ANSWERS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON GMAT'S NEW FORMAT

ANSWERS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON GMAT'S NEW FORMAT

What are the fundamental changes in the new format of Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)?
The major change will be the addition of an innovative new section that measures the test-taker's ability to assimilate information from multiple sources, such as charts, graphs and spreadsheets.This new 'integrated reasoning'section will replace one of two essay questions that are part of the current test. It will not change the verbal and quantitative sections, and it will be scored separately, as the essays are currently scored.
Why was it decided to include integrated reasoning?
We constantly review all elements of the GMAT exam to ensure that we are meeting the needs of business schools around the world. The GMAT exam is designed by business schools for business schools, and this change of format reflects the changing needs identified by business schools. For the past four years, we have conducted multiple surveys of business school faculty from around the world as part of our commitment to continuous improvement of the exam.These surveys included faculty from Indian business schools.We asked for information about newer skills that need to be measured for success in graduate management education.The new section responds to that input.
    The GMAT has been on a path of continuous evolution since its launch in 1954.We added data sufficiency in 1961 and dropped analogies and antonyms in 1976 as they were too easily coached and provided the schools with no valuable information. As business schools evolve their curricula to meet the needs of the marketplace, the skills that the GMAT measures will continue to evolve
as well.The addition of the integrated reasoning section reflects the needs of the marketplace.
Why is assimilating data from multiple sources becoming important these days?
The integrated reasoning section is a microcosm of what is happening in business school classrooms today.The new section will help business school faculty and administrators gain critical information about a student's ability to make sound decisions by evaluating data from multiple and diverse sources.
How will integrated reasoning help one later in real-life situations?
Today's global marketplace demands business leaders who are skilled in pulling together a wide array of resources, analysing and evaluating this diverse data, drawing conclusions and creating solutions - often on short notice.
How should students go about preparing for the new format of GMAT?
Students can find regular updates about the next generation GMAT on www.mba.com The GMAT website will continue to offer up-todate information as we proceed to develop the next generation GMAT, including preparation materials. The new integrated reasoning section will be 30 minutes in duration and will replace one essay of equal length. As a result, the new exam will include just one 30-minute essay question.Tests will continue to be scored on a 200-800 scale. Testtakers will receive a separate score for the essay - as they do now - and another separate score for the integrated reasoning section. We have already done some initial pilot testing and have made changes based on that testing.We will be conducting a second pilot test involving about 3,000 testtakers internationally in November