Commentary: Test Scores Are Hiding Some Of Japan’s Best MBA Talent

Five days after Duke Fuqua rejected one of my clients, Stanford GBS admitted him.

His GMAT score was in the low 600s on the old scale. That was the obvious weakness in his application. The rest of his record told a very different story. He was a scientist with a PhD, his company had selected him for sponsorship, and outside work he volunteered as a choreographer for community musicals. Stanford looked beyond the score. Once there, he contributed in the classroom and used his musical background to organize a performance with classmates for the GSB Show. After earning his MBA, he returned to his company and eventually moved into a senior leadership position.

Duke and several other schools focused on his GMAT score. Conversely, Stanford focused on his overall profile and saw the person behind the numbers. This happened several years ago, so it is no reflection on Duke’s current admissions team. Still, the contrast reflects what I have seen throughout my 26 years advising Japanese applicants to international MBA programs. I have worked with many people who had the intelligence, experience, discipline, and motivation to succeed at a top business school but struggled with the GMAT or TOEFL.

Business schools often say they take a holistic approach. Some genuinely do. Too often, however, scores still carry more weight than the rest of the application deserves. Japan is certainly not the only country where strong candidates are held back by test scores. I am focusing on Japan because that is where my experience lies and where I have seen the problem firsthand.

TESTS HAVE VALUE BUT THEY HAVE LIMITS

I am not suggesting that schools disregard test scores. The GMAT provides useful evidence about quantitative and verbal reasoning, while the TOEFL helps schools judge whether an international applicant is ready to study in English. An applicant with a GMAT score in the low 400s and a TOEFL score of 80 is clearly not ready for a top global MBA program. Schools have a responsibility to admit students who can handle the work and contribute in class.

I’m talking about candidates whose scores are closer to the margins. A score below a school’s average does not automatically mean that the person cannot succeed. It means the school should look more carefully at the other evidence.

2 MORE CANDIDATES WHO BEAT THE NUMBERS

One of my clients was a self-sponsored working mother whose final GMAT score was below 600. Also, she also applied in the third round, when few seats remained. Those were two clear disadvantages. Yet Chicago Booth recognized qualities that her score did not capture. Outside of work, she led a local campaign to prevent the privatization of her local preschool. Her activism showed initiative, persistence, and a willingness to take responsibility for something that mattered to her community. She applied to several schools. Only Booth recognized her strengths and admitted her.

Another client worked in finance. His GMAT score was in the low 600s, and his TOEFL score was barely 100. Several schools ranked below Wharton rejected him. Wharton initially placed him on the waitlist but eventually admitted him. What impressed me most was not that he reached 100, but that his TOEFL score had been only 50 one year earlier. He doubled his score while working full time. Combined with his rapid advancement at work, that showed both his ability and his determination to improve. Wharton looked beyond his test scores and recognized his potential.

These candidates were outliers. They were fortunate that top schools looked beyond their scores and recognized what they could bring to an MBA program. But the schools were fortunate too. They gained talented, hardworking students who were determined to succeed.

Unfortunately, other equally strong candidates were not given the same opportunity. I have worked with similarly impressive people who could not break into the M7 because of their scores. Some attended lower-ranked American schools or European programs that placed less emphasis on test scores. The vast majority excelled academically and went on to successful post-MBA careers. Their success showed that the schools that rejected them had underestimated them.

WHY JAPANESE SCORES NEED CONTEXT

In my experience, including what I have seen with my own daughters, Japan’s English education system leaves many otherwise strong applicants at a disadvantage. I regularly see lopsided GMAT results from Japanese candidates: outstanding quantitative scores combined with much lower verbal scores. Those results identify a real weakness, but they do not show the candidate’s ambition, work ethic, or willingness to step far outside a familiar environment.

Japanese MBA applicants usually fall into two broad groups. The first group is sponsored by an employer. A large Japanese company may select only one or two employees from a workforce of thousands for overseas study. That decision says a lot about a candidate. The company is investing heavily in someone it considers a future leader, usually after years of observing their performance. Sponsored candidates also face a practical disadvantage. Some learn that they have been selected only a short time before the application deadlines. They must prepare intensively for the GMAT and TOEFL while continuing to work full time. Schools should consider both the company’s endorsement and the limited preparation window when evaluating the final scores.

The second group is self-sponsored. These applicants are willing to leave secure jobs and make an enormous personal investment in an overseas education. Many prepare for tests while working 60-hour weeks. I have had clients tell me that although their MBA programs were demanding, they had more time with their families in business school than they had while working in Japan. Every year, these high achievers prove that they can handle a heavy workload.

Of course, ambition and hard work are not enough by themselves. Candidates still need to be ready for the academic demands of an MBA program and able to study in English. But when their scores are close to the acceptable range, schools should pay close attention to what they have already accomplished and how quickly they have improved. Both are strong indicators of their potential to succeed in business school.

WHAT BUSINESS SCHOOLS SHOULD DO

A holistic review should make a real distinction between a candidate who is clearly unprepared and one whose score falls modestly below the class average. Schools should pay close attention to academic history, professional progression, employer sponsorship, interview performance, and improvement over time. They can also use practical alternatives when they see potential but still have concerns. A school might require a quantitative preparation course before enrollment, conduct an additional interview, or recommend intensive English study before classes begin. These approaches require more judgment than applying an informal score cutoff, but they give the school a better chance of identifying talent.

Test scores may seem to provide an easy way to compare applicants, but that comparison is incomplete. Scores do not show the intangibles: work ethic, ambition, leadership, resilience, and the willingness to step far outside one’s comfort zone. Stanford, Booth, and Wharton looked beyond the numbers and saw what other schools missed. In doing so, they brought outstanding students into their programs. Japan has many more candidates like them. Business schools willing to look past one low score may be rewarded with some of Japan’s best MBA talent.

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Jeff Roah is the founder and principal consultant of Roah Consulting in Tokyo. He has advised Japanese applicants to international MBA and other graduate business programs since 2001. He also teaches intercultural communication at Keio University and Meiji Gakuin University.

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