MBA Admissions Test Plan Template (GMAT Focus, GRE, EA)

Admissions Test Plan: [Your name, target intake and programme type]

A planning workbook for the admissions test of a full-time, part-time or executive MBA: choosing between the GMAT Focus Edition, the GRE General Test and the Executive Assessment (or a test waiver), understanding structure, scoring, score validity, retakes, cancellations and score preview, choosing a test centre or online delivery, running a diagnostic, building a study plan by weeks, keeping an error log and scheduling mock exams. It is for applicants to leading international programmes who want one place to plan the test around their application rounds. Source basis: the public test information of GMAC (mba.com, gmac.com) and ETS (ets.org), checked in October 2026 and summarised in our own words, and the learning research of Dunlosky et al. (2013). Test rules change: every dated fact below carries the date it was checked and the official page to re-check. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example. All practice items are original; no official test question is reproduced. This is a planning aid, not admissions, legal or financial advice.

Document control

Contents

• 1. Purpose and the process at a glance
• 2. Choosing the test: GMAT Focus Edition, GRE, Executive Assessment or a waiver
• 3. Rules that shape your calendar
• 4. Test centre or online
• 5. Diagnostic and target setting
• 6. Study plan by weeks
• 7. Error log
• 8. Mock exam schedule and score tracking
• 9. Original practice items
• 10. Test week and test day
• 11. After the test: keep, cancel, retake or move on
• 12. Quality checklist
• 13. Common mistakes
• 14. Self-test
• 15. My notes and next steps

1. Purpose and the process at a glance

Admissions committees use a standardised test for one main reason: it is a common yardstick for the quantitative and verbal reasoning that the first-year core demands, across applicants from very different education systems and careers. The score is one input among several (work experience, essays, recommendations, interview), but at the most selective programmes a score well below the class profile has to be offset elsewhere, and a strong score removes a doubt the committee would otherwise have about your readiness for finance, statistics and accounting.

A good test plan does three things. It picks the test that your target programmes accept and that suits your strengths. It fixes a first test date early enough to leave room for one retake before your first application deadline. It turns the gap between your diagnostic and your target into a weekly plan with practice, review and full mock exams, and it keeps an honest record of your errors so that practice time goes where it raises the score.

2. Choosing the test: GMAT Focus Edition, GRE, Executive Assessment or a waiver

2.1 What each test is (checked October 2026)

The facts below were checked on the official pages in October 2026. Check them again on the day you register: GMAT Focus Edition overview on gmac.com, GMAT scores on mba.com, GRE General Test structure on ets.org, Executive Assessment on mba.com.

Two points matter more than they seem. First, GMAT Focus Edition scores are on a different scale from the older GMAT (200 to 800) and GMAC says they should not be compared directly; class profiles from before 2024 may still show old scores. Second, a GRE score cannot be converted exactly to a GMAT score: schools that compare them use comparison tools from the test owners or their own data. Do not plan around a converted number found on a forum.

2.2 Decision worksheet

Score each criterion from 1 (poor fit) to 5 (strong fit) for each test you could take.

2.3 How the tests differ for preparation

• GMAT Focus Edition rewards data literacy and reasoning under time pressure. Data Insights combines tables, graphics, multi-source reasoning, two-part analysis and data sufficiency. Verbal is critical reasoning and reading comprehension; there is no grammar-only question type. There is no geometry-heavy content in Quant, but number properties, rates, ratios and algebra appear often.
• GRE General Test has more vocabulary-dependent Verbal questions (text completion and sentence equivalence), a wider Quant content range that includes geometry, an on-screen calculator, and an essay. Applicants who also consider non-MBA graduate programmes can use one score for both.
• Executive Assessment is shorter and designed for experienced professionals. It is offered for programmes that want evidence of readiness without a long preparation period. GMAC states that EA scores cannot be cancelled and that the number of attempts is limited; check the current limit before your first sitting.

2.4 Waivers and test-optional routes

Some programmes, more often executive and part-time ones, waive the test for applicants who show quantitative readiness in another way: an advanced degree, a professional qualification such as a finance or accounting charter, strong grades in quantitative university courses, or years of quantitative work. Rules differ by programme and change from year to year, and a waiver is a request, not a right. Before you rely on one:

1. Read the waiver criteria on the programme's official admissions page and record the date.
2. Ask whether a waiver affects scholarship consideration or the committee's view of your quantitative readiness.
3. Ask when the decision is made; some programmes decide before you submit, others at review.
4. Keep a test plan as a fallback with a date that still meets the round deadline if the waiver is refused.

