Student Data: Products & Services

 

We offer a variety of products and services to individuals considering business school.  Generally, we use the following data to perform our contract with you:

Your contact information

To contact you with details about your purchase, such as your scheduled test, how to access your online test prep tool, information about the MBA fair you registered to attend

Your payment information

To process the transaction payment, unless it’s a free product

Your username & password

To enable you to access the product or service, including through a single sign-on service

Your responses to prompts or questions

To administer the product or service

 

Depending on the product or service you purchase or use, our contract with you might require us to share your personal data with third parties you identify.  For example, if you are taking one of our tests, we will provide your test scores and score report data to the schools and other organizations you have selected to receive your test score reports.  We may also share your data with our vendors to administer the products and services to you.

Because we continually strive to improve our products and services, we have a legitimate interest in seeking your feedback.  We may send you a survey about a product or service you used.  You may unsubscribe from these requests, but we hope you will take the time to let us know how we are doing.

We may use your purchase information, performance information, and product usage data, in combination with other information, for the legitimate purposes of improving our products and services, including understanding user needs and interests to better tailor our product and services to meet our customers’ needs.  We also use this data for other legitimate purposes, including research and development, communications, advertising, security, and corporate and legal matters, as well as sharing that data with the GMAC family companies and others for the same purposes.

To learn more about how we collect, use and share your data for specific products and services, continue reading below.

Tests

Some of the information that is optional when you create an account on our website may be required for you to register for one of our tests or assessments, when such information is necessary for us to administer the test to you and to deliver your score report to schools and organizations you have selected.  Required data fields are marked with an asterisk (*). If you do not provide this information at the time you created your account, you will be prompted to do so when you register for the test or assessment.  Be sure to check the country-specific data and identification requirements for your exam.

To perform our contract with you, when you select a school or organization to receive a score report, we will send them your score together with other information in your score report.  Each exam website includes a sample of a score report showing the data categories that are included.  By selecting a score report recipient, you are also consenting to them contacting you, including by email, telephone, and text, to send you information about graduate management education and their programs and offerings. Click here to learn more about unsubscribing from marketing messages.

We may use your performance information (such as test scores), product usage data (such as your score sending activity), and location data, in combination with other information, for the legitimate purposes of improving our products and services, understanding user needs and interests, and to better tailor our product and services to meet our customers’ needs.  For example, to help match you with schools that are a good fit for you, our GMAC Tours organization may use your test scores to assign a ranking or performance level; schools use this information to select and invite candidates to attend their small group meet-ups.

During the test registration and administration process, we may collect information that may be considered sensitive, including biometric data for security purposes and health-related data for evaluating accommodation requests.  

Sensitive Data

Identification documentation & biometric data

 

It is important that we protect the integrity of the test taking process. We, or our testing vendors, collect information when you register for an exam, then use that information to verify your identity when you arrive to take the exam. Depending on the test, you must provide specific identification information, including an original government-issued identification, digital photograph, digital signature, and palm vein pattern scan (where permitted by law). In some locations, we use passport readers to verify your government-issued identification. We may use your digital photograph, your signature, and/or palm vein pattern scans (where permitted by law) to compare the images against those of other test takers for fraud detection purposes. We may also use biometric facial recognition software to authenticate your identity. The score report recipients you designate may request and receive your digital photograph as part of your score report.

We may also collect, view, and use the audio and video recording of test sessions and interactions at a test center or in your selected testing space (for remotely proctored tests), where permitted by law, for fraud detection and claim resolution purposes.

When you register for a test, you are required to consent to the collection, use, and sharing of this data for such purposes, as it is a necessary part of our test security program, as such, after you arrive at a test center, this consent cannot be withdrawn.

For the specific identification requirements and security measures for your exam, review the exam-specific pages.

