EA Preparation Classes

The Executive Assessment (EA) is a specialized entrance exam designed to evaluate the readiness of candidates for advanced business studies, particularly in Executive MBA programs. It is tailored for busy professionals with substantial work experience, thus emphasizing practical skills required in mid-to-senior management roles rather than purely academic knowledge.

The Executive Assessment is recognized for its flexibility, allowing candidates to prepare and take the test without extensive preparation, making it an ideal choice for those balancing professional and personal responsibilities while eyeing career advancement through executive education.

Pursuing an EMBA program requires you to pass either the GMAT or Executive Assessment (EA). In comparison, both the GMAT and EA are fundamentally similar. However, there is a difference in depth of preparation and time to complete. Hence, if you are a busy professional, you might want to take the EA instead.

The EA exam is available both at a test centre and online – giving you the convenience and flexibility to plan your testing strategy. The EA has a shorter completion time – 90-mins vs 3.5-hours. Additionally, EA scores are also highly correlated to performance in the EMBA. However, the EA is subjected to admission requirements of different schools.

You can take the Executive Assessment year round at one of our more than 600 test centers around the world or online.

You would have to submit your applications for the Executive Assessment at least 2 weeks before your targeted test date. Consequently, successful applicants will then be invited to sit the test on one of the three INSEAD campuses.

The latest Executive Assessment Test Locations & Dates can be found on GMAC’s website.

The assessment focuses on three core areas:

• Integrated Reasoning (IR): consists of 12 questions over 30 minutes, focusing on graphic interpretations, table analysis, multi-source reasoning, and two-part analysis, with scores ranging from 0 to 20 (in 1-point increments).
• Verbal Reasoning (VR): includes 14 questions in 30 minutes, covering reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction, also scored between 0 and 20
• Quantitative Reasoning (QR): involves 14 questions in 30 minutes, encompassing data sufficiency and problem solving, with similar scoring.
• The final score ranges from 100 to 200.

The Executive Assessment is a relatively new test and there is not enough data yet to pinpoint what a good EA score is. However, for top business schools, we advise our students to score 155 (~80th percentile) or above. A score of 150 is ~53rd percentile and 162 is 96th percentile (GMAT 730 equivalent). It is important to note that of all 3 sections, the Quant score will be the most important and we advise to reach a scaled score of 12 or above.

To gain an understanding of how each section is scored, check our comprehensive EA guide here.

Most Executive MBA programs will accept the EA, and some part-time MBA programs and full-time MBA programs (if you have a certain amount of work experience) will accept it also. Below are some examples of schools that are popular with our applicants, but this is not an exhaustive list.

In the US, institutions like Berkeley Haas, Chicago Booth, and MIT Sloan offer EMBA and other MBA programs. Canadian institutions include McGill & HEC Montreal and Queens University, offering EMBA programs. In the UK, schools like Cambridge Judge and Oxford Said also provide EMBA programs. European schools such as IESE, INSEAD and HEC Paris focus on EMBA courses. In Singapore, business schools like Nanyang and the National University of Singapore offer Professional and Part-time MBA programs.

The list outlines various business schools worldwide and their offered programs, focusing primarily on Executive MBA (EMBA) and other MBA formats.

View the complete list of schools that accept EA.