The Certified MBA

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Bruboy, Aug 19, 2005.

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  1. Bruboy

    Bruboy New Member

    Has anyone ever taken the MBA certification test? It seems that there is always an emphasis on leveling the playing field using the GMAT to get into business school but how about leveling the playing field after graduation? It would seem that a measure of a graduates newly acquired MBA skillset would be more important than where or how the student studied.

    Below is the link to the Certified MBA website.

    http://www.certifiedmba.com/default.aspx
     
  2. w_parker

    w_parker New Member

    Do not forget about taking the Certified CGE

    The CCGE (Certified College Graduate Exam) is designed to help recent college grads without significant work experience differentiate themselves from other college graduates. With the continued record numbers of college graduates entering the workforce, graduates should have the means to show they have the necessary skill sets demanded by employers, and the CCGE prove to potential employers without a doubt that you did not waste your college years drunk or stoned, and that you did not cheat your way through college. Our certification test is priced far below what normal market forces would demand, just $199 and you too can have the exciting opportunity to sit for and become one of the ranks of potential employees who are certified college gradutes.

    As for the CMBA, I do not believe in it. The CPA exam on the other hand, which allows me to become licensed I will sit for.

    William
     
  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Oh, no, not this nonsense again! :rolleyes:

    -=Steve=-
     
  4. little fauss

    little fauss New Member

    I already took the Bar once, that's enough certification for me.

    If I had to take another standardized test to prove my post-grad mettle, by the time it was all done, I think they'd have to "certify" me--as a lunatic, that is!
     
  5. oxpecker

    oxpecker New Member

  6. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    How new is this nonsense? I think I've seen two or three or four threads on it. Does the guy that's peddling this crap have his MBA Certification? Or is he just some mere humble regular MBA?
     
  7. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Post-degree tests for degree validation

    Yes, it is. That's why AMBAI is proudly advertising the fact on their home page. And in this case, certification probably really does add credibility and value to the degree, since is unaccredited and lacks other independent validation of its quality.

    Similarly, graduates of unaccredited law schools can obtain external validation of their degrees by taking and passing the California Bar exam. Graduates of unaccredited engineering schools can validate their degrees by taking and passing the California Professional Engineer exam. However, the numbers that I've seen suggest that unaccredited degree holders pass these exams in much lower numbers, and at much lower rates, than their counterparts with RA degrees.

    It would be interesting to compare the pass rates or average scores for RA, NA, and unaccredited schools on the CMBA exams. According to ICI, all of the top (90+ %) performers on the initial exam were from AACSB-accredited schools.
     
  8. w_parker

    w_parker New Member

    What metrics are used to evaluate the content of the test? Who said these are the required knowledge of an MBA? Who really remembers everything they study during a college class? If I have an exam to take, I will study for it, regardless if it is an one of my MBA courses, a CMBA, or the CPA exam. How much of that knowledge do I retain after the test is over?

    Earning an MBA through an accredited school shows that I have taken an approved curriculum and that I have the ability to do research, academic work and/or case study analysis at a given level of proficiency. This is one reason I believe that RA and AACSB accreditation has a place in business education, call it quality control measures. This should be some of the qualities an employer looks for in a potential employee, partner, etc.

    Since there is no requirement to be a licensed or certified MBA, and quite simply I think the concept is ridiculous, I will never take this test. It is as ridiculous as my "Certified College Graduate Exam" I made up.

    William
     
  9. Rivers

    Rivers New Member

    I can only see value in the CMBA. In an unaccrediated MBA program or perhaps in a case where some recieved an MBA from a school the thought may be seen as inferior to the outside world. In either of those two cases or in the case of a solid MBA graduate this test is crap! There are many other credentials that will get you alot further like six sigma, CPA, CFA, etc. They are more recognized in industry and more sought after. Never have I seen a job posting for an MBA position where it said CMBA perfered.

    Just my thoughts

    Tim
     
  10. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    A company that nobody ever heard of, not at all affiliated with any accrediting organization (like AACSB, which I think is a scam itself but that's another story), makes up an exam, charges $330, and then awards you a "certification."

    They list their advisory council members (both business and academic) as "made up of individuals."

    This is what we call a degree mill, except these people are sneaky because they are not degrees; they are "certifications."

    I can't believe people fall for this.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 22, 2005
  11. Arch23

    Arch23 New Member

    Is the CMBA exam really any different from the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, and whatever other exam that purports to level the playing field among graduates/applicants given varying standards within the education field? Is the CMBA exam really any different from the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, and whatever other exam one takes after earning a diploma or degree awarded after years of pursuing an approved set of coursework? Do the exams above, most of which are in fact weighted so strongly in admissions decisions for entry into higher-level programs, have more value than the years of studying one has actually spent trying to earn his/her diploma or degree?

    Maybe we should start questioning the very essence of instituting standardized or certification exams, that, according to critics, measure only one's test-taking abilites and one's state of mind during that particular hour of that particular testing day?
     
  12. PhD2B

    PhD2B Dazed and Confused

    I wouldn't want a non-AACSB MBA to design a bridge for me...

    No wait...that's non-ABET engineer...never mind.

