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.

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APPLICATION INSIDER TOPIC:

TEST SCORES (GMAT & GRE / TOEFL & IELTS)

When preparing your MBA application, standardized tests may cause stress and anxiety, as they do for many prospective candidates. We hope the Q&As below will help provide some insights to alleviate stress so you can focus on studying and then acing the exams!

Q. Should I take the GMAT or the GRE?

A. At UCLA Anderson, applicants have the option to submit the GMAT or GRE with their application. Both exams are evaluated equally in the admissions process, so we encourage potential candidates to submit the test with which they feel most comfortable.

Q. How should I prepare for the GMAT/GRE?

A. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to prepare for the exam. There are many forms of test preparation including prep classes, online practice exams, test books, and one-on-one tutoring. Given your learning style, you will want to select a method that works best for you — no one method is right for everyone! Each exam 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.

Q. When should I take the exam?

A. If you are currently in an undergraduate or graduate program, it might be in your best interest to take the exam now since you are already in an academic mode and mindset — it’s surprising how quickly one can forget how to effectively study for an exam! However, your test scores are valid for 5 years and it is common for many applicants to take the exam multiple times before being satisfied with their overall performance. Even though 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 an exam multiple times. 

Q. Why do we require the GMAT or GRE exam?

A. While the admissions process is holistic, one area that we always evaluate is your academic ability. In addition to your undergraduate performance, the GMAT or GRE serves as an indication of your ability to handle the rigor of an MBA program. Also, a higher GMAT or GRE score can help strengthen your academic profile if you did not perform well in undergrad and do not believe it reflects your potential. Overall, our goal is to ensure that you will be successful in the MBA program and will be able to handle its academic rigor. 

Q. Is there a required minimum score?

A. At UCLA Anderson, we do not have a minimum test score that you must reach. As you prepare for the exam, we recommend that you review our most recent class profile. Do not just focus on the average score, but rather on the range of our admitted students’ figures. This will help provide a realistic picture of what you need in order to be competitive. Remember, each component of your application is given equal weight and our review is holistic, so if your performance on the exam is not as high as you might like, you can demonstrate strengths in other areas (e.g., work experience, essay, undergraduate transcripts, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, etc.).

Q. Who needs to take the TOEFL or IELTS?

A. 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. 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.

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 mba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu.

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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