For many MBA applicants, the standardized test portion of the application can be one of the most intimidating components. At Darden, we don’t want testing to get between us and great applicants. We know the job market is shifting and many prospective applicants may once again be considering an MBA — or investigating programs for the first time.
Whether you’re ready to apply in our next Full-Time MBA round (applications due by 5 January) or are in the information-gathering phase of your business school journey, we have plenty of great resources to help you decide which is the best standardized test score (or test waiver) path to help put your best self forward in the application!
Applicants planning to apply for a test waiver for the Round 2 deadline, must submit their waiver request by no later than Wednesday, 14 December.
The resources below are focused on the Full-Time MBA program, however, Part-Time MBA and Executive MBA candidates can also take advantage of test flexibility and a separate test waiver request process.
Webinar Recording
View the recording from our November 2022 webinar, “All About the Application: Standardized Tests and Test Waivers” hosted by Managing Director of Admissions Whitney Kestner and Director of Admissions Catie Yeilding. During the session, Kestner and Yeilding provided strategies for how to think about standardized test scores as just one component of the application, as well as insights about test waiver application timing, understanding how waivers can impact scholarship considerations and outlining criteria that the Admissions Committee will consider when evaluating a test waiver request.
Admissions Tips From Dawna Clarke
Senior Assistant Dean for Admissions Dawna Clarke also shared a brief video featuring helpful tips for applicants who may be considering applying for a test waiver or those who are in the test preparation stage of applying to business school.
Clarke shared, “We realize that preparing for and taking a standardized tests has the potential to be a stressful component of the admissions process. Our admissions team collectively has decades of admissions experience and we are well aware that not all stellar applicants are equally stellar test-takers. We also recognize that you are so much more than a test score. This is a great option for applicants who have compelling alternative evidence that they are academically prepared for Darden. In the test-waiver process, there are opportunities for you to highlight other academic or professional accomplishments such as earning a CPA or CFA, having earned a strong GPA in a relevant undergraduate or graduate degree program or bringing strong analytical skills from your professional background.”