3. Rules that shape your calendar

3.1 Retakes, validity and score delivery (checked October 2026)

Sources to re-check: GMAT scores, GMAT FAQs, GMAC announcement removing the lifetime limit, GRE registration and retake rules, Sending GRE scores.

3.2 Score preview, cancellation and reinstatement

Both owners let you see an unofficial result before you decide what schools will see. For the GMAT Focus Edition, as of October 2026 GMAC lets you keep or cancel a score and later reinstate a cancelled score for a fee within a window set by GMAC; self-cancelled scores are not shown to schools. The windows and fees have changed several times, so read the current mba.com score pages before test day and write the numbers in the table below. GMAC announced the GMAT Superscore on 16 June 2026, with roll-out announced for August 2026: it combines your highest Quantitative, Verbal and Data Insights section scores across valid Focus Edition attempts (test centre or online) into one total, shown in your mba.com account and added as an extra data point on official score reports; it does not replace the score of each attempt. Each programme decides whether and how it uses the Superscore, so record that in the worksheet in section 2.2 and check the GMAC announcement and the current mba.com score pages. For the GRE, ScoreSelect controls which test dates you send. For the Executive Assessment, GMAC states that scores cannot be cancelled.

3.3 Working back from the deadline

Use relative dates first (T is the first round deadline), then replace them with real dates once you have the round deadline from each school. A 12-week plan for a well-prepared applicant is shown; start earlier if your diagnostic gap is large.

In the example the first sitting is 88 days (about 12.6 weeks) before the deadline: enough for the official result, a review of the score report and one retake after the minimum waiting period, with a margin for official scores to reach the schools.

4. Test centre or online

As of October 2026 the GMAT Focus Edition and the Executive Assessment are offered at test centres and online, and the GRE General Test at test centres and at home, with the same structure and score scale in each setting. The practical differences are in the environment and the rules: identification, room checks, permitted note-taking materials (a physical or an online whiteboard), breaks, and what happens if the connection fails. Check the current policies for your test on mba.com or ets.org before you book.

5. Diagnostic and target setting

Take the diagnostic under real conditions: timed, in one sitting, with the same note-taking tool you will use on the day. Use the official practice exams published by the test owner, because third-party scores can be biased. Record section scores, timing per section and the topics of every miss.

Set a target from evidence: the median or middle range in the class profile of each target programme (from its official class profile page, with the date), plus a margin if your other application elements are weaker. Treat the middle 80% range as the zone where the score stops being a concern, and the median as a target, not a minimum.

Do not compute a GMAT total from section scores yourself: GMAC reports the total from its own scaling. Use the total from the practice exam report.

Allocating hours by gap. A simple starting rule is to split your hours in proportion to each section's gap. In the example, 150 hours over 12 weeks (12.5 hours a week) with gaps of 7, 3 and 7 give Quant 41.2% (61.8 hours, rounded to 62), Verbal 17.6% (26.5 hours, rounded down to 26 so that the total stays at 150) and Data Insights 41.2% (61.8 hours, rounded to 62), 150 hours in total. In Excel: =total_hours*gap/SUM(gaps), for example =150*7/17 gives 61.8. Adjust after every mock: the rule is a starting point, not a law.

6. Study plan by weeks

The plan builds in three practices with strong evidence from learning research (Dunlosky et al. 2013): practice testing (retrieval), distributed practice (spacing) and interleaving problem types once the basics are learned. Every week mixes new material with review of earlier errors.

In the example, weeks run Saturday to Friday from the diagnostic on Saturday 2027-03-27. Mocks 1, 2 and 3 fall on the first Saturday of weeks 7, 9 and 11 (2027-05-08, 2027-05-22 and 2027-06-05), and test day is Saturday 2027-06-19.

A typical study week of 12.5 hours:

7. Error log

The error log turns mistakes into a study plan. Record each missed or guessed question with its type, the reason for the miss and the rule that would have prevented it. Re-attempt each entry after one week and again after three weeks without looking at the solution. For a full error-log method with spacing, see mba/mba-error-log and academic/stats-error-log.

Every two weeks, summarise accuracy by topic and move hours to the weakest topics.

In Excel, with attempted in column B and correct in column C: =C2/B2 for accuracy and =SUM(C2:C7)/SUM(B2:B7) for the total (67/95 = 70.5%).

8. Mock exam schedule and score tracking

Official practice exams are limited in number, so save at least two for the final four weeks. Third-party tests are useful for practice volume but are not reliable score predictors.

Track the totals your practice exams report. The chart below uses the Example totals from the official practice exam reports of a fictional applicant, Daniela Fuentes, against her target of 685.

