The test was developed by Pearson, a global leader in education and education technology, to develop a more accurate test for measuring students’ English language skills. GMAC has been collaborating with Pearson since 2006 in developing the test.

The computer-based PTE Academic includes speaking and voice recording capabilities. Score reports that schools receive include a 30-second audio clip of the test taker’s speech. The test will be used by universities, government departments, and other organizations requiring English proficiency. More than 770 schools and programs worldwide have already indicated interest in recognizing the new test.

Mark Anderson, president of Pearson Language Tests, said that PTE Academic was “a world class test, developed by world class test professionals” in response to a thirst among education professionals for a language test “that does what it is supposed to do, which is tell you how good people are with English or not.” Anderson said that the new test will be delivered via Pearson’s “established international network of test centers with the highest level of security that exists of its kind in this business.”

“We consistently hear from universities that no test today provides an accurate measure of a prospective student’s speaking ability,” said David A. Wilson, GMAC president and CEO. “Schools have a real need for a language assessment that measures the skills needed for successful class participation and group work, critical elements in graduate management education programs around the world. We are delighted to be working with Pearson, the worldwide global leader in publishing and assessment for education, on such an innovative exam.”

“PTE Academic is a step forward in the evolution of testing of English for different accents, cultures, and nationalities,” said Javier Muñoz Parrondo, director of MBA admissions at the University of Navarra IESE Business School.

Patricia Cudney, director of MBA admissions at the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, said that the Cox School chose to start accepting PTE Academic to get an extra edge in assessing language skills.

“The way that the PTE combines information, asking someone to read and then speak about it, or to listen and then write about it, you’re testing people in a different way,” Cudney said. “We’re hoping that will allow us to bring in people with the best possible communications skills.”

“PTE Academic will enable admissions professionals to listen to a recorded speech sample,” noted John Elliott, vice president and dean of the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, City University of New York. “This element is critical in making difficult admission decisions. We also like its innovative design and other capabilities—and we know that it will be administered with the same high standards of security that characterize the Graduate Management Admission Test—ensuring us that the test taker and the applicant for admission are the same person.” Zicklin, the largest US school of business and a GMAC member, was the first in the country to recognize PTE Academic.

“PTE Academic is going to help schools, I think better than any assessment they’ve ever seen, to admit candidates who are going to be able to thrive,” Wilson said. “It will be the standard, in no time, because it is going to offer the very best assessment and schools will be able to bring to their classrooms the people who can make the dialogue as rich as possible.”

For more information about PTE Academic, visit www.pearsonpte.com. Videos on the test and student critiques are available on YouTube.