Note: This article was published in March 2023. For the most recent updates on the GMAT Focus, check out the latest update “Will Your 730 GMAT Fall to a Mere 675?”

Nothing makes ripples through the MBA admissions space like a change of the GMAT exam! 

Will it be easier? 

What does the removal of the essay mean? 

Should I wait to take the test until GMAT Focus Edition becomes available? 

So many MBA candidates I spoke with over the last days are asking me these questions. 

Here’s how to think of the change in GMAT as it affects your MBA candidacy.*

Will the GMAT Focus Edition be easier?

Only time will tell but it’s fair to assume that a shorter test is easier on you, the test taker. And the GMAT Focus Edition will be nearly an hour shorter. But don’t forget, if the test is easier for you, it will be easier for everyone else too. So there is no likelihood the test will become less competitive.

But there might still be good news for you! If the time required to prep for the test is reduced, which I believe might be likely, given that GMAC is removing the geometry content and the Analytical Writing Assessment, then you will have more time to focus on the parts of the MBA application that differentiate you. The GMAT exam was never really a differentiating factor for anyone. Not even for those who got a monster score. All 780 GMAT scores look more or less the same…. (Sorry, test taking legends who broke the charts!) In contrast, no two MBA stories are ever the same.

Does this mean I should wait for the new GMAT Focus Edition to be available?

A resolute no. Every application round, the biggest reason I see candidates fail to achieve great outcomes is waiting to take the test until too close to the deadline (and yes, even a month before the deadline is too close!).

The test prep takes away their focus from the rest of the MBA application. And when they don’t achieve their “target score”, they scramble to retake under tremendous time pressure. Then both their score AND their applications suffer.

I can tell you countless stories of candidates with amazing profiles and backgrounds who end up underperforming in the MBA admissions process. Taking the test too late in the process took their focus away from the essays, the school engagement, the articulation of career goals, from selecting and activating their recommenders. 

Should I take the GRE instead of the GMAT?

Just because the GMAT is changing and there is uncertainty, doesn’t mean you should switch exams. Your decision about which exam to take should be driven by your test-taking ability and aptitude. Right now, the only choice you have is between the current GMAT and the GRE. Take a diagnostic test to see which one gives you a better shot at a competitive score. This is one action you can – and should! – take right now. 

Where do I go to learn more about the GMAT Focus Edition?

Here’s the thing. The only people who truly have the answers to any questions are the people who create and administer the exam, in this case the Graduate Management Admissions Council. Everyone else (including me!) is simply interpreting their announcement. Go to the source – and sign up for updates directly from GMAC in the form at the bottom.

Finally, my biggest piece of advice for you is this:

Your application deadline should drive the timing of taking the test. If you are applying in Round 2 and you don’t already have a competitive score, you should be preparing and taking your first practice exam in the next few weeks. Don’t use the news about the GMAT Focus Edition as an excuse to scroll through the online forums under the guise of researching how the new exam may be different or easier. Don’t let it be a chance to procrastinate. 

Onwards and upwards,

Petia

*Disclaimer: While I spent time as an employee of the Graduate Management Admissions Council in my role as Managing Director of The MBA Tour (now called Tours), a subsidiary of GMAC, the views in this article are solely my own.