The Certified MBA Exam, created by the International Certification Institute, is an objective measuring tool that will enable MBAs to differentiate themselves in a job market with more of the degrees than ever and fewer jobs, stated co-creator Michael Mebane, the managing director of the institute and a business instructor at UNC-Greensboro, in an e-mail.
ICI spokesman Atticus Simpson said many qualified MBAs not graduating from an acclaimed MBA program find themselves at an immediate disadvantage when entering the job market because recruiters use school reputation as their major hiring criterion.
"The exam measures are business fundamentals expected of an MBA," Simpson said. "(The exam's objective) is to inspire hiring competency by increasing the value and marketability of the MBA and to help students in second- and third-tier programs compete with students in first-tier programs," Simpson said.
But though Mebane said students and employers are enthusiastic about the exam, some higher education officials are skeptical.
Elliot Weiss, associate dean for MBA education at the University of Virginia, said the exam is not a valid measuring tool for an MBA student's competency.
"The degree in and of itself certifies (students) have core knowledge," he said. "We're trying to teach judgment, decision and leadership skills, which can't be measured by an exam."
Bob Adler, associate dean of UNC-Chapel Hill's MBA program, said the exam focuses too heavily on rote memorization of facts. That would encourage MBA programs to teach for the test instead of focusing on teaching more valuable critical thinking skills, he said.
"A certification exam will undermine the quality of education we give to students," he said.
Students from less prestigious programs will have an incentive to take the exam because it gives them an opportunity to compete, said Steve Allen, the director of N.C. State University's MBA program.
