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

The MFT-MBA began being offered in 2002. It was developed nationally by leading educators to assess the skills of graduating MBA students.[3] It is also used as a tool to compare business programs across the United States.[4] 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).[5][2][6]

Content

The MFT-MBA is based on MBA core curriculum. Unlike tests that are not aligned to any identifiable 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.[7]

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.[3] The amount of time allotted for taking the test is three hours.[1]

Scoring

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]

Form 4BMF was last used in 2009 making the 2009 scoring guide 4BMF's last scoring guide.[5] 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).[6]

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.[8][9][10] The honors society T10 uses the MFT-MBA to recognize the top 10% of MBAs in the United States.[11]

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) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) to satisfy their assessment and accountability requirements.[12][13][14][15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "MFT MBA Flyer" (PDF). Educational Testing Service. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 Hays Post staff (May 16, 2015). "FHSU MBA students bring in top scores on national MFT exam". Hays Post. Fort Hays: Hays Post. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  4. ↑ Ingle, John (August 28, 2014). "Midwestern State University on affordable list". Times Record News. Witchita Falls: Journal Media Group. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "MBA 4BMF" (PDF). Educational Testing Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "2015 Major Field Test Comparative Data Guide: Major Field Test for Master of Business Administration (MBA)" (PDF). Educational Testing Service. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Test Content Overview". Educational Testing Service. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Awards for Graduating Students". Rutgers. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  9. ↑ "LSU Flores MBA Program Holds Honors Banquet". LSU. May 4, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Eleven MBA Graduates Receive UNO Distinguished MBA Scholar Award". University of Nebraska, Omaha. May 22, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Membership Admission Requirements". T10. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Student Learning Assessment Measures". IACBE. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  13. ↑ "New Program Accreditation Manual". IACBE. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Sobey School's final MBA-CMA class demonstrates program excellence on standardized test". SMU. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Major Field Test". Washburn. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/31/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.