19 May 2009

Harvard Business School to Accept Either GRE® or GMAT® Scores

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BOSTON— MBA hopefuls applying to the Harvard Business School MBA Program may now choose to submit test scores from either the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test®) or the GRE (Graduate Record Examination®). The change, which takes effect with those applying for admission to the MBA Class of 2012, makes the application process accessible to candidates from a broad array of academic backgrounds and interests as they consider their postgraduate options.

"We are pleased to widen our requirements to give all MBA candidates the option of submitting results from either the GRE or GMAT exams," said Deirdre Leopold, Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. "Since many HBS applicants are also considering graduate programs besides the MBA, there is now no need for them to take the GMAT if they have already taken the GRE. We believe that both the GMAT and the GRE meet our expectations of what a standardized test can tell us about a candidate's ability to thrive in our MBA Program."

Previously, Harvard Business School accepted GREs only from college juniors applying to the School's 2+2 Program™, which gives admitted students a guaranteed spot in a future HBS MBA class, contingent upon their graduation from college and the successful completion of two years of approved work experience.

Each fall, HBS welcomes a diverse entering class of some 900 students representing approximately 70 countries. Though some applicants choose to apply to business school after four or five years of work experience, many promising candidates are optimally prepared for the HBS MBA experience after two or three years of experience in the workplace.

Visit the School's MBA website for details on admissions and financial aid.

The GRE General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills that are not related to any specific field of study. It has been a standard admissions test for graduate study for those interested in the arts and sciences for nearly 60 years.

The GMAT is the traditional assessment for candidates for graduate schools of business. It is designed to measure the verbal and quantitative skills as well as proficiency in analytical writing necessary for success in business education.

About Harvard Business School

Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Its faculty of more than 250 offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and PhD degrees, as well as more than 175 Executive Education programs, and Harvard Business School Online, the School’s digital learning platform. For more than a century, faculty have drawn on their research, their experience in working with organizations worldwide, and their passion for teaching, to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. The School and its curriculum attract the boldest thinkers and the most collaborative learners who will go on to shape the practice of business and entrepreneurship around the globe.