Experts' Speak

The ‘NEXGEN’ GMAT  

Ashok Sarathy, Vice-President, GMAT programme, Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), talks to Reema Kaur on the ‘nexgen’ Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

Posted On: Monday, April 25, 2011

What is the ‘NexGen’ GMAC all about?

The GMAT exam has gone through several generations and it has evolved since its inception in 1954. We are currently in the ninth generation of the test and this 10 th generation is just the next cycle in evolution. For this change, we conducted a survey with over 740 faculty members from B-schools worldwide. We asked them questions on what are the skills that are really important to have in classrooms that the GMAT could be measuring. With that feedback, we prepared a list of additional skills that would enhance the GMAT exam as an admissions criterion.

Why did GMAC feel the need to introduce this change?

If you look at the business world today, people are constantly using data from various sources to make business decisions. The curricula of B-schools have also evolved with time to keep up with industry demands. So, this new section will test students on their ability to assimilate information from several sources, which could be in the form of textual information, table of contents, or graphical data like pie-charts, etc.

How will NexGen GMAC be different from the traditional format?

The new structure of the exam will have the same verbal reasoning section, a quantitative reasoning section and the scores of these sections will remain the same. In the current GMAT exam we have two essays but we found that one essay was enough to assess a candidate’s analytical writing ability. So, reducing the number of essays to one, the remaining 30 minutes will now be used for the new integrated reasoning section. Students will have to synthesise information from different sources given in the question to solve complex problems.

When are you planning to introduce this new test?

We are going to launch it in June 2012. In March-April we will be coming out with our own test-prep material to familiarise students about this new section.

What are the steps being taken to generate awareness about the new format?

We are going to go through several rounds of pilot testing and we are recruiting students for the same. Candidates who are currently taking the regular GMAT exam have the option of attempting this additional new section. We notify the candidates in advance and advise them to give their best efforts so that we can use that data to make our test question bank.
We will also engage with test preparation companies to give them information about these new test questions so that they prepare candidates as per the new format. We will also have candidate marketing campaigns and connect with students through www.mba.com, our website to register for GMAT.

Are there sample papers available for students online?

We will make sample questions available online. In fact, we will have a free version of the GMAT test preparation software online for all candidates. But, in addition we will have regular guides for which candidates will have to pay a small fee.

What will be the ideal GMAT score post the introduction of the new format?

In the final stage of testing we will be designing the scorescale which will help differentiate candidates across the spectrum.


Reference: http://educationtimes.com/educationTimes/CMSD/Experts%27-Speak/26/2011042520110421174525737293d3e10/The-NEXGEN-GMAT.html

Why going international for a MBA may be the best decision you ever made.

As I write this post I am actually considering the possibility of studying abroad for my MBA. The main reason I have come to this conclusion is that many international MBA programs are globally ranked higher than U.S schools and their admissions policies are far more lax than U.S. counter parts. The starting pay is the same as graduates from U.S. schools and the percentage of those employed after graduation is the same(many back in the U.S.)  For instance, INSEAD ( international graduate business school and research institution) is ranked #1 globally by Business Week. However, their GMAT scores (640-740 Avg of 699) for entrance is substantially lower than Harvard, UPenn, and Stanford. Also INSEAD option for a 1 year full time MBA is significantly more appealing than the traditional 2 year program at U.S. institutions. Many people who score 660 on the GMAT have a slight chance of getting into U.S. intuitions because of the saturation in applications they receive. You almost have to have started your own company, made millions, and wrote a book to get accepted. The percentage of applications admitted for the top 15 schools range from 6% to 18%.  I am going to write more on this topic but here’s some links for rankings and admission statistics.