by Carlotta Mast

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The verbal and analytical writing assessments can also help admissions professionals gauge the English-language skills of international applicants. “We use the TOEFL score first and foremost,” Pihakis says, “but the analytical writing score often gives us a sense of their ability to reason in English.”

Hardwick of IESE says she uses the GMAT in conjunction with a candidate’s academic record and work history to assess other, more intangible qualities, such as motivation.

“When we see a weaker academic background on a candidate, sometimes a very high GMAT score will tell us that we are dealing with an underachiever,” Hardwick says. “Sometimes we also have people with low GMAT scores who show extremely high potential in other areas. So in that case, it may be that we are dealing with someone who doesn’t work well under time restrictions. To a certain extent, candidates who prepare for the GMAT and come up with better scores show how serious they are about getting into a school.”

Like most schools, HEC (Haute Etudes Commerciales) School of Management in France has an official policy not to have an official minimum GMAT score.

“Obviously, a GMAT score can be eliminatory,” says Joshua Kobb, HEC’s MBA program director. “But we don’t want to make a decision based only on one element, whether that is the GMAT, the age, work experience, or other element within the application.”

“The GMAT is a very important component, but we are not GMAT driven,” adds Michelle Jacobson, director of graduate business programs at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University. “If someone applies with a 710 GMAT, they won’t be automatically admitted.”

While a candidate’s GMAT score is certainly valuable in the admissions process, the bottom line is this: It cannot be used in isolation.

“I have always been impressed that [the GMAT] does what it is supposed to do quite well,” says Steven DeKrey, associate dean and director of the MBA program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “But what it doesn’t do is predict how one will operate in a managerial role or business environment or on a team, all of those things that help you assess leadership ability. So, yes, we have to use it because we are running academic programs. But we have to go way beyond it.” //

Carlotta Mast, a freelance contributor to Selections, has also written for Business Week online and Working Woman magazine. Her article “The Art of Admissions” appears in the spring 2002 issue of Selections.

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