How Many Times Can You Take the Executive Assessment?

The Executive Assessment (EA) is an important component of the application process for many graduate business degree programs. Although the goal of most applicants is to take the EA only once, it sometimes becomes necessary to retake the test.

As a result, people often ask, “How many times can I take the Executive Assessment test?,” “Does it harm my admission chances if I take the EA more than once?,” and “What happens if I’ve taken the EA in person and then need to retake it online?”

In this article, we’ll answer all of those questions and discuss some additional considerations involved in planning for and taking the EA.

• What Is the Executive Assessment?
• Do Most Business Schools Accept the Executive Assessment?
• The Number of Times You Can Take the Executive Assessment
• What Is a Good Score on the Executive Assessment?
• Should You Retake the Executive Assessment?
• Be Strategic When Planning to Retake the Executive Assessment
• Executive Assessment Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  • How Long Is an Executive Assessment Score Valid?
  • Can I Have More Than One Executive Assessment Scheduled at One Time?
  • Can I Cancel My Executive Assessment Score?
  • When Do I See the Results of My Executive Assessment?
  • How Do I Reschedule an Executive Assessment?
  • What Is the Difference Between the GMAT Exam and the Executive Assessment?
  • Is the EA Easier Than the GMAT?
  • How Do I Prepare for the Integrated Reasoning Section of the EA?
• What’s Next?

First, let’s discuss exactly what the EA is.

What Is the Executive Assessment?

Because Executive MBA candidates are working professionals and may have less time to prepare for a test than most applicants, the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), which is also the maker of the GMAT exam, collaborated with top business schools throughout the world to create the Executive Assessment (EA).

The EA is an admissions exam originally designed to help EMBA programs assess the fundamental skills necessary for student success in their programs while offering test-takers a shorter and easier-to-study-for alternative to either the GMAT or ETS’s Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

An Executive MBA program, otherwise known as an EMBA program, is an MBA program specifically tailored for more experienced business professionals seeking to enhance their careers with an advanced business degree. Because EMBA candidates have significantly more work experience and have been out of school longer than typical MBA candidates, the exam is shorter and tests fewer topics than the GMAT, which is required for admission to most traditional MBA programs.

More recently, a number of specialty degree programs have begun to accept the EA as well. For example, students can take the EA to apply to Duke Fuqua’s MS in Quantitative Management Business Analytics program, INSEAD’s Executive Master in Finance program, and NYU Stern’s MS in Quantitative Management program. In addition, some full-time MBA programs now accept the EA for certain candidates. A couple of examples are Carnegie Mellon’s full-time MBA program and Columbia Business School’s full-time MBA program.

Do Most Business Schools Accept the Executive Assessment?

Each program is different. For example, at Wharton, both the full-time MBA and EMBA programs require applicants to submit either GMAT or GRE scores. However, its EMBA program allows applicants who have at least 8 years of full-time work experience to submit EA scores. At Berkely Hass’s MBA for Executives Program, all applicants have the option to submit GMAT, GRE, or EA scores.

As the EA evolves as an exam used by business programs, I expect that an increasing number of programs will use it as an admissions tool, along with, or in place of, the GMAT and the GRE. Here is a list of schools and programs that currently accept the Executive Assessment. Notice that many of the schools on the list accept the GMAT, GRE, and EA.

To get the most up-to-date information, be sure to check with the schools and programs to which you’re applying.

Now that we know what the EA is and have a better understanding of who accepts it, let’s discuss how many times test-takers can sit for the EA.

The Number of Times You Can Take the Executive Assessment

You can take the Executive Assessment up to two times in person at a test center. Thus, if you don’t earn the EA score you’re seeking on your first attempt, you may retake the test. You can register for your second EA as early as 24 hours after you’ve completed your first. Because the earliest that you can sit for the test is 24 hours after you’ve registered, you could theoretically retake the EA as early as 48 hours after completing your first EA test. We’ll discuss strategic planning for your EA retake later in this article.

You can also take the Executive Assessment Online a total of two times. If you retake the EA Online, the date and time of the two tests must be at least 16 days apart.

The good news is that EA Online attempts are considered separately from EA tests taken in person at a test center. Therefore, you could take the Executive Assessment as many as four times (twice in person and twice online). Of course, you probably don’t want to take the EA four times.

What Is a Good Score on the Executive Assessment?

The Executive Assessment is a readiness assessment. In other words, the purpose of the EA is to assess your readiness to successfully handle the coursework found in graduate business programs.

The purpose of the EA is to assess your readiness to successfully handle the coursework found in graduate business programs.

Whereas the official scoring scale on the GMAT is 200 to 800, the official scoring scale on the EA is 100 to 200. As of this writing, the GMAC does not publish official EA score percentiles.

Business schools treat EA scores quite differently from GMAT or GRE scores. With the GMAT or GRE, the higher you score, the better. Higher scores elevate your application to the top of the stack.

In contrast, with the EA, your goal is to cross the “readiness score threshold” for the programs to which you’ll apply. For example, many EMBA programs like to see applicants earn at least 150 on the EA, and the more selective programs tend to want applicants to earn at least 155.

