The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has developed an interim online option for the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) to help business school applicants meet upcoming application deadlines and stand out to business schools in the admissions process.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the closing of testing centers around the world, prompting GMAC to offer an alternative solution that is accessible online.
The interim GMAT Online exam will help candidates feel safe while meeting upcoming application deadlines and confidently continue with their goals, while also helping business schools globally as they look for relevant ways to evaluate candidates for their admissions process.
A number of Australia’s top MBA programs require students to take the GMAT as part of the application process, including UNSW @ AGSM, Australian National University, University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia.
While some business schools will specify a minimum required GMAT score as part of their entry requirements others simply require students to take the exam. It is one of many tools schools use to ensure they attract high-calibre students with the necessary skills to complete the rigorous standards required for an MBA.
A high GMAT score will greatly increase your prospects for admission to your chosen school, particularly highly ranked schools in which selection is highly competitive.
“Supporting candidates in their pursuit of business school and helping schools evaluate talent is at the core of our mission and has always been our highest priority,” said Vineet Chhabra, senior director and head of the GMAT product at GMAC.
“As COVID-19 evolved, and quickly changed how we have traditionally administered the GMAT exam, our team immediately transitioned focus to developing an online testing solution that empowers business schools and candidates to discover and evaluate each other during this interim period.
“GMAT Online maintains the GMAC standard of offering a valid and rigorous assessment, with critical security practices and protocols tailored for an online proctored environment.”
GMAC has made the interim solution available on Mac and PC platforms and will prioritise the availability of the alternative assessment as the organisation seeks to support test takers and schools in impacted markets.
The Quantitative, Verbal and Integrated Reasoning sections (omitting the Analytical Writing Assessment section) will have the same type and number of items and the same time for completion, creating consistency in content and structure with the GMAT exam administered in test centers.
It will also use the same scoring algorithm and score scale for the Section Scores and Total Score as the test center-based version. Appointments for around-the-clock test dates begin on April 20, 2020 and run through June 15, 2020, at which time the need for the interim solution will be reevaluated.
Candidates who wish to register for the GMAT™ Online exam can learn more here: www.mba.com/gmatonline
