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GMAT test-takers look to gain any edge they can to boost their scores (rightfully so). So it’s no wonder that students preparing for the exam often ask me for the best GMAT order strategy: how to choose your section order to earn a high score. It’s to your advantage to understand how you can use this aspect of the exam to your benefit. In this article, we’ll explore your section selection options for the GMAT. We’ll also consider various strategies related to GMAT section order. Finally, we’ll give you a simple and effective plan for choosing the section order that is right for you.
First, let’s review some of the nuts and bolts of GMAT section order, including how and when you’ll make your section order selection on test day.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- An Introduction to Section Order Selection
- The 6 Options for the GMAT Section Order
- How to Craft Your Section Order Strategy
- Strategy 1: Starting With Data Insights
- Strategy 2: Starting With Verbal or Quant
- Testing Section Orders with Practice Tests
- Summary
- What’s Next?
An Introduction to Section Order Selection
In late 2023, with the introduction of the updated GMAT, test-takers saw their section selection options increase significantly. Previously, GMAT test-takers had 3 options for the order in which they saw the GMAT sections on test day. The number of options has doubled, and there are now 6 section selection options. These options give test-takers the flexibility to tailor the test-taking experience to their skills and preferences, whether taking the online or in-person GMAT.
For some test-takers, GMAT section order is a key part of their test-taking strategy. For others, section order does not noticeably affect how they perform on the test. Since every test-taker is different, the impact of section order on a person’s test-day performance varies. So, the best GMAT section order for one person may be the worst order for someone else. With that in mind, it’s essential to have a section order strategy in place before test day, so you can use the ability to choose your section order to your greatest advantage.
TTP PRO TIP:
It’s essential to have a section order strategy in place before test day, but keep in mind that section order does not always have a noticeable effect on a GMAT test-taker’s performance.
Is There One “Best” Section Order?
The other thing to keep in mind is that there is no magical section order that will produce a certain score or give you an automatic advantage over test-takers choosing another section order. In fact, before giving test-takers the option to choose their GMAT section order, the makers of the GMAT ran a pilot program to make sure that reordering the sections of the exam would not have a statistically significant impact on test-takers’ scores.
After all, why would the test makers offer a “cheat code” to students sitting for such a competitive exam? When students are randomly assigned to the 6 section orders, no section order inherently results in higher GMAT scores. So, choosing a section order for your GMAT is really about what is right for YOU.
A “new” issue to keep in mind is that the GMAT weights the Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights sections equally. In other words, each section counts the same in determining your GMAT score. There is no longer an Analytical Writing Section. Thus, you must now consider Data Insights as an equal partner in the triumvirate of the GMAT scoring algorithm.
Before we look at strategies for choosing the best GMAT section order for you, let’s review the 6 options you’ll be given on test day and the procedure for selecting your preferred order.
Choosing a section order for your GMAT is really about what is right for YOU.
The 6 Options for the GMAT Section Order
As you may know, before you begin your in-person or online GMAT, you will navigate through some introductory screens. The Select Section Order screen is the final screen that you will see right before you start your exam. There are 6 section orders you will be able to choose from:
- Data Insights → Quant → Verbal
- Data Insights → Verbal → Quant
- Quant → Verbal → Data Insights
- Quant → Data Insights → Verbal
- Verbal → Data insights → Quant
- Verbal → Quant → Data Insights
You will have 1 minute to choose your section order. If you do not make a selection within 1 minute, the computer will select the section order for you. So, this is yet another reason why you should decide your preferred section order before you sit for your GMAT. You don’t want to be scrambling to make a potentially score-altering decision as your exam is about to begin.
KEY FACT:
If you do not select a section order within 1 minute, the computer will automatically select for you.
One nice feature of the GMAT is that you may take your 10-minute break after any of the sections. Thus, you can take the break after your first section is completed. Or, if you are on a roll, you can wait to take the break after your second section. Just remember that there is only ONE 10-minute break, so take it when you need it.
Now, let’s examine some important questions that all test-takers should ask themselves when deciding their best GMAT section order.
How to Craft Your Section Order Strategy
Your GMAT section order strategy should take into account your test-taking style, your strengths and weaknesses related to GMAT content, and which sections your desired schools emphasize most when evaluating applicants. At the crossroads of those factors, you will find your ideal section order.
It’s important to be brutally honest with yourself when evaluating these factors. The more in tune you are with your test-taking habits and behaviors, and the more honestly and objectively you evaluate your strong and weak areas, the better equipped you will be to assess which section order plays to your strengths.
TTP PRO TIP:
Your chosen section order should consider your test-taking style, your strengths and weaknesses, and the sections your desired schools prioritize.
So, let’s look at some key questions to ask yourself related to each of these factors.
Know Your Test-taking Style
The following 6 questions will help you to evaluate your test-taking style:
- Do I get fatigued at a certain point during the exam? Am I exhausted when I reach the last section? Do I experience a mid-exam slump?
