New GMAT Exam Feature Offers Greater Control and Flexibility

RESTON, Va., June 15, 2017 -- In a continuing effort to enhance the GMAT exam experience for test takers, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) today announced the upcoming launch of Select Section Order, a new feature that will provide candidates the flexibility to customize their GMAT experience by choosing the section order in which they feel most comfortable taking the exam. Select Section Order will be available to test takers worldwide beginning July 11, 2017.

“The idea of being allowed to choose the section order had been commonly requested by test takers,” said Ashok Sarathy, vice president, Product Management, GMAC. “We conducted a pilot in 2016 to test this feature and received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with 85 percent of participants surveyed expressing that this new feature boosted their confidence prior to even taking the exam. Our pilot findings also concluded that taking the exam in different section orders continues to maintain the quality and integrity of the GMAT scores.”

The GMAT has four sections. When implemented on July 11, test takers will select their desired section order at the test center on exam date, immediately prior to the start of the exam. Test takers will be able to choose from three options:

• Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, Verbal (original order);
• Verbal, Quantitative, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment; or
• Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment.

These new changes are a continuation of the steps GMAC has implemented in recent years to enhance the test takers’ GMAT experience, including:

• the ability to cancel scores online after leaving the test center and the enhanced score reinstatement policies (March 2016),
• removing cancelled scores from school score reports; allowing candidates to retake the GMAT exam after a 16-day time period rather than the previous 31-day retake period; and enabling test takers to access their Official Score Report online using their date of birth instead of an authentication code (July 2015),
• introduction of the GMAT Enhanced Score Report, which provides test takers access to an in-depth analysis of their overall GMAT performance (January 2015), and
• introduction of GMAT Score Preview, enabling test takers to preview their unofficial scores before deciding whether to report or cancel them (July 2014).

“The GMAT exam shows business schools that the test taker is serious about earning a graduate business degree and demonstrates the individual’s commitment and readiness for the rigors of a graduate business program,” said Sarathy. “Today, 9 out of 10 new MBA enrollments at the top 50 U.S. full-time MBA programs are made using a GMAT score.”

About GMAC: The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a global, nonprofit association of 220 leading graduate business schools. Founded in 1953, we are actively committed to advancing the art and science of admissions by convening and representing the industry and offering best-in-class products and services for schools and students. GMAC owns and administers the Graduate Management Admission Test^® (GMAT^®) exam, used by more than 6,500 graduate programs worldwide, and the NMAT by GMAC™ exam, for entrance into graduate management programs in India. The Council is based in Reston, Va., with offices in London, New Delhi (Gurgaon) and Hong Kong. For information on assessments, study tools and services for candidates, visit www.mba.com. For information about The Council and our market intelligence, professional development opportunities and services for graduate management education, please visit www.gmac.com. 

MEDIA CONTACT:  
Jennifer Garfinkel; Director of Media Relations, GMAC
+1 (703) 668-9805 or [email protected]