Should You Wait to Take the New GMAT Focus Edition?

[@dominatethegmat]

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[@machermiston9960]

Thanks for the informative video. Similar to your 3rd point at 8 mins 30, my biggest concern is that we don't know how scoring percentiles will shake up. Say I want to apply in 2025 but I'm currently studying for the GMAT focus edition. If I write it in January 2024, and get a score I'm happy with... is my percentile likely to get pushed down as more people take the GMAT Focus? If so, a score I'm happy with in January 2024 might not be a good enough score in August 2025, long after I've forgotten much of the material. Anyone have any insight here?

[@dominatethegmat]

I just got back from a conference at the GMAC headquarters where I heard first-hand from their lead psychometrician. He got into the weeds explaining the reliability and validity analysis of the new GMAT Focus Edition, and while the nuances are a bit complex, the overarching message was that the new score range is very stable and expected to remain consistent in the coming years. So I wouldn't worry about how your score will stack up two years from now due to shifts in the scoring algorithm itself. If anything, it actually fixes the upward skew (especially in Quant) that we've seen over the past 5 years. All of that to say, take the GMAT when you're ready, apply when you're ready, and your score will stand up if it's good enough.

[@machermiston9960]

@@dominatethegmat Thanks a lot. That's an extremely helpful response, and definitely helps quell my concerns. Now it's time to work toward that score! Thanks again.

[@andrewshim8762]

how many fewer questions are there on the focus edition?

[@dominatethegmat]

The "legacy" GMAT has 79 questions, 80 if you count the essay. The GMAT Focus Edition has 64 questions (with no essay). So 16 fewer questions.

[@GaurikaSingh888]

Hi! I shall be applying for 2025. I already have books based on the current version of GMAT. From the Quants section, i can leave out geometry for the focus version. For the data part, what should I study? Only the integrated reasoning portions?

[@dominatethegmat]

The new Data Insights section will be a combination of Integrated Reasoning and Data Sufficiency (formerly in the Quant section). So the books you currently have will still prepare you for the GMAT Focus Edition -- just mentally realize that DS will now be tested in a different section.