By Nathaniel Luce
Vanderbilt Business is excited to announce that the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has partnered with the Vanderbilt Executive MBA (EMBA) program to accept the Executive Assessment (“EA”), a brand new 90-minute assessment designed to evaluate business school readiness in the context of career experience.
The Vanderbilt EMBA program has historically required the GMAT® exam for all candidates, but the Executive Assessment will now serve as an alternative for qualified applicants to the EMBA program. Vanderbilt is proud to be one of 11 elite schools to use this new state-of-the-art assessment.
“Vanderbilt is pleased to be among a select, world-class group of Executive MBA programs now accepting the Executive Assessment,” says Juli Bennett, Executive Director of the Executive MBA and Americas MBA programs. “This new tool is designed to better evaluate the skills our most experienced applicants have developed throughout their careers. Our objective remains to ensure that incoming students are prepared for our transformative curriculum.”
“We are thrilled to have partnered with the faculty, admissions, and career services teams at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management,” says Manish Dharia, Director of Product Development at the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). “The result is an enhanced capability for Owen to connect with talented Executive MBA candidates and evaluate their academic readiness. We are excited that Owen has joined a growing list of early adopters of the Executive Assessment.”
What are the benefits of the Executive Assessment (EA)?
The EA is easy to schedule year-round at over 600 test centers, and test-takers can reschedule as many times as they’d like without additional fees, so long as they offer 24-hour notice.
At 90 minutes, the EA is much shorter than the four-hour GMAT exam and requires only modest preparation. The exam, consisting of three 30-minute sections with 40 total questions, measures skills that are critical both at work and in an EMBA program, such as higher-order reasoning, critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving. While the exam is geared toward busy professionals, preparation is still required.
Who qualifies to take the Executive Assessment instead of the GMAT exam?
All candidates interested in taking the EA should contact the Vanderbilt EMBA admissions team to confirm their eligibility. Professionals with eight to 10 years of experience in management – on a project, budget, or personnel level – are considered best-suited to take the EA instead of the GMAT exam.
When does it make sense to take the Executive Assessment instead of the GMAT exam?
EA-eligible candidates should review the scope of their search before registering for any exam. The EA might not be the right choice for those considering multiple program types (Executive, Full-time, Part-time, etc.) and/or multiple programs that don’t accept the EA. The Vanderbilt EMBA admissions team is happy to help all candidates weigh their options.
About GMAC: The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a global, nonprofit association of 220 leading graduate business schools. Founded in 1953, we are actively committed to advancing the art and science of admissions by convening and representing the industry and offering best-in-class products and services for schools and students. GMAC owns and administers the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®), used by more than 6,500 graduate programs worldwide, and the NMAT by GMAC™ exam, for entrance into graduate management programs in India. The Council is based in Reston, Va., with offices in London, New Delhi (Gurgaon) and Hong Kong. For information on assessments, study tools and services for candidates, visit www.mba.com. For information about The Council and our market intelligence, professional development opportunities and services for graduate management education, please visit www.gmac.com.
Contact Person: Nate Luce Director of Business News and Communications
Contact Phone: 615.322.3469
Contact Email: nate.luce@owen.vanderbilt.edu
