Is it necessary to participate in the GMAT experimental program for choosing the order of passage of the test sections?

You may have heard that some people began to receive emails inviting them to participate in the pilot program that GMAC (the GMAT test organization) scheduled for the end of February / beginning of March. The purpose of the experiment is to test a remarkable new feature: the ability to select the order in which the various sections of the GMAT test are executed .



Below are all the important details, and also explains how to decide whether you should take part in the project if you are one of the invited students.

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How will the experiment go? What is it testing?

There are four combinations to choose from:



1. Quant (testing of abstract thinking and mathematical knowledge). Verbal (English proficiency test). IR (test of the ability to analyze large amounts of data presented in various formats). Essay (essay on a given topic).

2. Quant. Verbal. Essay. IR.

3. Verbal. Quant. IR. Essay.

4. Essay. IR. Verbal. Quant.







In the latter version, the test is presented in almost standard form: only Quant and Verbal have changed places.

In the first three options, there is a serious deviation from the existing state of affairs! They allow you to move the essay and IR to the end of the test, giving you the opportunity to complete tasks from the Verbal and Quant sections on a fresh head. This can be a serious advantage, depending on your strengths and weaknesses, as well as the usual style of passing tests.



Sounds great. How to register for the program?



Unfortunately, no way, if your email did not receive a letter from GMAC. Excuse me. Admission is by invitation only.

But for those who are not planning to pass the test in the near future, there is potentially good news.



This is not just an experiment. His results will be counted.



Anyone who agrees to participate in it will receive real, legally valid GMAT points. In other words, the testing process has already advanced very far; otherwise, they would not give real points for participating in the pilot program.



If everything goes well, then it is likely that by the end of the year this system will be accepted as the main one. Maybe this will happen only next year. Of course, there is some possibility that they will not accept it at all.



Thus, if you do not plan to be tested in the next few months, you can simply wait until the new function becomes standard. Let's wait and see.

I was invited! Should I take advantage of this? Or is it better to choose the "traditional" way?

If you are in the ranks of those invited to participate in the pilot project, take into account several important factors.



Don't let stress get the better of you



If because of all that is connected with the test, you are experiencing great excitement, and the new experiment seems to you to be just another annoying task that requires a decision, then you better refuse.



By participating in the experiment, you will not be able to rehearse the passing of the test in the selected sequence. If this is a matter of serious concern to you, then either refuse to participate or accept the invitation by choosing the fourth option. This option is as close as possible to the usual test, since in it only the Quant and Verbal sections were swapped. If you get very tired while doing Verbal, while Quant is relatively easy for you, changing the order of these two sections can have a positive effect on the final result.

It makes sense to continue reading to those who are attracted by the possibility of passing the GMAT test under more flexible conditions.

In general, it's better to start with what you are strong at (the nuances are outlined below)



Most people will be interested in one of the first three options that allow you to first pass the Quant or Verbal. The first section is also a kind of warm-up before the remaining parts of the test, so it is best that this is the easiest section for you.



In addition, if you are doing the first thing that you are sure of, this confidence can be an impulse that will help you cope with the second part of the test, avoiding mistakes . In the end, you start the second part of the test earlier than usual, so your mental endurance will be higher than normal, which can have a positive effect on the final result.



Warning: unless you have a panic fear of those sections where you are not very strong.

If you are worried about any sections and you feel that this fear will prevent you from coping with the rest of the parts, you can grit your teeth and start from the most difficult.



One of the students told that, having successfully passed the Quant, she feels much more relaxed when passing through the other parts, thanks to her confidence in her ability to easily cope with the three remaining sections, which are much easier for her than the first.



If this also applies to you, you can consider the possibility of doing the most difficult thing first, leaving simple tasks for later.

When does GMAC plan to introduce a new system as the main one?

It is not yet possible to say for sure whether the innovation will become a permanent part of the GMAT test, although the likelihood of this is very high, otherwise the scores received by students in this experiment would not be counted. Of course, there is no way to predict in advance, but if everything goes well, it will not be a surprise if, towards the end of the year, the new function becomes the norm.



Good luck!



PS We recommend another useful article on test preparation - Why should you work on preparing for two tests at once: AST and SAT? .



The author of the translation is Vyacheslav Davidenko, the founder of the TESTutor company.