Communication Skills: How Do MBA Programs Evaluate Them?

A recent survey has proved that communication skills are the top quality that a hirer looks for in applicants these days. A person may have strong analytical and technical skills, but being able to share thoughts and skills with teammates seems essential. This translates to business schools focusing on your communication skills as a must for being admitted to their MBA program. 

MBA programs involve participation in class and a lot of teamwork too, so it is only fitting that AdComs will pay special attention to whether you are an effective communicator or not.

There are a few different ways in which the admissions team will test your communication skills:

Interview

During the interview, the team will evaluate if you can express clearly. The questions will be mostly about yourself and why you want an MBA, your goals, etc. Prepare your answers in advance, pay attention to your hand gestures and rehearse with somebody else if you get the chance.

Essays 

Essays let the Admissions team evaluate your written communication skills. Aim for clarity and consistency, and take the opportunity to highlight your achievements. Make a point of why you are a good fit for the program but don’t go overboard. The final essay will give the team a general idea of who you are.

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) Score

This section might not affect your Total GMAT Score, but admission teams pay attention to it because it’s a way to complement the evaluation of your communication skills. 

Don’t take this section too lightly. You want to prove your written communication skills are on point. Write essays as you prepare for your GMAT as well. 

Letters of Recommendation  

When choosing your recommenders, make sure you pick someone that has worked with you extensively in the past. Guide the person through what you want to be highlighted about you and what they should keep out of the letter. Also, your recommender should know your career goals. 

Group Discussion

Before any other recommendations, here is the main one: make sure you are up to date with current issues. 

Then, be a good listener and be a good speaker. Both at the same time. Start with listening actively to the discussion and only speak when you have something of value to add to it.

The way you perform on the group discussion, will say a lot about your skills when it comes to teamwork.

Video Essays

Possibly intimidating at first, but a great opportunity to make a great first impression. To make the best out of it take note on our recommendations: 

– Act natural

– Be clear and concise

– Keep it simple – there is no need for a big production

– Practice your answers! If you have the chance, record it and watch your video so you can improve timing, gestures and how you articulate your responses. You can get a friend to help you with some feedback as well.

If you need help with the GMAT or the admissions process we can help.  For more information on our different GMAT products see:

• GMAT private classes – see the stories of Will, Teddy, Jessica and Nico and how they approached their GMAT journey with Merchant.
• Merchant Academy – a GMAT teaching innovation that makes taking the GMAT, like an MBA. Click to find out more about the Merchant Academy format.
• Merchant GMAT Hall of Fame – a gallery of some of our clients over the last eight years.

For admissions help see some of the client stories on our admissions page.