Harvard to Accept Only “IBT” Version of TOEFL, IELTS

Harvard Business School‘s Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Dierdre Leopold, updated the Admissions blog yesterday with news affecting international MBA applicants. Beginning with the class of 2012, HBS will accept only the Internet Based Test (IBT) version of the TOEFL or the IELTS as tests of English as a foreign language.

The TOEFL or IELTS is required of applicants who did not use English as the language of instruction in their undergraduate education.

“In our discussion-based, case method classroom, we have found that speaking ability (along with strong listening, reading and writing skills) is critical to success,” Leopold explains. “Therefore, we need to see speaking scores in order to evaluate applicants appropriately; both the IELTS and the TOEFL IBT have speaking components. The IBT version of the TOEFL is available in all testing centers.”

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