TL;DR: The GMAT Focus Edition replaced the classic GMAT in early 2024. It runs 2 hours 15 minutes (down from 3.5 hours), removes the essay, and scores on a 205-805 scale. For HBS 2+2 target a 725-735+. For Stanford GSB target 740-745+. Old scores from before 2024 are still valid for 5 years.
The GMAT switched to a new format, the GMAT Focus Edition, and most deferred MBA content online still references the old scoring scale. If you've seen advice about needing a "730 GMAT for HBS 2+2" and you're wondering whether that applies to the new test, you're asking the right question.
Here's everything you need to know about the GMAT Focus Edition in the context of deferred MBA applications.
What Changed in the GMAT Focus Edition
The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) retired the classic GMAT in early 2024 and replaced it with the Focus Edition. The key differences:
Sections removed or changed:
- No more Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). The essay section is gone.
- No more Sentence Correction in Verbal. The Verbal section now focuses entirely on Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.
- Integrated Reasoning is now "Data Insights" and counts toward your total score (it didn't before).
New section structure:
- Quantitative Reasoning: 21 questions (Data Sufficiency + Problem Solving)
- Verbal Reasoning: 23 questions (Critical Reasoning + Reading Comprehension)
- Data Insights: 20 questions (Multi-Source Reasoning, Table Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, Two-Part Analysis, Data Sufficiency)
- Total testing time: 2 hours 15 minutes (down from 3.5 hours)
New score scale:
- Total score: 205–805 (in 10-point increments)
- Each section scored: 60–90
- The old scale was 200–800
How Do the New Scores Map to the Old Scale
This is what most applicants are confused about. A 705 on the Focus Edition is not the same as a 705 on the old GMAT. The scales are different.
GMAC has published an official concordance table. Here are the key mappings relevant to deferred MBA programs:
| Old GMAT Score | GMAT Focus Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 800 | ~805 |
| 760 | ~765 |
| 740 | ~745 |
| 720 | ~725 |
| 700 | ~705 |
| 680 | ~685 |
| 660 | ~665 |
| 640 | ~645 |
The scales are close but not identical, and the concordance is approximate. The practical implication: if a program says their median is "730," and you're taking the Focus Edition, a score in the 730–735 range on the new scale is roughly equivalent.
Score Targets by Program (Focus Edition)
| Program | Focus Edition Target | Old-Scale Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford GSB Deferred | 740–745+ | ~730–740 |
| HBS 2+2 | 725–735+ | ~720–730 |
| Wharton Moelis | 720–730+ | ~715–725 |
| MIT Sloan Early | 720–730+ | ~715–725 |
| Chicago Booth Scholars | 715–725+ | ~710–720 |
| Columbia DEP | 710–720+ | ~705–715 |
| Kellogg Future Leaders | 715–725+ | ~710–720 |
| Berkeley Haas | 695–705+ | ~690–700 |
| Cornell Johnson | 690–700+ | ~685–695 |
| UVA Darden | 685–695+ | ~680–690 |
| UCLA Anderson | 685–695+ | ~680–690 |
| Georgetown McDonough | 665–680+ | ~660–675 |
| CMU Tepper | 670–685+ | ~665–680 |
| Emory Goizueta | 660–675+ | ~655–670 |
| Indiana Kelley | 650–665+ | ~645–660 |
These are competitive thresholds: the score range where your test is no longer a limiting factor. Scoring above these targets doesn't help you much; scoring below them starts to hurt.
What's Actually Harder and Easier on the Focus Edition
What got harder:
- Data Insights is now scored. The old Integrated Reasoning section existed on the test but didn't count toward your total score, so most test-takers didn't prepare for it. Now it does. Multi-Source Reasoning and Table Analysis questions reward a specific analytical skill set that requires prep.
- No more Sentence Correction. This sounds like relief, but SC was often the easiest verbal section to improve quickly with grammar rules. Its removal makes Verbal harder to mechanically improve; Critical Reasoning requires more genuine reasoning skill.
What got easier:
- Shorter test. 2 hours 15 minutes vs. 3.5 hours. Fatigue is a meaningful factor in any standardized test, and the shorter duration helps maintain accuracy in later sections.
- No AWA to drain mental energy. The essay section used to precede the scored sections. It required writing output before you got to the questions that actually mattered. Its removal is a real improvement.
- Flexible section order. You can choose which section to start with. Starting with your strongest section can help build momentum.
How Are Programs Handling the Transition
All major deferred MBA programs now accept GMAT Focus Edition scores. Most programs have updated their published score profiles to reflect both old and new scales, or have published Focus Edition equivalents.
One practical note: programs that haven't fully updated their published data may still show class medians in the old format. If you see "730 median" on a program's website and can't confirm whether it's old or new scale, assume it's old scale (since the transition happened in 2024 and some data is a year or two behind). Use the concordance table above to convert.
Should You Take the Focus Edition or Try to Find an Old GMAT?
The old GMAT Classic format is no longer available as of early 2024. If you're taking the GMAT now, you're taking the Focus Edition. There's no choice.
If you have an old GMAT score from before 2024, it is still valid and accepted by all programs for the standard 5-year validity window. An old 730 is still a competitive score. You don't need to retake just because the format changed.
What to Do Next
- Use the concordance table above to convert any old-scale score targets you have seen into Focus Edition equivalents for your specific target programs.
- If you have not yet taken the GMAT, register for the Focus Edition and build a 8-12 week prep timeline with timed, section-specific practice for Data Insights.
- If you have an old GMAT score from before 2024, verify it is still within the 5-year validity window before deciding whether to retake.
- Once your score clears the soft floor for your target programs, stop preparing and redirect that time to essays.
If the GRE is a better fit for your profile, the GRE course is $25 per month with a free diagnostic to find your baseline. For the broader test strategy in context of the full deferred MBA application, see the playbook's test strategy module. For help thinking through your complete application approach, reach out for coaching.
