GMAT Computer Test versus Paper Test
Computer and Paper Test Availability
The paper-based GMAT was discontinued as of 2016. According to the GMAT Handbook published by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), "the exam is only given on computer, which ensures consistency and fairness." "Fairness" is a reference to the computer-adaptive nature of the electronic or computerized version of the GMAT, which obviously cannot be duplicated with a paper test. Other reasons cited for the discontinuation of the paper test include accessibility, tracking, and scoring, plus the need for additional proctors at testing centers. Additionally, paper tests are significantly more difficult to transport and store, and they can be more easily lost or destroyed.
The computer version of the GMAT, on the other hand, can be administered on any day of the year, and students can complete the exam at any one of numerous testing centers or online from the comfort of their home. The computerized version of the GMAT allows students to instantly track their progress while taking the exam and receive their scores immediately afterwards, neither of which is possible with a paper test. Of course, computerized tests can present problems of their own (such as vulnerability to digital theft), but the current version of the GMAT Focus Edition is impossible to reproduce in hard copy, and the advantages of computer testing outweigh the concerns.
Distinctions between the Paper Test and the Computer Test
The paper version of the GMAT was a conventional test in which all questions counted the same toward the final score. The computerized GMAT uses a complex algorithm that calculates a different value for each question, which is determined by the likelihood of a correct answer for a student at a given level of ability. The paper GMAT allowed test-takers to answer the questions within a section in any order they chose and could also revise answers if they wished. When taking the computer test, students must answer each question presented before proceeding to the next. However, following the exam update in 2023, students can now go back and review their answers, ultimately changing up to three responses (if time allows). The paper version of the GMAT provided the same questions to every test taker within a specific administration, only varying their order. The computerized GMAT is adaptive, creating a unique testing experience for each test-taker and ensuring no two students receive exactly the same questions (even if they take the test at the same place on the same day).
The Paper Test as a Practice Tool
Official GMAT paper tests could at one time be purchased from the GMAC website's online store. They cost $29.99 per set, with each set containing three paper GMATs, and a total of three sets could be bought. These tests dated from the 1990s, but were still useful for studying purposes until the GMAT underwent a significant update in 2023.
In 2023, the GMAT became the GMAT Focus Edition. As part of this revision, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning underwent minor content updates, but Integrated Reasoning was removed completely and was replaced by Data Insights. Given that Data Insights did not exist back when the GMAT could be taken in paper form, paper exams from the late 1990s will not contain this section and therefore won't be useful study aids for this particular section.
The scoring of the GMAT was also revised in 2023, and is now very different from how the paper tests were scored in the 1990s. In fact, the GMAC is very clear that scores or scoring systems from versions of the GMAT prior to 2023 cannot be compared to the Focus Edition. While many students preparing for the GMAT used to utilize old paper copies of the exam as a way to save money on test preparation and increase their familiarity with the exam, paper versions of the GMAT are no longer effective study materials following the 2023 update, and students are encouraged to utilize other official and/or professional exam study aids and practice tests.
Computer Testing and GMAT Score Inflation
The computerized GMAT was first administered in 1997, and the GMAT was among the first assessments to move to computer-adaptive format. The use of the computer GMAT has been correlated to a general trend of score inflation. The GMAT was initially designed to produce an average score of 500, which declined over the first 30 years of the test's history (the average GMAT score in the mid-1980s was about 460). After several years of computer testing, mean GMAT scores had risen to about 535 by 2005, and as of 2016, the average GMAT score was almost 552. In 2001, a 680 total score would place a test-taker in the 90th percentile. By 2008, the same percentile ranking required a total score of 700. Student performance on the quantitative section of the GMAT in particular has improved considerably since the advent of computer-adaptive testing. In 2001, a scaled quantitative score of 47 represented the 80th percentile; in 2016, the same score was in the 65th percentile.
As part of the update in 2023 from the GMAT to the GMAT Focus Edition, the scoring system of the exam has also been changed. This means that scores obtained on previous versions of the exam cannot be compared to scores obtained on the GMAT Focus Edition. It is hoped that the 2023 update will also help even out the score distribution, which has become skewed over the years.
Score Inflation and Business School Acceptance
Higher overall GMAT performance has led to higher GMAT benchmarks, both at highly selective business schools and at less prominent institutions. The mean total scores of students accepted to NYU's Stern School of Business increased from 610 in 1990 to 686 in 2000. By 2016, the median and average GMAT scores at Stern were 710, with a middle 80% range of 650-760. Binghamton University School of Management's accepted students averaged 549 in 1998 and 594 in 2002. In 2016, the average at Binghamton was 620, with a middle 80% range of 580-670. GMAT score inflation has clearly elevated the GMAT standards at business schools. Given the update to the GMAT in 2023 and the implementation of a new scoring system, it is expected that GMAT scores will more accurately depict a student's ability to thrive in a business program rather than simply denoting the student's ability to obtain a high score.