Online GMAT exam to now have Analytical Writing Assessment section

NEW DELHI: The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), accepted as admission criterion by over 2,300 business schools across the globe, will now include the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section which was earlier omitted from the online exam.


The move is part of certain enhancements introduced by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the administrator of the GMAT, in the online exam that provide additional flexibility for test takers and create greater parity with the test centre exam experience.

According to GMAC officials, to respond to the rapidly changing marketing dynamics, some GMAT features were omitted from the initial GMAT online exam launch, including the AWA section.

However, the AWA section has remained an integral part of the

GMAT exam

, providing business schools with important insights and candidates with the opportunity to demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to communicate ideas, they said.

The GMAT online exam has evolved since the outset of COVID-19 from an interim to a permanent solution, supporting the ability to consistently evaluate talent in a virtual, ever-changing environment. In under a year, GMAC has released several enhancements to the GMAT online exam experience including the use of physical and online whiteboards, disability accommodations, and the option to retake the GMAT online exam.

“We're focused on providing the flexibility and support to address the long-term needs of schools and test takers. As we continue to adjust to uncertainties of the new norm, our online exams become a vital standard option, providing test takers around the world with the confidence to test in a test centre or online to meet their business school application needs,” said Joy Jones, GMAC's Chief Product Officer and General Manager of Assessments.

“There was an interest from schools to include the AWA online, and we worked to make this happen to support application cycle seasonality. We'll continue to make investments that support our schools and test takers with enhanced and comparable online and test centre exam experiences,” he added.

Since the GMAT online exam launched, over 45,000 exams have been delivered in more than 150 countries, territories, and special administrative regions.

“The GMAT exam is a powerful tool for both business school candidates and admissions professionals to help make ‘right fit' decisions for MBA and business master's programs, which are seeing record numbers of applications,” said Jones.

“We believe that test takers globally should have the ability to choose how they test to achieve their best on exam day in pursuit of their goals. Our ongoing enhancements to the GMAT online exam help to ensure the options are consistent and that we continue to meet the evolving needs of candidates and business schools,” he added.

The GMAT exam is required for admissions in business schools and is designed to showcase the skills that are most relevant to the world's leading graduate business programs. Nine out of 10 new MBA enrolments globally are made using a GMAT score.

GMAC is a global non-profit association of 223 graduate business schools. It owns and administers the GMAT exam, used by more than 7,000 graduate programs worldwide.
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