Published 11.09.2017 by Nicolas de Teilmann
How to get into a top Executive MBA Program
As I successfully completed the rigorous admission process for one of the top business schools in the world for an Executive MBA program, I want to share my experience and tips. Of course, this is based on the admission process for the school I chose: ie Business School but I am confident there will be parallels to other top schools.
The application process had 3 parts to it: 1) Application (References, grade transcripts, 3 essays etc. 2) Admission tests, and 3) Interview.
I spent about a month gathering all the documentation, obtaining references and creating the 3 essays. I was informed that my application passed the initial review 5 days after submission and I was then invited to Madrid, Spain for the admission tests and interview. I arranged with the school to have the admission tests, interview and a campus tour on the same day, so I could go for a 3-day trip and check out the city as well.
The school allowed for me to take either the standard GMAT or an ieGAT admission test. I chose the ieGAT which was a better fit for my work obligations in terms of the required preparation. In the next section, I will share my experience with the ieGAT and tips so hopefully, you also get the below feedback saying you passed!
In the final section, I will cover both the interview and share a few tips. Good luck! 🙂
EMBA ▷ ieGAT format
- Test candidates capability within 2 areas:
- Verbal and numerical comprehension & reasoning
- Candidates will read and analyze a short text and relevant numerical data, in the form of tables and diagrams that describe specific economic circumstances, and will answer a set of related questions.
- Logical-abstract reasoning
- Candidates will be presented with a series of diagrams made up of varying elements which follow a set of rules, or a pattern, to be determined by the candidates. This is a non-verbal exercise.
- The test will vary between these two types from one page to the next.
EMBA ▷ Exam
- Bring: Passport, calculator, pencil and eraser.
- 60 Questions - 80 minutes exam time. Averaging 1min 20sec per Q.
- The test is divided into 4 sections each section increasing difficulty
- Remember: The important thing is to answer as many questions as possible without skipping questions as speed, precision, and correct answers are all measured. It’s better to guess an answer than to leave it blank.
EMBA ▷ Verbal and numerical comprehension & reasoning - Example
- The quality of the product or service guaranteed is a significant factor when choosing to purchase something. For this reason, brands or certifications have been created, assuring us that certain controls have been undertaken in accordance with national or international regulations and which allow the products to reach the consumer in optimal conditions.
- A certified product is one that satisfies certain quality control, safety and adaptation rules to be used in a certain way. For the provision of services, however, there is no certification equivalent for quality. We must, therefore, rely on company-issued quality guarantees for services. A certified company will be one which fulfills a combination of necessary planned and systematic actions to ensure that a product or service fulfills the specified requirements. Frequently, this certification is substituted by the CE mark on a product. The CE mark guarantees compliance with all Directives of the European Union. At times, this mark is obtained by the self-certification of the manufacturer, ensuring compliance with all Directives, other times, third parties are required to ascertain this and these are Control Organizations.
- There is another form of quality control called the European Ecolabel, which focuses on environmental protection measures and informs consumers of environmental risks.
From the previous text, choose the truest statement:
Question 1
A. In the European Union a single quality certification has been created, the CE mark.
B. Sometimes the quality is guaranteed through self-certification or through a commitment to quality.
C. The CE mark certification is valid in any country in the world.
D. For high volume purchases, quality is not a significant factor.
Question 2
A. In the European Union there are many certification marks.
B. The Ecolabel is necessary in the European Union.
C. Any individual service provided by a company must be certified.
D. Most European Union Directives are ecologically focused.
Correct answers:
Question 1
A. In the European Union a single quality certification has been created, the CE mark.
B. Sometimes the quality is guaranteed through self-certification or through a commitment to quality.
C. The CE mark certification is valid in any country in the world.
D. For high volume purchases, quality is not a significant factor.
Question 2
A. In the European Union there are many certification marks.
B. The Ecolabel is necessary in the European Union.
C. Any individual service provided by a company must be certified.
D. Most European Union Directives are ecologically focused.
EMBA ▷ Verbal and numerical comprehension & reasoning - Example 2
- Investment:
- Type I: an investment of 100.000 Euros will be made if the increase in revenue, between the year X and X-1 is larger than 30%. A 50.000 Euro investment will be made if growth is between 10% and 30%. No investment will be made if growth is under 10%.