- Does my mind feel fresher at the start of the exam or after I’ve had time to “warm up”?
- Do I feel more anxious at the start of the exam and calmer as I get “into the groove” of answering questions?
- Do I feel antsy or distracted toward the end of the exam, knowing that I’m almost finished or wondering how I’ve performed?
- Do I feel refreshed or energized after the break?
- Am I better able to focus on the rest of the exam when I get “the hard stuff” over with? Or does completing easier sections first give me confidence to tackle harder sections?
You may find that some issues these questions raise don’t apply to you. And perhaps some feature more prominently in your test-taking experience than others. The point is, when studying for the GMAT and after taking practice exams, you want to evaluate not only your GMAT content knowledge and time-management skills, but also your mood, mindset, energy level, and ability to focus when solving different types of problems. Just don’t attempt to evaluate those things during a practice test — concentrate on finding right answers!
TTP PRO TIP:
When studying for the GMAT and after taking practice exams, evaluate not only your GMAT content knowledge and time-management skills, but also your mood, mindset, energy level, and ability to focus when solving different types of problems.
I’ll discuss using practice tests to help determine your best section order shortly. For now, let’s examine how your GMAT strengths and weaknesses may affect your section order strategy.
Know Your GMAT Strengths and Weaknesses
Ask yourself these 5 questions when evaluating your GMAT strengths and weaknesses.
- In which section am I generally strongest?
- In which section am I generally weakest?
- Do I perform about equally well in Quant and Verbal, or do I consistently perform better in one section?
- How about Data Insights? Do I perform equally well in this section, compared to the Quant and Verbal sections? Or do I discount this section and just hope I’ll do “well enough” to get by?
- Which section do I feel most nervous about completing? Least nervous?
Again, you must be as objective and honest with yourself as possible when evaluating your strengths and weaknesses. In what sections do you require the greatest effort and the clearest thinking in order to correctly answer questions? Are you really as rock solid in Quant as you think, or have you been stumbling onto correct answers? Do you need to be laser focused and completely mentally alert to wade through Reading Comprehension passages? Or are you such a practiced and efficient reader that you actually find them enjoyable? Does a Multi-Source Reasoning question in the Data Insights section make you quake with fear and uncertainty?
Your Best Section Could Be the Most Anxiety-Producing One
Additionally, keep in mind that the sections you feel most nervous and least nervous about completing may not be, respectively, your weakest and strongest sections. You may be strongest in Quant but most nervous about performing well in that section because you know how heavily your desired schools emphasize Quant, or because you’re applying to schools at which the average Quant scores are very high. If your preoccupation with performing well in Quant could affect your level of focus during other sections of the test, then you may need to consider that when deciding whether to attack your “strongest” section first or later in the exam.
TTP PRO TIP:
You must be as objective and honest with yourself as possible when evaluating your strengths and weaknesses.
This brings us to the third factor every test-taker should consider when deciding on a GMAT section order.
Know the Priorities of Your Desired Schools
As you may know, many MBA programs, particularly at top schools, are unabashedly quant-driven. So, your performance on the GMAT Quant section is likely to be weighed more heavily than your GMAT Verbal performance. However, you must also be aware that the Data Insights section is garnering more attention from many top schools. This attention makes sense because of the emphasis on making data-driven decisions from multiple sources in today’s business environment. Nevertheless, here are a couple of questions to ask when evaluating the priorities of your desired programs:
- Do my desired programs emphasize looking at GMAT Quant scores or do they prefer a more balanced score?
- Given the average GMAT section scores of accepted students in my desired programs, do the programs appear to have any unstated section score priorities?
You should be able to find the information to answer these questions on program websites. So, take some time to research your chosen schools and get a sense of their priorities. You can also call admissions if you can’t find the information you need or you have specific concerns about a section score — they are usually willing to advise students on what the programs are seeking. Of course, your GMAT section order is not included on your score report. Schools that receive your GMAT scores will not see the order in which you completed the sections.
TTP PRO TIP:
Research your desired programs to assess whether they have any stated or unstated GMAT section score priorities.
We now know the key factors to consider and questions to ask when deciding your best GMAT section order. Next, let’s examine some scenarios to illustrate the pros and cons to weigh when evaluating each section order option.
Strategy 1: Starting With Data Insights
Because Data Insights presents both Quant and Verbal questions, some students find it the perfect section to start their GMAT. It serves as a warm-up to the single-focused intensity that comes with either the Verbal or the Quant section.
Additionally, for many students, Data Insights may be the most challenging section because of the GMAT-unique Data Sufficiency, Two-Part Analysis, and Multi-source Reasoning questions. Thus, students may feel that getting this section “over with” will free their minds for the intensity of the Quant and Verbal sections.
TTP PRO TIP:
Data Insights presents a warm-up of sorts to prepare you for the single-focused intensity of the Quant and Verbal sections.
Strategy 2: Starting With Verbal or Quant
Do the “Hard Stuff” Now?
