GMAT® Focus Edition Prep: How to Study for the Current GMAT®

If you've started researching GMAT® prep, you've probably run into a mess of conflicting information. Some resources reference "Sentence Correction" and "geometry." Others talk about a 700 score target. Still others mention an essay section.

Some of that advice belongs to the older version of the exam, and some older practice material is still useful. The challenge is separating the two before you build a study plan.

The GMAT® was replaced in January 2024 by what GMAC called the "Focus Edition." GMAC later dropped the "Focus Edition" label and went back to calling it just "the GMAT®." But the exam itself didn't change back. It's still the three-section, no-essay, 205-to-805 format that launched in 2024.

A lot of instructional content from before 2024 is outdated, and some of it will actively hurt your progress if you follow it. But not all old content is bad. Official practice problems are still useful, and the core skills the exam tests haven't changed.

What You're Preparing For

The current GMAT® has three sections, each 45 minutes long, with 21 to 23 questions per section.

Quantitative Reasoning: 21 questions, 45 minutes. Problem Solving only. Data Sufficiency is no longer in this section.

Verbal Reasoning: 23 questions, 45 minutes. Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. Sentence Correction has been removed.

Data Insights: 20 questions, 45 minutes. Data Sufficiency, Multi-Source Reasoning, Two-Part Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, and Table Analysis.

You choose the order you take the sections in, and there's one optional 10-minute break you can place between any two sections. Three 45-minute sections plus the optional break come to about 2 hours and 25 minutes total, which is notably shorter than the old 3.5-hour Classic format.

Total scores range from 205 to 805, in increments of 5. Each section score ranges from 60 to 90. All three sections count toward your total score equally, unlike the Classic exam where IR was a separate non-counted score.

For a full breakdown of the format changes, our GMAT® Classic vs. Focus Edition comparison covers every difference in detail.

Which Old Materials Still Work

The answer depends on whether you're looking at instructional content or practice problems. Older official questions can still be useful, while older advice about the test format may not be.

Official practice problems are still relevant. Problems from past Official Guides and retired GMAT® exams remain useful for the current exam. Quant Problem Solving questions, Data Sufficiency questions, Critical Reasoning questions, and Reading Comprehension passages still test many of the same underlying skills. If you need extra practice on algebra or reading comprehension, older official problems are a great resource.

Instructional content from before 2024 needs skepticism. Study guides, strategy videos, and prep advice from 2023 and earlier may reference sections that no longer exist, question types that were removed, or scoring systems that have changed. If you're unsure whether a piece of advice still applies, check it against a current source. Posts on our blog from 2024 onward are updated for the Focus Edition.

Two types of problems are no longer relevant:

Sentence Correction questions are gone. Any SC practice material is dead weight. Don't spend time memorizing idiom lists or grammar rules for the GMAT®.

Most geometry is gone. The Focus Edition dropped the heavy geometry content from the Classic exam. You don't need to study triangles, circles, area formulas, or volume calculations. Redirect that time toward algebra, number properties, and word problems.

For a deeper look at what's on the current exam, our complete GMAT® topic list covers every concept that currently appears.

Setting Your Score Goal

Score goals shifted with the Focus Edition. The new scale runs lower than the old one at equivalent percentiles. If you used to want a 700 on the Classic, a rough equivalent on the current exam is approximately 645. The conversion isn't exact across all percentiles, but it's a useful starting point for setting a target.

This matters because a lot of business schools are still publishing class profiles based on old Classic scores. If you see an average of 690 at a target school, that's likely a Classic number. Your Focus Edition target would be somewhat lower.

Some schools have started publishing Focus Edition data, but many haven't collected enough yet to make the switch. When in doubt, check whether the school's published data is from the Classic or current exam, and use a concordance table to compare.

For the full percentile chart and conversion table, see our GMAT® score chart and percentiles guide.

A strong score for a top-10 program is around 655 on the Focus Edition. For top-20 programs, 615 to 645 is typically competitive. But remember that the GMAT® score is just one part of your application. A strong score can open doors, but it doesn't guarantee admission on its own. Your story, work experience, and essays carry real weight.

How to Structure Your Prep

The three-section format changes how you should think about study time allocation. On the Classic exam, Quant and Verbal were the two counted sections, and IR was a separate side score. Now all three sections count equally. Data Insights deserves deliberate attention because it now contributes to your total score, in a way IR didn't for students prepping for the Classic.

Quantitative Reasoning

Quant is now Problem Solving only. Data Sufficiency has moved to the Data Insights section. The math content covers algebra, arithmetic, number properties, exponents, ratios, divisibility, word problems, and rates. No geometry.

Your quant prep should focus on two things: content mastery and execution speed. Content mastery means you can solve problems accurately without time pressure. Execution speed means you can do it in roughly two minutes per question on average.

Start with a topic-by-topic approach. Pick one area, like number properties or exponents, and work through it until you're comfortable. Then move to the next. Our GMAT® Number Properties guide and GMAT® Word Problems guide walk through the major quant topics in detail.

Use a redo list. When you miss a question, add it to a list and re-solve it later. The redo list is where pattern recognition develops over time. You start to see the same traps and the same shortcuts across different problems, and that recognition is what makes you faster on test day.

Verbal Reasoning

Verbal is now Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension only. No Sentence Correction.

