Unraveling the Yale MBA Behavioral Assessment Test
To test the emotional quotient and better assess its potential candidates outside the realm of academics and work experience, the Yale School of Management recently added a unique, never-done-before element in their application process- the Yale Behavioral Assessment.
Despite its inception in 2020, the non-cognitive online assessment has been years in the making. While your academic excellence and work experience can be reflected in your CV, essays, GMAT, or GRE scores, this assessment tries to gauge what it is that you prioritize- whether you like to spend time on your family or on your career, whether you like to make friends in the workplace or focus solely on climbing the corporate ladder, etc. Now that might sound worrying but read further before you jump to any conclusions- the test is not a make or break in your application process. It merely provides supplementary information which helps determine if candidates who possess academic grit and have great work experience would actually be able to prove their merit and collaborate with their peers in the school or not. This assessment also identifies people who don’t seem like a perfect fit at the first glance– the ones with average scores and average work experiences, you know? but have high motivations, a strong emotional quotient, and a capacity to collaborate and bring value to the school.
So how does this work?
Administered by ETS- the testing service behind the GRE, the assessment consists of 120 multiple choice questions, with each question having two choices. You need to choose the statement that you resonate with the most. You have to finish the test within 20 to 25 minutes, and no two test-takers will receive the exact same set of questions.
“Ugh, another test to prepare for?”
Laurel Grodman, Managing Director of Admissions at Yale SOM says, “So, there is nothing a student needs to do ahead of time to prepare for the assessment. I hope this comes as a breath of fresh air to MBA applicants — finally something that requires no preparation! Just try not to overthink it.”
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. The test is conducted to get an idea around your thought process and values. However, if you need any tips and tricks to calm your jitters, we got you.
1. Choose statements that are more of “WE” oriented and less of “I” oriented.
2. Do not demonstrate any bias.
3. Choose the options that you think will make you appear emotionally strong.
4. And most importantly, make sure you believe in what you choose. The beauty of this test is that your choices will be tested in subsequent questions. If you chose A over B in a question, you might get a question that asks you to pick between A and C.
Yale is the first and only school to explore this tool for candidate evaluation. And while it may come across as a little intimidating, you have to remember that the test only gives you more chance to showcase yourselves outside of traditional metrics. Again, since there are no right or wrong answers, the committee even hopes you might have a little fun with it!
Reach out to your consultants at CrackAdmission to get tips on how to put across your best self in the test.