Whatever school you’re applying for, when considering whether to retake the GMAT ask yourself three questions:
1. Do I have the highest score I can possibly achieve? Have you achieved your full potential?
2. Are the elements of my score consistent with each other? If you've achieved a good overall score, but your score for the verbal section of the GMAT is significantly lower than your quant, or vice-versa, then your score is worse than it may seem.
3. Do I have the time to spend on studying to improve my score? How close are you to those application deadlines?
Brett Ethridge, founder and lead instructor at Dominate Test Prep, says the biggest determining factor for how much you can expect your GMAT score to go up on a retake is linked to your previous score.
“If your first GMAT score is in the 500s, then you still have a lot of room for improvement, whereas if you’ve already scored in the upper-600s or cracked 700, then your score ceiling is a lot lower.”
What’s it like taking the GMAT Online Exam?
The online GMAT has the same structure, number of items, and duration as the test center exam. It also uses the same scoring algorithm and score scale for the Section Scores and Total Score.
In terms of content, the only previous difference between the online GMAT and the test center version was the exclusion of the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section from the online test. This section, known as the ‘essay section’, consists of a 30-minute writing task. However, the new enhanced version of the GMAT Online includes the AWA section.
The GMAT Online Exam is currently priced at $250 globally and is hosted on mba.com, where you can also register for the test.
Note: The GMAT Online Exam now allows a physical whiteboard option.
What’s next for the GMAT?
The latest development of the GMAT Online Exam comes as cases of COVID-19 increase in many countries, triggering lockdowns and impacting the availability of GMAT test centers.
The online test was first launched as a temporary solution to support candidates applying to business school during the last application cycle. Now, it's a permanent solution, with GMAT Online testing appointments extended through 2021.
Since launching the GMAT Online Exam, GMAC has consistently worked to improve the testing experience for candidates; introducing the ability for test takers to review their score before sending it to schools, the use of physical whiteboards, the introduction of Accommodations, and the ability to send free score reports to an unlimited number of b-school programs.
On the ability to retake the test, Cara Skikne, GMAT coach and co-founder of MBA admissions consultancy Admissions Africa, says:
“This is good news for test-takers who now have more flexibility and less pressure in their test-taking experience. It's one of the positive changes to the online test (like the introduction of a physical whiteboard) that makes it a lot more appealing compared to taking the test at a test center, or taking the online GRE.”
Next read:
GMAT Online Exam | 13 Top Test Prep Tips
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