Demystifying the GMAT: Four Faces of Fairness

Abstract

To articulate a guiding principle at the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), CEO Dave Wilson often quotes Harry Bosch, the protagonist of several Michael Connelly novels, who said, "Everybody matters, or no one matters." With management education now a global field, and with 52 percent of the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) exams taken by non-US citizens, GMAC makes special efforts to assure that every GMAT exam is fair and appropriate for every single test taker. But what is fairness, and what steps does GMAC take to assure fairness for each test taker? This paper discusses the four faces of fairness: (1) Fairness as lack of bias; (2) Fairness as equitable treatment; (3) Fairness as equitable outcomes; and (4) Fairness as equitable opportunities.