GMAT 101

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMT) is the standardized test that is required for admission to most MBA programs (though more and more programs are accepting the GRE these days. Like the SAT or ACT for high school students being considered for college, the GMAT provides a standard measure of all candidates – there is no other component of the MBA application that allows for this. For example, while all candidates’ undergraduate grade point averages are based on a 4.0 scale, the GPA does not account for course difficulty (an A in Basketweaving 101 is more valuable than a B in Astrophysics 300). Like it or not, the standardized test is an important factor in the MBA admissions process.

The GMAT is designed as a predictor of academic success in the first year of an MBA program, i.e., the candidate with the higher GMAT score is expected to perform better in business school. There is some correlation between the GMAT and first year performance, but ultimately your success in business school will be driven by your efforts while in school (not some test before school).