9. Original practice items

The items below are written for this template in the style of common question types. They are not taken from, and do not reproduce, any official GMAT, GRE or Executive Assessment question.

P1 (problem solving). Northfield Outdoor Co. sells a jacket for USD 80 after a 20% discount. What was the price before the discount?

P2 (ratio). A study group of 40 applicants has applicants targeting full-time and executive programmes in the ratio 3 to 5. How many target executive programmes?

P3 (rates and work). One analyst can clean a data set in 6 hours; a second analyst can clean it in 3 hours. Working together at these rates, how long do they take?

P4 (data sufficiency). Is $x > 0$? (1) $x^2 = 9$. (2) $x^3 = 27$. Options: A, statement (1) alone is sufficient but (2) is not; B, statement (2) alone is sufficient but (1) is not; C, both together are sufficient but neither alone is; D, each alone is sufficient; E, the statements together are not sufficient.

P5 (probability). Two fair six-sided dice are rolled. What is the probability that the sum is 7?

P6 (critical reasoning, assumption). "Corvane Robotics installed its new warehouse robots at three customer sites, and picking errors at those sites fell by a quarter in the following quarter. Therefore the robots reduce picking errors." Which assumption does the argument depend on? (A) The robots cost less than the staff they replaced. (B) Nothing else that would reduce picking errors changed at those sites in that quarter. (C) Picking errors are the main cost in a warehouse. (D) Other customers will buy the robots. (E) The sites were the largest Corvane customers.

P7 (table analysis). Corvane shipped 1,200 units in Q1 and 1,380 units in Q2. By what percentage did shipments grow, and what share of first-half shipments came in Q2 (to the nearest 0.1%)?

P8 (quantitative comparison, GRE style). Quantity A: $0.5^3$. Quantity B: $0.5^2$. Which is greater, or are they equal, or can it not be determined?

P9 (averages). Four practice section scores are 72, 78, 81 and 85. What fifth score gives a mean of 80?

P10 (interest). USD 2,000 is invested for 2 years at 5% a year. How much more does annual compounding pay than simple interest?

10. Test week and test day

• Confirm the appointment, the identification rules and the name match between your ID and your registration.
• For online delivery, run the official system check on the computer and network you will use, in the room you will use, at the same time of day.
• Decide your section order (GMAT Focus Edition) in advance, based on your mocks.
• Write down your pacing checkpoints, for example minutes left after every fifth question, and your rule for when to guess and move on.
• Decide in advance how you will use answer edits if your test allows them.
• Sleep, food and travel time: plan them like a business meeting.
• On the day, decide on the score with the rule you wrote before the test (section 11), not on emotion.

11. After the test: keep, cancel, retake or move on

Before a retake, buy or download the detailed performance report if available, compare it with your error log, and change the plan: a retake with the same preparation usually gives a similar score. Each retake costs time that your essays and school research also need.

12. Quality checklist

• Every target programme's test policy recorded with the date checked
• Waiver criteria read on the official page, with a fallback test date if relevant
• Diagnostic taken under real conditions with an official practice exam
• Section targets set from official class profile pages, with dates
• First sitting booked at least 12 weeks before the first deadline
• Retake, cancellation and reinstatement rules recorded from the official page
• Weekly plan includes new learning, mixed practice, review and a timed set
• Error log updated after every session, with re-tests scheduled
• At least two official practice exams saved for the last four weeks
• Delivery mode chosen and, for online, system check passed
• Decision rule for the score written before test day

13. Common mistakes

1. Starting without a fixed test date, so preparation drifts for months.
2. Choosing a test before checking what every target programme accepts.
3. Comparing GMAT Focus Edition scores with old GMAT scores in older class profiles.
4. Treating a forum GRE to GMAT conversion as exact.
5. Doing large volumes of questions without an error log, so the same mistakes repeat.
6. Studying only strengths because it feels productive.
7. Using third-party mock scores as predictions of the official score.
8. Spending all official practice exams in the first month.
9. Leaving the first sitting so late that no retake fits before the deadline.
10. Choosing online delivery without testing the room, network and note-taking tool.
11. Ignoring the waiting period and attempt limits when planning a retake.
12. Letting test preparation take over the time needed for essays, recommenders and school research.

14. Self-test

1. What are the three sections of the GMAT Focus Edition and how long is each?
2. On what scale is the GMAT Focus Edition total reported, and why should it not be compared with an old GMAT score?
3. How often, and how many times in 12 months, can you take the GRE General Test (as of October 2026)?
4. What does ScoreSelect let you do?
5. Which test is designed mainly for executive MBA applicants, and what is its score range?
6. Why save official practice exams for the last weeks?
7. What should an error-log entry contain beyond the correct answer?
8. In the example, how many hours go to Verbal and why?
9. Why book the first sitting 12 to 16 weeks before the first deadline?
10. Name two questions to ask a programme before relying on a test waiver.

