Graduate Management Admission Council

The Graduate Management Admission Council, commonly known as GMAC, is an international nonprofit organization serving business schools, graduate management education providers, and prospective students. Its central role is to develop and administer admissions-related products, most notably the Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT. The exam is used by graduate business and management programs as one element in evaluating applicants for programs such as the Master of Business Administration, Master of Accountancy, Master of Finance, and related master's degrees. GMAC positions the GMAT as a standardized assessment of capabilities relevant to graduate management study. Its measured areas have included quantitative, verbal, analytical, and integrated reasoning skills. The organization describes the assessment as an objective indicator of likely academic performance during the early part of a graduate business program. GMAC's Validity Study Service has been used to examine the relationship between admissions measures and academic outcomes, including the relationship between GMAT results, undergraduate grade-point averages, and first-year business-school performance. In addition to testing, GMAC operates services intended to connect schools with prospective applicants and to support admissions professionals. The Graduate Management Admission Search Service, or GMASS, is a searchable database of GMAT examinees and mba.com registrants that can be used by participating schools for outreach. GMATCH is an online global recruiting event designed to facilitate contact between applicants and admissions teams. In 2013, GMAC introduced the Reflect Self-Assessment and Development Tool, an online assessment and self-directed development product focused on soft skills. The organization is based in Reston, Virginia, and has developed an international operating presence. It opened its first overseas office in London in 2007 and also has offices in Shanghai and Gurgaon. GMAC's membership includes business schools from multiple regions, including North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The referenced membership profile describes 227 member schools across 34 countries and identifies participation from markets including Australia, Canada, China, France, Great Britain, India, and the United Kingdom. GMAC is governed by a board representing both business schools and private industry. Its international expansion has reflected the increasingly global character of graduate management education and the organization's effort to broaden membership beyond North America. Although the GMAT remains its best-known offering, GMAC's broader function is to provide infrastructure for admissions, student recruitment, assessment research, and engagement between schools and candidates.

The Graduate Management Admission Council is an international nonprofit association formed to serve the graduate management education ecosystem. Its work connects business schools, admissions offices, applicants, and researchers through standardized assessment, candidate databases, recruitment services, and validity research. The organization is best known for owning and operating the Graduate Management Admission Test, a widely used admissions examination for business and management programs. GMAC's institutional role extends beyond test administration. The GMAT provides a common assessment framework for applicants to programs including the MBA, Master of Accountancy, Master of Finance, and other graduate degrees in business or management. The exam has been designed to evaluate quantitative, verbal, analytical, and integrated reasoning capabilities. GMAC's research function includes the Validity Study Service, which examines how admissions measures relate to academic performance. The referenced material identifies the GMAT as a reliable predictor of business-school academic performance, particularly when considered alongside undergraduate grade-point average. The organization has also built services around the admissions and recruitment process. GMASS gives admissions professionals access to a searchable pool of GMAT examinees and mba.com registrants, described in the reference material as containing more than 350,000 records. GMATCH provides a two-day online global recruiting event through which applicants and schools can interact. These services broaden GMAC's role from test publisher to intermediary supporting communication between candidates and graduate management programs. GMAC's international development became more visible in 2007, when it opened an office in London, its first outside the United States. It subsequently maintained offices in Shanghai and Gurgaon, reflecting the importance of Asian and European markets to graduate management education. The organization's membership expansion program sought to increase participation outside North America. The referenced membership description identifies 227 member schools in 34 countries, with representation from Australia, Canada, China, France, Great Britain, India, and the United Kingdom. Product development continued in the 2010s. In June 2012, GMAC added an Integrated Reasoning section to the GMAT. In 2013, it launched Reflect, an online self-assessment and self-directed soft-skills development tool. These initiatives show an effort to address both conventional academic readiness and broader capabilities relevant to management education and professional development. GMAC is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, and is governed by a 16-member board that includes representatives from business schools and private industry. The available reference material does not identify the organization's founding year, founders, current officers, or later changes to its products. Accordingly, those details are left unreported here rather than inferred. The documented history presents GMAC as an active, globally oriented education-services organization whose primary institutional asset is the GMAT and whose wider portfolio supports school recruitment, candidate discovery, assessment research, and student development.

• 2013

  Reflect launched

  [1]Graduate Management Admission Councilen.wikipedia.org

  GMAC introduced Reflect, an online self-assessment and self-directed soft-skills development program.

• 2012

  Integrated Reasoning added to the GMAT

  [1]Graduate Management Admission Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The GMAT was expanded with an Integrated Reasoning section.

• 2007

  First international office opened in London

  [1]Graduate Management Admission Councilen.wikipedia.org

  GMAC opened an office in London, its first international location, as part of an effort to expand membership and operations beyond North America.

An international nonprofit provider of admissions assessment, recruitment, and research services for graduate management education.

• Admissions examination

  Graduate Management Admission Test

  The GMAT is GMAC's principal standardized assessment for graduate business and management admissions. It is used by programs such as MBA, Master of Accountancy, Master of Finance, and other business-related master's degrees. The exam assesses quantitative, verbal, analytical, and integrated reasoning abilities and is intended to provide schools with a common measure for comparing applicants.

• Admissions research service

  Validity Study Service

  The Validity Study Service supports research into the relationship between admissions measures and student outcomes. GMAC research described in the reference material indicates that GMAT performance can help predict academic performance in business school, particularly when interpreted together with undergraduate grade-point average.

• Student recruitment database

  Graduate Management Admission Search Service

  GMASS is a searchable database for admissions professionals. It brings together information on GMAT examinees and mba.com registrants, allowing participating graduate management programs to identify and communicate with prospective candidates.

• Online recruiting event

  GMATCH

  GMATCH is a two-day online global recruiting event designed to connect prospective students with graduate management education providers. It extends GMAC's role into direct candidate-school engagement and international admissions outreach.

• Self-assessment and development tool · 2013

  Reflect

  Reflect is an online assessment and self-directed development program launched by GMAC in 2013. It focuses on soft skills and personal development, complementing the more academically oriented purpose of the GMAT.

• 2013

  Launch of ReflectProduct launch

  Background

  GMAC broadened its product portfolio beyond admissions testing toward personal and professional development.

  Action taken

  The organization launched Reflect, an online self-assessment and self-directed soft-skills development tool.

  Aftermath

  Reflect added a development-oriented service to GMAC's assessment and graduate management education portfolio.

  Source

• 2012

  Expansion of the GMAT assessmentGeneration change

  Background

  GMAC revised the exam to assess an additional dimension of reasoning relevant to graduate management study.

  Action taken

  An Integrated Reasoning section was added to the GMAT in June 2012.

  Aftermath

  The GMAT's tested domains expanded beyond its existing quantitative, verbal, and analytical components.

  Source

• 2007

  International expansion beyond North AmericaStrategy

  Background

  GMAC sought to increase membership outside North America as graduate management education became more international.

  Action taken

  The organization opened its first international office in London and developed additional offices in Shanghai and Gurgaon.

  Aftermath

  GMAC established a broader international operating footprint and reported membership spanning schools in 34 countries.

  Source

1. 1Graduate Management Admission Councilen.wikipedia.org