tailieunhanh - Does the GMAT Matter for Executive MBA Students? Some Empirical Evidence

A rather different perspective is offered by Kelsey and D’Souza (2004) who investigated the experiences of 31 students completing postgraduate agriculture courses by distance education. In their study, formal interactions between students were not built into the majority of the courses, but could occur through email, video conferencing and an online learning system. Disappointingly, despite purporting to explore whether interactions between learners. | Academy of Management Learning Education 2007 Vol. 6 No. 2 206-216. Does the GMAT Matter for Executive MBA Students Some Empirical Evidence DANIEL M. GROPPER Auburn University I examine the relation oi several iactors including the GMAT score undergraduate background and work experience to academic success in an executive MBA program. The GMAT score was found to have a weak ii any relation to overall academic success ior executive MBA students although it was positively and significantly related to performance in a smaller set oi iirst-year classes. I found work experience particularly career advancement to be signiiicantly and positively related to overall program periormance. The results also show some signiiicant grade diiierences by gender indicating that women periormed as well or better than men with similar credentials. Graduate Management Admission Test GMAT scores have long been a required part of the application process for many MBA programs including executive MBA EMBA programs. But does a GMAT score reveal something that cannot otherwise be discerned about whether a given applicant will be an academic success in an executive MBA program Simply put for executive MBA students does the GMAT really matter As business schools consider whether to require the GMAT for admission to their executive MBA programs and as an EMBA Council survey reports in 2005 increasing numbers no longer do this question deserves serious consideration. My purpose here is to provide some empirical evidence on the relationship between academic performance in EMBA programs and several measures which might be considered in admissions decisions including GMAT scores undergraduate GPA and several measures of work experience for I express my appreciation to Kimberly Kuerten Kaylin Fomby and Felix Verdigets for their help in assembling the data and to Roger Garrison Steve Caudill Bill Judge Richard Linowes Larry Abeln and session participants at the Executive MBA Council 2004 Annual .