Business School Adds GMAT to Criteria for Admission

The Business School (HBS) will add the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) to the portfolio of criteria used to evaluate a candidate's application to its M.B.A. Program, effective for those applying for admission for September 1997 and beyond.

According to Jill Fadule, the School's director of admissions, "GMAT scores will be only one piece of an applicant's portfolio, which also includes such items as transcripts, essays, letters of recommendation, and, in many cases, HBS admissions interview results. The decision to require GMAT scores in the admissions process after an 11-year hiatus reflects the fact that there have been significant improvements in the structure of the test. In addition, the School and the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), which administers the GMAT, are committed to work together to continuously improve the test."

One recent addition to the GMAT is a writing assessment, which, given the importance of writing skills in the HBS Program, provides the School with valuable information about a candidate's capabilities in writing and analytic expression. The GMAT also is now more widely available around the world than in the past and it is easier for applicants to register for the test. In addition, in October 1997, the GMAT will cease to be a paper and pencil test for the vast majority of test takers. Instead, it will be offered on a computer platform and anyone wishing to take the test can make an appointment by telephone, rather than being limited to four Saturdays a year.

"The Council is very pleased with Harvard Business School's decision," says David A. Wilson, president and CEO of the Graduate Management Admissions Council. "Over the years, we have continuously adapted and improved the GMAT to keep pace with changes in management education. We look forward to Harvard's active participation with us as we move to the next levels together." "We have a long-term relationship with the GMAC, which has asked us to work with them to improve the test," adds Professor Steven C. Wheelwright, chair of the M.B.A. Program. "The mission of HBS is to train students for leadership in organizations. Therefore, we look forward to working with GMAC to determine what, for example, the predictors of leadership potential might be and exploring how traits closely tied to leadership can best be identified, measured, and developed."

"Applications to HBS are at an all-time high," adds Fadule. "Our applicants include so many extraordinary people from more varied backgrounds, and with such richly different experiences from all over the world. The GMAT will offer all applicants to HBS an opportunity to provide a standardized measure of their verbal, quantitative, analytical, and writing skills. Along with undergraduate performance, work experience, and recommendations, the test score provides the School with additional evaluative data."

Last year, Harvard Business School received nearly 7,000 applications for 900 spaces in its M.B.A. Program, the largest number of applications of any business school. This year's applications have increased to over 7,800. The School's yield (percentage of admitted candidates who choose to enroll) is consistently above 86 percent, the highest ratio of any business school in the United States.