THE EA (EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT) for
EMBA
GMAC has introduced a new test called Executive Assessment in March
2016, and business schools have since (rather slowly) started to
accept it for EMBA -- Columbia, LBS and MIT chief among them. One
year after its introduction, 9 schools accepted it, and currently 18
do so. Since these schools accept BOTH the GMAT and the EA, your
first decision is: which test should I take?
- What is it?
Put simply, the EA is a GMAT with fewer questions, just easier
on the Math side. The IR and Verbal questions are EXACTLY THE
SAME as those in the GMAT. EA Math questions are easier than the
GMAT ones -- there is neither Geometry nor difficult Algebra.
You solve 12 IR questions in 30 minutes, then 14 Verbal (CR, SC
and RC) questions in 30 minutes, and finally 14 Math (PS and DS)
questions in 30 minutes, IN THAT ORDER, for a total of 40
questions in 90 minutes.
- Why was it created?
Many potential EMBA candidates are deterred from applying to
EMBA programs because they just cannot spare the time necessary
to prepare for the GMAT. The main marketing attribute of the EA
is that busy potential candidates can take it with very little
preparation. In other words, GMAC says it is quicker and EASIER
to take the EA, so that even very busy potential EMBA candidates
can take it.
- Why did schools choose to accept the EA?
Put simply, they do not want to lose truly EXCEPTIONAL
candidates who would otherwise NOT apply to business schools
because they cannot commit themselves to studying for the GMAT.
They would rather accept candidates with outstanding career
credentials but just average EA scores because: 1. they don't
want to lose these candidates, and 2. track record (career
credentials) is one the best indicators of future success. In
other words, accepting the EA is a compromise some schools chose
to make between (1) requiring the GMAT of all candidates and (2)
accepting clearly outstanding candidates without any test
scores.
- If it is EASIER than the GMAT, should I take the EA?
Whether the EA is EASIER than the GMAT is the WRONG
question. If you neither are a native speaker of English nor
have truly outstanding career credentials AND you do not want
to make a half-hearted attempt at an EMBA, you should be
asking yourself which of these two would MAXIMIZE your chances
of being accepted.
With the EA, since Quant questions are quite easy, Japanese and
other relatively Math-gifted Asian candidates are unable to
leverage their better Quantitative skills and enjoy an edge over
most other less mathematically endowed applicants. In short, the
EA is better for native speakers of English who have outstanding
professional credentials and who take the EA just to show they
are not below the average in reasoning skills.
The EA is also bad for most non-native speakers because the IR
section contributes to the TOTAL score with the SAME WEIGHT as
the Verbal and Quantitative sections. IR is very similar to
Reading Comprehension in that reading speed, rather than
reasoning skill, is the determining factor. In other words, an
IR question is not as difficult as a Critical Reasoning or a
Math question, but it contains much more information and is
therefore much more time-consuming. Even native speakers have
great trouble finishing the IR section in time, so obviously
non-native speakers are at a huge disadvantage in this section.
Moreover, section order is fixed: First IR, then Verbal and
lastly Quant. Your performance in the IR section determines the
degree of difficulty of the Verbal section, which in turn
determines the degree of difficulty of the Quant section, and
your score is proportional to the degree of difficulty of these
three sections. In other words, if you don't do well in the IR
section, your chances of scoring high on the EA become much
lower.
On the other hand, in the GMAT, the IR has a separate score,
i.e. it does NOT contribute to the TOTAL 200-800 score, and you
can CHOOSE to do it AFTER the Verbal and Quant sections, so
non-native speakers are on a more equal footing with native
speakers.
- Is the EA adaptive?
Partly. In the GMAT, whether you get ONE QUESTION right
determines the level of difficulty of the next QUESTION. In the
EA, your performance in a BLOCK of questions determines the
level of difficulty of the next question BLOCK. The 12 IR
questions are in a single block, but Verbal and Quant questions
are divided into 2 blocks of 7 questions each.
- What is a good EA score?
Since it is a new test, there is not much information on
this, but the average for e.g. LBS seems to be around 150 on a
100-200 range.
- WHY is the average so low?
Probably because:
1. candidates with outstanding academic and career credentials
are admitted REGARDLESS of their EA scores (if they do not
score TOO much below average), and
2. most test takers are very busy and don't have time to
prepare adequately for the test.
However, there WILL BE test takers who DO prepare adequately
for the EA, and of course these test-takers will score higher
than if they do NOT prepare. If you score well on the GMAT you
do so against a well-prepared pool of test-takers. On the
other hand, if you score well on the EA you do well against a
pool of test-takers who mostly did not prepare for the test as
well as they could. In other words, a good GMAT score is most
probably a better indicator of success than a good EA score.
- Are my chances of admission higher with the EA or with
the GMAT?
As in most situations, you should put yourself in the
shoes of the person making the decision. Think: you are an
admissions officer and you have two candidates A and B, one
applying with an EA score and another with a GMAT score, but
both otherwise equally qualified, and you have only 1 spot to
fill. If the EA and the GMAT scores are on the same percentile
(e.g. 90th percentile), which candidate would you choose?
which of the EA and the GMAT scores better ranks the
candidate's reasoning skills against a more homogeneously
prepared pool of test-takers?
- AFTER ALL, should I take the EA?
You should take into account how strongly you want an EMBA
at this point in your career. If you would rather go for an
EMBA if you can do it without spending too much time and if
you believe you are an exceptional candidate with outstanding
academic and career credentials, then test scores won't make
much difference and you should take the EA. All you have to do
is not score too much below the average.
If, however, you have your heart set on an EMBA and do not want
to possibly waste your time making a half-hearted attempt, and
you want to leverage your application with a good test score,
then the GMAT should be your choice.
- If I decide to take the EA, how should I prepare for
it?
The EA is a simpler GMAT with fewer questions. Would you prepare
differently for the same test whether it has 90 or 40 questions?
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