EA Administration

General EA Administration Policies

The EA is administered by Pearson VUE (Virtual University Enterprises) on behalf of the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). Students taking the EA must be at least 18 years old, and while the EA is intended for prospective graduate students, there is no official policy that requires test-takers to hold a bachelor's degree. To register to take the EA, test takers should create an account through the GMAC at www.mba.com by providing some basic personal information. Once an account has been created, you can select the business programs where you would like to send your EA scores (if you are not certain where you would like to send your scores, this can also be done after you have taken the EA). Test takers will then select whether they would prefer to take the EA in a testing center or at home. Once you have made your appointment selection, you will pay the $350 registration fee via credit card or other online options. Registered students will receive an email confirmation of their scheduled exam.

You may reschedule your EA appointment without fees up to 48 hours before your scheduled appointment time. You can reschedule your appointment 24-48 hours before your appointment for a fee of $75. To reschedule, visit your EA online dashboard and click the "My Appointments" page. You may also call Pearson VUE customer service and reschedule over the phone, but you will be charged an additional $10 fee for doing so. Appointments cannot be rescheduled within 24 hours of your scheduled appointment.

You may cancel your EA appointment up to 24 hours before your scheduled appointment by going online and visiting your EA online dashboard. Select the "My Appointments" page and follow the given instructions. You may also call Pearson VUE customer service and cancel your exam appointment over the phone, but you will be charged an additional $10 fee for doing so. If you cancel your EA appointment more than 24 hours before the scheduled appointment, you will be refunded $250 out of the $350 registration fee. If you cancel less than 24 hours before your scheduled exam, you forfeit your entire $350 registration fee with no partial refund. If you fail to arrive for your scheduled exam appointment within 15 minutes of the given start time, you will forfeit your entire $350 registration fee and be ineligible to take the exam.

When you complete the EA at a testing center, you will receive your scores within approximately 24 hours, and they can be accessed by logging into your online account. When you take the EA at home, scores will be sent to you via email within approximately seven days. GMAC recommends a test date that is at least three weeks ahead of any business school application deadlines.

Test takers may take the EA at a test center no more than two times. According to the GMAC, EA tests completed at test centers are counted independently of EA tests completed online. You must complete one assessment before taking the EA a second time.

Test Center Policies

If you are taking the EA at a test center, it is important to be aware of location-specific policies. In order to be admitted to the test center, students must present an officially accepted type of photo identification (driver's license, passport, government-issued ID, or military ID). The GMAC recommends that test takers arrive 30 minutes before their scheduled appointment time; those who arrive 15 minutes or more after their scheduled appointment start time will be refused admission and will forfeit their registration fee.

Test-takers will be required to agree to all test center policies, including the General Terms and Non-Disclosure Agreement, specific test delivery provider rules, EA Policies and Procedures, and GMAC's Privacy Statement. Eating and drinking are not allowed in the test room. There are no scheduled breaks as part of the EA, and if you wish to take a break, the assessment clock will not stop running. In addition, you must secure permission from the proctor before leaving the testing room. Audio and video recording will be in progress at all times.

Taking the EA at Home

If you are taking the EA at home, there are specific policies you must follow. You must take the test using a Windows or Mac personal computer or laptop. You must complete the test in a walled room with a door, and no one else may enter the room while you are completing the test. Those EA exams taken at home are remote proctored, which means human proctors monitor your session through live video and audio feeds, both of which are recorded. You will need to provide proof of your identity when taking the EA at home, and you will be asked to present a valid government-issued ID with a recent, recognizable photo (typically a passport or driver's license), which will be checked through facial recognition technology. When completing the EA at home, you will have access to an online whiteboard on which you can work through calculations, make notes, or complete scratch work, as well as a calculator for the Integrated Reasoning section. There are no scheduled breaks during the at-home EA administration and if you need to leave your computer for whatever reason, the assessment clock will not stop. You must also secure permission from the remote proctor before leaving your computer.

Policies on Academic Honesty

While taking the EA, test-takers are prohibiting from using anything characterized by the test's administrators as "testing aids," which "include but are not limited to beepers, pagers, pens, calculators, watch calculators, books, pamphlets, notes, blank sheets of paper, rulers, stereos or radios, telephones or cellular (mobile) phones, stopwatches, watch alarms, dictionaries, translators, thesauri, personal data assistants (PDAs), and any other electronic or photographic devices or potential aids of any kind." Scratch paper (referred to as "noteboards") is provided by test proctors and must be returned at the end of the test. Test-takers are not allowed to communicate with each other during the test period. Possible sanctions for violations of these policies include dismissal from the test center, cancellation of scores, a ban on future testing, and (if appropriate) criminal prosecution.

Test Security

A number of on-site measures are taken to ensure the integrity and security of the EA assessment process. Upon arrival at the test center, students are photographed, their signatures are taken digitally, and in some cases their palm vein patterns are recorded. The test center is subject to audio and video recording for the entire test period. Test-takers are not allowed to remove any materials associated with the test from the test center, and the non-disclosure agreement prohibits discussion of test content before, during, or after the administration of the EA. Students must agree to all of these measures, or they will not be allowed to take the test. Test security helps prevent instances of fraud, such as taking the EA on behalf of someone else.

Accommodations for Disabled Students

Students with disabilities that affect their ability to take the EA may qualify for certain testing accommodations. In order to be eligible for accommodations, test-takers must document a condition that impairs a major life activity, explain how this disability prevents them from taking the EA under normal conditions, and justify the need for assistance while taking the test. All documentation must be current, and evidence of past accommodations is not in itself sufficient. Examples of disabilities that meet these criteria include Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, learning and cognitive disorders, physical and psychological disabilities, and sensory impairment (vision or hearing). Among the typical accommodations available are additional exam time, additional or extended breaks, questions read aloud by proctors, and audio recording of test answers. Accommodations should be requested at the time of registration and must include the EA Test Accommodation Request Form, which is submitted to the GMAC Disability Services office. Requests for accommodations can only be considered if the student has paid the registration fee in full.