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25 Aug 2021, 12:03
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GMAT Online vs. In Person: Which Should I Take?
The Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) recently announced some big changes on the horizon for the GMAT Online test, changes that may alter your calculation of whether to take the GMAT at home or at a test center.In this article, I’ll go through all of the features that the online and in-person exams have in common and all of the differences between the two exams, and discuss whether business schools favor one exam over the other. I’ll also talk about some benefits of taking the GMAT online, give you a handy checklist for taking the online test, and share a side-by-side comparison of your two GMAT options. By the time you finish reading, you’ll have all the information you need to decide where to take the GMAT.
To start, let’s look at the shared characteristics of the two exams.
GMAT Online: What’s New in 2021
In February 2021, GMAC announced that starting Wednesday, February 17, 2021, test-takers would be able to register for an “enhanced” version of the GMAT Online, which would be released to test-takers starting April 8, 2021. This version eliminates the structural differences between the GMAT people take at home and the one they take in GMAT test centers and includes some other changes that bring the two exams more closely in line with each other. I’ll discuss all of those changes in detail in the next section. For now, the important thing to know is this: if your GMAT Online is currently scheduled for a date prior to April 8, 2021, you will take the “old” version of the online test. If your GMAT Online is currently scheduled for a date after April 8, 2021, you will take the “new” (enhanced) version of the online test — the version that is more like the in-person GMAT.
Now, let’s get into exactly what the differences and similarities are now that these changes were announced.
GMAT Online vs. Test Center: What is the Same?
As you may know, when the GMAT Online was first released, it did not include an Analytical Writing Assessment (essay task), so the exam was about a half hour shorter than the in-person GMAT and didn’t include as much time for breaks. All of that will change on April 8, 2021. Let’s take a look.Exam Structure and Content
As of April 8, 2021, the structure and content of the GMAT Online will be exactly the same as that of the in-person GMAT. This means that three important changes are being made to the online test:- Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) added: The GMAT Online will now include the 30-minute AWA section that test-takers see on the exam at test centers.
- Two optional 8-minute breaks: The online test will have the same exact breaks as the in-person GMAT, two 8-minute breaks.
- Section order selection: The online test will offer the same 3 section order options that the in-person exam offers, so you can choose the order in which you complete the GMAT sections.
One upshot of these changes is that the online test will now be the same length as the in-person GMAT, 3 hours and 7 minutes, plus breaks. And of course, now if you take the online test, you’ll have an AWA score to send to schools.
So, whether you take the GMAT at home or at a test center, here is the basic exam structure you’ll see (in the default section order):
Additionally, regardless of which exam you take, these are the section orders from which you’ll be able to choose:
GMAT Section Order Options
For a detailed breakdown of the GMAT structure, content, and question types, check out this article on the GMAT format. But for now, let’s discuss scoring for the GMAT Online vs. in-person exams.Score Scales and Percentiles
The GMAT Online scores and scores for the in-person GMAT have always been calculated using the same scoring algorithm. Thus, the two exams have always used the exact same score scales and percentile rankings. The difference was that GMAT Online scores did not include the AWA score, since the online test did not include an AWA section.However, since the online test has been “enhanced” to include the AWA section, online test-takers will receive AWA scores and associated percentile rankings. And like every other section of the GMAT, the AWA section score will be calculated using the same methodology for both the in-person and online test.
So, if you take the GMAT online, your scores are calculated in the same way that scores are calculated for the in-person GMAT, use the same score ranges, and are associated with the same score percentiles. Furthermore, for either exam, you will receive a Total Score, a Quant section score, a Verbal section score, an IR section score, and an AWA section score. Thus, the “playing field” is even for both exams.
Registration Process
Luckily, registering for the GMAT Online is just as quick and easy as registering for the GMAT you take at a test center. You can register for either exam by creating an mba.com account and logging into the registration portal. After you provide some personal information to build your profile, you can log into your account at any time to schedule your test appointment.It’s important to note that if you already have an mba.com account that you used in the past to schedule a GMAT test center appointment, you do not need to create a separate account to schedule an appointment to take the GMAT at home, and vice versa. You can use one account to schedule both the in-person and online test.
You will, however, see different options depending on which test you’re scheduling. Let’s talk about those differences next.
GMAT Online vs. Test Center: What are the Differences?
Now that the structure and content of the two exams have been brought in line with each other, the differences between the exams fall into two main categories: logistics and test-taking experience. Of course, those are very important differences to consider. So, let’s get into the details.Registration Fee
The registration fee for the GMAT Online is slightly lower than the fee for the in-person exam, $250 vs. $275 (USD). For most test-takers who have committed significant time, energy, and resources to preparing for the GMAT, the $25 difference between the two price tags won’t be a deciding factor when considering how to take the GMAT, but it’s worth noting.Additionally, as of April 8, 2021, the rescheduling and cancellation fees for the in-person and online tests will be the same. If you already have your online exam scheduled for a date prior to April 8 and would prefer to take the updated online test, you can reschedule your exam for the reduced fee of $25 or cancel it for $100.
To learn more about the various fees associated with the GMAT, have a look at this detailed breakdown of GMAT exam costs.
Test Appointments and Availability
One of the perks of taking the GMAT online is that, since you don’t have to adhere to the schedule of a GMAT test center, testing time slots are available 24/7, meaning that you can schedule your test for any day of the week and any time of day. This added flexibility is welcome news to early birds and night owls alike, and of course to test-takers who work full-time.So, when you register for your GMAT, depending on which exam you choose, you will have the option to either select a test center location near you and choose from remaining time slots or, if you’re taking the GMAT online, select whatever date and time suits you best.
Of course, your choices will be more limited for the in-person exam, not only because some exam slots may already be booked to capacity but also because exams at GMAT test centers are not administered at all hours of the day and night. So, test centers never offer any 4 a.m. or midnight exam slots, for example (at least not yet).
The good news is that regardless of which exam you take, GMAT test dates are available year-round. However, the GMAT Online is not currently available in Mainland China, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, or Cuba. So, if you are located in one of those countries, taking the GMAT at a test center is your only option. You can check the status of test centers near you, wherever you are in the world, on this page.
System Requirements
One of the biggest differences between the online and in-person GMAT is the technical requirements for taking the GMAT at home. If you’re taking the exam at a GMAT test center, you will use the computer, desk, chair, scratch paper, and pens that are provided to you. However, if you take the GMAT at home, you will need to “provide” all of that equipment to yourself.Of course, you can’t just use whatever equipment you feel like using to take your exam. There are technical specifications your computer must meet in order to run the GMAT Online software. Furthermore, there are specific guidelines for the type of note-taking implements at-home test-takers can use, so that they don’t gain any unfair advantages over people taking the GMAT at test centers.
So, before you get your heart set on taking the GMAT at home, closely review the system requirements for the online test and run a system test on the computer you will use for your exam.
Luckily, GMAC has tried to make the online test as widely accessible as possible, so you don’t need to have some crazy advanced technical setup in order to take the test. You will need to have a working webcam, microphone, and speakers, since the GMAT Online is a remote-proctored exam (I’ll talk more about that shortly). But you can use either a desktop or laptop computer, and the online exam software will work in either a PC or Mac operating system.
Now, let’s talk about how you will perform your scratch work for either exam, because the exams have some important differences in that respect.
To read the complete article, view my full article on Target Test Prep’s blog.
11 Sep 2021, 15:19
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We at Target Test Prep always advise our students who plan to take the GMAT Online to sit for all of their practice exams in the workspace where they will sit for the real exam, using the computer they will use for the actual exam. Doing so can only help better prepare you mentally for test day.
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