MBA hopefuls with January deadlines: if you’ve been putting off writing your MBA applications until you get an optimal score on the GMAT or GRE, it’s time to balance your priorities. The Executive Assessment (EA) and test-optional programs offer possible solutions get you past test-taking and on to completing your applications.
Some MBA applicants to U.S. schools choose to put off submitting their applications until the January deadlines typical of Round 2. They tell themselves that the extra time will give them the chance to increase their GMAT or GRE scores, which will improve their chances of getting in.
The problem with this thinking is that not allowing enough time to create convincing essays jeopardizes your application as a whole.
Don’t Shortchange Other Parts of Your Application
Candy Lee LaBalle, an award-winning MBA admissions expert, puts it bluntly in a post on LinkedIn: “If you are still fiddling around with GMAT into November or even December, you are making a mistake. You need to figure out a test strategy and balance that with application prep.”
LaBalle continues, “if you continually try to chase down a GMAT score into the month of November, you’re going to miss the opportunity in front of you – influencing every other aspect of your application.”
The EA Offers A Possible Solution
How can you get beyond test-taking and on to those all-important other elements of your application? Farrell Nelson, an MBA admissions consultant, has advice for candidates still struggling with the GMAT.
“It might make sense for you to go the Executive Assessment (EA) path,” says Farrell in a post on LinkedIn, “to give you the two-month minimum to differentiate yourself through your applications (essays, video essays, resume, data forms, recommendation stories/talking points and possibly interview prep.)”
But can MBA hopefuls who have been immersed in GMAT prep do well on the EA? Farrell says, “One of my super overrepresented candidates last year couldn’t get past 710 on the GMAT, but achieved an EA score in the 99th percentile with no additional prep, and cracked T20 US schools.”
This may be an exceptional result, but it shows that taking a practice EA is certainly worth a try. After all, the EA is only 90 minutes long.
Which Full-Time MBA Programs Accept the EA?
As the name suggests, the EA was designed for Executive MBA programs, and it is more common for the EA to be accepted by programs of that format. Neverthless, a number of of top-ranked, full-time MBA programs accept the EA. For the current admissions cycle, these include:
- Columbia Business School
- University of Virginia Darden School of Business
- Duke University Fuqua School of Business
- NYU Stern School of Business (test administered by Pearson VUE)
- UCLA Anderson School of Management
- University of Texas McCombs School of Business
- Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
Full-time MBA programs outside the U.S. accepting the EA include:
- ESMT Berlin
- The University of St. Gallen
An extensive list of programs accepting the EA can be fiund at mba.com.
What’s The Down Side?
Not all full-time MBA programs accept the EA. It is very important to check each school to which you plan to apply, to be sure you can present whatever score that program requires.
It’s also worth asking each school whether they prefer GMAT or GRE scores when considering applicants for scholarships.
This is a rapidly-developing landscape, so make sure your information is current. The definitive source is the program itself.
Test-Optional Is Another Possibility
It bears mentioning that some programs allow candidates to apply without presenting a test score. Research this option carefully before deciding against any form of testing.
The Bottom Line
The GMAT or GRE is the safest and most well-trodden path to admission and scholarship aid at full-time MBA programs. In an ideal scenario, candidates achieved optimal scores weeks or even months ago. But we are entering a period when applicants with pressing deadlines may be faced with difficult choices.
As LaBalle reminds candidates, “if your applications aren’t compelling, the test score is a moot point.”
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