Due to the global pandemic, GMAC introduced the availability of taking the GMAT exam online at-home during the end of April’20 but for once. This created a rift between the GMAT and GRE exam, and candidates switched to the latter as it launched the online at-home exam not only a month before but also extended the availability to 5 times a year! GMAC now as a measure, extended its availability to twofold.

It must be noted that the operation of the GMAT exam in an online mode has resulted in certain modifications which have also been discussed by a spokesperson who has further stated “As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved, we extended GMAT Online exam availability through the end of 2020 while also making ongoing candidate-focused enhancements,”. Those alterations have proved beneficial for the candidates where they can review their score before sending them across to the selected schools, use of physical whiteboards, initiation of accommodation, and lastly, they will be able to send free GMAT score reports to as many schools they want.

Making a Path Towards Adaptability and Harmony

The GMAT online at-home exam will be offered twice starting from the end of this month, which will enable the candidates to retake their exams. The online GMAT exam had been initiated even lesser than 6 months before, and in the meantime, GMAC has been instrumental in enhancing the whole operation.

During normal times, the competent GMAT test-takers used to re-take the time multiples times - within 16 days of the last exam, five times in a rolling year, and 8 times in a lifetime. Now, the question arises about the rigidity in its retake policy in case of the online at-home exam which GMAC has kept unexplained. Few observers have stated that this is majorly because of security reasons. From this very introduction starting from the end of this month, the online GMAT exam will now be a part of the 12-months and lifetime attempts of GMAT. To respect the GMAC policies, any exam which has been taken prior to the mentioned date will be disregarded.

The notification of this change has been discovered almost a week back when GMAC started informing the test-takers about retaking the exam.

Increase in GRE Marketshare despite the GMAT Retake Policy

Though GMAC has introduced its retake policy, the Educational Testing Service launched the GRE online at-home exam a month before GMAC, and GRE was also deprived of the glitches that the initial stages of the GMAT exam suffered from. All these reasons have made the candidates switch to the GRE exam thereby increasing its market share. This is evident from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business reporting to have witnessed a record of 34% of its newly enrolled MBA candidates admitted with a GRE score. Four years back, that percentage was just 7%. Similarly, Harvard Business School noticed 22% of candidates admitted in their MBA program through the GRE score. Three years back, this percentage was 12% only.

With regard to these new changes implemented, a spokesperson has stated “We want candidates to be at their best on exam day, whether in a test center or at home. These changes, made with test-takers in mind, are consistent with that goal.”

Comparison of GRE and GMAT At-Home Exam