 8 will include the addition of the AWA section, the ability for candidates to select their section order, two optional 8-minute breaks, immediate unofficial score preview, and the availability of appointment dates on a rolling 6-month basis. The score sending process will remain the same and continue to be complimentary and unlimited. Pearson VUE has been and remains our long-standing partner for the delivery of the GMAT exam test center experience.
4.How many retakes are allowed for the online GMAT? Can we expect any changes in the same soon?Candidates can retake the GMAT online exam once, for a total of two online attempts. These two online attempts count toward the overall 5-attempt rolling 12-month limit, and the 8-attempt lifetime limit. We evaluate the attempt limits on a continual basis and will update these limits as deemed appropriate & necessary.
5. What will it mean for the candidates who have taken the GMAT Online without the AWA? Will their score still be valid?Yes, scores for GMAT online exams delivered without the AWA section (prior to April 8th) will still be valid and accepted by schools.
6. One of the schools (IIM-A) mentioned that it will accept GMAT Online only for this year's intake and will decide later on whether they will accept GMAT Online for next year. How is GMAC working with schools to resolve issues like these?Admission criteria including the assessments that are used are entirely the school's decision and GMAC does not play any role in this process. Hence, it’s best for candidates to directly seek clarifications regarding all admissions-related information from the school directly.
GMAC will continue to offer test-taking options for our assessments like the GMAT, NMAT, EA, etc. through both channels - remote online and test centers. The choice is entirely the candidates as to which solution would work better for them. Schools, globally have accepted the online mode as it has helped them and candidates tremendously and as of date, there is no indication that the Covid19 pandemic will be over by this year well in time before next year’s admission cycle begins.
There’s no doubt that the GMAC is adapting to the current scenario and working constantly to improve the candidate’s overall test-taking experience. However, the question still looms: How will test-takers grade the new Examity platform for online exams? Will the two platforms (Pearson VUE for at-center tests & Examity for online tests) create a discrepancy in user experience?
Registration for the enhanced
GMAT online exam has opened on February 17, 2021, for appointment dates beginning April 8, 2021. Testing appointments remain available for the current version of the
GMAT online exam through April 7, 2021.
Let me know if you have any questions about the
GMAT Online - will be happy to investigate further!
Thanks,
Anupama