New GMAT exam feature to offer greater control, flexibility

GMAC, which conducts the GMAT, has announced the launch of a new feature that will provide candidates with the flexibility to choose the sections in the order in which they are most comfortable with.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), which conducts the GMAT, has announced the launch of a new feature that will provide candidates with the flexibility to choose the sections in the order in which they are most comfortable with.

GMAC has announced the launch of a new feature that will provide candidates with the flexibility to choose the sections in the order in which they are most comfortable with. (Shutterstock)

The Select Section Order will be available to test takers worldwide beginning July 11.

“The idea of being allowed to choose the section order had been commonly requested by test takers,” Ashok Sarathy, GMAC’s vice-president for product management, said in a press release on Thursday.

“We conducted a pilot in 2016 to test this feature and received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with 85% of participants surveyed expressing that this new feature boosted their confidence prior to even taking the exam. Our pilot findings also concluded that taking the exam in different section orders continues to maintain the quality and integrity of the GMAT scores,” Sarathy added.

Candidates will be able to select their desired section order at the test centre on the day of the exam, immediately before it starts. They will be able to choose from three options: analytical writing assessment, integrated reasoning, quantitative, verbal (original order); or verbal, quantitative, integrated reasoning, analytical writing assessment; or quantitative, verbal, integrated reasoning, analytical writing assessment.

The GMAC is a global nonprofit association of 220 leading graduate business schools.