Accommodation requests

 

If you request an accommodation, you will be required to provide sensitive health information to allow us to evaluate your request. We will use that information to respond to and evaluate your request for test accommodations. We will also use your contact information to communicate with you and, if authorized by you, third parties, such as your healthcare provider. With your explicit consent, we may share your information with our service providers and external reviewers exclusively for the purpose of evaluating your request and providing the approved accommodation. Our service providers providing technical and security support may also have access to your accommodation information. For more details, see the accommodations page for your specific exam.

If you have submitted a request for disability accommodations and would like your request and medical documentation withdrawn and deleted, please send an email request to testingacommodations@gmac.com.

You can learn more about how we use accommodations data and your rights relating to this data by following this link to our Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy

 

Test prep

We host some of our test prep products, such as GMAT™ Official Practice, and use your personal data to provide that service to you and for other legitimate purposes described in this Privacy Statement.  We may license our test prep products to a third party.  For example, John Wiley and Sons currently publishes our on-line GMAT™ Official Guide.  When you access our products on a third party’s platform, the publisher is acting as a data controller and their privacy notice applies.  The publisher will collect your name, email address and certain other information, which they may share with us as a joint data controller.  They will not share your payment information with us.  We may include data related to your use and performance of our test prep products in your Candidate Profile.  For example, we may use your test prep results to assign a ranking or performance level in our search service tools to help schools share communications about their programs with candidates who might be a good fit.  To learn more about how we use your Candidate Profile, click here.

Events 

GMAC hosts many events throughout the year, including online and in-person fairs and bootcamps. When you register for a GMAC-hosted event, download an event mobile application, or participate in other event-related activities, we may collect information from you to provide you with information and services associated with the event. We may use a third-party platform for event registrations, in which case, the platform provider’s privacy notice will apply. The platform provider will collect your name, email address and certain other information, which they will share with us and any third-party co-hosting the event.  They will not share your payment information with us. This Privacy Statement applies to our use of your data; if we have a co-host, our co-host’s privacy notice will apply to their use of your data.  We may track your registration and attendance at the events and sessions, as captured by event tracking technology, such as RFID technology and WhatsApp links.  Your Candidate Profile may be updated to reflect the event-related data we collect. To learn more about how we use your Candidate Profile, click here.  We use your data to advance our legitimate interests of improving our events and other products and services, research and development, communications, advertising, security, and corporate and legal matters, as well as sharing that data with the GMAC family companies and others for the same purposes.  

Many of our events serve an important networking function, where you can meet with schools, other individuals considering graduate management education, and business club representatives.  We use and share your registration and event-related data to facilitate these connections for you.  Our events may also assist you in your journey by giving you the opportunity to learn about products and services offered by test prep providers, admissions consultants, event exhibitors and sponsors, and others.  We may share your personal data with these individuals and organizations, and permit them to use this data to further these legitimate interests.  With your consent (if required), we may permit recipients to use this information to contact you by email or text.  We may also permit them send you material by postal mail. Click here to learn more about unsubscribing from marketing messages.

You may have the option to download our events app to help you navigate the event and plan your schedule.  If you choose to use an event app, we may use the contact information you provided in the event registration or in your account profile to pre-populate your event app profile. You can create a profile and edit your information in the event app. Within the app we provide the ability to share, at your direction, your personal information with some social networks, schools, exhibitors, sponsors, and other attendees. At the event, GMAC may simplify your sharing of your personal information using scanning codes.  By allowing an exhibitor to scan your badge you are consenting to share your contact information with the exhibitor, and thereafter you may be contacted by the exhibitor post-event. If you do not wish the exhibitor to contact you, please communicate this directly with the exhibitor.

