TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST?
GMAT – GRE?
THAT IS THE QUESTION?
The $ 64,000 question many grad school applicants quite often ask is:
Does your grad school program require the GMAT or GRE as an admission requirement?
If the answer is YES the next question usually is – WHY?
If the answer is NO more often than not your grad program draws the attention of the applicant.
Many of us in higher education have often wondered why college and universities place such a heavy reliance on the GRE or GMAT as a predictor of student success for their grad programs. The GRE or GMAT are standardized exams that test “skills” that individuals possess. They are randomized tests much like the SAT that perhaps have outlived their usefulness. A single standardized test should not outweigh a 360 degree review of an applicants achievements whether they be personal, professional or academic. An applicant should be judged on the merits of several factors. Even the designers of the GRE, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) suggest that the test not be the sole determinant for the admission of an applicant to grad school. Plus the reliability of scores on tests like the GRE have been studied for years. See “The Reliability of GRE Scores in Predicting Student Success in Graduate School Success”.
A few colleges and universities have eliminated the GRE and GMAT as admission requirements (University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, Capella University and Walden University.) They have been forward thinking when it comes to standardized tests and view the undergraduate GPA, work experience, a good resume, letters of recommendation along with a professional letter or statement of intent as the true indicators of student success in graduate school. The last time we checked the University of Phoenix had over 75,000 students.
So for these authors?
We lean towards a 360* review on an applicant. Less emphasis on the GRE or GMAT is required and perhaps even the elimination of these exams.
But if the graduate school you are interested requires the GMAT or GRE as an admission requirement there is help. Please check out the following web sites:
Tags: admissions, exams
