Several MBA Programs Drop GMAT As Requirement

A number of b-schools are waiving the GMAT as a requirement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, the Wisconsin School of Business, Rutgers Business School, and Northeastern University are among several B-schools that have gone test-optional, Business Insider reports. 

HARDSHIPS OF THE PANDEMIC

A number of B-schools, such as The University of Texas-Austin McCombs School of Business and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School, are offering test waivers for applicants directly affected by COVID-19.

“We understand that many people are experiencing hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that these challenges may be affecting your application plans and ability to take an exam due to testing center closures,” a statement by McCombs reads. “Due to the unprecedented circumstances, we are providing applicants who have been directly impacted by COVID-19, the opportunity to petition for a special test score exception.”

PUSH FOR MORE EQUALITY AND RELEVANCY

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly created a number of unprecedented circumstances.

And while dropping testing requirements will certainly make an MBA degree more attractive to prospective applicants, experts argue that admissions testing is actually deeply rooted in inequality.

“Testing in admissions has assessed not just what kids know, but the opportunities that they’ve had access to,” Michal Kurlaender, a professor of education policy at the University of California, tells NPR. “They reflect a lot of deep inequalities that we have in our system,” she says. “So, it means that when they’re used, they have to be used with incredible caution.”

In May, the University of California voted to phase out admissions testing requirements across several of its undergraduate campuses.

Experts say that if MBA programs want to stay relevant, institutions will need to rethink how they approach leadership and business in today’s world. Perhaps dropping standardized testing requirements is the first step.

“I didn’t take any classes on equality,” Marc Benioff, the founder of Salesforce, tells Fortune in 2019 of his MBA, “Or on sustainability. Or on stakeholderism…. The classes I took were on accounting, marketing, organizational behavior, leadership. That’s what business was. Well, that’s not what leadership and business is today.”

Sources: Business Insider, Texas McCombs MBA Insider, NPR, US News, Fortune