    Carry on with your rant. :D
     
  13. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Maybe unnecessary, but not a mill

    "Certification mills" do exist, just as degree mills exist. But in fairness, I don't think the ICI Certified MBA is one. It appears to be a legitimate and well-funded effort; for example, their tests are offered through Prometric, the same company that handles CPA exams. And the pass rass is not high; only 54% for the initial exam. That's quite comparable to, if not lower than, the pass rates on other professional exit exams, like state bar exams or Professional Engineering exams.

    A more likely example of a "certification mill" is the "Oxford Association of Management" (no connection to Oxford University) which will "certify" your MBA degree for a flat fee without any test. And despite the lack of testing, the flat fee (at 300 pounds sterling) is even more expensive than ICI's Certified MBA fee (it must be admitted that the certificate is lovely and includes the desirable word "Oxford").

    But even if the ICI CMBA is legit, that doesn't mean that it is necessary or valuable. The jury is still out on that issue, and clearly many people are unconvinced. I'm not convinced myself.
     
  14. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    CalDog: A well-funded mill is still a mill.
     
  15. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    CMBA recognition in academic community

    Like it or not, the CMBA is being taken seriously by legitimate accreditors and accredited schools. Some examples, which were culled from the propaganda at certifiedmba.com:

    - Ashland University, which is RA and ACBSP accredited, not only hosted the Certified MBA exam, but offered a for-credit review course.

    - The University of Nevada-Reno, SUNY-New Paltz, and LSU all issued enthusiastic press releases after their MBA grads became "certified". These are all RA schools; UNR and LSU are also AACSB.

    - The Executive Director of ACBSP, in a published interview, called the CMBA "an excellent tool" that "provides a reliable and valid methodology to determine a person’s ability to understand and apply the MBA body of knowledge."


    Granted, this is probably not a balanced picture: I don't doubt that there could be opposing viewpoints at other institutions. But it does appear that the CMBA has already achieved some level of recognition and acceptance among the legitimate business school community. At least some accredited schools are treating it like a meaningful credential.

    The CMBA may or may not be valuable or necessary. However, a 6-hour test with a 46% flunk rate sounds to me like an exam with some teeth in it, not a "mill" certification.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 23, 2005
  16. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Fine. Show me a job listing with it. Show me a school that requires it for admission. Then I'll start believing it.

    I wonder about the pass rate. The educator in me says it's attributable to being attractive to people who are struggling to justify themselves or their MBA's--not a robust group for passing such a thing.

    The trainer in me says, "What do you expect? You have candidates from all types of MBA programs taking one exam. Their MBA programs may or may not have prepared them to take the exam. When you have an exam without training that is tied to the exam's objectives, you have both a high failure rate and a sloppy design."

    This seems like a marketing ploy not unlike Gillette. (Give away the razors, but sell the blades that fit it.) Offer up the certification, but sell courses, books, etc., to prepare for it.

    Again, show me the demand for such certification. :rolleyes:
     
  17. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Re: CMBA recognition in academic community

    proving only that some schools will do anything for a buck
     
  18. carlosb

    carlosb New Member

    Me either. Want to prove the worth of your MBA? Get out in the real world and do something with it.

    So simple.....
     
  19. JNelson467

    JNelson467 New Member

    Rich, this is a very good point and I agree as well. Although MBA curriculum are similar in format, they, by all means, do not align in a consistent offering and format, thus, making a CMBA examination a inconsistent form of evaluation.
     
  20. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Somehow I get the sense that ICI is facing an uphill battle to establish the CMBA credential, at least at degreeinfo.com. In fact, I am skeptical myself. However, I don't think it's a "mill" certification, and I think that some of the criticism that it's been getting is unjustified.

    Show me a job listing with it.

    I've never heard of a job listing that specifically required a "Certified" MBA. Does that mean it has adds no value to the degree? I've never seen a job listing that specifically required a "Harvard" MBA either, yet many people seem to think that the "Harvard" name adds value.

    Show me a school that requires it for admission.

    Be reasonable. It's an exit exam, not an entrance exam.

    I wonder about the pass rate. The educator in me says it's attributable to being attractive to people who are struggling to justify themselves or their MBA's--not a robust group for passing such a thing.

    More info about the pass rate would be helpful. The folks who do pass are listed in the CMBA Directory. The vast majority appear to be from name-brand schools. But that tells us nothing about those who fail.

    The trainer in me says, "What do you expect? You have candidates from all types of MBA programs taking one exam. Their MBA programs may or may not have prepared them to take the exam. When you have an exam without training that is tied to the exam's objectives, you have both a high failure rate and a sloppy design."

    No doubt there is incredible diversity in US MBA programs. The MBA is offered by private schools and state schools at all levels, from the most elite to the most dubious. MBA programs are accredited by different agencies; some lack accreditation entirely. But ICI would tell you that this diversity is exactly why a standardized exam is necessary. MBA standards are fuzzy, because MBAs are produced at many different schools with widely varying standards. But with the CMBA, you get a standardized product: all CMBAs have demonstrated the same minimum level of proficiency in the same body of knowledge. That's the theory anyway.

    Offer up the certification, but sell courses, books, etc., to prepare for it.

    Yes, there actually is a "Certified MBA Exam Prep Guide". However, the cost ($43 from Amazon) is surprisingly low, at least compared to engineering exam study guides.

    Again, show me the demand for such certification.

    Now that is a legitimate point. The CMBA directory indicates that there are fewer than 200 CMBAs as of May 2005. This suggests that only around 400 people have taken the exam since it was introduced in 2003. They can't be selling too many of those study guides.
     

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