This blog post is part of our "Application Insider" blog post series that provides insider information, tips, and advice about applying to the UCLA Anderson MBA program.
APPLICATION INSIDER TOPIC:
TEST SCORES (GMAT & GRE / TOEFL & IELTS)
At UCLA Anderson, the standardized entrance exams are a part of your admissions requirements. I know that sounds daunting, even in a Covid-19 landscape, but hopefully this post will ease your anxiety and set you up for success. First off, we will continue to take the online version of the exams and treat them exactly as if they were in-person. We know that not every one can get to a test center, so we want to remain as flexible as possible in that regard. We also accept either the GMAT or GRE. There is no preference with one over the other and we mean that! Both tests are evaluated equally in the admissions process, so we encourage potential candidates to submit the test they feel most comfortable with. To further guide you in the decision of which test to take, reference this US News and World Report article on the key differences between the two tests.
The best advice I can give is to prepare, prepare, prepare! If you talk to anyone, they will tell you that test preparation is key and can be a full-time job in itself, but doing so will set you up to do the best you can. Each test assesses your verbal, quantitative, analytical writing and integrated reasoning ability. It is important to dedicate review sessions to each component of the test as the admissions team will evaluate your performance in each area. We recommend you should give yourself at least six months of preparation time before taking it and then guide the test date by the round deadline date in which you intend to apply. Keep in mind that even though it usually can take up to 2 weeks for the school to get your results, you can report your unofficial score, so if you take the test a day before our round deadline, that is still okay. Test scores are valid for five years, so if you are currently in an undergraduate or graduate program, it might be in your best interest to take the test now since you are already in an academic mode and mindset. At UCLA Anderson, we only evaluate your highest overall score, both the GMAT and GRE provide you with the option to select which test score you prefer to submit to the institution(s) to which you’re seeking admission. Regardless, we do not penalize applicants for taking a test multiple times. You'll note that we don't have GRE averages in our profile, that's because we don't have too much of a pool to share those in a meaningful way. However, you can use this ETS converter to see what your predicted GMAT score will be.
For any international applicants who completed their education outside of the United States, you will also be required to submit the TOEFL or IELTS exam with your application, unless your education was solely taught in English in an English-speaking country (please contact the MBA Admissions office to confirm whether or not you are required to take the TOEFL/IELTS). The purpose of this exam is to assess your English proficiency. Given the collaborative and interactive structure of the MBA program, we want to ensure that you will be able to contribute to classroom discussions from the very first day, and these exams help us evaluate this important fluency factor. You can learn more about the TOEFL/IELTS requirement on the UCLA Graduate Division webpage.
Remember that the test scores are just one way we evaluate our candidates. Your application is more than a test score and we look at all candidates holistically to determine if they will be a solid candidate for our program. Hopefully these insights will help guide you as you prepare for GMAT, GRE, TOEFL and/or IELTS as a part of the application process. If you have any follow-up questions about our requirements or admission process, please see our admissions webpage, our FAQs, or email us directly at [email protected].
Check back for more "Application Insider" blog posts that will cover information and tips on the many aspects of applying to the UCLA Anderson MBA program!
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