The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is an internationally recognized postgraduate business degree. An MBA entrance exam is often required as the most significant part of the admission process for getting into the MBA programs.
The MBA is one of the most sought after career paths. Many graduates are attracted by the promises of high pay packages that are thought to follow a managerial education. Of course, those that are aiming for something higher than that, and have real business objectives for their future in mind, are usually the most successful both as the MBA students, and in their consequent managerial careers.
The MBA attracts the most ambitious and promising candidates from a wide range of academic disciplines, which makes the admissions very competitive. However, the admission requirements and the selection criteria vary from school to school, and from program to program.
The most common types of MBA entrance exams are the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) and the language proficiency test if English is not a candidate’s first language. Sometimes the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are also accepted.
The GMAT is a standardized test that an MBA candidate must pass to get into the graduate programs in business and management. It consists of four main sections: Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal. This computer-adaptive exam can be taken in more than 100 countries worldwide in secure, standardized testing centers.
The GRE is a standardized test that measures verbal and quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills that are not related to any specific field of study. Some schools combine the admissions test scores with your GPA to reach a certain acceptable score for entrance into their MBA program.
The most widely excepted English proficiency exam is the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). It is used to determine if a candidate’s level of English is advanced enough to study in an English speaking institution. The exam lasts for four hours and it consists of four sections: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. You can take a test in only one day, and retake it after only a week.
Most MBA admissions committees usually base their admission decisions on your GMAT scores combined with other criteria. Some schools won’t require the minimum exam scores – your scores simply compete with scores from all the other candidates. They might be looking for a resume containing significant work experience, references and letters of recommendation from instructors or employers, academic transcripts, and at least one essay from the applicant, or conduct personal interviews with the candidate.
The list of MBA entrance exams worldwide wouldn’t be complete without the newcomer SNAP (read more about this Indian MBA admissions test here: SNAP Exam information ).
