Education News South Africa

International assessment streamlines acceptance to local business schools

Candidates can now apply to six leading South African business schools with one test and receive complimentary test preparation materials from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), which has launched registrations for the NMAT by GMAC exam.
Ron Sibert
Ron Sibert

The NMAT by GMAC exam measures the skills required for academic success in African management programmes. It is accepted by leading business schools in South Africa, including:

  • Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
  • Milpark Business School
  • North West University
  • Rhodes Business School
  • University of South Africa (UNISA) Graduate School of Business Leadership
  • Wits Business School

Local, international input

Owned by the organisation that created and administers the global GMAT exam, the NMAT by GMAC exam was established for use in Africa, in partnership with the Association of African Business Schools (AABS) and the South African Business School Association (SABSA).

Input from faculty, students and administrators from 27 member business schools in 10 countries was considered, to validate that this assessment will provide reliable information to African business schools when selecting candidates for graduate management education programmes.

“African business schools have expressed a need for better, more informed approaches to selecting students for their MBA and other graduate management programmes,” said Dr Ron Sibert, GMAC’s market development director in Africa. “The NMAT by GMAC will provide a more objective measure of student preparedness, thereby helping to ensure they are positioned for academic success.”

Pan-African quality standards

The journey to the launch of the NMAT by GMAC in Africa began in 2014, when the leadership of AABS and SABSA acknowledged the need for a quality admission test, as part of their associations’ efforts to establish pan-African quality standards and a cohesive community of graduate management programmes on the continent. The associations agreed that the assessment would be:

  • A high-quality measure of the skills that are necessary for academic success at graduate management programmes in Africa as well as other parts of the world
  • Affordable and accessible to applicants to African business schools

The NMAT by GMAC exam launches with six pioneering schools in South Africa, with plans to move into several other countries around the world in subsequent years.

“This collaboration between African business schools and GMAC is an important first step towards achieving an equitable benchmark for candidates entering our graduate management programmes,” said Professor Owen Skae, director at Rhodes Business School.

“I am hopeful it will help set the standard of what is expected in an MBA and ultimately prepare candidates for success. We are pleased GMAC chose South Africa as its entry point to launch the NMAT by GMAC on the continent, in recognition of the high quality of graduate management education in the Republic.”

Originally from India

The NMAT by GMAC exam has been a symbol of quality since it was first introduced in India more than 20 years ago. Today, 17 leading Indian business schools accept the exam.

The exam itself is computer-delivered and gives each candidate a randomly generated test from a pool of questions. It comprises three sections — Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, and Logical Reasoning. All three sections are individually timed and test takers must answer questions and review answers to each section within the total allotted time of 120 minutes. By measuring competency across three different domains, it allows schools to evaluate candidates’ strengths and development needs. It has plans to move into several other countries around the world in subsequent years.

Test registration has opened and will close on 12 October 2017. Testing will begin on 15 September and will continue until 16 October 2017, at test centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban and Port Elizabeth. To assist with preparation, GMAC is providing all candidates with a free copy of the Official Preparation Guide, redeemable at the school to which the candidate is applying.

For more information, go to www.nmat.org.in/africa.

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