To start our blog off, we’re going to recap a long conversation we had with Graham Richmond, founder of ClearAdmit. Graham is a former admissions officer at Wharton.

Manhattan GMAT: Why do business schools require applicants to take the GMAT?

Graham Richmond: For a variety of reasons. First, they see it as a measure of certain specific math and verbal skills. Second, they see it as a measure of your ability to think under pressure – the exam is timed. Third, it allows them to compare the academic preparation of people from very different backgrounds. A high GPA from one college, for example, may not represent the same level of achievement as a high GPA from another. But the GMAT allows business schools to level the field, so to speak. Finally, it is important to remember that business schools are evaluated in several areas for the purposes of published MBA rankings, and that the average GMAT score of the incoming class is one of those areas. As such, the schools do have an additional incentive to require candidates to take the test (and to ideally accept students who perform well on the exam

Manhattan GMAT: Does one’s GMAT score correlate with one’s eventual performance in business school?

Graham Richmond: Studies have shown that one’s GMAT score is a pretty good predictor of one’s academic success during the first year of business school.

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