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Getting into an EMBA Program without Taking GMAT (Part 1)
Generally, people who apply to executive MBA (EMBA) programs are highly experienced professionals —- many of which haven’t taken a standardized test for quite a few years. For many applicants, GMAT may be an additional hurdle to jump while already trying to manage work and school. Other applicants may have taken the GMAT and received a score that was not quite as high as they had anticipated.
But for EMBA applicants, there is good news! Because the age and experience demographic of EMBA applicants differs from the traditional MBA applicant pool, several EMBA programs have eliminated the GMAT requirement. Below we highlight some of most competitive EMBA programs that are already excellent schools, and, as an added plus, do not require GMAT.
Stern School of Business
Stern dropped its GMAT requirement for EMBA applicants way back in 2011. The decision to eliminate the GMAT was only done after a study showed that enrolled Stern EMBA test-takers did no better academically than enrolled Stern EMBA non-test-takers. Previously, Stern granted admission to EMBA students without GMAT due to a waiver policy in place. The study, however, proved to the admissions committee that GMAT was not an accurate display of a candidate’s ability and potential to excel in academia, and the GMAT requirement was eliminated altogether.
Needless to say, the school’s location in the heart of New York City provides endless advantages to executives looking to broaden their professional network or remain close the their company hub. The average enrollee, who has approximately 14 years of work experience, will leave with a degree from one of the world’s most renowned universities and a much wider network of contacts. Because the program allows executives to complete their course of study only two classes at a time, graduates walk out of the program without having sacrificed career or company time.
Sloan School of Management
Similar to Stern, Sloan agreed that the requirement to take the GMAT put an undue stress on executive applicants, and that scores did not correlate with performance once accepted to the program. Sloan only recently dropped their requirement for the GMAT, which drew the excitement of many top executives looking to pursue an EMBA, particularly those focused in any of Sloan’s specialized Action Learning Labs, such as the Global Entrepreneurship Lab or Sustainable Business Lab. However, it should be noted that applicants might want to take the GMAT if they feel their transcripts do not accurately represent their profile.
Johnson Graduate School of Management
Several years ago, Johnson forfeited the GMAT requirement as well, citing the inability to accurately test an executive’s ability to perform based on a standardized test. The Johnson admissions committee instead looks at a myriad of qualities from applicants, including organizational experience, academic readiness, motivation, and the ability to contribute to the learning of others. This is great news for executives who may not have the time to brush up on basic skills required for the GMAT. That said, Johnson has noted that they “may” require some applicants to take the GMAT as additional evidence to support a candidate’s academic preparedness for the program — meaning, they may ask for a GMAT score if your current academic record is less than acceptance.
Located near the center of thousands of companies stationed in New York City, Cornell University is excellently situated to offers its students real-world applicability and a fantastic alumni network. With two top EMBA program – the Cornell Executive MBA and the Cornell-Queen’s Executive MBA – Johnson provides classes not only through different locations and times to better suit students’ needs, but also through different delivery mediums, such as multi-point videoconferencing.