How Taking the GMAT Exam Can Point You to Your Best Fit Program

The GMAT Exam is the world’s most widely used business school entrance exam, accepted by more than 7,500 institutions.

If you’re planning on applying to business school – whether that’s a top MBA program in the US, a Master in Management in France, or a specialized master's in Singapore – chances are you’ll need to take the GMAT to secure your place.

Taking the GMAT also unlocks access to various resources offered by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), which owns and administers the exam.

Resources like the My Recommendations tool and GMAC™ GradSelect can match you with the programs around the world that best fit your needs.

Access the world’s business schools with the GMAT

Not only do the majority of business school candidates prefer the GMAT over other tests like the GRE, business schools also place a high value on the exam.

It’s an indicator of your academic ability, which proves to schools that you’re capable of meeting the requirements of a tough business school degree.

The GMAT also helps business schools assess all applicants on a standardized basis, explains Boban Sulic, deputy director of admissions at ESMT Berlin.

“Since our applicants come from different countries, cultures, academic backgrounds, and levels of work experience, this is one of the means to ensure a consistent comparable measure,” he says.

That’s why the GMAT is the most popular test at schools across the globe and many tend to favor the GMAT over other exams.

Your business school application will be assessed on a range of factors, including your GPA, essays, and work experience. But if you take the GMAT, you can be sure that your application will appeal to the widest possible range of schools, making it easier to find your best fit program.

Find your best fit program with the My Recommendations tool

With the world’s business schools at your fingertips, it can be tough to decide which schools to apply to.

The My Recommendations tool l service can help you decide. Based on information you provide, the tool curates tailored program suggestions that fit your profile.

It suggests up to 10 programs based on an algorithm which assesses factors like your intended industry, region of study, and program type, along with your test score – which is assessed on a global and regional level.

“I’m sure you’ve shopped online or watched a show on a streaming service and received recommendations based on your profile, behavior, and ‘people who behaved like you,’” explains Maite Salazar, chief marketing officer at GMAC.

“The My Recommendations tool is something similar for graduate management programs.”

The service also gives you a competitiveness rating for each of your schools by assessing the average scores and number of applications they receive against your GMAT score.

After helping you decide which schools to target, My Recommendations provides a platform to easily send your GMAT score to your recommended schools for them to assess.

“This free step is GMAC’s attempt to assist candidates in this crucial stage of the application process,” says Salazar.

Connect with your best fit business schools with GMAC™ GradSelect 

While My Recommendations tool will point you to your best fit programs, another free GMAC tool, GMAC™ GradSelect, allows leading global business schools to assess you as a candidate and reach out to you directly to offer information on things like scholarships and financial aid.

Relying on information you share in your mba.com profile, the GradSelect referral service connects you with over 500 of the world’s top business schools, more than any other search service, which improves your chances of finding your best fit program. By completing your mba.com profile, GradSelect helps you stand out to schools in a competitive market.

Taken as a package, the variety of tools available after taking the GMAT mean that each application you send will be to a school that best fits your aims and interests, ensuring they can have the best possible impact on your career.

“We understand that a candidate’s decision to pursue graduate business education can be a painstaking one,” says Salazar from GMAC.

“We intrinsically believe that, not only is there a school for everyone but there exists a graduate program that is the best fit for everyone too.”