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Are you an international student who is thinking about attending business school in the US or the UK?

Along with all of the other requirements for a competitive business school application, you will need to consider taking an English proficiency exam. Depending on your country of origin, this may be required or strongly encouraged by the schools where you’re applying.

We’ll answer four must-know questions about the importance of proficiency exams for international MBA applicants.

If you decide that you do need to take a proficiency exam, we have many great resources for you on the EXPARTUS blog, including great study strategies for English tests, and how to tell if you’re ready to take the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE.

1. Who is required to take a proficiency test to get into business school?

Requirements vary by program, but as a general rule, any student whose native language is not English will need to take an English proficiency test (also sometimes referred to as an English as a second language test).

The TOEFL, the IELTS, and the PTE are the most widely accepted proficiency tests among top business schools, although many UK schools also accept the Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE), Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE), and Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) exams as well.

2. Are there exceptions for English proficiency test requirements?

Many business schools will exempt MBA applicants from submitting scores for an English proficiency exam if there is something about their application that suggests English proficiency or mastery. The most common exemptions are:

– Living and working in an English-speaking country for at least two years

– Receiving an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction

However, it is important to note that some schools do not allow for these common exemptions, so you should not assume that you won’t have to take a test if you meet these requirements.

Additionally, some top business schools do not require English proficiency tests at all, preferring to assess language skills through interviews and essays.

For more details about the proficiency test requirements at top business schools, including information about minimum score requirements, check out our article on What Top Business Schools Require on the TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE.

3. Why are English proficiency tests so important for MBA applicants?

If you’re an international student considering business school in the US or UK, you are surely already aware that classes will be conducted in English. Your English reading and writing skills will need to be very strong in order to keep up with the required reading and assignments.

But what you may not realize is just how important it will be for your listening and speaking skills to be top notch, as well. The best business schools tend to emphasize connections between students as much as coursework, whether in the form of networking opportunities and student organizations or study groups and group projects.

In fact, many schools even group incoming MBA students into cohorts who will go through all their core courses together, and often participate in out-of-class projects or seminars as well.

A good score on an English proficiency exam can reassure admissions committees that you are prepared to excel in all areas of the business school experience, from classrooms to group study sessions.

4. If a school lists English proficiency tests as optional, should you still submit a score?

Whether or not you should submit an optional English proficiency test score as a part of your MBA application package depends on three factors: whether you’ve already taken the test, how good your score is, and how well the rest of your application package reflects your level of English mastery.

If you’ve already taken an English proficiency exam (or if you have to take it as a part of the application process for another school you’re applying to), and you have a solid score, you should absolutely submit it. It can only help your chances of getting in.

If you don’t already have a test score and aren’t applying to a school which requires a proficiency exam, the answer depends on the rest of your application package.

Do you have good GRE or GMAT verbal scores, and strong MBA application essays? Then you should be fine without submitting a proficiency test score. But if those elements are not as strong as they could be, a high score on an English proficiency test can mitigate some of your weaknesses.

Your Turn

If you have doubts about the strength of your MBA application, an outside perspective can often help clarify the issues.

A free MBA application assessment from EXPARTUS will give you clear insights into your application’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as a comprehensive map to focusing on the highlights of your personal brand.

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