For Critical Reasoning, the key skill is argument analysis. CR questions generally present an argument built around a conclusion and supporting evidence, with assumptions connecting the two. Your job is to find the gap between what's stated and what's assumed. Our GMAT® Critical Reasoning strategy guide covers the full framework.

For Reading Comprehension, the approach that works is mapping, not memorizing. You're not trying to remember every detail of the passage. You're building a mental map of where information lives so you can find it quickly when a question asks. Read for structure and main idea, not for retention.

Data Insights

Data Insights is the section that benefits most from focused prep. For a lot of students, this is the least familiar section because it combines elements that used to be split across IR and Quant, and it now counts toward the total score.

The section has five question types, and each needs a slightly different approach. Data Sufficiency is the most distinctive: it's not about calculating answers but about determining whether you have enough information to calculate one. Our GMAT® Data Sufficiency guide walks through the full elimination process.

The other four types cover reading data from charts, tables, and text. You have access to an on-screen calculator for this section, which you don't get in Quant. The calculator helps with arithmetic, but most DI questions are about interpretation, not computation.

Our GMAT® Data Insights complete guide covers all five question types with strategies for each.

Practice Tests

Official practice exams from MBA.com are among the most useful resources in your prep. They use the same adaptive scoring algorithm as the real exam, which means they're generally the closest available estimate to your real score.

You get two free practice exams with the MBA.com Starter Kit. Additional practice exams cost money and are worth it if you're serious about your score. Take your first practice test cold, before you study anything, to establish a baseline.

After that, don't take your next practice exam on a fixed calendar schedule. Take it when the focus areas from your previous test review are hitting your accuracy target on timed sets. That's the signal that you're ready for another diagnostic. Spacing exams by a fixed number of weeks is a rough approximation, but the skill-gated approach gives you better data and avoids wasting limited official exams.

For the full practice test strategy, our GMAT® practice test strategy guide covers it in detail.

What to Skip Entirely

If you find old prep material or get advice from someone who took the Classic exam, here's what to cross off your list:

Sentence Correction. This question type doesn't exist on the current exam, so any SC-specific prep is wasted time.

Geometry. The current GMAT® does not test geometry as a standalone topic, so triangle properties, circle formulas, and similar material can be set aside.

Analytical Writing Assessment. The current exam has no essay section. There's a Business Writing Assessment that some schools may require separately, but it's not part of the GMAT® itself. If your school requires the BWA, they'll tell you.

Integrated Reasoning as a standalone section. IR is gone. Its content lives inside Data Insights now, and it counts toward your total score. Don't study for IR as a separate thing.

Old score targets. If someone tells you to aim for 700, ask whether they mean the Classic or the current exam. On the Focus Edition, 645 is often used as a rough comparison for a former 700 target, but the conversion isn't exact.

A Note on Section Order

You choose the order you take the three sections. This is a meaningful decision because fatigue builds over the exam, and the section you take first is the one where you're freshest.

There's no universally correct order. The right choice depends on which section you find most demanding and where you tend to make careless errors when tired.

Our GMAT® section order guide walks through the factors to consider and helps you pick the order that works for your strengths.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the GMAT® Focus Edition still called the Focus Edition?

GMAC dropped the "Focus Edition" name and now calls it just "the GMAT®." But the exam format is the same three-section structure that launched as the Focus Edition in January 2024. You'll still see "Focus Edition" in prep materials and online forums because the name stuck.

Can I use Official Guide editions from before 2024?

Yes, with one exception. The Problem Solving, Data Sufficiency, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension problems from older Official Guides are still relevant. The main problems to skip are Sentence Correction questions and any material tied to the old essay section. If you're using an old Official Guide, just skip the SC section.

How long should I study for the GMAT® Focus Edition?

It depends on your starting point and target score. Students starting further from their target need more time, and students who already have strong quant and verbal skills may need less. Our how long to study for the GMAT® guide covers the variables in detail.

Is Data Insights harder than the old Integrated Reasoning?

Data Insights counts toward your total score, which IR didn't. That makes it more important, but not necessarily harder. The question types overlap significantly. If you prepared for IR on the Classic exam, most of that knowledge transfers. The main difference is that Data Sufficiency now lives in DI instead of Quant.

Do I need to study grammar for the GMAT®?

No. Sentence Correction was removed from the exam. Verbal Reasoning is now Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension only. You don't need grammar drills, idiom lists, or sentence structure practice for the current GMAT®.

What score do I need for a top MBA program?

For top-10 programs, a Focus Edition score around 655 is typically competitive. For top-20 programs, 615 to 645 is usually in range. But schools evaluate applications holistically. A strong score can help, but it doesn't guarantee admission. Our what is a good GMAT® score guide breaks down target scores by tier.

Are third-party practice tests accurate for the Focus Edition?

Third-party tests can be useful for practice, but their score estimates are often less reliable than the official MBA.com exams. The official practice tests use the same adaptive algorithm as the real exam. If you can only take a few practice tests, use the official ones.

Want to learn even more?

If you're looking for a complete walkthrough of how to start your GMAT® studies from scratch, our how to start your GMAT® studies in 2026 guide covers the early phase in detail.

For the full study plan framework that applies regardless of budget, our how to build a GMAT® study plan guide walks through each phase from diagnostic to test day.

And if you want to understand how the adaptive scoring algorithm works, which can change the way you approach the exam, our GMAT® scoring algorithm guide explains it in full.

You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube for more strategy episodes and worked problem walkthroughs.