Don’t Want to Take the GMAT? You Probably Want an Online MBA
Credit: LumiNola / E+ / Getty Images- Most students who don’t take a graduate admissions test like the GMAT or GRE want an online MBA, according to an analysis by Validated Insights.
- That number has risen since the pandemic.
- Conversely, most test takers want an in-person MBA.
- A number of MBA programs have moved away from requiring the GMAT or GRE in recent years.
If you don’t take the GMAT, you’re likely looking to pursue an online master of business administration (MBA).
That’s the correlation revealed by new research from the higher education firm Validated Insights, which found that students who don’t take graduate admissions tests like the GMAT or GRE are much more likely to want an online education than those who do take the tests.
As of 2023, 60% of prospective students who don’t take an admissions test prefer an online MBA. An additional 18% want a hybrid format, and only 22% want in-person education.
Compare that to prospective students who take the test: Only 7% of those students indicated they prefer an online format, and 18% said they want a hybrid program. An overwhelming 75% of test takers want an in-person education.
The percentage of non-test takers who want an online education has increased drastically since the pandemic. In 2018, just 32% said they wanted a fully online program, and 57% wanted a hybrid program.
In fact, the hybrid format as a whole has fallen out of favor over the past six years. It was the preferred modality of 36% of MBA students in 2018, compared to 18% in 2023.
All this is according to the Validated Insights analysis of Educational Advisory Board (EAB), Educational Testing Services (ETS), and Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) data.
Brady Colby, head of market research at Validated Insights, told BestColleges that the differences between test takers and non-test takers points to a core difference in those two student populations.
“The thing that it illuminates is that the persona of a person that intends to or is pursuing a traditional on-campus MBA is very different than the persona of a person that is interested in or is doing an online MBA,” Colby said.
“They’re two completely different populations, different motivations, different needs, different wants, and it really just kind of highlighted that we’re really talking about almost two different buyer personas entirely.”
That could mean that people interested in online learning are “those that are hyper focused on flexibility and accessibility,” Colby said.
“All of the barriers to entry are things that they’re trying to avoid or things that make them less likely to enroll.”
It could also point to demographic differences between test takers and non-test takers, Colby added. Students who take the tests, for instance, might be more likely to be able to step away from their employment, while non-test takers want to earn an MBA without leaving the workforce.
A number of MBA programs have gone test-optional since the pandemic, although others have reinstated their testing requirements as the GMAT and GRE have undergone sweeping changes.
A Changing GMAT and GRE
The GMAT and GRE have both evolved to better meet the needs of students in recent years.
The GMAT Focus Edition became the sole version of the graduate management test last year after the previous version was sunsetted. The Focus Edition features a shorter testing time and more flexibility for students compared to past editions.
“I believe that we have achieved what we set out to do at the inception of the redesign more than two years ago, allowing business school aspirants to best demonstrate their capabilities in the most relevant and in-demand skill sets like critical thinking and data intelligence,” GMAC CEO Joy Jones said in a press release at the time.
“We are confident that business schools will benefit from the uptick of demonstrated interest and commitment from a more expansive and inclusive global applicant pool.”
The GMAT Focus Edition focuses on fields like data analytics, problem-solving, and critical reasoning. It’s almost an hour shorter than the previous version of the test.
The Focus Edition also drops the analytical writing section of the test, although the GMAC has since launched a separate writing assessment that some top schools now require for admission.
The GRE in 2023 shifted to require only half the time , featuring 46 fewer verbal and quantitative reasoning questions and reducing the number of analytical writing essays from two down to just one.
Should You Take a Graduate Admissions Test?
The unsatisfying answer is: It depends.
Even at test-optional programs, a GMAT or GRE score may buoy your application.
Take the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, which has a test-optional policy for its MBA program but still scored a record-setting GMAT score and 10-year-high average GRE score in its MBA class of 2026.
Evan Bouffides, senior associate dean of graduate programs at Olin, previously told BestColleges that the GMAT and GRE are recommended but not required.
“We ultimately leave it up to the candidate,” Bouffides said. “What we tell them is that, in the absence of test scores, all the other elements of your application will take on a heightened significance.”
Submitting a good graduate management test score can bolster your application, especially in the absence of significant work experience or a great undergraduate GPA.
Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business last year dropped its GMAT and GRE admissions requirement to its online MBA program.
Jordan Holladay, director of graduate recruiting for the Harbert College of Business, previously told BestColleges in an email that applicants will be “holistically evaluated based on their resume/professional experience, personal statement, college transcripts, and recommendations.”
But like other programs that have dropped GRE and GMAT requirements, Harbert applicants will still be able to submit an official test score that will be reviewed as an optional component of the application.
A number of executive MBA programs have moved away from GMAT and GRE requirements.
The University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management moved away from entrance exam requirements in 2024 and said in a press release that it would put a higher emphasis on “the value in the applicant’s career experience and the lessons each applicant has learned along the way.
“Removing the exam as a requirement rewards that experience.”