2019 GMAT Exam Changes and Updates
In April 2018, the GMAC shortened the GMAT, reducing the number of questions in the Quantitative and Verbal sections. The changes were minimal, and largely did not affect the test-taking experience other than making it shorter. If you took the GMAT before April 2018 and are gearing up to take it again, you might notice it’s a swifter experience. Here’s what you need to know about what changes occurred to the GMAT in 2018, including changes to section timing, number of questions, and pacing.
Changes to the GMAT
Before April 15, 2018
| Section | # of Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative | 37 | 75 Minutes |
| Verbal | 41 | 75 Minutes |
After April 16, 2018
| Section | # of Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative | 31 | 62 Minutes |
| Verbal | 36 | 65 Minutes |
Also, students no longer see a pretest tutorial on how the GMAT works before starting the exam on Test Day. Instead, you should make time to complete the Interactive GMAT Exam Tutorial on GMAC’s website within 3 days of your scheduled GMAT. The tutorial covers the logistics of the test administration including giving you a feel for what the GMAT screens will look like, information about the exam structure, and some helpful tips.
The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) and Integrated Reasoning (IR) sections did not change. The testing experience is about 30 minutes shorter than the previous version.
What else?
So it’s the same test, just shorter. You should rest assured that you are prepared for the shorter test.
How Does This Affect Timing on the GMAT?
The per-question goals still apply:
- Quantitative: 2:00/question
- Sentence Correction: 1:00/question
- Critical Reasoning: 2:00/question
- Reading Comprehension (Reading): 1:00/paragraph
- Reading Comprehension (Questions): 1:30/question
When taking the shorter test, you’ll need to shift your overall timing benchmarks:
Quantitative Timing Benchmarks
| Start Question # | Time Remaining |
|---|---|
| 5 | 52 minutes |
| 10 | 42 minutes |
| 15 | 32 minutes |
| 20 | 22 minutes |
| 25 | 12 minutes |
Verbal Timing Benchmarks
| Start Question # | Time Remaining |
|---|---|
| 10 | 47 minutes |
| 20 | 29 Minutes |
| 30 | 11 Minutes |
