Scott Edinburgh
March 26, 2024

Guide to the Executive Assessment Test

In recent years, the Executive Assessment has grown in popularity. While the GMAT and GRE remain the two more widely accepted MBA admissions exams, many top business schools have started to welcome the Executive Assessment test.

Wondering if the Executive Assessment is the right option for you? Below, Personal MBA Coach explores how to prepare for the Executive Assessment and what sets it apart.

What Is the Executive Assessment Test?

The Executive Assessment, also referred to as the EA, was originally designed for experienced professionals interested in pursuing advanced education. Therefore, it is most often used by those applying to Executive MBA programs. In recent years, however, some full-time and part-time programs have started to accept the EA.

The 90-minute exam aims to assess the skills and knowledge of experienced professionals and evaluate business school readiness.

Test takers receive results for each section of the Executive Assessment: Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Verbal Reasoning, as well as a total result ranging from 100 to 200, which is determined by the results on the three sections.

While all Executive Assessment score percentiles are not released, a score of 150 is about the 64th percentile. The test results are valid for 5 years and available for reporting for up to 10 years.

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How Does the Executive Assessment Differ from the GMAT and GRE?

Candidates can take the Executive Assessment test up to four times – twice at the test center and twice online. Further, the Graduate Management Admission Council does not permit you to cancel your scores.

That said, if you do not want your EA scores sent to your target schools, GMAC suggests that you do not select any schools or programs before your appointment. You can instead add more schools or programs to a score appointment afterwards. There is no limit to the number of programs that you can select.

The Executive Assessment is also a shorter test, so if you have limited time, you may want to explore whether the EA could be right for you.

What Should Executive Assessment Prep Entail?

Personal MBA Coach offers customized one-on-one Executive Assessment prep. In fact, we were one of the first companies to provide Executive Assessment test preparation services.

If you are wondering how to prepare for the Executive Assessment, we find one of the best things to do is to write out a study plan so you can stick to a schedule. Be honest with yourself in terms of how much time you can dedicate to studying.

We strongly encourage test takers to familiarize themselves with the structure and content of the assessment. With 30 minutes to complete each of the 3 sections of the test, time management is a must. Completing practice tests with a timer can help you get comfortable with the 90-minute timeframe. For more test prep tips, check out this blog.

Personal MBA Coach EA tutor Nikhil gives the following advice:

When it comes to the EA or GMAT Exam, success is dependent on addressing 3 equally important steps: knowledge gaps, timing/question strategy issues and “careless” mistakes. Many students and tutors fall into the trap of focusing exclusively on the first – knowledge gaps – and feel frustrated when scores don’t improve. Given the competitive nature of the EA exam, all students end up learning the theory but what truly differentiates the best students is that they also focus their preparation on systematically developing tools to pre-empt traps, minimise “careless” mistakes and identify shortcuts to problems.

If you are looking for guidance, our dedicated Executive Assessment tutor can provide you with the skills necessary to ace the exam. Our Executive Assessment MBA private tutoring sessions are currently conducted remotely via Zoom, Skype and our whiteboard sharing software. As with all of Personal MBA Coach’s services, satisfaction is guaranteed with our Executive Assessment prep.

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What Schools Accept the Executive Assessment?

Currently, Berkeley Haas, Chicago Booth, Columbia Business School, Duke Fuqua, INSEAD, London Business School, MIT Sloan, Kellogg, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, UVA Darden, Wharton and Yale SOM are among the top programs that accept the Executive Assessment test for EMBA candidates.

Columbia Business School, Duke Fuqua, NYU Stern, Georgetown, UVA Darden, UCLA Anderson, CMU Tepper and Texas McCombs also accept EA scores for full-time MBA applicants.

Looking for help with the test prep process? Whether you are studying for the GMAT, GRE or EA, Personal MBA Coach is here to help you reach your goals. Visit our tutoring services to begin raising your score today!

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