GMAT was the undisputed standardized test that you would take to get into business school for the longest time. In 2009, business schools in the US started accepting GRE scores for MBA admissions, giving students a choice between the two exams.
You will find people debating which of the two tests is the easier one to take. However, most people don’t know that there is another test called “Executive Assessment,” which is also used to get into business programs.
Executive Assessment was started back in 2016, and since then, the discussion has shifted to “is EA easier than the GMAT?”. In today’s article, I will explore some of the differences between the two tests and determine which one is easier.
In this Article
What is Executive Assessment?
EA is a relatively new exam that began in 2016. It was created by GMAC, the same organization that administers the GMAT test. EA was developed primarily for admissions to Executive MBA programs so that professionals who have been out of school for 15+ years could take it. However, over the years many full-time MBA programs have also started to accept the EA instead of the GMAT. Here is the complete list of MBA & EMBA programs that accept the EA in lieu of the GMAT.
The main impetus behind creating this test was to gauge the real-world skills of experienced professionals as they relate to business.
What are the differences between GMAT and Executive Assessment?
The GMAT has been around for 50 years as the critical entrance exam to business schools. In terms of format, the GMAT has 4 sections – Quant, Verbal, Analytical Writing Assessment, and Integrated Reasoning.
Whereas EA has three sections – Verbal, Quant, and Integrated Reasoning. Notice that AWA is absent from EA.
The two tests have some significant differences apart from the format:
Duration
GMAT is a much longer test with 180 mins, whereas EA is only 90 minutes long.
Quantitative Section
The quantitative section on EA does not include geometry, whereas GMAT does.
AWA Section
EA does not have an AWA section, but GMAT does.
Computer Adaptivity
Both tests are computer-adaptive, which means that the difficulty of questions increases or decreases depending on how well you do on preceding questions. However, GMAT is “question adaptive” in that each succeeding question varies in difficulty depending on your performance on the preceding questions. In comparison, EA is section adaptive in that difficulty changes after a block of 7 questions.
Applicability
EA is accepted by only a select few MBA & EMBA programs, whereas GMAT is accepted by all traditional MBA and Executive MBA programs.
Which test is easier?
EA is the easier test for three significant reasons.
- The quant section is objectively easier on EA because there are fewer topics to prepare i.e., no geometry on EA. Apart from that, the trickier quant concepts of probability, statistics, and combinatorics are far less common on the Executive Assessment than on the GMAT. However, keep in mind that this is not an official claim but a general observation, so there is no way to verify it objectively. But if you want to skip these topics on the EA, you can safely do that.
- EA lacks an AWA section, which means you wouldn’t have to write any essays like you would have to on the GMAT. This would certainly take much of the stress away, knowing that your test is going to be much shorter.
- EA is half as long as GMAT at only 90 mins. This is made possible by halving the number of questions for verbal and quant and removing the AWA section.
As far as the verbal section is concerned, both EA and GMAT have the same difficulty and the same type of questions – Reading comprehension, critical reading, sentence correction.
Considering all the above, it is safe to say that EA is an easier test than the GMAT.
Which test should I take?
Choosing which test to take depends on your requirements. Sure, EA is the easier test, but what good would that do if you cannot use to apply to all Business schools. You can only get into a select few programs with EA. For everything else related to business, you would either have to take the GRE if the program accepts it or the GMAT.
Your choice of test depends on which program you are planning on applying to. If you want to keep all choices open then go with GMAT. If you are only applying to these programs then take the EA.
Which test do Business Schools prefer?
Students often ask us which test would give them better chances of getting into a business school, and the simple answer is that no business school has any preference of one test over the other. Most schools take a holistic approach to your application, and so your aim should be to present a stellar application that sets you apart from the crowd. If a school you are applying to accepts both EA and GMAT for a given program, worrying about which test they would prefer is meaningless. Choose the test based on your abilities and requirements.