What You Need to Know About the Interim GMAT COVID-19 Series
The Princeton Review
Hi, everyone.
I’m Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review.
Your life may be upended right now due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In-person classes transitioned to online, jobs that have gone remote, and jobs that
have gone away—and that’s before we wrap our brains around the incredible health challenges
that many families are facing.
If one of those families is yours, please know that we are sending you very best wishes.
Now, for many students and college grads planning to further their educations, this moment presents
a peculiar difficulty: What will this mean for standardized tests and admissions?
Today, I’m going to talk to you about the new Interim GMAT, which is being offered remotely—many
of you will be able to take it at home—during this time when so many test centers are closed.
And that’s not the only news for future business leaders.
Mba.com has a list of business schools that have changed their deadlines to accommodate
changes in test availability.
The long and short of it is this: You will not be penalized for circumstances that are
beyond your control.
Once the interim GMAT is rolled out in mid-April, you will have the opportunity to register
and sit for that exam.
Here’s what you need to know: The interim GMAT is comparable to the traditional GMAT
in structure, number of items, time for completion, and scoring.
You won’t have to relearn how to take this test.
The only content difference is that there’ll be no Analytical Writing Assessment section
on the interim GMAT.
What that still means is that your Section Scores and Total Score will be comparable
to those from the standard GMAT that you would’ve taken at a test center had you taken the exam
earlier this year.
Now, here’s what’s different: for starters—the price point, which will be lower than the
standard cost of $275.
In addition, GMAT exam and rescheduling fees as well as score reinstatement fees have all
been waived.
Check-in and security protocols will also be adapted to suit the new format; the interim
GMAT will utilize remote proctors, who will watch you take the exam through your camera.
And there will be a record of you taking the exam, should any irregularities arise.
It appears as though accommodations for test takers with disabilities will be available
for the interim GMAT, as well.
Now, here’s a question we get A LOT.
What about cheating?
Especially because the GMAT isn’t administered just a few times a year (like some other exams),
students sometimes wonder if it’s possible that test takers might have a chance to see
some of their questions circulating online in advance.
The message I want you to take away from this is: It won’t be easier to cheat on the at-home
GMAT than it is on the traditional GMAT.
And GMAC makes it basically impossible to cheat on the traditional GMAT.
Here are just a few of the things GMAC does to safeguard the test’s integrity: For starters,
they place limits on how often you can take the test.
Second, GMAC monitors for any type of circulation of information.
And finally, the test controls the scratch work.
When you take the GMAT at a test center, you use a set of erasable noteboards.
You also need to empty your pockets and turn them inside out before entering the test center.
And you’re on camera the whole time.
For the at-home test, GMAT will almost certainly do what the GRE is doing.
Test takers will likely need to use an erasable white board and will need to show that they
have erased it at the conclusion of their test.
Again, someone will be watching and recording what you do.
And on top of all that, test security for the GMAT is aided by the adaptive nature of
the test.
Even if two test takers followed the exact same pattern of getting questions right and
wrong, it's likely that they would see some different questions.
The chances of getting the same exact test as someone else?
Pretty close to nil.
Even if there were a small number of questions in the total question pool, it'd be possible
to generate a huge number of unique tests.
Let’s do a little thought experiment here: Let’s imagine a 5-question test drawing
from a pool of 100 questions.
And let’s further assume that there are no restrictions on question selection other
than that a question cannot be seen twice.
There would be more than 75 million unique tests that could be generated.
That’s for a 5-question test, folks.
The GMAT math section has 31 questions.
If the total pool were 200 questions and we use the assumptions I just mentioned, there
are 2.25 x 10^36 possible tests.
Now, the algorithm would cut that number down considerably because questions must be chosen
based on parameters such as content area, question format, and difficulty.
But, there would still be a LOT of possibilities!
So, a lot of test takers of similar ability levels would need to take a lot of tests to
reconstruct the test pool with any level of accuracy.
And if, after all of that, someone were to attempt to crowdsource GMAT questions, they
could face severe consequences.
GMAC can and does prosecute test takers who disseminate questions.
They also tell the business schools about folks who cheat.
So you shouldn’t be worried about cheating—but you should be thinking about logistics and
strategy.
As you plan your next steps, do research into what is available—and what your dream MBA
programs will accept.
For instance, the interim GMAT isn’t an option for everyone.
Some test centers are still open (so you wouldn’t need to take a remote test), and the interim
GMAT isn’t available in mainland China.
(GMAC is working with the Chinese government authorities to present appropriate, alternative
solutions for test takers in mainland China.)
Also keep in mind that if your b-school programs will accept either the GMAT or the GRE, the
GRE has already gone online.
Watch our video to find out about what it’s like to take the GRE at home.
Then, make the choice that’s best for you.
Whatever you decide, know that we are rooting for you every step of the way!
Check out our wide range of GMAT resources, and please take care and be well, my friends.