Difference Between Executive Assessment and GMAT

The Executive Assessment (EA) is an admissions exam designed for executive MBA programs. The test consists of Quant, Verbal, and Integrated Reasoning questions. The EA is similar in structure to the GMAT. The Executive Assessment and the GMAT are both made by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC). In spite of this, these two tests have a number of distinct differences.

The EA is designed for applicants to Executive MBA (EMBA) programs. An EMBA is a type of MBA specifically geared toward established, experienced managers who want to advance their careers to even higher levels.

The Executive Assessment is easier than the GMAT. The EA is shorter and lacks an AWA section. On the EA, there are fewer of the harder math topics from the GMAT. For example, probability, statistics, and combinatronics are less common on the Executive Assessment.

Similarities Between EA and GMAT Structure

The range of Quant and Verbal topics on these two B-school admissions tests are largely the same. Although certain challenging math concepts are less frequent on the Executive Assessment, the GMAT and the EA have the same range of Quant concepts. The question formats are the same as well; the tests share a comparable mix of Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency.

For Verbal section, the mix is exactly the same. Both the EA and the GMAT have comparable proportions of Critical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Sentence Correction questions. Moreover, the IR sections are exactly the same between these two tests.

Who can submit EA scores, and which schools accept them

While the EMBA is designed for Executive MBA programs, other non-Executive MBA programs sometimes accept the EA from experienced applicants.