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Validity refers to how well the GMAT exam does what it is intended to do—predict students’ academic performance in the core courses of a graduate management or business program.

The GMAT is the first and only test designed to predict student performance in business school, and it does so more reliably than any other known measure, including the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and other standardized assessments.

Validity of GMAT

For 50 years, GMAC has maintained the reputation of the GMAT exam as the best assessment for business school admissions by continually studying the performance of test scores as a predictor of academic performance to ensure the test’s validity.

• For the GMAT exam, validity is measured as the relationship between scores on the test and the outcome it is intended to predict—first-year or midprogram grades in a graduate management program.
• The GMAT exam is the best individual predictor of graduate management grades, better even then undergraduate GPA, but the best prediction results from combining GMAT scores with undergraduate grades. On a scale ranging from 0.00 to 1.00, the validity of the GMAT as a predictor of midprogram grades is 0.53.
• A validity range of 0.30 to 0.40 is generally considered good for standardized admissions tests, making the GMAT an outstanding predictor.
• The validity of the GMAT exam averaged over hundreds of validity studies is 0.48.
• Although either GMAT Verbal or GMAT Quantitative scores may be more effective predictors for a single program, on average, scores from both these sections of the GMAT predict equally well.

Validity Studies

Information from validity studies has been collected as long as the test has been in use.

• The first set of validity studies was reported in 1957, using scores from 10 schools that admitted students on the basis of the first administrations of the GMAT exam in 1954.
• Researchers at various schools who have conducted validity studies for different graduate management programs have found results similar to those of studies conducted through the VSS at GMAC. A meta-analyses of more than 400 publicly available studies of the validity of the GMAT estimated the validity of GMAT Total scores alone to be 0.47 (Kuncel, Crede, and Thomas, 2004).

Validity for Groups

Validity studies show that the test is not biased for any population.
• Consistently, different studies examining gender have shown absolutely no difference in the validity of the GMAT exam for males and females.
• Multiple studies examining race have also shown that GMAT scores predict grades equally well for the U.S. subgroups.
• Other studies have shown no differences in validity across groups based on age, native language, undergraduate major, and citizenship regions.

Other Predictors

Few predictors are able to add much to what is explained by GMAT scores and undergraduate grades.

• Although work experience is frequently required for admission to a graduate management program, individual studies rarely see much improvement to validity when the amount of work experience is used as a predictor.
• Amount of work experience, time since undergraduate graduation, and age have sometimes been found to be negatively related to graduate school performance. Students who are no longer used to studying frequently or intensely may receive lower grades, which appears as a negative relationship between age (or another time-based variable) and academic performance.
• Some admission factors, such as Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores and interview ratings, may not be available for all applicants, making it difficult to accurately assess the impact on prediction.

Other Outcomes

Although the GMAT exam was designed to predict performance in the core courses of a graduate management program, studies using other outcomes have also shown some predictive validity.

• The GMAT exam has been shown to have predictive validity for measuring second-year grade point average (GPA) and graduating GPA, as well as first-year GPA.
• Some studies have shown that GMAT scores have some effectiveness in predicting job success as measured by salary.
• The GMAT exam has been specifically designed to predict early graduate management academic performance. Use of the GMAT exam to predict any other outcome should be thoroughly studied in a specific situation before any decisions based on the scores are considered.

The use of the computer-adaptive testing technology makes it difficult to predict your actual GMT score based on your performance on a paper-and-pencil practice test. We have tried, however, to develop a scoring table that provides a general ideal of your performance at this point in your preparation. To predict your score on the practice tests you take during preparation, count the correct answers in each section and find that number in the left column of the charts below. The corresponding number in the right column represents an approximation of your GMT test score.

How Schools Evaluate Your Application

There are all kinds of stories and myths about what the "trick" is to getting into business school. The reality is that there is no trick. Admissions professionals work to fill a limited number of spaces by making the best possible selections from among a large pool of applicants. It comes down to a pretty simple equation of supply (spaces in the class) and demand (applicants). It is therefore in your best interest to articulate your goals as they relate to a particular program’s strengths, limitations, content, and culture.

Meeting a school's minimum qualifications doesn't guarantee that you’ll be admitted. Schools will use such factors as academic record, recommendations, and work experience to judge your potential for success in a program relative to the overall applicant pool:

• Schools will use your GMAT scores to predict how well you will do academically in their core curriculum.
• They will use to your work experience, extracurricular activity, and letters of recommendation to help them gauge your professional promise.
• Interviews and essays will help schools to determine why you want to earn a degree and how you will use it in the future. These parts of the application will also help schools learn about your communication skills.

