The GMAT Focus Edition: A snapshot
GMAC launched GMAT Focus
The Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) launched the GMAT Focus Edition, a new version of the GMAT test, in 2023. The business environment is constantly and rapidly evolving, and as the skills required to succeed in the global economy continue to change, so do the instruments used to measure those skills. The GMAT Focus Edition brings big and important changes to how the test is set up, what it covers, and even how it is scored. Since these changes will have an impact on both your GMAT preparation and your testing experience, it's important to educate yourself on the details of the GMAT Focus Edition.
In this blog, you will learn everything that we know about the new GMAT Focus Edition. We explain how it is different from the previous GMAT, such as how the verbal, quantitative, and integrated reasoning sections have changed, as well as changes in specific question types, and both section and test length.
What is the GMAT Focus Edition?
GMAC describes the GMAT Focus Edition as "a more focused test-taking experience that hones in on the higher-order critical reasoning and data literacy skills that are especially relevant and applicable in the business environment of tomorrow." Compared to previous versions of the GMAT, there is now a heightened focus on efficiency, flexibility, and providing test-takers with greater insights into their performance, allowing them to be as informed as possible about their abilities and educational options.
While these changes have been made in response to the increased importance being placed on critical reasoning and data analysis skills in the business world, the exam's fundamental purpose remains the same: the GMAT Focus Edition is still a standardized test that business schools use to assess the skills of MBA and EMBA aspirants. The goal of any standardized test is to accurately evaluate the abilities of the person taking the test, and even with the changes discussed in this blog, the GMAT Focus Edition remains a rigorous and challenging exam requiring careful preparation to truly master. Since the fundamental goal of the GMAT remains unchanged, the skills you need to demonstrate on the Focus Edition are essentially the same ones you would have sought to display on previous versions of the test.
When was the GMAT Focus Edition Rolled Out?
The GMAT Focus Edition was first offered on November 7th, 2023. The previous version of the GMAT was officially discontinued after January 31st, 2024. Beginning February 1st, 2024, the GMAT Focus Edition became the only available version of the exam.
How is the GMAT Focus Edition Different from the Previous GMAT Edition?
Let's examine the changes in format and content between the GMAT Focus Edition and the previous GMAT.
Format Changes
The GMAT's format has undergone significant changes in the Focus Edition, specifically in the areas of test time, section order choice, adaptability, question reviewing and editing, scoring, score reporting, and enhanced score reports.
Test Time
One of the most significant changes is the duration of the test. The GMAT Focus Edition is just 2 hours and 15 minutes long (excluding breaks), while the previous GMAT lasted 3 hours and 7 minutes (excluding breaks).
Therefore, the GMAT Focus Edition is approximately one hour shorter than the older version.
This change is due to the removal of the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section. According to the GMAC, the goal of offering a shorter exam is to make the testing process more efficient and less time-consuming for candidates, in addition to reducing test-taking fatigue and allowing test-takers to perform at their best over the course of the entire exam.
See the table below for a breakdown of GMAT Focus Edition timing by section and question.
GMAT Focus Edition Structure
| Quantitative Reasoning | Verbal Reasoning | Data Insights | |
| Section Time | 45 minutes | 45 minutes | 45 minutes |
| No. of Questions (64) | 21 | 23 | 20 |
| Question Types | Problem Solving *Data Sufficiency is sub-section moved to Data Insights section | Critical Reasoning Reading Comprehension *Sentence Correction is excluded | Data Sufficiency (New) Multi-Source Reasoning, Table Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, Two-Part Analysis |
| Av. Time Per Question | 2 minutes 9 seconds | Appx. 2 minutes | 2 minutes 15 seconds |
| Total time | 2 hours 15 minutes |
Section Order Choice
Choosing the order in which you complete test sections is more flexible in the GMAT Focus Edition—a very welcome change. The previous GMAT gave test-takers three options for section order (Option 1: AWA and Integrated Reasoning (now called Data Insights)-Quant-Verbal; Option 2: Verbal-Quant-AWA and IR; Option 3: Quant-Verbal-AWA and IR). By comparison, the GMAT Focus Edition lets you complete the three sections in whichever order you wish.
So, instead of the previous three options, you now have six, allowing you to choose any order from Data Insights (DI), Quantitative Reasoning (QR), and Verbal Reasoning (VR). Taking the exam in the order you prefer gives you greater control over your testing experience, allowing you to achieve your best score.
