Doing well on a comprehensive MBA exam such as the GMAT demonstrates to prospective programs that a student has verbal and analytical abilities suitable to such a program. Specifically, the skills measured on examinations such as the GMAT include writing, analysis, mathematical and verbal. These are skills that translate both to management programs and in actual work environments.
Comprehensive MBA examinations such as the GMAT are also important in that they provide MBA programs with an effective selection criterion. In fact, more than 4,800 MBA programs use the GMAT as part of their admissions criteria. MBA programs want an efficient tool to screen their program candidates in order to decide whom to admit. Comprehensive standardized tests provide one such easily understood metric.
Another factor indicated by comprehensive MBA exams such as the GMAT is commitment. These tests are not trivial matters. Just taking such a test requires a great deal of preparation on the part of the applicant. As such, these tests are useful tools for both those taking them and those on admissions committees.
MBA programs exist in many different countries. Many of these institutions accept applicants from a variety of backgrounds. Deciding which applicant to accept and which to decline would prove difficult if there were no standard measures. A comprehensive test offered around the world, such as the GMAT, provides those on admissions committees a consistent, standardized measure by which they can judge their applicants. Comprehensive, standardized MBA exams provide increased objectivity, so that those reviewing applications can choose the best applicants.