The Relationship Between Scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test and the Test of English as a Foreign Language

ABSTRACT In addition to scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), which are required of applicants to a substantial number of graduate management schools, foreign candidates may also be required to submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as an Indication of English language proficiency. The present study provides an analysis of the relationships among TOEFL and GMAT total scores and subscores for a large sample of foreign GMAT candidates. The results suggest that the apparent “discrepancies” between TOEFL scores and GMAT verbal scores are, because of differences in score scales, norming populations, intended purposes, and levels of difficulty, to be expected. The relationships (and “discrepancies”) between TOEFL and GMAT scores are relatively similar for candidates from several countries.