Before the debut of the new, shorter GMAT Focus Edition in November, the main question people were asking was, “Is the new test easier?” Some high fliers are now coping with a surprising drop in their scores. Here’s why you don’t need to worry—straight from the GMAC, makers of the test.
Manish Dharia, diretor of product development at GMAC, has fresh intelligence from the launch of the GMAT Focus Edition in November. “Regarding the roll out of the GMAT Focus Edition, the initial feedback we’ve received from GMAT Focus test takers suggested that they felt less stressed taking the exam given its shortened length and added flexibility. Many of them took advantage of the new features we added specifically to reduce test takers’ anxiety and put them in control, such as changing the section order and new score-sending options. Some test takers with whom we spoke afterwards found it to be easier, some harder, but early adopters have informed us that they understand the updated score scale.”
The new test is certainly measurably shorter, but that does not necessrily mean it is easier. In fact, it could be considered harder—not with regard to the experience of taking the test itself, but in what it takes to get the very top Total Scores.
That’s because the scoring system was redesigned to create more room for differentiation at the top. This explains why you may have done truly outstanding work, but your numerical total score may not be what you might have gotten on the classic GMAT. All is not lost. To understand why, keep reading.
At the same time, the median score shifted downward. The median score on the classic GMAT is 582.34. The median score on the GMAT Focus Edition dropped to 546.01.
Remember that the median is the midpoint, not the average: if all test-takers’ scores were lined up, the median would be the score right in the middle. A median score is better than half of all and worse than half of all scores in that pool.
The drop in median score does not mean that test takers became less competent overnight. The scoring scale has been deliberated and carefully recalibrated for the GMAT Focus Edition, to create more room at the top of the scoring scale.
Why Was The Test Recalibrated?
GMAT scores were getting crowded at the top.
Nalisha Patel, regional director for Europe at GMAC, wrote by email: “The score scales for GMAT Focus Edition have been reset back to a more normal, bell-shaped distribution based on the latest test population data. This is because the test population has evolved and diversified over time and we wanted to take the opportunity to recalibrate.”
Look At The Percentiles
Patel writes, “An important thing to look at is the percentiles, which will show you where you can see rank in terms of competitiveness.”
Patel continues, “GMAT Focus and GMAT Exam scores can be linked and compared via a score percentile concordance chart to evaluate relative competitiveness among candidates taking different versions of the GMAT, so students can use this to demonstrate their result, too.”
Also, the scoring has changed because it’s a different test. Patel writes, “Other reasons are because the test construct has changed, and the total score now combines all three section scores; so it’s important to provide differentiation.”
This may all sound very rational, but some students, trained to think in terms of a Total Score of 700 on the GMAT as a significant threshold for application to selective programs, may experience a bit of a shock when they see their score is only 645.
And yet, that is the percentile correspondence: a 700 on the GMAT classic is in the 86.7% percentile—and so is a 645 on the GMAT Focus edition.
At this point, an applicant may wonder, “Does the admissions committee know this? Should I have taken the classic GMAT and scored a 700, which I have always heard is the standard for a ‘good score’?”
Daria addressed worried test-takers. “We have worked closely with schools on the changes—they are very well educated into what the scores mean, so candidates don’t need to worry about how their scores will be viewed against the previous scale—it is very clear to the admissions professionals.”
Looking Ahead
Still, for some MBA hopefuls who studied for the GMAT with the clearly-defined goal of scoring in the 700s, it may be difficult to shift to thinking in terms of percentiles. However, the readily-available GMAC conversion chart makes the conversion easy during this time of transition.
Admissions committees operate in longer time frames than individual applicants. Eventually, they will not think in terms of conversion. They are already well-informed and prepared to make the shift to thinking in terms of the GMAT Focus Edition scores as such.
Very soon, we will all be thinking in the terms of the new test on its own. After all, as of January 31, 2024, the GMAT Focus Edition will be the only format available.
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