Why the emphasis on GMAT and work experience?
– by Jim Stice, MBA Program Director Often applicants view the GMAT test and the work experience requirement as boxes to be checked on an application – “I took the GMAT test (check) and I worked for a year (check).” Let me share with you why these two factors are so important in the admissions decision. A person’s score on the GMAT test is our best predictor of how well a person will perform in BYU’s MBA Program. I know this result is true because I perform the analysis myself each year. Each year I compare the relationship between an individual’s MBA GPA and a number of factors including amount of work experience prior to joining the MBA program, undergraduate GPA, undergraduate institution, undergraduate major, GMAT score, and a couple of other items. Without exception, year after year the best predictor of performance in the MBA Program is an individual’s GMAT score. Now GMAT score is not a perfect predictor but the higher an individual’s GMAT score, the better they tend to perform
