When we have students applying to the Executive MBA program at INSEAD Abu Dhabi, we are often asked: “Should I take the INSEAD Assessment or Executive Assessment (EA)?”
We’ll make an argument for why you should prepare for and take the EA, but first, we will explain both tests.
INSEAD EMBA Assessment
Prior to 2016, if you wanted to apply to an Executive MBA program, you had to take the GMAT. Preparing for the GMAT is a long and grueling process for most people. Unfortunately, preparation was especially difficult for executives who had been out of undergraduate for 10 or more years. We know because we were teaching them!
Several MBA programs, such as IE and INSEAD, introduced their own tests so that executives would not have to take the GMAT. In their earliest forms, these tests were stripped-down versions of the GMAT. Over time, they have evolved into their own test styles.
The INSEAD EMBA Assessment includes the following sections:
- Data analysis = 15 questions, 30 minutes, multiple-choice, calculate an answer
- Data interpretation = 15 questions, 30 minutes, multiple-choice, interpret the graphs and complete data sufficiency questions
- Communication analysis = 15 questions, 30 minutes, multiple-choice, read the passage and answer questions
- Critical thinking = 15 questions, 30 minutes, multiple-choice, logic-based reading passages with questions
- Case presentation = 30 minutes to read a business case and prepare a presentation, 10 minutes to present to a panel, 10 minutes Q&A
- Personal interview = 20 minutes
Executive Assessment
In 2016, the makers of the GMAT realized that the GMAT was not a good fit for Executive MBA programs, so they released the Executive Assessment. While the EA started as a mini-GMAT, the GMAT has evolved away from the EA. Now, we definitely consider them two separate tests.
Fortunately, if you take the EA, you will not have to prepare for the case presentation and personal interview at the same time. Plus, it’s a shorter test. The EA includes the following sections:
- Integrated reasoning = 14 questions, 30 minutes, multiple-choice, interpret graphs and answer questions
- Verbal reasoning = 14 questions, 30 minutes, multiple-choice, answer reading, logic, and grammar-based questions
- Quantitative reasoning = 14 questions, 30 minutes, multiple-choice, answer problem-solving and data sufficiency questions
Want to know more about the EA? Read this detailed overview.
Should You Take the INSEAD Assessment or Executive Assessment (EA)?
The EA definitely! There are so many reasons why you should choose the Executive Assessment over the INSEAD EMBA Assessment. Here are just a few:
1. You do not have to submit your application to INSEAD before you take the EA.
You can take the EA just about whenever you want. In fact, you can choose to take the test and then apply to programs. Some students choose this pathway if they have yet to notify their jobs that they are applying for an EMBA. They decide to get the EA, transcripts, and basic application out of the way BEFORE asking for recommendations.
If you decide to take the INSEAD EMBA Assessment, you have to submit your application at least two weeks before the test. You eliminate your flexibility to follow the process as you wish.
2. You can use the EA to apply to another EMBA program.
It is not unheard of for students to be rejected by INSEAD Abu Dhabi only to later be accepted by LBS Dubai. Each program is looking for something different or, perhaps, LBS Dubai was just the right opportunity for the student. No matter what the reason for applying to another program, you can take the same EA score and apply.
If you take the INSEAD EMBA Assessment, you will have to take the EA anyway because the INSEAD Assessment is only accepted by INSEAD.
Bonus?
Your EA score is good for 5 years, so you can change your mind now and apply using the same score later.
3. You can take the EA 2 to 4 times.
You are allowed to take the EA in a test center two times. Since the EA online that you take at home is built on a separate system, you can also take the EA online up to 2 times. That’s 4 possible opportunities to achieve the score you need. Of course, you won’t need all 4 chances if you prepare with us.
You can only take the INSEAD Assessment once. That’s right, you only get one shot!
4. You can take the EA just about whenever you want.
What’s better than a lot of chances to take a test?
Being able to take it whenever you want!
To take the EA, you schedule a date for the test at a test center or online to take at home. Either way, there are dates offered 6 to 7 days a week year-round.
However…
If you take the INSEAD Assessment, you will have to wait for an available assessment date.
5. There is no oral component on the EA.
The EA has 3 fairly straightforward sections and takes only 1.5 hours.
The INSEAD Assessment has a 2 hour written component and a 1 and 10-minute oral component. Here’s what’s in the oral component according to INSEAD:
Oral component: (30 min. preparation, 40 min. presentation/interview) – prepare, deliver and discuss a business case study presentation, followed by a motivational interview
We don’t know about you, but we would rather just do a computer test and get it over with.
6. There are more preparation materials for the EA.
Since the EA is taken by students around the world, there are more and higher quality preparation materials available for the EA. INSEAD does release some guidance, but it’s not very thorough or super helpful. In addition, you need to prepare for the online format, not just do pencil and paper problems.
Studying for the GMAT won’t’ really help you because the INSEAD Assessment is more like the EA than the GMAT. There is a high-quality online platform released by the makers of the EA that will allow you to practice and take full-length tests. These practice materials are more in line with the INSEAD test than the GMAT.
Your best bet?
Study for and take the EA because…
7. You can always take both if you take the EA first.
We have taught many students who prepared for the EA, then decided to take both exams because an INSEAD Assessment date was coming up. Typically, they are at the end of their preparation and just doing practice tests for the EA. The INSEAD date rolls around, so they decide to sit that exam.
INSEAD doesn’t release the results of the exam for a couple of weeks, so they continue to take the EA as planned. They get the results immediately and provide them to INSEAD.
While it seems like overkill to take both tests, it was only possible because the students prepared for and planned to take the EA. You can’t really do the process in the reverse order.
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