As you may have heard, as of April 2018, the GMAT is officially shorter by half an hour. According to GMAC, the exam will still contain the same content and time allowed per question. This announcement leads to a lot of questions. Here is an explanation of how the exam will be shorter and what it means for you.

Where Is the Time Coming From?

While the content of the GMAT questions remains the same, there are fewer unscored questions in the Quant and Verbal sections. Quant formerly had 37 total questions and will now have 31, while Verbal is moving from 41 to 36. Although the time for each section will also be reduced, time per question will remain essentially the same. Time was also recovered by shortening screens containing instructions or tutorials.

Why the Change?

According to GMAC, the exam is being streamlined in order to improve the exam-taking experience. The hope is that the shorter exam will boost exam takers’ confidence and lower their anxiety. By shortening the exam from 4 hours to 3.5, the GMAC is hoping that business school hopefuls will be more likely to score their best.

What Isn’t Changing?

Scoring, content, and overall time per question will all remain the same. Additionally, the Integrated Reasoning and Essay sections of the GMAT stay the same. Also, the GMAC has made it clear that this change does not in any way affect the quality, security, or reliability of the exam. Scores will still be consistent and comparable across time.

What Does This Mean for You?

This is great news for GMAT test takers. While the study you have done thus far is both helpful and relevant, you have a much shorter exam ahead of you. In theory, this change will be a great boost to the endurance of test-takers. It isn’t unusual to do well in the first half or three-quarters of the exam, only to lose steam and give in to fatigue. Literally, nothing has changed except the amount of time you have to run the mental marathon. And that is an excellent boost.

While it’s possible that your heart jumped into your throat when you heard about changes to the GMAT, take heart! This is a very positive change. In concert with other recent changes (choosing your section order, for example), this is evidence of the GMAC working hard to make the GMAT accessible and an overall positive experience. And if you need assistance preparing for your GMAT exam, check out our online course here.