ABOUT GMAT

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT, pronounced G-mat) is a computer adaptive standardized test for measuring aptitude to succeed academically in graduate business studies. Business schools commonly use the test as one of many selection criteria for admission into an MBA program. It is given at various locations in the United States, Canada and around the world. Throughout North America and in many international locations, the GMAT is administered only via computer. In those international locations where an extensive network of computers has not yet been established, the GMAT is offered either at temporary computer-based testing centers on a limited schedule or as a paper-based test (given once or twice a year) at local testing centers. As of 2007, the fee to take the test is U.S. $250 worldwide.

History of the Graduate Management Admission Test

In 1953, the organization now called the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) began as an association of nine business schools, whose goal was to develop a standardized test to help business schools select qualified applicants. In the first year it was offered, the assessment (now known as the Graduate Management Admission Test), was taken just over 2,000 times; in recent years, it has been taken more than 200,000 times annually. Initially used in admissions by 54 schools, the test is now used by more than 1,500 schools and 1,800 programs worldwide.

Until the end of 2005, Educational Testing Service (ETS) developed and administered the exam. On January 1, 2006, GMAC transitioned vendors to a combination of ACT Inc, which develops the test questions and CAT software, and Pearson Vue, which delivers the exam at testing centers worldwide.

On June 23, 2008 a cheating scandal was acknowledged by GMAC involving some 6,000 prospective MBA students who subscribed to website ScoreTop.com and may have viewed "live" questions in-use on the GMAT. GMAC has announced severe measures that include invalidating the scores of subscribers, notifying schools who have received their scores, and banning them from future resits of the test. On June 27, GMAC reassured applicants that only those who knowingly cheated using Scoretop's website would be affected.

Also, in response to cases of "proxy" test-taking, where students pay somebody else to take the test on their behalf, GMAC is going to be introducing palm scanning technology at testing centers this year. Centers in Korea and India will be getting the palm scanning devices first, followed by the United States in Fall of 2008. GMAC plans to have them integrated at all testing centers by May of 2009.