As a proud IBA Alumnus, this thought often comes to my mind that whether IBA should change its methods of gauging aptitude of applicants. It is no wonder IBA’s pride to have strictly maintained its criteria for merit when accepting students for admission. However, I think it is not a bad idea if IBA revamps its admission policy now. Doing so will help the institute attract better applicants, and thus consequently produce even better leaders for the future. After all, it promises “Leadership and Ideas for tomorrow”.
The International Testing Standards and IBA
I am one of those students who were exempted from the IBA MBA Admission Test due to a high GMAT Score. I didn’t have to appear in the test even though I was familiar with it. What comes to my mind is why IBA doesn’t solely base its admission criteria on International exams such as GMAT/GRE? Both USC and Wharton, their legacy inherited by the institute, accept GMAT/GRE today for admission to their programs. Like every decision, such a decision of the institute will have both pros and cons especially from a local perspective. However, I am going to talk about the benefits the institute will yield from this change.
Benefits of changing IBA’s testing methods
Firstly, it will encourage every applicant to prepare for the GMAT/GRE. GMAT, especially, is designed in a way that it prepares the test-taker for real-life managerial decision-making. It is a test that gauges one’s ability to answer as accurately as possible in the given specified time. It also involves learning the skill of eliminating the wrong answer choices. All this is used to assess how efficient a test-taker’s problem-solving and analytical skills are. Consequently, when applicants will get in after “cracking their GMAT”, they will be already at par with the best International Business schools.
Benefits for IBA Masters students
Secondly, GMAT/GRE is often a requirement for many doctorate degrees at reputable world universities. Thus Masters Students at IBA, who want to pursue a Doctorate degree, will already be familiar with this exam pattern. I have personally known many professionals who struggle in GMAT/GRE when applying for PhD programs abroad. If the masters students would have already taken this exam, they will not have to go through this “struggle”. In fact, I believe, that it will lead to an increase in the number of students who want to pursue PhD after their Masters.
Benefits for IBA doctorate aspiring students
Furthermore, it will ease for IBA the cumbersome task of test taking. And will also increase the transparency of the assessments themselves. Consequently, it will make the institute even more renowned for its merit-based selection. Lastly, it will help portray IBA’s image as being an institute that adapts to the admission policies which almost all reputable universities of the world currently follow. To illustrate this further, lets take example of CSS. The criticism that this exam often receives is that its testing pattern needs to be changed. There is a possibility of institute’s aptitude test to be criticized the same way.
Conclusion
Conclusively, in fast paced business world, being at par with International Standards is vital for business schools and business students. IBA, being the pioneer of business education in Pakistan, must set simply the best examples. Considering replacing its aptitude tests with GMAT/GRE/SAT can be one way to accomplish this. These are simply my 2 cents and I appreciate differences of opinion. As a former student of this institute, I have been more than satisfied with the facilities, education and experience here. This change can further improve the already great image of IBA, an Institute that still is a dream for many.
“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity-not a threat.” (Steve Jobs)
