Will your 730 GMAT fall to a mere 675? What the introduction of the GMAT Focus really means.
What does the new GMAT Focus mean for MBA Candidates?
The changes to the GMAT exam, announced earlier this year, created waves of speculation and anxiety in MBA candidates.
The GMAT, long considered a yardstick or even a magic wand that opens the doors to top MBA programs, is often the part of the MBA application that MBA candidates worry about the most.
As if a change in the format itself wasn't enough, what's also changing with the new GMAT Focus is both the score scales AND the score scale distribution.
All of a sudden, you're being told your 730 GMAT, the same one that put you solidly near the average for just about any of the very top MBA programs, is now being equated to a mere 675.
Is this true? What do the changes really mean?
How should you compare your GMAT scores?
Let’s get one thing very clear! Trying to directly compare your GMAT Focus score to a score on a previous version of the GMAT is not simply inaccurate. It’s a rabbit hole that can skew your perception of your performance. Instead of simply focusing on your total score, you need to review your percentile ranking in order to understand your results.
Will the MBA AdComs be converting my GMAT score?
No. Your GMAT Exam score will not be converted to a GMAT Focus score – or vice versa. What will happen instead is the scores may end up being compared – and that comparison will be based on the percentiles. To understand how competitive your score is, the Graduate Management Admissions Council has provided concordance tables that show score distributions between the two versions of the exam by percentile.
Will the MBA AdComs be “anchored” in thinking a 730 is now a mere 675?
Not at all! I can’t emphasize this enough. MBA AdComs are seasoned professionals with years of experience understanding the nuances of the GMAT exam. This is not the first time changes to the GMAT exam have happened. I still remember the time, in 2012, when the Integrated Reasoning was added to the GMAT. Just like now, there was so much noise in the MBA admissions space and so much anxiety in MBA candidates that they flocked to take the exam before the change, causing a significant spike in test taking – and MBA applications! – that year.
As I was writing this article, I reached out to several MBA admissions heads to get their take on the impact of the changes this time around.
Dawna Clarke, Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions at the Darden School of Business, was quick to remind us all that “There have been many times over the years in which a new test and/or new version of a test is introduced by GMAC or ETS into the market. I have all the faith in GMAC that they will provide schools with training on how to interpret the new scoring system!”
“I think this change will ultimately be in the candidates favor”
Eric Askins, Executive Director of Full-Time MBA Admissions at UC Berkeley’s Haas Graduate School of Business provided some thoughtful guidance for all MBA hopefuls: “Our team is supportive of the efforts by GMAT and GRE to adapt the exam to meet candidate needs. Here at Berkeley Haas we conduct a holistic evaluation, focusing on how the evidence providing in the application matches the competencies we've mapped for successful MBA students. In the case of standardized testing, we have always taken into account not simply the raw score, or the percentile but how it supports what's been provided in the overall application. GMAC has provided resources for comparison including a concordance table which reinforces our existing evaluative process.
Our school has accepted the GRE as alternative to the GMAT for several years now and our teams are adept at understanding what each testing instrument offers and how it fits into the overall application.
I'd encourage candidates to focus on the narrative and how the application comes together as a whole rather than on this one application component. I think this change will ultimately be in the candidates favor. “
Finally, I connected with the team at the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) and they confirmed this notion: “Rest assured, GMAC and its teams around the world are working closely with business schools’ admissions and recruitment professionals in educating and supporting them in understanding and utilizing the new score scale and concordance tables for GMAT Focus Edition.
For GMAT Focus Edition, the Total Score scale AND the section score scales have changed with the updates made to the test construct. GMAC used this opportunity to improve the overall test score usability by normalizing and recentering the test score distributions to make them closer to the GMAT’s original score distribution (from the 1990’s) and to best accommodate the latest, fully globalized GMAT-taking populations. With this change, we believe that percentile rankings should be the primary area of focus for test takers and schools when looking to understand test results across different versions of the GMAT. We thank them for their patience as we strive to bring them the best graduate business school exam in this transition period.”
When I asked what this experience has been for the schools, Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admission at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business sent this reassuring message to MBA candidates:
“Our team accepts both versions of the GMAT, both versions of the GRE and the EA.
We have been trained on the GMAT Focus and the new version of the GRE and are comfortable with the resources provided to AdComs by GMAC and ETS.
Also, we would like to just reinforce that the test is but one facet of your entire application, and our process has always been very holistic so you can rest assured that our team will continue to put the test in the appropriate context. We look forward to getting to know ALL aspects of who you are and your lived experiences.”
When is the last time you can take the current GMAT Exam?
GMAC has announced that: “The GMAT™ Exam will continue to be available to candidates through January 31, 2024 to facilitate their in-progress preparation and applications for business school. After that, GMAT™ Focus Edition will be the only version of the GMAT available.”
What else has changed in the 2023-2024 MBA Admissions Cycle?
Read “The new GRE: Should you prepare differently” and sign up for the Sunday AdCom insights to stay updated on all the important admissions trends.
Onwards and upwards,
Petia