Adaptability
The most significant change to the test's adaptability is that all three sections of the Focus Edition are now adaptive. So the Data Insights (DI) section, previously called Integrated Reasoning (IR), is now also adaptive, in addition to the Verbal and Quantitative sections. What this means is that the GMAT Focus Edition adapts based on your performance, using your response to one question to determine the difficulty level of the next question you're given.
Question Review and Edit
One especially welcome feature of the GMAT Focus Edition is that you can go back and change your answers to questions in each section.
Unfortunately, this functionality isn't unlimited, since the GMAT Focus Edition is a question-adaptive test. For the scoring system to work, the majority of your responses in a section must remain unaltered. Because of this, you can change up to three responses in each section, which is still an improvement over the previous GMAT, which didn't allow candidates to change any answers.
In addition, you may review your responses to as many questions as you want in each of the three sections. The bookmarking option allows you to mark as many questions as you like so that you can easily return to them later.
So, let's say you bookmarked six questions in a section because you were uncertain of your responses. Knowing that you can only change responses to three questions, you could, if time allows, revisit and review them, then decide which three responses need to be changed. It's important to note that this is time-dependent and if you run out of time, you will not be able to go back and change any of your answers.
Scoring
The GMAT's scoring system has also undergone a significant change. Your Data Insights (DI) score now contributes equally with the Quantitative and Verbal scores to your GMAT Total Score. Data Insights replaced Integrated Reasoning (IR) from the previous GMAT, which used to be scored separately, meaning it did not contribute towards your GMAT Total Score.
Scores on the GMAT Focus Edition also look a little different. Each section is scored on a scale of 60–90 with 1-point increments, and the Total Score is on a scale of 205–805 with 10-point increments.
GMAT Focus Edition Scoring
| Scale | Increments | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 60–90 | 1 |
| Verbal Reasoning | 60–90 | 1 |
| Data Insights | 60–90 | 1 |
| Total Score | 205-805 | 10 |
Therefore, the maximum possible score on the GMAT Focus Edition is 805, as opposed to the previous GMAT's 800. Since Integrated Reasoning (IR) is no longer part of the Focus Edition, its 0–8 score is now gone. According to the GMAC, this means that GMAT Focus Edition scores cannot be compared to scores from the previous version of the exam. The score scale on the Focus Edition has been adjusted to better reflect changes in the test-taking population, which has become increasingly diverse and global. Scores have risen significantly over the time the GMAT has been in use, resulting in an uneven score distribution. Updating the score scale will even out the distribution, helping schools to understand and differentiate your test performance more accurately.
Reporting of Score
Score reporting has also been updated with the new edition of the GMAT, and test-takers will certainly benefit from the changes.
Test-takers will still be able to send their scores to up to five schools for free with the GMAT Focus Edition, just like with the previous GMAT.
Any Official Score Report you send will not include your entire GMAT score history—it will only include a single score, which will be your latest, or most recent, GMAT score. So, after taking the GMAT Focus Edition and seeing your score, you can decide to send it to a few colleges (up to five) at no additional cost. The schools you select on your test day will only see your score from the most recent test you took, not your scores from the previous five years. This means you are not required to disclose past results to colleges if you choose not to.
Additionally, the previous GMAT prompted you to select up to five schools to send your test results to before you began the exam. With the GMAT Focus Edition, you are prompted to send your score to up to five schools after you have completed it and viewed your final score. This new feature is consistent across both the online and the test center version of the GMAT Focus Edition.
Enhanced Score Report
The previous version of the GMAT allowed test-takers to purchase an Extended Score Report (ESR) for $30 after taking the test. The ESR provided more information on the test-taker's performance across the many test sections and question types than was available on the normal score report.
With the GMAT Focus Edition, test-takers do not need to apply for an ESR in order to obtain this data. Instead, each test-taker will receive "personalized insights" about their performance in a full, expanded score report that is included as part of their GMAT registration.
According to the GMAC, the ESR contains the usual section and total scores, but also allows test-takers to understand their performance on the specific skills tested in each section and how long it took them to complete each question. They can also see how their skills compared to others who took the test. Key features of the GMAT Focus Edition ESR include:
- Total section performance ranking
- Sub-section performance ranking
- Time management ranking
- Percentage of questions answered correctly
- Average response time
- Ability to compare performance to that of other test-takers
- Customized summary report for each section that assesses the test-taker's strengths and weaknesses
Now that we know how the GMAT Focus Edition is different from the previous GMAT in terms of structure, let's explore the changes in content.