One of the questions we touched on related to evaluating your test-taking style was whether you prefer to get “the hard stuff” over with first. Answering that question may go a long way toward helping you decide on the best GMAT section order for you. Regardless of which order you end up choosing, let’s consider that important question as it relates to starting with Verbal or Quant.
Say, for example, you struggle most with GMAT Verbal and have quite a bit of anxiety related to that section. It could be that getting the Verbal section over with first will be a huge relief to you. With your hardest section out of the way, you’ll be energized and able to focus completely on kicking butt on the other sections.
The same goes for the Quant section. Perhaps you’re the type of test-taker who will feel like the Quant section is “hanging over your head” or be distracted by a sense of dread as you work your way toward that section. In that case, the smartest plan for you may be to get it over with first thing, so you don’t risk worrying about it (and possibly hindering your performance) while you’re working on other sections.
Particularly if you feel far more mentally alert and on your game at the beginning of the exam, starting with either the Quant or Verbal section may be key to your earning a high score on your hardest section.
Do the “Hard Stuff” Later?
Of course, if tackling your hardest section first makes you feel mentally drained or batters your confidence, then that won’t be a great starting point. However, assuming that either Quant or Verbal is your hardest section, you may then want to tackle your hardest section second, or even third. Let’s again say Verbal is the section that challenges you most, and you’re worried that starting with Verbal could set a negative tone for your entire exam if you feel that you haven’t performed well.
At the same time, you’re concerned that you’ll be too tired by the end of the GMAT to attack your most challenging section last. In that case, starting with the Quant section may be a good choice for you. You’ll still be mentally fresh when you reach Verbal on section 2. If you feel a little worse for wear after you complete the Verbal section, you’ll have your break to reset. Plus, you’ll at least know that you’re in the home stretch of the exam, with two GMAT sections completed.
TTP PRO TIP:
If you tend to be more focused at the beginning of the exam and you’re nervous about performing well in either Quant or Verbal, consider starting with one of those sections.
As we saw earlier, numerous factors go into deciding which order of sections on GMAT exams is best for you. These examples should give you some idea of the pros and cons you’ll need to weigh. Of course, any valid theory needs to be rigorously tested. Let’s talk about that next.
Testing Section Orders with Practice Tests
We’ve already discussed the importance of knowing your test-taking style. So, it’s no surprise that taking full-length practice GMATs is the best way to learn how you respond to the rigors of the test-taking experience. I recommend that all my students take all 6 official GMAT practice exams before they sit for their actual GMAT Focus and thoroughly evaluate not only which questions they answered correctly or incorrectly but also how they were feeling while they took the exams.
Try to take as many of the 6 official practice exams as possible using your preferred section order. Are you just starting your GMAT prep and about to take your first practice exam to get your baseline score? Make an educated guess, based on your academic background, professional experience, and performance on other standardized exams you’ve taken, to decide which section order to use. Don’t worry: if the section order you use for your first practice test (or first few tests) doesn’t end up being the order you stick with for test day, you will not be putting yourself at a disadvantage.
TTP PRO TIP:
Experiment with different section orders when you take the practice exams.
It’s OK to Switch Section Order During Practice Exams!
If you take the first 3 official practice tests using one section order and then switch to a different section order for the last 3, don’t despair. In fact, as you near the end of your GMAT prep and start taking practice tests more frequently, you may want to try out several of the 6 section orders before deciding which one is right for you. As long as you can get in a couple of full-length practice tests using your preferred order, and you’re otherwise prepared to hit your score goal, you should be in a good spot on test day.
Remember, no GMAT section order can find correct answers for you or turn a tough exam into an easy one. It’s possible that you’ll find that different section orders have no discernable impact on your GMAT performance. You may be able to use the section order options to play to your strengths (or downplay your weaknesses), but there is simply no substitute for being well-prepared!
Summary
The GMAT edition allows students to select the section order on exam day. They may choose from the following:
- Data Insights → Quant → Verbal
- Data Insights → Verbal → Quant
- Quant → Verbal → Data Insights
- Quant → Data Insights → Verbal
- Verbal → Data insights → Quant
- Verbal → Quant → Data Insights
For some students, the section order may be of little or no consequence. But for others, the ability to choose a particular section order can heavily impact their GMAT performance.
Some of the more important considerations are your strengths and weaknesses. You may feel more comfortable tackling your weakest section first so that you can focus your energy on your strong topics later in the exam. Or, you may want to answer questions from your strongest subject first, while you are fresh, allowing you to have a feeling of confidence and indestructibility for your later, weaker subjects.
In any event, it is a personal decision, but it is critical to know ahead of time which section order you will choose on test day.
What’s Next?
While section order is important, it is just one aspect of your GMAT strategy. To ensure that you score well, make sure that you are efficiently learning exactly what is tested on the GMAT. Using the best study resources will save you time and energy during your GMAT prep. Good luck!
