Test Day
- Schedule the GMAT well in advance to secure a slot.
- Prioritize getting eight hours of sleep the week before and maintain a nutritious diet to ensure mental stamina.
- Bring necessary items like proper ID and a list of schools for score reporting, while avoiding unnecessary valuables.
- Familiarize yourself with the test center's security procedures to avoid surprises that could impact performance.
- Understand the test structure, including the AWA, integrated reasoning, quant, and verbal sections, and the importance of taking optional breaks.
Q. Isn't the test shorter now?
A. Yes, the length changed in 2018. This blog post has the full breakdown, but the summary is:
- AWA: 30 min.
- IR: 30 min.
- Quantitative: 62 min., 31 questions
- Verbal: 65 min., 36 questions
Additionally, starting in Q4 of 2023, a new, shorter version of the exam called the GMAT Focus will become available.
Q. Can you change the section order? I thought I heard about that.
A. Yes! In July 2017, MBA.com announced that you now have the ability to select the order of your sections. Read their official post here.
Their new feature "Select Section Order" allows you to choose between three options available to you at the test center:
- AWA, IR, Quant, Verbal (original order)
- Verbal, Quant, IR, AWA
- Quant, Verbal, IR, AWA
We also have a blog post talking about some of the strategy related to this. Read our blog post here.
Q. Are there any fees associated with sending your score reports?
A. On test day, you can select up to 5 schools to send your Official Score Report to for free. However, any score report that you request after the test will cost a $28 fee. For more information, please see this page at MBA.com:
This is the last lesson of the section