Changes in Content
The majority of the GMAT Focus Edition's content is the same as in the previous GMAT. Nonetheless, there are significant changes to be aware of in all sections of the test. Let's begin with what might the biggest change: the GMAT essay.
AWA
The GMAT Focus Edition does not have a required essay section. So, unlike earlier GMAT versions, all questions are presented in multiple-choice format.
The AWA has been a part of the GMAT for more than two decades, but given the changing nature of the business world and the importance placed on higher-order thinking by business programs, this section was not included in the updated Focus Edition. Greater emphasis is being placed on critical reasoning skills, and the AWA has been removed to reflect this. Since the AWA took up 30 minutes of test time, its removal from the GMAT Focus Edition is one of the reasons why the new exam is quite a bit shorter.
However, the GMAC said they were approached by several business schools in 2024 "about the need for an objective tool to assess candidates' written communication skills given the rapid adoption of AI tools to support writing samples and essays" that are part of the application process. To address these concerns, the GMAC launched the Business Writing Assessment (BWA), a proctored and scored, 30-minute writing assessment completed online. This is being piloted for the 2025 b-school admission cycle and to date, only Harvard Business School has made completing the BWA mandatory following an interview invitation based on a candidate's GMAT Focus Edition score submission.
The BWA is a brief online writing task designed to evaluate a test-taker's ability to effectively analyze, evaluate, and critique arguments. The arguments are drawn from a wide range of topics relevant to business, as well as general interest subjects. Specific, in-depth knowledge of a topic is neither expected nor required. The BWA is evaluated using a standardized rubric and scored in 1-point increments using a scale of 0 to 6.
Unlike the rest of the GMAT Focus Edition, the BWA is not scored immediately. Test-takers will receive the results approximately three to five days after completion, and the results can be sent for free to participating schools. If you don't like your BWA score, you can request rescoring for a fee or take the assessment again. The BWA is not included in the cost of GMAT Focus Edition registration and requires a $30 additional payment.
Quants
The Quantitative section of the GMAT Focus Edition retains the Problem-Solving problems from the previous GMAT. But the Focus Edition Quant section no longer contains Data Sufficiency problems, which is a significant shift. These questions have been moved to the new Data Insights (DI) section.
All topics that were covered in the previous GMAT quant section have been retained in the Focus Edition with one important exception: geometry. Geometry is no longer tested in the Quant and Data Sufficiency sections. The GMAT Focus Edition only focuses on algebra and arithmetic.
Since Geometry does not feature in the Executive Assessment (EA), which the GMAT Focus Edition mimics in numerous respects, its absence from the Focus Edition does not surprise us.
Additionally, while the GMAT's previous Quants section had 31 questions, this section in the Focus Edition only has 21 questions. Test-takers have 45 minutes to complete it.
Verbal
When we compare the previous GMAT to the GMAT Focus Edition, it is obvious that the Verbal section has undergone the most significant changes. The Verbal section of the Focus Edition consists of only Reading Comprehension (RC) and Critical Reasoning (CR) questions, without any Sentence Correction (SC) questions.
In the previous GMAT, about one-third of the Verbal section was comprised of Sentence Correction problems. Many test-takers found Sentence Correction to be the simplest sub-section of the Verbal section, both in terms of their knowledge of the content and their ability to answer problems correctly. So, the absence of Sentence Correction may make the Verbal section appear more difficult than before to some test-takers.
In the previous GMAT, the Verbal section was comprised of 36 questions. The Focus Edition contains 23 questions in this section. Test-takers have 45 minutes to complete it.
Integrated Reasoning (IR)—Transforming into Data Insights (DI)
In contrast to the Verbal and Quantitative sections, which both had reductions in question types and the number of questions provided, the GMAT Focus Edition's Integrated Reasoning section is broader and has been renamed Data Insights (DI). This alteration is directly related to the rapid changes in the ever-evolving business world, where skills in data analysis and interpretation are more in demand than ever. Digital literacy and the ability to quickly and accurately interpret data are crucial, and this increased importance is reflected in the Data Insights section.
The Data Insights section of the Focus Edition has the same Multi-Source Reasoning (MSR), Table Analysis (TA), Graphical Interpretation (GI), and Two-Part Analysis (2PA) problems that were part of the previous GMAT's Integrated Reasoning section. In addition, the DI section also contains the Data Sufficiency problems that were traditionally included in the Quant section.
