Big News! The GMAT® Exam Will Be 30 Minutes Shorter

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Hi everyone! We wanted to share some big news about the GMAT exam. Starting on April 16, it will be 30 minutes shorter. The total test time will now be 3.5 hours.

The time savings will mostly be on the Quantitative and Verbal sections. We've streamlined these sections to be less time and have fewer questions. We also shortened some of the tutorial screens from the beginning.

The exam content and the time you have per question won't change. The exam will be scored the same, and it's still the most trusted and proven indicator of your ability to succeed in business school. Rest assured that it's the same GMAT exam with the same quality you expect - just shorter by a half hour.

More good news! To give you the most realistic practice experience, our official full-length practice exams will be updated no later than April 30 to reflect the new pacing of the shorter test.

Visit our official announcement on mba.com for more information.

If you have any questions, ask away!
Last edited by OfficialGMAT on Mon Apr 30, 2018 7:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
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by RBBmba@2014 » Wed Apr 04, 2018 11:22 pm
Hi Leah,
Got a quick question here.

It's mentioned in your FAQs on MBA.com that "A number of unscored questions will still remain in each section so that we can continue to research and pre-test our exam questions and ensure their quality before counting them as scored questions".

In this aspect, could you please shed some light how many unscored/experimental questions will STILL be there in Quant and Verbal section respectively in the new pattern ?

Look forward to hear from you. Thank you!

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by [email protected] » Fri Apr 06, 2018 3:44 pm
Hi All,

The information provided here is exceptionally important - especially for anyone planning to take the GMAT in the next 1-2 months. While the content, scoring, etc. should be the same when you take this new, shorter GMAT, it will likely take time for each Test Taker to properly acclimate to the 'feel' of this shorter Test. This is meant to say that you'll want to become really familiar with taking the new FULL GMAT when the new practice CATS become available - and you might need extra time to make the necessary adjustments to how you handle the overall Exam.

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Rich
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by OfficialGMAT » Tue Apr 17, 2018 10:08 am
RBBmba@2014 wrote:Hi Leah,
Got a quick question here.

It's mentioned in your FAQs on MBA.com that "A number of unscored questions will still remain in each section so that we can continue to research and pre-test our exam questions and ensure their quality before counting them as scored questions".

In this aspect, could you please shed some light how many unscored/experimental questions will STILL be there in Quant and Verbal section respectively in the new pattern ?

Look forward to hear from you. Thank you!
Hello!

I apologize for the delay.
Unfortunately, this information is not available. The Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections are being shortened by only reducing the number of unscored items. Unscored questions ("research or pre-test questions") are used by GMAC as part of the question development process before they become scored GMAT questions. A number of unscored questions will still remain in each section so that we can continue to research and pre-test our exam questions and ensure their quality before counting them as scored questions.

Regards,
Leah
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by RBBmba@2014 » Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:05 pm
Hi Leah,
Thanks for your reply.
1. I can understand but can you please confirm whether the following could be expected question distribution for Verbal section in NEW UPDATED version of GMAT Prep and Exam Pack 1 & 2 ?

SC : 12-14 Qs
RC : 12-14 Qs
CR: 8-10 Qs.

2. Also, if I uninstall my existing GMAT Prep software (v2.4.323) and reinstall the NEW UPDATED version v2.5.327, will I be able to retain the work already done or everything will be lost ? (Using it on Windows 7)

3. Whether the NEW yearly subscription model of Question pack and two Exam Packs will affect students who've already purchased those Question pack and/or Exam Packs ?

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by OfficialGMAT » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:24 am
RBBmba@2014 wrote:Hi Leah,
Thanks for your reply.
1. I can understand but can you please confirm whether the following could be expected question distribution for Verbal section in NEW UPDATED version of GMAT Prep and Exam Pack 1 & 2 ?

SC : 12-14 Qs
RC : 12-14 Qs
CR: 8-10 Qs.

2. Also, if I uninstall my existing GMAT Prep software (v2.4.323) and reinstall the NEW UPDATED version v2.5.327, will I be able to retain the work already done or everything will be lost ? (Using it on Windows 7)

3. Whether the NEW yearly subscription model of Question pack and two Exam Packs will affect students who've already purchased those Question pack and/or Exam Packs ?
Hello,

1. That is correct, but this is always subject to change
2. Once the new GMATPrep web based platform is available, you will be notified and provided more information on how to access this. No need to uninstall and reinstall.
3. There are no new packs that will be available. The changes are happening to the existing extension packs and exams in the free software.

Thanks!
Leah
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by RBBmba@2014 » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:12 pm
OfficialGMAT wrote:Hello,

1. That is correct, but this is always subject to change
2. Once the new GMATPrep web based platform is available, you will be notified and provided more information on how to access this. No need to uninstall and reinstall.
3. There are no new packs that will be available. The changes are happening to the existing extension packs and exams in the free software.

Thanks!
Leah
Hi Leah,
Thanks for your clarifications. Really appreciate!

As for the THIRD point: It seems I'm not able to convey what I intend to... :-) I didn't mean any NEW packs.

ALL I meant is the UPGRADED extension packs -- it's heard from the different GMAT/MBA forums that post implementation of NEW format of GMAT, the Question pack and the Exam Packs will have a yearly subscription model, UNLIKE the current model in which there is NO EXPIRY once you activate those packs.

So, my Questions are :
(1) Is the above news of having yearly subscription model of the UPGRADED Question pack and the Exam Packs TRUE anyhow ?

(2) If yes, then how this yearly subscription model will affect the students who've already purchased those Question pack and/or Exam Packs,knowing that there is NO EXPIRY for those extension packs ?

Hope I'm able to make it clear now!

Look forward to your reply.