Graduate Management Admission Test Scores Research Articles

Culture, Gender, and GMAT Scores: Implications for Corporate Ethics

Business leadership increasingly requires a master’s degree in business and graduate management admission test (GMAT) scores continue to be an important component of applications for admission to such programs. Given the ubiquitous use of GMAT scores as gatekeepers for business leadership, GMAT scores are likely to influence organizational ethical behavior through gender, cultural, and other biases in the GMAT. There is little prior literature in this area and we contribute by empirically documenting that GMAT scores are negatively related to the cultural dimensions of masculinity and power distance and are positively related to math literacy, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism. We estimate that cultural factors may account for as much as an 80-point difference in cross-national mean GMAT scores which are also related negatively to local language literacy, national educational spending, wealth per capita, wealth inequality, and gender development. Most interestingly, we also find a significant negative association of GMAT scores with ethical orientation. These findings have important implications for business schools and corporate ethics and leadership.

Quality Of Education Outcomes: The Role Of The Graduate Management Admission Test

Although the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is considered by leading business institutions worldwide as a predictor of success in graduate programs, an issue of contention is whether the introduction of the examination enhances the quality of education outcomes. This study sought to obtain an understanding of this issue, focusing on Masters in Business Administration (MBA) students at the College of Business and Management Science (CoBAMS), Makerere University. The academic achievement of MBA enrollees and their candidature status (i.e., whether candidates progressed normally or not) at the end of their first year of master’s studies were adopted as measures of education outcomes. The investigations are based on administrative data of 216 enrollees in the MBA program at CoBAMS in the 2010 and 2011 enrollment cohorts. Unlike the 2010 enrollees, those in the 2011 cohort were admitted to the program on the basis of their GMAT scores. In the analysis, differentials in the candidature status and academic achievement of enrollees before and after the introduction of the GMAT were investigated using the Pearson chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis test statistics, respectively. The results revealed that students who were not admitted to the MBA program on the basis of the GMAT had better education outcomes. This finding diminishes the relevance of the examination in determining the academic competence of candidates suitable for admission. Though the results affirm the bachelor degree achievement as a predictor of success in the MBA program, varying conclusions compared to literature are reached with regard to education outcomes obtained by whether or not the GMAT requirement is waived.

Graduate Management Admission Test Outcomes And The Academic Achievement: A Study On Masters Of Business Administration Students At Makerere University, Uganda

This study investigates whether the outcomes of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) can predict the academic achievement of enrollees in masters programs. The study is based on administrative data of 516 Masters of Business Administration (MBA) enrollees at the College of Business and Management Science, Makerere University in the 2011 and 2012 enrollment cohorts. The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in the bachelor’s degree and that of the first year of master’s studies were adopted as measures of the academic achievement of enrollees. In the analysis, academic achievement of MBA enrollees was modeled using a robust regression by GMAT scores obtained during admission to the program and student characteristics—gender, other qualification, year of completion and outcome of the bachelor’s degree, and whether the candidate obtained his/her bachelor’s degree from Makerere University. In the results, a high GMAT score was significantly associated with high academic achievement among graduate students. This evidence suggests that the theory of an aptitude or admission test being a predictor of academic achievement of learners holds across disciplines. However, a significant association established in the results between the academic achievement of learners at the undergraduate and graduate stages indicates that the undergraduate achievement can be recommended as a cost free alternative for assessing the competence of candidates suitable for admission to the graduate program.

Efficiency of the top 50 business schools in the United States

This article measures efficiency of the top 50 business schools in the United States in 2006, using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. We use peer assessment (to represent school quality) and average Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores (to represent student ability) as inputs and average starting salary and the percent of graduates employed upon graduation as outputs. The 50 business schools consist of 27 private schools and 23 public schools, and their efficiency scores are compared. We find that although technical efficiencies of private and public schools are both high, scale and overall efficiencies of the public schools are lower than those of the private schools. And most public schools exhibit Increasing Returns To Scale (IRTS). The returns to scale in this article refers to increases in the output measures – starting salary and the employment rates – in response to increases in the quality of inputs – peer assessment and the average GMAT scores. Hence, schools that exhibit IRTS will experience more than proportionate increases in starting salary and the employment rates by raising the quality of inputs. The policy implication is that for many public schools, efficiency will be improved if they could improve school and student quality levels.

The inspection time and over-claiming tasks as predictors of MBA student performance

Elementary cognitive tasks (ECTs) are typically used in laboratory settings for basic research on the structure of intelligence. More recently, ECTs have been shown to predict important educational and clinical outcomes. Here we found that ECTs possess both criterion and incremental validity over IQ and the graduate management admission test (GMAT) as predictors of ( N = 116) MBA student grades and scores on a capstone exam. Validity coefficients for the ECTs ranged from 0.24 to 0.50. A median split on an ECT component showed that the best-performing ECT group had substantially higher grades, exam scores, IQs and GMAT scores. The inspection time ECT possessed significant incremental validity over both IQ and the GMAT. ECTs could therefore be promising additions to the arsenal of assessment techniques currently used in predicting important real-world outcomes.

