The global pandemic has made everyone miss out on a lot of things, but GMAT is not one of them. In April 2020, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) launched GMAT Online Exam which can be taken from the comfort of your home. This blog talks about everything you need to know about GMAT Online exam and how is it different from test centre based GMAT. From April 8 onwards, students will be able to take GMAT Online exam that would be exactly similar in terms of structure and scoring to the regular GMAT.
The GMAT at centre is the regular computer adaptive test centre-based GMAT exam. The exam is divided into 4 sections which are, analytical writing, quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, and integrated reasoning. You can also choose the order of sections.
The total duration given to complete the test is 3 hours 7 minutes. During this time, test takers are also entitled to have two optional 8-minute breaks. So, the total time limit is almost about 3 and ½ hours inclusive of the breaks.
The exam can be taken up to five times a year but no more than eight times in total. Attempts must be a minimum of 16 days apart. GMAT score is valid for 5 years. GMAT exam fee is $275.
Yes, GMAT Online exam is an online alternative to the test centre-based GMAT which allows you to take the test from the comfort of your home. GMAT Online exam was launched by GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council) in response to worldwide lockdowns due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The GMAT exam online is a remote proctored GMAT, which means that the exam software enables Human/AI to monitor the test taker live through the webcam to look for behaviour that could indicate cheating.
GMAT Online Exam fee costs $275.
Online GMAT exam introduces few changes from test centre GMAT, such as:
In Online GMAT, you will receive an unofficial score preview immediately after you complete the exam. Your official scores will be delivered by e-mail within 7 working days after you take the Test. However, in this format, you will not be able to cancel scores, even though you can cancel your score when you test in testing centre.
Another this to note is that the GMAT exam online permits only the use of a whiteboard during the exam, unlike the GMAT test centre exam. You can choose between an online whiteboard tool that can be accessed during the exam or a physical whiteboard to enter text, draw shapes or lines.
Online exam attempts will continue to count toward your overall GMAT exam attempt limits - 5 in a rolling 12-month period and 8 in a lifetime. You can take all of your exam attempts at a test center or online, or a combination of both.
Other aspects such as duration and length of the testing sections, type, difficulty, and rating algorithms remains same as GMAT at centre.
A major upside to GMAT online exam is the flexibility to schedule an appointment which is not the case in GMAT test centre-based exam. Also, GMAT Online eliminates aspects like unfamiliarity with the testing environment, fear of transmission and preparation for analytical writing assessment out from the picture.
Cons of Online GMAT has to be the technical difficulties one may face. The testing staff might experience technical difficulties leading to the occurrence that you have to wait 30 to 120 minutes in the queue until you can take your GMAT online exam and on the other hand you might face loss of broadband or internet connection. A program that is blocked by the testing software could shut down some tasks of your computer which can also lead to some technical difficulty resulting in troubled testing experience.
However, these issues can be avoided to a large extent by taking GMAC’s System Test as well as ensuring uninterrupted internet connection. Additionally, it is always advised to practice on the whiteboard and to log in early (at least 20 minutes before).
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