There are 20 questions in the Data Insights section, and test-takers have 45 minutes to complete it.
Consequences of the Content Changes
GMAC claims the GMAT Focus Edition is "more efficient" and "more focused" on pertinent business skills than the previous version of the exam. The previous GMAT can be thought of as assessing general business skills, whereas the Focus Edition purports to assess "relevant" business skills. The omission of Geometry and Sentence Correction has reduced the number of topics on the GMAT, which means there may be less content to study.
The relocation of Data Sufficiency to the Data Insights section doesn't appear that it will have much effect on test-takers. Students still need to understand the ideas and techniques necessary to answer Data Sufficiency questions, which do not seem to have changed much, if at all.
The GMAC also claims that students can prepare for the Focus Edition faster than they could for the previous GMAT. Reduced preparation time likely reflects the removal of the AWA section, meaning test-takers now only need to prepare for three sections rather than four (unless they are also completing the BWA). However, since the aim of the Focus Edition is the same as the previous GMAT—to accurately assess a candidate's readiness to perform well in a business program—reduced content and subsequently reduced preparation time do not mean an easier or less challenging exam. The GMAT Focus Edition places more emphasis on applying relevant business skills in order for test-takers to demonstrate competency in data analysis and critical thinking. Preparation is still incredibly important to obtaining the high score business programs want to see.
Major Differences Between the GMAT Focus Edition and the Previous GMAT
GMAT Focus Edition Vs. the Previous GMAT
| Previous GMAT | GMAT Focus Edition | |
| Total Test Time (exl. breaks) | 3 hours 7 min. | 2 hours 15 min. |
| No. of Sections | 4 | 3 |
| Section Types | AWA, IR, Quant, Verbal | Data Insights, Quant, Verbal |
| Question Types | AWA: Essay; IR: MSR, TA, GI, TA; Quant: PS, DS; Verbal: SC, CR, RC | DI: DS, MSR, TA, GI, TA; Quant: PS; Verbal: CR, RC |
| Questions Per Section | AWA: 1 prompt; IR: 12; Quant: 31; Verbal: 36 | DI: 20; Quant: 21; Verbal: 23 |
| Time Per Section | AWA: 30 min.; IR: 30 min.; Quant: 62 min.; Verbal: 75 min. | DI: 45 min.; Quant: 45 min.; Verbal: 45 min. |
| Time Per question | AWA: 30 min.; IR: 2.30 min.; Quant: 2 min.; Verbal: 1 min. 48 Sec. | DI: 2 min. 15 Sec.; Quant: 2 min. 9 Sec.; Verbal: 2 min. |
| Review and Bookmarking | No | Yes (edit up to 3 responses) |
| Section Order Choices | 3 | 6 |
| Section Score Range | 6-51 | 60-90 |
| Total Score Range | 200-800 | 205-805 |
| Score reporting | Select five schools before seeing score; schools see all previous scores | Select five schools after seeing score; schools do not see previous scores |
| Enhanced Score Report (ESR) | $30 | Free |
Key Takeaways
- The GMAT Focus Edition is about an hour shorter than the previous GMAT.
- The Focus Edition was first offered in 2023 and is now the only version of the GMAT that can be taken.
- The previous GMAT consisted of four sections, but the GMAT Focus Edition comprises only three: Quantitative, Verbal, and Data Insights.
- Unlike the previous GMAT, in which the Total Score consisted of scores from only two sections, Quantitative and Verbal, the Total Score for the GMAT Focus Edition consists of scores from all three sections: Quantitative, Verbal, and Data Insights.
- For the first time, test-takers have the option to bookmark and review as many questions in each of the three sections as they like. Candidates are allowed to change up to three test answers per section, provided there is still time remaining in the exam.
- A detailed score report is included as part of registering for the GMAT Focus Edition, and test-takers will not need to pay $30 for an enhanced score report like with the previous GMAT.
- With the GMAT Focus Edition, test-takers can view their final score and then choose if they want to send it to up to five schools, rather than being prompted to designate recipient schools before taking the exam.
- Content-wise, the GMAT Focus Edition is virtually identical to the previous GMAT, aside from two changes: Geometry and Sentence Correction questions have been removed, and the required AWA essay has also been dropped.