GMAT® Business Writing Assessment (BWA): What Happened and What to Do Now

If you've been building an MBA application checklist, you may have run into the Business Writing Assessment. Guides from 2024 and 2025 list it as a requirement for GMAT® Focus Edition applicants, usually with notes about the $30 fee and the 30-minute timer. Some school pages tied it to the interview stage. The instructions were specific enough that older guides often presented the BWA as one more box to check before your applications were complete.

That guidance is out of date. GMAC retired the Business Writing Assessment on July 4, 2026. You can no longer register for it, take it, or send scores from it. If an old checklist still lists the BWA as a task you hadn't gotten to yet, it's a line you get to cross off, and the sections below explain what your target schools are asking for instead.

What the BWA was

The Business Writing Assessment was a standalone writing test from GMAC, the organization that owns the GMAT®. It launched in July 2024, several months after the GMAT® Focus Edition became the only version of the exam in January 2024. That Focus Edition, the format every current test taker studies for, has three sections: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights. No essay. The essay section that lived on the Classic GMAT®, the Analytical Writing Assessment, was cut in the redesign, and a few schools wanted a way to see a proctored writing sample anyway. That interest grew as AI writing tools spread, because a polished application essay no longer told a school much about the writing ability of the person who submitted it. Harvard Business School became the requirement's most prominent user, and MIT Sloan said it could require the BWA for candidates it invited to interview.

The BWA was a separate test, not a section of the GMAT® exam. You registered for it separately through mba.com, paid a separate $30 fee, and took it online with a live proctor. Appointments could be scheduled around the clock.

How the test worked

The format was close to what the old AWA asked of test takers, and GMAC's official guide laid out the task in detail. One 30-minute task asked you to read a brief argument, analyze the reasoning behind it, and write a critique of that argument. The directions were clear that you weren't asked for your opinion on the topic. Your job was to evaluate the argument's reasoning: the assumptions underneath it, the evidence it used, and what would strengthen or weaken the conclusion.

GMAC's sample materials showed the range: an argument might concern a business topic or a general-interest subject, and no specific business knowledge was required. You typed your response on a computer keyboard, and you could plan on an on-screen notepad or an approved physical whiteboard.

Scoring ran from 0 to 6 in one-point increments, according to GMAC's rubric, which described a 6 as a well-articulated critique with strong control of written English and a 0 as a response that was off topic or not written in English. For comparison, the Classic GMAT®'s AWA used the same 0-to-6 range but scored in half-point increments. The BWA score was reported separately, and it never touched your GMAT® total or section scores.

Why GMAC retired it

The retirement announcement centers on dates:

GMAC hasn't published a detailed rationale, so the honest answer to "why" is that we don't have one from the organization itself, and we'd rather separate what's confirmed from our own read than fill the gap with guesswork. What's confirmed: the BWA ran for about two years before GMAC wound the platform down, and we haven't seen a replacement writing product announced, as of this writing. Our read of the context: the schools that pushed for the BWA can collect writing evidence through tools they already control. HBS asks candidates to submit a written reflection within 24 hours of their interview, which the school describes on its application process page. Neither fact proves why GMAC retired the test, but together they explain why applicants should trust each program's current process over any BWA-era checklist.

The old AWA had a long history of light use before any of this, for what it's worth: in a 2005 GMAC survey, only about a third of admissions officers said they used AWA scores frequently or always. A standalone essay score was never the main way schools judged writing.

What to do now

For most applicants, the answer is nothing. You can't take the BWA, and there's no test to register for in its place, at least so far. The situations below deserve a closer look, though, because they change what you should verify.

If a checklist, forum post, or consulting blog told you to sign up for the BWA, check that school's current admissions page before doing anything else. The test no longer exists, so any requirement pointing at it is stale, and a school's own page is the only source that can confirm what it wants this cycle. If the page is unclear, the admissions office can settle it; treat archived guides and secondhand summaries as historical context, not instructions.

If you're applying to HBS with a GMAT® Focus Edition score, the writing-assessment line item is gone for now. The 2026-2027 HBS application guide doesn't list a writing assessment requirement of any kind. What HBS still has is the post-interview reflection: candidates invited to interview submit a short written response within 24 hours. Requirements can change between cycles, so confirm on HBS's current application page.

If a program you're targeting still wants standardized writing evidence, older options exist, and school acceptance varies. The GRE® includes an Analytical Writing task. A valid Classic GMAT® score comes with an AWA result, and those scores stay valid for five years. Some schools accepted those in place of the BWA before the retirement, and a school that wants writing evidence will usually name what it accepts on its requirements page.

If you took the BWA while it was live, your score can no longer be sent anywhere. Score sending closed on July 3, 2026. If a school previously asked you for a BWA result, check with the program about what they'll accept instead.

The skill the BWA tested still shows up

The test going away doesn't mean writing stopped mattering in admissions. Application essays and HBS's 24-hour reflection are still part of the process, and both ask you to organize a clear response under real conditions. The BWA's task overlaps with something you're already practicing, too: it asked you to find the assumptions in an argument, weigh the evidence, and name what would weaken the conclusion, which is close to the work you do on Critical Reasoning questions. Our GMAT® Critical Reasoning guide teaches that analysis as a system, and it's a useful starting point for timed writing prompts, though exam practice alone won't make the writing effortless.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Business Writing Assessment still available?

No. GMAC retired the BWA on July 4, 2026. Registration and testing ended June 30, 2026, and score sending ended July 3, 2026.

What was the BWA?

The Business Writing Assessment was GMAC's standalone, online writing test: one 30-minute task in which you critiqued a short argument. It was scored from 0 to 6, cost $30, and a few schools required it for some GMAT® Focus Edition applicants, most prominently Harvard Business School.

Why did GMAC retire the BWA?

GMAC's announcement lists the retirement dates without a detailed rationale. The context: the test ran for about two years, and schools that wanted writing samples could rely on their own checks, like HBS's post-interview reflection, instead.

Does Harvard Business School still require the BWA?

The HBS 2026-2027 MBA application guide doesn't list a writing assessment requirement. Interview-invited candidates still complete a written reflection within 24 hours of the interview. Requirements change between cycles, so confirm on HBS's current application page.

Can I still send a BWA score to schools?

No. GMAC's score-sending window closed on July 3, 2026.

What can I use instead of a BWA score?

That depends on the program. Some schools accepted a GRE® score, a valid Classic GMAT® score with an AWA result, or an English language test with a writing component. Check the school's current requirements page, and ask the admissions office when the page is unclear.

Is a replacement writing test coming?

We haven't seen one announced, as of this writing. If GMAC introduces a new writing assessment, it would show up on mba.com first.

Want to learn even more?

If you're mapping out your GMAT® prep and your application timeline, these guides will help:

• Is AWA Important for the GMAT®?
• GMAT® Critical Reasoning: A Complete Strategy
• What Changed in MBA Applications for 2026-2027
• How to Send GMAT® Scores to Schools
• GMAT® Classic vs Focus Edition: What Changed and What It Means for You

And if you want to hear how we think about test prep strategy, check out The GMAT® Strategy podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.