Is the GMAT Required for Online Business Degree Schools?

If you are interested in earning your MBA online, it is important to research the GMAT requirements for online business schools. When you are applying to a traditional business school, you must have a Graduate Management Admissions Test score sent to the admissions office to help the council make their admissions decision. While many of the requirements between online and traditional are similar, some online business schools do not have strict criteria that candidates must meet. Taking your GMAT exam at a national testing center well before the application deadline is important, especially when you must have a GMAT on file for consideration. Read on, and learn when a GMAT is and when it is not required. 

Why Is the GMAT a Common MBA Admissions Requirement?

If this is your first time considering a business school, you may be wondering why the GMAT is such a common admissions requirement. This is a common question among new applicants, but when the competition to attend a business school is fierce, the admissions dean wants to know that the students that the school accepts has the academic abilities they need to succeed in school and after graduation. A Graduate Management Admissions Test is a test that assesses a test takers abilities and skills to determine if the student has the abilities they need to apply in class. It can also reflect the student’s level of dedication and how they have retained knowledge they gained in an undergraduate program. 

Not All Accredited Programs Have a GMAT Requirement

If the application deadlines are approaching for online business schools and you have not yet scheduled a GMAT, you may be interested in finding schools that have no test requirement. Online degree programs tend to have more lenient requirements because they do not have to meet very strict student to teacher ratio requirements like traditional programs do. It is important to find out if the GMAT requirement is simply waived for some applicants, or if there is no requirement at all. Some programs will require certain students to submit their GMAT scores. 

It is very common for Executive degree programs and professional degree programs that are conducted online to have no requirement for GMAT or for the GRE. This is because there are many different work experience and professional licensing requirements that you must meet. Just be sure that any program that you decide to take is accredited by the Association for Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business so that you know that the curriculum meets quality standards. 

It is important to review online business school pre-requisites before you start applying. If you are set on attending a school that has a very strict GMAT requirement, you need to schedule your test date well before you have to have your application materials in. It is best to start studying for your GMAT 6 months in advance, and schedule your test at least 3 to 4 months before application periods. If there is no requirement, highlight your strengths on your application because the scores will not be available to highlight these for you. Get started, and research GMAT requirements for online business schools.