The Validity of Graduate Management Admission Test Scores

The validity of Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores is examined by summarizing 273 studies conducted between 1997 and 2004. Each of the studies was conducted through the Validity Study Service of the test sponsor and contained identical variables and statistical methods. Validity coefficients from each of the studies were corrected for restriction of range on the predictors. The interquartile range of the validity coefficients for the combination of GMAT scores and undergraduate grades in predicting early graduate school performance was .45 to .63. Further examination of study findings showed that higher validity coefficients were observed for executive MBA programs compared to either full-time or part-time programs. There appeared to be no measurable differences in results for public versus private institutions. For programs not located at U.S. institutions, quantitative scores showed lower average validity coefficients compared to programs located in the United States.

Evaluating the Predictive Validity of Graduate Management Admission Test Scores

Admissions data and first-year grade point average (GPA) data from 11 graduate management schools were analyzed to evaluate the predictive validity of Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) scores and the extent to which predictive validity held across sex and race/ethnicity. The results indicated GMAT verbal and quantitative scores had substantial predictive validity, accounting for about 16% of the variance in graduate GPA beyond that predicted by undergraduate GPA. When these scores and undergraduate GPA were used together, they accounted for approximately 25% of the variation in first-year graduate GPA. Correcting correlations for restriction of range improved the predictive power. No statistical differences were found across examinee groups defined by race/ethnicity and sex, which suggests a lack of bias in these scores. The predictive utility of GMAT analytical writing scores was relatively low, accounting for only about 1% of the variation in graduate GPA, after accounting for undergraduate GPA and GMAT verbal and quantitative scores.

Assessing practical intelligence in business school admissions: A supplement to the graduate management admissions test

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is the most widely used measure of managerial potential in MBA admissions. GMAT scores, although predictive of grades in business school, leave much of the variance in graduate school performance unexplained. The GMAT also produces disparities in test scores between groups, generating the potential for adverse impact in the admissions process. We sought to compensate for these limitations by adding measures of practical intelligence to the admissions process in an MBA program. We developed two approaches to measuring practical intelligence, one knowledge-based and the other skill-based. We administered the resulting measures to two samples of incoming MBA students (total N = 792). Across the two studies, we found that scores on both measures predicted success inside and outside the classroom and provided small, yet significant, increments beyond GMAT scores and undergraduate GPA in the prediction of variance in MBA performance. We further found that these measures exhibited less disparity across gender and racial/ethnic groups than did the GMAT. These findings, although preliminary, suggest the potential value of considering a broader range of abilities in admissions testing.

Creative Thinking, a Cognitive Aptitude, and Integrative Joint Gain: A Study of Negotiator Creativity

Creativity in a negotiation situation is described as a unique construct. The use of creative decision-making skills such as fluency, flexibility, and originality are hypothesized to allow negotiators to find tradeoffs and maximize joint gain. The relation between creativity and negotiation success is further complicated by the dyadic nature of the negotiation situation. Results show that although the additive creativity of both members of a negotiating dyad is a significant predictor of integrative joint gain, the higher individual creativity score of the negotiating dyad is an even stronger predictor of joint gain. This indicates that one highly creative individual is sufficient to recognize the potential for integrative joint outcomes. Graduate Management Admission Test scores were also found to be a significant predictor of integrative joint gain. These findings tie the theoretical work on creativity of Torrance and others to the art of negotiation.

ESTIMATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN USE OF TEST‐PREPARATION METHODS AND SCORES ON THE GRADUATE MANAGEMENT ADMISSION TEST