Photographs and audio/video recordings of you may be taken at events.  We do not use your data to identify you, but to promote our mission, events, and other products and services, and for other legitimate interests.  If you participate in a virtual event hosted by GMAC,  GMAC may collect and share information with participating business schools about your interactions with the schools and their content during the virtual event, including for example whether you visited a school’s virtual booth or downloaded a school’s materials.  The use of video-enabling technology may result in the disclosure of additional data.  For example, images of you, your surroundings, and your shared screen may be disclosed to GMAC, participating schools, and other event participants.  You are solely responsible for determining what information you share during a virtual event and whether it is appropriate and lawful to share with other participants. GMAC is not responsible for any business schools’ or other participants’ collection or use of any information you share through your participation in the virtual event.  Subject to applicable laws and regulations, GMAC may record and store the video, audio, chat comments and other content presented or shared during a virtual event.  This content may be used and disclosed for legitimate purposes, including research and development, communications, security, and corporate and legal matters, as well as sharing that data with the GMAC family companies and others for the same purposes.

Webinars 

We typically use third-party webinar platform providers to deliver webinars to you.  You may be directed to a platform provider’s website to register your details in order to attend a webinar.  The platform provider will collect your name, email address, and certain other information, which they will share with us.  They will not share your payment information with us.  Your Candidate Profile may be updated to reflect that you attended this webinar.  To learn more about how we use your Candidate Profile, click here

Many of our webinars are interactive, so your chat messages may be publicly viewable by others, and we may collect your comments, questions, and polling responses, and use them to provide you with answers to your questions, to follow-up with you on events and topics that appear to interest you, and to advance our legitimate interests of improving our webinars and other products and services, research and development, communications, advertising, security, and corporate and legal matters, as well as sharing that data with the GMAC family companies and with others for the same purposes. We may share this data, your contact information, current location such as country based on your IP address, age, program type preference, educational journey stage, planned study location and years of work experience, with the webinar’s co-hosts, speakers, and panelists and permit them to use this data to further their legitimate interests. With your consent (if required), we may permit recipients to use this information to contact you about their products and services. Click here to learn more about unsubscribing from marketing messages.

Candidate search service 

To advance our mission to enable candidates and schools to discover and evaluate each other, we offer you the opportunity to share your personal data with our school subscribers and other organizations. Sharing your personal data makes it possible for these organizations to communicate directly with you. You can join a candidate search service, such as GMAC™ GradSelect search service, only by giving consent.  If you join, we will share your information with schools and other organizations so they may contact you about programs, financial aid, career opportunities, test prep, and participation in research studies.  We may contact you directly on behalf of the GMAC™ GradSelect participants. We may use your Candidate Profile and other information about you, such as your score sending selections, to create customized lists for GMASS participants. 

For more information about the GMAC™ GradSelect service click here.

Insight tools

For certain services, we collect and analyze your data for the legitimate purpose of providing customized insights to better serve you. For example, when you complete the “Calling All Optimists” questionnaire or "What Motivates You?" survey on mba.com or on a school's website, we have a legitimate interest in promoting management education by using your information to identify resources that fit your aspirations and motivations. Similarly, when you register on a GMAC website, our free My Recommendation service provides you with additional information and recommendations on graduate management programs that might interest you.  For example, if you have taken the GMAT exam, we determine which schools to recommend to you by comparing information about you, including your interests, score sending behaviors, test performance, and background information, with those of other individuals.  Then we identify schools to which similar individuals commonly sent their score reports.  We may use other information about you to determine which schools might be a good fit for you and help you connect with them at one of our recruiting events near you, by sharing your contact information and interests with them. 

We may provide online tools to schools and other organizations to host on their websites, such as our GMAT™ Mini-Quiz or “What Motivates You?” survey. If you access a GMAC tool through a third-party website, we will, with your consent (if required), share with that school or organization your email address, metadata, and the country in which you are located (based on your IP address) so they can communicate with you about opportunities and services they offer.  Depending on the laws applicable to you, you may not receive your results from the insight tool unless you give this consent. Click here to learn more about unsubscribing from receiving marketing messages.

Depending on the tool, we may provide additional information to the hosting organization, but only if we inform you.  For example, we share your motivation category from your What Motivates You? survey. Your insight tool results may be included in your Candidate Profile.  To learn more about your Candidate Profile, click here

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