15. My notes and next steps

Notes: [What surprised me in the diagnostic, what I will change after the first mock]

Sources and further reading

• GMAC. GMAT Focus Edition exam overview: https://www.gmac.com/gmat-other-assessments/about-the-gmat-focus-edition/exam-overview (checked 2026-10-28).
• GMAC. GMAT scores and score reports: https://www.mba.com/exams/gmat-exam/scores (checked 2026-10-28).
• GMAC (2026). GMAC introduces GMAT Superscore (press release, 16 June 2026): https://www.gmac.com/why-gmac/gmac-news/gmac-press-releases/gmac-introduces-gmat-superscore (checked 2026-10-28).
• GMAC (2024). The GMAT offers unlimited potential, on the removal of the lifetime attempt limit: https://www.gmac.com/resources/learners/how-to-apply/exams-preparation/gmat-offers-unlimited-potential (checked 2026-10-28).
• GMAC. Executive Assessment: https://www.mba.com/exams/executive-assessment and assessment structure: https://www.mba.com/exams/executive-assessment/about/assessment-structure (checked 2026-10-28).
• ETS. GRE General Test structure: https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/prepare/test-structure.html; registration and retake rules: https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/register.html; at-home testing: https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/test-day/at-home-test-day.html (checked 2026-10-28).
• Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J. and Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58.
• Official preparation materials published by GMAC and ETS (official guides and practice exams), named here as further reading only.

Answer key

Practice items (computed in calc/mba-admissions-test-plan.py).

• P1. USD 100. The sale price is 80% of the original: $80 / 0.8 = 100$. Excel: =80/(1-20%).
• P2. 25. Executive share is $5/8$ of 40. Excel: =40*5/8.
• P3. 2 hours. Rates add: $1/6 + 1/3 = 1/2$ of the job per hour, so 2 hours. Excel: =1/(1/6+1/3).
• P4. B. Statement (1) allows $x = 3$ or $x = -3$, so it is not sufficient; statement (2) gives only $x = 3$.
• P5. $1/6$. Six of the 36 equally likely outcomes sum to 7.
• P6. (B). The argument assumes no other cause explains the fall; (A), (C), (D) and (E) are not needed for the conclusion.
• P7. Growth 15.0% (=(1380-1200)/1200); Q2 share 53.5% (=1380/(1200+1380)).
• P8. Quantity B is greater: $0.125 < 0.25$.
• P9. 84, because the five scores must sum to $5 \times 80 = 400$ and the four sum to 316. Excel: =80*5-SUM(72,78,81,85).
• P10. USD 5. Compound: USD 2,205 (=FV(5%,2,0,-2000)); simple: USD 2,200 (=2000*(1+5%*2)).

Self-test.

1. Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights, 45 minutes each (2 hours 15 minutes in total).
2. 205 to 805. The scale and the score distribution changed, so GMAC says Focus Edition and older GMAT scores are not directly comparable.
3. Once every 21 days, up to 5 times in any rolling 12-month period.
4. It lets you choose which GRE test dates from the last 5 years you send to a programme (unless the programme asks for all scores).
5. The Executive Assessment, total 100 to 200.
6. They are the best predictors of the official score; using them early leaves no reliable measure for the final weeks.
7. The question type and topic, the reason for the miss, the rule to apply next time and the re-test results.
8. 26 hours (17.6% of 150), because Verbal has the smallest gap (3 of 17 points).
9. To leave time for official scores, a review of the score report and one retake after the waiting period before the deadline.
10. Any two of: what evidence the waiver needs; whether it affects scholarship consideration; when the decision is made; whether the committee views a waived application differently.

Revision history

Standard and licence note

Based on the public test information published by GMAC (GMAT Focus Edition, Executive Assessment) and ETS (GRE General Test), checked in October 2026 and summarised in original wording, and on published learning research. GMAT, Executive Assessment and GMAC are trademarks of the Graduate Management Admission Council; GRE and ETS are trademarks of ETS. They are named only to identify the tests; this template is not affiliated with or endorsed by them, and no official question, score table or preparation material is reproduced. All practice items, people and companies are fictional and original. Test rules, fees and acceptance policies change: check the current official pages and each programme's admissions page before you rely on any fact here. This template is original text written for this collection. Template licence: MIT.