ABSTRACTThis study sought to examine the relationship between five methods of test preparation and test performance as measured by Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) Verbal (V), Quantitative (Q) and Total (T) scores. Data on method of test preparation were obtained through voluntary examinee response to the following five questions which appeared on the answer sheets:In preparing for this test, did you: Study the sample questions in the GMAT registration bulletin? Work through an actual GMAT published by ETS? Use a book not published by ETS on how to prepare for the GMAT? Attend a test preparation or coaching course for the GMAT? Undertake on your own any review of mathematics? One sample of first‐time test takers and one sample of second‐time test takers were selected from among the 185,525 1981–82 GMAT examinees who were U.S. citizens. Multiple regressions using GMAT scores as dependent variables and test preparation, undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and sex as independent variables were computed separately for first‐time examinees who were members of the Afro‐American/Black, Caucasion/White, Oriental/Asian and Spanish‐American U.S. citizen subgroups. Regressions (including first GMAT scores as independent variables) were also computed for all examinees in the sample who were taking the GMAT for the second time.FIRST‐TIME EXAMINEESThe percents of first‐time examinees electing to use each method varied, but the rank order of the frequency of using each method was consistent across the subgroups. The largest proportion of first‐time examinees reported that they had prepared by reviewing the bulletin, followed in descending order by using a test preparation book not prepared by ETS, undertaking their own study of mathematics, working through an actual GMAT, and attending a test preparation course. The study also found that examinees electing to use the various methods of preparation did not differ appreciably in previous academic performance as measured by undergraduate grade point average, but did vary slightly in age and amount of work experience.Results of the multiple regression analyses based on data from first‐time examinees differed across the four subgroups. The size of the coefficients associated with each method of preparation, as well as the corresponding standard errors, varied among the four subgroups. The same was true for the interaction effects between pairs of methods. The expected difference in verbal score for a “yes” response to “Studying a test review book not published by ETS” when the effects of the other independent variables were held constant, ranged from 1.6 to 3.2 scaled score points and were significant for all four subgroups. The difference in verbal scores for “Studying the Bulletin” ranged from 1.3 scaled score points for Afro‐American/Blacks to 4.0 scaled points for Oriental/Asians. The effects of using a review book or taking a review course ranged between .4 and 1.9 points on verbal and quantitative scores. Negative effects were associated with examinees' own review of mathematics. These effects were attributed to a confounding between self‐selection and method of preparation.SECOND‐TIME EXAMINEESThe sizes of the effects associated with each method of preparation for second‐time examinees were considerably less than those obtained using data from first‐time examinees. When previous test performance was held constant, the effect of using each of the methods of preparation was small. In fact, only the effects of using a test preparation book and of attending a test preparation course were significantly different from zero.The mean GMAT scores between second‐time examinees who did and did not use each method of preparation differed inconsistently and only slightly. Additionally, the magnitude of gain over the first administration score was very similar between examinees who used and did not use each method.CONCLUSIONSThis study has indicated that differences in GMAT scores do exist among examinees using different methods of preparing for the examination. However, it was shown that when initial ability, as measured by GMAT first score, was controlled, the sizes of the effects of studying the GMAT bulletin, working through an actual GMAT, and reviewing mathematics were not significantly different from zero. The effects of the methods on GMAT scores of first‐time examinees, for whom a previous score was not available to use as a covariate, were larger. In those analyses (in which self‐reported UGPA was used as a less effective control on ability), the largest effects associated with any method over the other were about 4, 3 and 33 verbal, quantitative and total score points, respectively. However, the effects of using these methods are confounded with the characteristics of examinees who choose to use each method. The effects resulted from a combination of self‐selection and preparation. There do appear to be relationships between method of preparation and test scores. However, it must be emphasized that it does not necessarily follow that using any of the methods of preparation causes an increase in scores.

Ability Testing and Graduate Admissions: Decision Process Modeling and Validation

The admissions process for a graduate Master of Business Administration (MBA) program was modeled for 406 applicants to a newly designed MBA program. The decision process model was then applied to a sample of students admitted to and enrolled in an old MBA program, where less stringent admissions procedures had been used. Results supported the adequacy of both Graduate Management Admission Test scores and undergraduate grades in the prediction of admissions officer decisions as well as the validity of such information in the prediction of graduate performance and turnover. The results are discussed in light of the recent criticisms of the use of standardized tests as admissions criteria for programs of higher education.

GMAT Scores and Performance: Selecting Students into a Graduate Management School

Research shows that scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) are positively correlated with academic performance at graduate management schools. This study replicates this finding on Australian data and extends the analysis to cover performance at the individual course level as well as for aggregate grade point average. This traditional treatment of the data while directed at the admission decision is in fact structured to explain variance in performance. A novel analysis is presented in parallel which investigates the trade–off between Type I errors (rejecting a student who would pass) and Type II errors (accepting a student who fails). This reveals that, while GMAT may be a good predictor of performance, it is an inefficient discriminator for selection purposes.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCORES ON THE GRADUATE MANAGEMENT ADMISSION TEST AND THE TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

ABSTRACTIn addition to scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), which are required of applicants to a substantial number of graduate management schools, foreign candidates may also be required to submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as an Indication of English language proficiency.The present study provides an analysis of the relationships among TOEFL and GMAT total scores and subscores for a large sample of foreign GMAT candidates. The results suggest that the apparent “discrepancies” between TOEFL scores and GMAT verbal scores are, because of differences in score scales, norming populations, intended purposes, and levels of difficulty, to be expected. The relationships (and “discrepancies”) between TOEFL and GMAT scores are relatively similar for candidates from several countries.