Reviews Are Subjective and Holistic

Admissions officers are humans, not machines, which means they have the ability to take in all the information applicants supply and make critical judgments about what is most important. They can decide the relative importance of each part of an application, depending on each candidate's total experience. For example, if you have limited work experience, your academic credentials may assume greater importance. Conversely, if you have been out of school for a long time, your undergraduate record may be less important than your current job responsibilities. So the worst thing you can do is write your application to some imagined formula that you think will guarantee you admission. You have to be your own unique self in your application. There is a program out there that is right for you, and the best way to achieve the right fit between you and a school is to represent yourself openly and honestly in your application.

You'll receive four GMAT scores:

• Quantitative scaled sub score, ranging from 0 to 60 (effectively 51 is the max score)
• Verbal scaled sub score, ranging from 0 to 60 (effectively 48 is the max score)
• Overall scaled score, ranging from 200 to 800. This is an overall score that is the combination of your 0 to 60 Math and Verbal scores . The 200 to 800 cumulative score is what business schools primarily use.
• Analytical Writing Assessment score, ranging from 0 to 6. This is a separate score that is less important than the 200 to 800 cumulative score.
  

The test is graded on a preset curve so that your scaled score will correspond to a certain percentile. An overall score of 630, for example, corresponds approximately to the 90th percentile, meaning that 90 percent of test takers scored at or below this level.


Rising Average GMAT Scores

Those six-figure starting salaries have had an impact on MBA admissions... everyone wants one. In the early nineties the average GMAT score of accepted students at New York University (Stern) Business School was 610. By 2005 the average GMAT test score had jumped 89 points to 699. Getting a high score on the GMAT is crucial because the business schools are getting flooded with applicants. Expect around a 690 average score for the top-ten business schools in 2005-2006.

That 690 figure is deceptive because that average includes many students who were accepted for favorable traits (diversity, unusual accomplishment or success, etc.) that allow them to gain acceptance with a lower score. If you have none of these types of traits, then you probably need to break 720 (that's over the 99th percentile) to have a good chance at a top-ten school.

According to GMAC, the average salaries for 2005 MBA graduates exceeded $100,000. The market has fully recovered from the 2001 dotcom collapse and 9/11. The appeal of high salaries will only serve to increase competitiveness and the importance of high GMAT scores.

Score Chart for Practice Exercises

The corresponding number in the right column represents an approximation of your GMT test score. Verbal Subscore (C = Correct, S = Score) C S C S C S C S C S C S 41 60 34 48 27 34 20 20 13 6 6 0 40 60 33 46 26 32 19 18 12 4 5 0 39 58 32 44 25 30 18 16 11 2 4 0 38 56 31 42 24 28 17 14 10 0 3 0 37 54 30 40 23 26 16 12 9 0 2 0 36 52 29 38 22 24 15 10 8 0 1 0 35 50 28 36 21 22 14 8 7 0 0 0 Math Subscore (C = Correct, S = Score) C S C S C S C S C S 37 60 29 46 21 30 13 14 5 0 36 60 28 44 20 28 12 12 4 0 35 58 27 42 19 26 11 10 3 0 34 56 26 40 18 24 10 8 2 0 33 54 25 38 17 22 9 6 1 0 32 52 24 36 16 20 8 4 0 0 31 50 23 34 15 18 7 2 30 48 22 32 14 16 6 0 GMAT Subscore (C = Correct, S = Score) C S C S C S C S C S 78 800 62 660 46 500 30 340 14 200 77 800 61 650 45 490 29 330 13 200 76 800 60 640 44 480 28 320 12 200 75 790 59 630 43 470 27 310 11 200 74 780 58 620 42 460 26 300 10 200 73 770 57 610 41 450 25 290 9 200 72 760 56 600 40 440 24 280 8 200 71 750 55 590 39 430 23 270 7 200 70 740 54 580 38 420 22 260 6 200 69 730 53 570 37 410 21 250 5 200 68 720 52 560 36 400 20 240 4 200 67 710 51 550 35 390 19 230 3 200 66 700 50 540 34 380 18 220 2 200 65 690 49 530 33 370 17 200 1 200 64 680 48 520 32 360 16 200 0 200 63 670 47 510 31 350 15 200