Episode 9: Standardized Testing: GMAT, GRE, Waivers & More

MBA applicants now have many options for graduate management test requirements. We discuss the variety of these options, focusing mainly on the GMAT and the GRE. We also look at the importance of getting your best test score.

Average test scores are getting higher at the top MBA programs. Programs can use the test score as a “levelling mechanism,” allowing programs to compare candidates with very different academic experiences.

The test score will be evaluated within the broader context of your academic record to determine your preparedness for performing very well in the academic part of the MBA program.

Since the COVID pandemic, which temporarily provided challenges to access to GMAT and GRE testing, many schools have developed more flexible policies regarding the requirement of standardized tests.  In fact, several schools – including a handful of top-25 programs – continue to offer test waivers.  This is both a function of the pandemic, societal trends / backlash against the tests themselves, and a desire on the part of schools to remove hurdles to attracting additional applicants.  As such, not every MBA applicant will have to take a test, although it is our view that – in most instances – it’s a smart move to submit a GMAT or GRE exam.

In 2023, both GMAC and ETS announced the introduction of new streamlined versions of the GMAT and GRE (in part as a response to the trends cited above).  Both new versions of the tests will be much shorter than their predecessors, but the GMAT’s changes are more substantial in that the test has essentially been rebuilt from the ground up with input from schools, business school faculty, and more.  The changes to the GMAT are so significant that GMAC is calling it the ‘GMAT Focus Edition’ and have informed schools that the scoring/scaling will be different for the new exam.  This is a developing story, and it’s unclear yet if these changes will lead to a reversal of the trend towards test waivers, changes in the popularity of one exam vs. the other, or big changes in average scores.  Watch this space for more.

See also Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions Chapter 4, “How to Apply – Test Scores.”