Executive assessment scores above 160 are very strong scores for almost any EMBA program. As long as you meet the threshold score for your institution, a higher-than-threshold score doesn’t necessarily make you more competitive. Rather, if you have scored at or above threshold, then other aspects of your application package come into play to assist the adcoms in making their final admission decisions.

Of course, to determine what threshold score you should shoot for, it’s best to consider the specific schools and programs to which you’ll apply.

Should You Retake the Executive Assessment?

Many test-takers wonder whether they should retake the EA. Although the answer to this question is almost always unique to each person, there are some general guidelines that you can follow.

Unless you have an otherwise overwhelmingly impressive application, if you score lower than 150 on the EA, you should consider retaking the test. Now, if you’re applying to top EMBA programs, you’ll likely want to retake the EA if you’ve scored less than 155. Of course, these recommendations are general, and your individual circumstances may differ.

If you’re using the EA to apply to a top full-time traditional MBA program, a school whose applicants have high average GMAT or GRE scores, you may consider retaking the EA if you’ve scored less than 160.

For example, Columbia Business School accepts the GMAT, GRE, and EA for its traditional MBA program. The average GMAT score of applicants accepted to this program is 729. If you’re using the EA to apply to this ultra-competitive full-time MBA program, it might be wise to earn an EA score that is equally as impressive as a 729 GMAT score.

Be Strategic When Planning to Retake the Executive Assessment

As we’ve discussed, people taking the EA are able to sit for the exam up to four times (twice in person and twice online). Here’s the thing, though: you don’t want to have to sit for the EA four times! Doing so is stressful, time-consuming, and costly.

So, if you have taken the EA once and did not earn the score you were seeking, it’s important not to rush to retake the exam. Instead, take the time to figure out why you didn’t earn the score you were seeking.

For the vast majority of EA takers, the reason that they didn’t earn their target scores on their first attempt was that they were underprepared or simply not prepared. What is the definition of insanity, you ask? Doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. If you retake the EA a few weeks after your first attempt, how much more prepared do you really expect to be? Probably not a whole heck of a lot, right?

So, if you need to retake the EA, it’s important to take the time necessary to ensure that you’re prepared. Perhaps you need better EA materials with which to prepare. Perhaps you need to spend more time studying. Perhaps you need to spend more time taking EA practice tests. Whatever the case may be, you won’t want to retake the EA until you’re prepared to earn the score you’re seeking.

Now, let’s answer some frequently asked questions about the EA.

Executive Assessment Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The following is a list of commonly asked questions about the Executive Assessment.

How Long Is an Executive Assessment Score Valid?

As is the case with the GMAT and GRE, your EA scores are valid for 5 years from the date of the exam.

Can I Have More Than One Executive Assessment Scheduled at One Time?

If you’re taking the Executive Assessment Online, you may have up to two appointments scheduled at a time. However, there must be at least 16 days between the two scheduled Executive Assessment Online dates.

Can I Cancel My Executive Assessment Score?

At this time, GMAC does not allow test-takers to cancel EA scores. Because of this policy, it may be wise not to select any schools/programs prior to your EA appointment. If you do choose schools/programs prior to your EA, those institutions will see your EA results, regardless of whether you’re satisfied with those results.

You always have the option to add schools/programs later, once you’re sure you want to share those scores.

When Do I See the Results of My Executive Assessment?

Upon completion of your EA, you’ll see your results on the computer screen. Also, before leaving the test center, you’ll get a printout of those results to take with you. Should you wish to download your EA results after leaving the test center, you’ll be able to do so within 24 hours.

How Do I Reschedule an Executive Assessment?

You will need to log into your account and access your “My Appointments” page. There is no fee to reschedule your EA unless you reschedule within 48 hours of your appointment.

What Is the Difference Between the GMAT Exam and the Executive Assessment?

Because of the similarities between the EA and the GMAT, sometimes people describe the EA as a “baby-GMAT.” Yes, there are some similarities between the two tests, but the EA is not exactly a “baby-GMAT.” There are some key differences between the EA and the GMAT.

Is the EA Easier Than the GMAT?

Although the Executive Assessment is shorter than the GMAT, it’s hard to make the claim that the EA is easier than the GMAT. In fact, students who go into their EA prep with the notion that the EA is an easy test are often surprised come test day. If you’re serious about gaining acceptance to your program of choice, you would be wise to study hard and smart for the EA.

How Do I Prepare for the Integrated Reasoning Section of the EA?

The IR section of the EA gives test-takers 30 minutes to answer 12 questions. There is a lot that test-takers can do to ensure that they’re prepared to perform well on the IR section of the EA.

What’s Next?

In summary, the Executive Assessment is a viable testing option for those wishing to apply to an EMBA program, specialty business graduate program, or in some cases, a traditional MBA program.

If you’re seeking an Executive Assessment self-study course, Target Test Prep has you covered. We’ll help you earn a top EA score.