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If you’ve googled GMAT in the last couple of days, you’ve probably seen our recent press release announcing the Next Generation GMAT, which will launch in June 2012. What’s “Next” about it? We’re adding a section on Integrated Reasoning in place of one of the AWA essay prompts.

We’ve done this before—this is actually the 10th time we’ve enhanced the GMAT to fit the needs of graduate business schools. In 1961, we rolled out Data Sufficiency; in 1976, we dropped Antonyms/Analogies. As business schools have adapted their curricula over time, so have we adapted the GMAT to make sure a GMAT score tells schools what they need to know about applicants. Our goal as the creators of the test is to retain its relevance, reliability, and validity for admission to graduate management programs, and we’ve worked very closely with faculty on this exciting new section.

What will the Integrated Reasoning section measure? Later, I’ll talk more about the detailed skills faculty identified as important to measure on the GMAT, but here is a sneak preview of the type of question a candidate might be expected to answer on this new Integrated Reasoning section.

So how will this affect you? As we prepare to launch this new version of the test, some test takers will see a research section containing these new question types at the end of their exams. Until June 2012, these questions will not count toward your Total, Verbal, or Quantitative scores, nor will schools see how you have performed on these questions. We’ll let you know well in advance if this section will appear at the end of your exam (we’ll tell you more about the pilot testing in another post), and all who will see them will be given sample questions to help them prepare. We’ll offer a monetary incentive, too, to encourage test takers to respond to these questions to the best of their ability.

We’re very excited to add this new section to the GMAT—we’re confident in its value for graduate business programs, and we feel it provides b-school applicants with another meaningful way to differentiate themselves to an admissions committee.

Keep watching this space for more information as we prepare to launch the Next Generation GMAT, and follow us on Twitter (@OfficialGMAT) to get updates as we progress.

 — Ashok Sarathy, Vice President, GMAT Program

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