- And also:
- Type II: no investment will be made if the number of professionals in the company is less than 100. A 500 Euro investment will be made for each professional between 100 and 150 professionals and also a 1.000 Euro investment will be made for each professional, from 150 professionals up.
- Expenses: Only personnel expenses are considered. On average 3.500 Euros per person.
Profits = Revenue – Expenses.
Money to be split between partners = Profits – Investment.
From the previous data, choose the correct answer:
Question 1
What are the profits of Company C for year X?
A. 3.343 thousand Euros
B. 3.433 thousand Euros
C. 3.334 thousand Euros
D. 3.443 thousand Euros
Question 2
How much money will a partner receive in Company A during year X?
A. 150.72 thousand Euros
B. 149.25 thousand Euros
C. 145.39 thousand Euros
D. 144.66 thousand Euros
Correct answers:
Question 1
What are the profits of Company C for year X?
A. 3.343 thousand Euros (3.728-385 = 3.343)
B. 3.433 thousand Euros
C. 3.334 thousand Euros
D. 3.443 thousand Euros
Question 2
How much money will a partner receive in Company A during year X?
A. 150.72 thousand Euros
B. 149.25 thousand Euros
C. 145.39 thousand Euros
D. 144.66 thousand Euros (6.108-(3,5*281+50+0,5*50+131*1))/34=144,66)
EMBA ▷ Logical comprehension & reasoning - Example
The figures are modified according to the commands or symbols inside the small squares.
Study what effect the commands or symbols have on the figure from the model diagram (left), then apply the deduced logic to the question diagrams (right) and choose the correct answer:
Correct answers:
EMBA ▷ Other notes
Even though you don’t necessarily need to practice for the ieGAT, I’d think it’s important enough to warrant a relatively small expense and use about 10-20 hours anyway.
I recommend buying access to the following test simulator:
https://www.jobtestprep.co.uk/ie-admission - £ 39.99
Make sure to take the ie Numerical/Verbal test which will be similar to the Verbal and numerical comprehension & reasoning parts of the ieGAT.
Then practice the Diagrammatic Reasoning which is similar to the Logical-abstract reasoning tests you will encounter on the ieGAT.
This will give you an understanding of what you’re going into, however, when you do the actual ieGAT, you will also have a tutorial and 5 practice questions for you to get acquainted with the format.
EMBA ▷ Test examples from jobtestprep site
EMBA ▷ Interview
The interview is about 45 minutes and is structured for the admission committee to get to know you a little better. You get the opportunity to go more in-depth with parts of your application or CV and you get the opportunity to highlight certain parts. Now, I won't disclose the exact questions I got, but I will let you know what kind of questions you should expect.
The initial question will be very open and something like:
- Tell me about how you got to your current role, what you're doing now and what you expect to do in the future?
This allows you to walk through your CV and highlight special events and reflect on some of your choices.
The following questions would be typical questions you get during job interviews. Designed to get you to talk about and reflect on how you handle stressed situations, managing conflicts and your strengths and weaknesses. Expect something like:
- Tell me about the last you were engaged in a teamwork activity and for some reason, it did not work - What did you do and why?
- Tell me about the last time you had a conflict and how you solved it?
- What would you tribute as your single most important factor for your success?
The last part of the interview seemed to be designed to gauge how mature the idea of studying at IE Business School is to you. Expect questions like:
- Why did you choose to pursue an EMBA?
- Why IE Business School and why now?
- How do you plan to fund the EMBA program?
After this part, there was one final question which was quite brilliant - I have never heard it before and I don't want to share it because then it loses its value. However, it allows you to be creative and reflective at the same time. I will give one hint - It will be easier to give a good answer, in my opinion, if you are good at recalling famous quotes or titles and somehow can link that back to your passions. Good luck 🙂