Starting on April 16, the exam will be shorter by 30 minutes to give candidates a more streamlined test-taking experience and help increase their confidence. The total test time on the updated exam will now be 3.5 hours instead of four hours, including breaks and instructions.

We were able to shorten the overall exam time by reducing the number of unscored (research) questions in the Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections of the exam, as well as streamlining the non-exam screens test takers see at the test center (tutorial, instructions).

The new exam structure is displayed in the table below, with less time and fewer questions in the Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections.

This change will not affect GMAT exam scoring as the number of scored questions will not change. The scoring algorithm will be the same. The Total Score and individual Quantitative and Verbal section scores will be comparable to the exams taken prior to this change. 

In addition, the exam content, question types, and average time per question will not change. Our psychometrics team has ensured that the integrity, validity, and reliability of the GMAT exam remains the same. It’s the same GMAT exam that you trust—just shorter by 30 minutes.

Per Eileen Talento-Miller, PhD, Senior Psychometrician for GMAC, “We are providing candidates with a better testing experience, while providing schools with the same high quality, reliable scores.”