How to succeed in your GMAT Focus Edition

The Graduate Management Test (GMAT) Focus Edition is a streamlined accessible assessment, evaluating your analytical and verbal skills to prepare you for an MBA programme

While it may not always be a mandatory requirement, a strong GMAT result can certainly help you get your foot in the door. If you are serious about getting into your dream business school, it is worth investing the time and effort to prepare for the GMAT Focus Edition and achieve a high score.

What is the GMAT Focus Edition?

The GMAT is used by universities to help them decide whether you have the academic capability to manage an MBA. It's organised by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) and is also used for entry onto some other postgraduate business and management courses.

The GMAT Focus Edition is a redesigned version of the GMAT. It is designed to be more focused, more accessible, and less daunting for test-takers.

New features of the GMAT Focus Edition include:

• A shorter test - with three 45-minute sections, you can effectively prepare for the exam in just six weeks.
• Flexibility - you can customise your testing experience with the ability to review and edit questions, select the section order, and take the exam at a test centre or online.
• More insights - you can now gain valuable insights from your official score report after the exam, including a detailed analysis of your performance by section, question type, and more.

For more information about the redesigned test, see the GMAT Focus Edition.

The GMAT Focus Edition is two hours and 15 minutes long (with one optional 10-minute break) and 64 questions in total:

• Quantitative reasoning (21 questions, 45 minutes) - determines mathematical numerical ability, testing your reasoning, problem solving, and data interpretation.
• Verbal reasoning (23 questions, 45 minutes) - evaluates your reading comprehension and critical reasoning. You will be assessed on your ability to comprehend and draw inferences from written material and to evaluate arguments through two types of multiple-choice questions.
• Data insights (20 questions, 45 minutes) - tests your ability to read and interpret data in multiple formats, including tables and graphs. It is designed to mimic today's business world, in which managers synthesise data to identify patterns, make decisions, and solve business problems.

The GMAT is a computer-adaptive test, meaning it adjusts the difficulty of each question based on your performance. This ensures that you receive a challenging yet manageable assessment tailored to your abilities.

You'll need to register for a GMAT account to book and pay for the test. Test centres are located around the world, and you can find your local centre on the GMAT Focus Edition website.

The UK test costs £250 in a centre, and £275 online. If you wish to cancel, you'll forfeit some of the fee depending on how much notice you provide.

You can retake the GMAT Focus Edition up to five times within a rolling 12-month period, and a maximum of eight times in your lifetime. It's recommended to take the exam twice in case you're not satisfied with your initial score.

There's a 16-day waiting period between retaking the same format, whether online or at a test centre. However, you can take the online version immediately after taking the test centre version, and vice versa.

How does the scoring work?

The GMAT Focus Edition total score can range from 205 to 805, with all scores ending in 5. Each section of the exam is scored between 60 and 90.

Due to the different scoring scales, GMAT Focus Edition scores cannot be directly compared to scores from the previous version of the exam. Although scores of 600 in the original and 605 in the Focus Edition may appear similar, they indicate different levels of proficiency in various skills.

Discover more about understanding your score.

The score you'll need to get onto an MBA course depends on the university or business school, so check with your chosen institution. Here are some example entry requirements for some of the best MBA programmes in the UK:

• Imperial College Business School - candidates must be in the 55th percentile or higher.
• Warwick Business School - their GMAT average is 615.
• University of Cambridge: Judge Business School - students have an average of around 625-635.
• London Business School - advise that their score expectations will be 'in line with the equivalent scores in the previous GMAT'.

Once you complete the GMAT exam, your unofficial score will be displayed immediately. However, the official score processing typically takes around seven business days, although it may take up to 20 days in some cases.

GMAT scores are valid for five years from the test date. Submitting an invalid  score can negatively impact your application's strength.

A strong GMAT score is important, but it's not the only thing that matters. The rest of your application, such as your essays, letters of recommendation, and academic transcripts, should also be of exceptional quality.

Visit the GMAT Focus Edition scores page for more detailed information.

What GMAT prep should I do?

'We would suggest starting off with a visit to mba.com to familiarise yourself with the content of the exam,' said Tony Whiteman, Bayes Business School's MBA recruitment manager. 'Preparing well for the GMAT is a good investment of your time. Not only can it have an impact on your chances of being accepted on to the full-time MBA programme, but it can also influence scholarship or financial award decisions.'

If English isn't your first language, regularly reading publications like the Financial Times, The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal can familiarise you with business terminology and enhance your performance in the verbal reasoning section of the GMAT.

What other MBA admission tests are there?

There are many reasons why people opt against the GMAT:

• too difficult
• expensive
• a long time to prepare.

If the GMAT isn't mandatory for your application, consider taking the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), another widely accepted test for graduate programmes. While the GRE offers the advantage of a lower registration fee, it has a different structure, focusing more on reasoning skills than on analysis.

The test is split up into:

• one analytical writing section
• two verbal reasoning sections
• two quantitative reasoning sections.

While some business schools utilise standardised tests like the GMAT or GRE, Cranfield University offers an alternative assessment option for candidates who can attend an in-person interview. This in-house Cranfield Admission Test comprises two paper-based exams designed to evaluate your numeracy and problem-solving skills.

Find out more

• Learn more about MBA courses.