Major Field Test for Master of Business Administration

The Major Field Test for Master of Business Administration (MFT-MBA) is a national standardized exam administered in the United States at the end of MBA programs. It is a comprehensive exit exam. The MFT-MBA aims to assess skills, knowledge, and reasoning ability within the domain of standard MBA curriculum.[1] It is administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and has been used in the MBA programs of over 300 U.S. universities.[2]

History

Most MBA programs require an exit exam to gauge students' comprehensive competency in the field of business management.[3] The MFT-MBA began being offered in 2002. It was developed nationally by leading educators to assess the skills of graduating MBA students.[4] It is also used as a tool to compare business programs across the United States.[5] ETS issues an updated test every 3–4 years in attempt to ensure high content validity.[1] The most recent test forms are 4BMF (February 2005 - June 2009), 4FMF (September 2009 - June 2013), and 4JMF (September 2013 – present).[6][2][7]

Content

The MFT-MBA is based on MBA core curriculum. Unlike tests that are not aligned to anything but their own curriculum, the MFT-MBA emphasizes content validity. In order to display normativity and ensure a consensus of what best reflects core curriculum, the content is constructed using results of a national curriculum survey. According to ETS, content experts from a diverse representation of higher education institutions (including Major Field Test users and nonusers) participate in this survey.[8] Basing the exam on core curriculum makes it a level playing field exam, giving it meaningful results and enabling it to measure reasoning ability.[9][1]

The test contains 124 multiple-choice questions. There are approximately 32 management questions, 31 marketing questions, 33 finance questions, and 28 managerial accounting questions. Half of the questions require the strategic integration of two or more subject areas.[1] In addition to factual knowledge, the test evaluates the student's abilities to interpret materials, understand relationships, and analyze and solve problems.[4]

The Major Field Test for MBA can only be taken once.[3] The amount of time allotted for taking the test is three hours.[1] It is taken on a computer. All exams are given at proctored facilities. Test takers are provided with scratch paper and pencils, but calculators are not permitted. All test questions present four answer options to choose from, only one of which is correct.[3]

Scoring
Scoring summary[7]
Percentile Score
99 284
91 271
80 264
70 258
62 254
50 249
42 245
31 239
20 233
10 227

A national scoring guide is issued annually. Scores range from 220-300. According to ETS, the overall scaled score on the MFT-MBA measures critical thinking and reasoning within the domain of standard MBA curriculum.[1] The chart on the right provides a scoring summary at approximately every 10th percentile.

Form 4BMF was last used in 2009 making the 2009 scoring guide 4BMF's last scoring guide.[6] Form 4FMF was last used in 2013 making the 2013 scoring guide 4FMF's last scoring guide.[2] The 2015 scoring guide is the most up to date guide for 4JMF (the current test form).[7]

Recognition of top performers

Several universities such as Rutgers, LSU, and the University of Nebraska, Omaha give awards to recognize their students whom received top scores on the MFT-MBA.[10][11][12] The honors society T10 uses the MFT-MBA to recognize the top 10% of MBAs in the United States.[9]

Use by accreditation bodies

The MFT-MBA and similar tests are used by business school accreditation bodies such as the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) to satisfy their assessment and accountability requirements.[13][14][15][16][17]

See also

References
  1. "MFT MBA Flyer" (PDF). Educational Testing Service. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. "2013 Major Field Test Comparative Data Guide: Major Field Test for Master of Business Administration (MBA)" (PDF). Educational Testing Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  3. Phelan, James (2014). The Major Field Test (MFT) for MBA Study Guide. Charleston, SC: Practical Application Publications. ISBN 978-0-9779773-5-2.
  4. Hays Post staff (May 16, 2015). "FHSU MBA students bring in top scores on national MFT exam". Hays Post. Fort Hays. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  5. Ingle, John (August 28, 2014). "Midwestern State University on affordable list". Times Record News. Wichita Falls: Journal Media Group. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  6. "MBA 4BMF" (PDF). Educational Testing Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  7. "2015 Major Field Test Comparative Data Guide: Major Field Test for Master of Business Administration (MBA)" (PDF). Educational Testing Service. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  8. "Test Content Overview". Educational Testing Service. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  9. "Membership Admission Requirements". T10. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  10. "Awards for Graduating Students". Rutgers. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  11. "LSU Flores MBA Program Holds Honors Banquet". LSU. May 4, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  12. "Eleven MBA Graduates Receive UNO Distinguished MBA Scholar Award". University of Nebraska, Omaha. May 22, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  13. "Student Learning Assessment Measures". IACBE. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  14. "New Program Accreditation Manual". IACBE. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  15. "Sobey School's final MBA-CMA class demonstrates program excellence on standardized test". SMU. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. "Major Field Test". Washburn. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. "ACBSP Standards and Criteria for Demonstrating Excellence in Baccalaureate/Graduate Degree Schools and Programs" (PDF). ACBSP. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
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