The weight of the MBA application components
If you are an MBA candidate, I bet I can guess your most frequent web searches. You search for MBA class profiles. You search for average GMAT and GRE at your dream MBA program.
And you ask:
“What are the most important parts of the MBA application?”
“What is the weight of the MBA application parts?”
“How much does the GMAT matter in MBA admission?”
“What is the importance of each component of my MBA application?”
You search because your GMAT is low and you are concerned this will doom your MBA admissions odds. Or because you got a monster GMAT and now you think your odds just shot up to the skies. Or maybe because you got a F in Intro to Calculus and a C+ in Accounting and you hope the MBA AdCom won’t notice (they will!).
When you search for the weight of the MBA application components, a chart comes up. It looks like this:
This is usually where the search ends and you either breath a sigh of relief or fall even deeper into the rabbit hole.
As always, the devil is in the details. I have seen the data that goes into this chart frequently misinterpreted by various MBA Admissions consulting sources.
I am here to suggest it’s better to understand “The weight of the MBA application components” chart and how it REALLY should be interpreted.
Let’s do this.
1) Let’s look into the weight and importance of the GMAT and GRE in the MBA application process.
First, it’s imperative to understand what exam scores means here and how this affects domestic vs. international candidates.
In the original survey, exam scores is not limited to GMAT/GRE as you might see some publications who use the results mistakenly imply. It’s simply “exams” and refers to standardized test scores in general. And the report will tell you that “One admissions criteria uniquely affects international candidates, who usually must clear the added hurdle of becoming fluent in the English language. Across all graduate management programs, English language proficiency exam results carry a minimum weight of 50 percent in relation to all other admissions factors for non- native English speakers, highlighting its importance.”
2) Let’s double click on the role of your GPA in the MBA admissions process.
As you see, the criteria is not simply GPA or “undergraduate GPA” as you will so often seen incorrectly interpreted. It’s “academic transcripts”. There is a reason why MBA programs choose to frame it this way. While your GPA matters a lot, what actually gets evaluated is your entire academic history. You can learn all about that in the “Ultimate Guide to the GPA in the MBA Admissions Process”.
Watch the full analyses of the weight of the MBA Application parts.
3) Let’s talk about when and how this chart was created.
The data came from the 2015 GMAC Application Trends Survey report. Anyone who has spent time actually working in MBA admissions, knows that GMAC data is second to none. The Graduate Management Admissions Council is the global association of leading graduate business schools. GMAC also owns and administrates the GMAT exam. The organization has decades long record of producing reliable, comprehensive, and extremely valuable data that serves academic institutions and candidates alike.*
While there is absolutely no reason to discount the data in the survey, it’s old. MBA admissions has changed dramatically since 2015. Test waivers, alternative assessment tools, the increase of candidates taking the GRE have all contributed to the changing dynamic of the very nature of assessment in graduate management education.
4) Let’s understand what MBA programs this data applies to.
This particular chart reflects the survey results for Full-Time Two Year programs only. If you are interested in any other format – One-Year MBA programs, Part-Time MBAs, Master in Finance or Master in Management degrees, the numbers shift – you can find them in the original report.
5) Let’s look at what schools this data represents.
As the report outlines, “a total of 306 business schools and faculties worldwide participated in the survey and submitted data for 641 graduate management programs”. This means that the data should not be interpreted to reflect the approach of any one specific segment of schools. It’s a global view, representing a very large number of programs worldwide and not necessarily that of the highest ranked schools – the ones that candidates most often worry about, given the very competitive nature of the MBA admissions process at the top MBA programs.
So as you look at the chart, these are the important nuances to take into account.
Now, you may be reading this and asking what better data is out there? The short answer is none. The long answer is different. There is only one part of this chart that you should really care about and it’s not the GMAT or GRE weight.
In your quest for admission to your dream MBA program, the most important part you need to understand – and one that is fully supported by this survey! – is that MBA admissions is holistic. Business schools care about all the facets of YOU.
To fully appreciate this, there is no better insight to consider than perhaps to look at what the Stanford GSB tells you in their evaluation criteria for the MBA admissions process:
“We base our evaluation on your whole application, and we take into account factors such as your background, experiences, perspectives, aspirations, values, and accomplishments. No single component — whether your academic performance, essays, test scores, letters of recommendation, work experience, or interview — determines your admission decision.”
So what do you do with all this? Get your copy of the “7 Essentials of Successful MBA Application Strategy” and roll up your sleeves!
Onwards and upwards,
Petia
P.S. You don’t have to pay a fortune to work with a top MBA admissions consultant. Most of my successful candidates use a simple 3-hour package.
*Disclaimer: While I spent time as an employee of the Graduate Management Admissions Council in my role as Managing Director of The MBA Tour (now called Tours), a subsidiary of GMAC, the views in this article are solely my own.