GMAT Transition FAQs
This frequently asked question (FAQ) sheet answers some basic questions about the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) vendor transition to Pearson VUE and ACT, Inc. If you have additional questions—or if you want more detailed information—please send an e-mail to gmattransition@gmac.com. A member of the GMAT® transition team will be pleased to respond. In addition, stay tuned to www.gmac.com for more information about the transition as it becomes available.
Why change vendors?
Although we've enjoyed a long, successful partnership with Educational Testing Service® (ETS®), the Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®) Board of Directors determined that the investment priorities, strategic direction, and capabilities of ETS® were no longer consistent with the Council's goals for the future of the GMAT® program. Starting January 1, 2006, ACT will develop the GMAT®, and Pearson VUE will deliver the exam.
Who are Pearson VUE and ACT, and why are they good partners for GMAC®?
Pearson VUE and its sister organizations deliver 40 million exams and score 80 million essays a year in 145 countries worldwide. Pearson VUE is a leader in global computer-based test administration. The company's technology investments ensure leading-edge security while providing new services to test takers and business schools.
Pearson, the parent company of Pearson VUE, is the world's largest publisher of education materials, through such brands as Prentice Hall, Penguin, and Addison-Wesley, and will provide GMAC® with new opportunities for information services. Pearson has operations in 55 countries and publishes materials in 17 languages.
ACT has a well-established reputation for excellence and integrity in test development. ACT has nearly two decades of experience in computer-based testing and has delivered 4.2 million computer-adaptive tests to 1.2 million students. Currently, 4,500 universities use the company's admission services.
As a result of the partnership with Pearson VUE and ACT, schools and test takers can anticipate a wider array of information and services.
Will the transition affect test takers or schools before January 1, 2006?
If your applicants registered to take the GMAT® exam before January 1, 2006, the test will be delivered by ETS® at an existing Thomson Prometric test center. You will continue to receive score reports and score management reports from ETS® when candidates designate your program as a recipient of their GMAT® scores.
Starting next summer, GMAC® will begin to share the details of the transition with prospective test takers, including information about new test center locations.
Will access to GMAT exams change?
Yes. The GMAT® test will be more accessible than it is today, with additional testing centers outside the United States. In addition, all test takers will have the option registering for the GMAT® test online or by phone.
When can candidates make GMAT test appointments at a Pearson VUE test center?
Registration for GMAT® tests delivered by Pearson VUE will open approximately four months in advance of the transition. We will communicate these dates to prospective test takers as we approach the transition.
Will the GMAT test itself change?
GMAC® has no current plans to change the format of the exam or the types of questions it contains. The GMAT® exam will continue to assess verbal skills with reading comprehension, sentence correction, and critical reasoning questions; quantitative skills with problem solving and data sufficiency questions; and analytical writing abilities with two essays.
The test will still be delivered in the computer-adaptive format, and, starting in January 2006, the Council will offer the GMAT® test exclusively in this format. No more paper-based tests will be given.
The GMAT® will remain as valid and reliable as it is today. The scores on GMAT® exams delivered by Pearson VUE will be comparable to scores on GMAT® exams delivered by ETS®.
Will there be new GMAT test preparation software?
Yes, there will be new GMAT® preparation software. It will have the look and feel of the GMAT® test, which will be updated and modernized slightly. The underlying components of the preparation program will not change significantly.
After the transition, will scores for GMAT tests delivered by ETS still be available?
Yes. You will continue to receive score reports that show the most recent GMAT® scores.
Will candidates continue to be able to access scores more than five years old?
Starting in January 2006, Pearson VUE will be able to provide candidates with scores from tests taken since 1997. GMAC® does not endorse the use of scores older than five years for any admissions or selection purposes. Consistent with our current policy, scores older than five years will arrive with a note explaining our concerns.
Will schools continue to receive the same types of reports?
At a minimum, you will continue to receive from Pearson VUE the information that you currently receive from ETS®; however, the format and delivery mechanism may be enhanced. We are currently surveying a cross-section of schools as we work with Pearson VUE to develop reports that are more responsive to your needs.
What happens if a candidate has problems with a GMAT exam delivered by ETS after the transition?
After the transition, ETS® will continue to provide customer service for all the GMAT® exams they delivered.
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