IESE admissions:
which test to take and which scores the school publishes

Which IESE programs require a test, and which one?

IESE handles each program through a separate application submitted on its portal. Applicants choose from the GMAT, GRE, and, depending on the program, the IESE Test or Executive Assessment. The table summarizes the three admissions pages.

The full-time MBA (Barcelona, September 2027 intake, class of 2029) is open to applicants with an undergraduate degree. According to the school, the Madrid Master in Management is for recent graduates and graduates with up to two years of experience, for the September 2027 intake (class of 2028). The Executive MBA is offered on four campuses—Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, and São Paulo—and requires a letter of support from the employer.

GMAT, GRE, or another test: which should you take for each program?

For the MBA, every applicant must submit a GMAT or GRE score. The school accepts GMAT scores from the current and previous editions taken within the past five years; if you have taken both tests, it asks for both results. If you are deciding between the two, our article on choosing an international test outlines the criteria.

For the Master in Management, the third option, the IESE Test, is the school’s own test; the cited pages give no scores for any of the three tests. The Executive MBA offers a broader choice: GMAT, Executive Assessment, GRE, or IESE Test. The process includes a test stage after the interview, but applicants can attach an existing result to their application.

These pages state no preference between the GMAT and GRE and give no numerical weighting for the score. For the MBA, the school says the result is considered alongside personality, motivation, goals, leadership, and communication. Our advice: choose based on your schedule, strengths, and other target schools. For the GRE, our article on choosing a target score when no threshold is published explains how to interpret the lack of a figure.

Which English test, and what scores?

For the MBA and Master in Management, applicants whose first language is not English must also submit an English test. The MBA recommends TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.5, and PTE Academic 68; it sets a minimum grade B for the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency. After the January 2026 revision, it still accepts the TOEFL iBT and continues, until further notice, to evaluate the total on a 120-point scale.

For the Master in Management, the cited pages require TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.0, or Cambridge Proficiency; they do not specify the TOEFL scale. The Executive MBA accepts eight certificates: TOEFL 95 (scale unspecified), TOEFL Essentials 10.3, IELTS 6.5, PTE Academic 68, Duolingo 115, and, for the four-skills TOEIC, 945 in Listening and Reading, 150 in Speaking, and 150 in Writing, as well as the CAE (grade C) and IESE English Test (B2+ or C1). These are the minimums listed for the Executive MBA. Do not transfer scores from one program to another. Our article on the four-skills TOEIC helps you check what each application requires.

The Executive MBA exempts applicants whose first language is English, who completed all university coursework in English, or who lived and worked for at least two consecutive years in an English-speaking country. No page specifies an exemption from the management test.

Which scores does IESE publish?

The MBA class profile page contains this statement: “IESE MBA GMAT acceptance score range is 545-715.” The school adds that the range was 580 to 750 for applicants who took the previous GMAT version. The page does not name the class or scales, or define the range; it gives no average, median, or share of admitted students. We therefore present it as an “accepted range,” without treating it as a floor or guarantee and without converting between the two ranges.

For the Executive MBA, the school lists results it calls “accepted,” without giving an average or definition. For the Master in Management and the MBA GRE, “not published” means that no figure was found on the cited pages; no figure from another source is substituted.

What happens after you submit your application?

The MBA application includes an online form, video and written essays, transcripts, a CV, and a recommendation. Applicants then proceed through a pre-committee review, interview, and final committee; Assessment Day is optional even when invited, but strongly recommended. For the class of 2029, deadlines are September 23, 2026, January 7, March 9, and May 6, 2027; final decisions are scheduled for November 23, 2026, March 15, April 30, and June 11, 2027.

For the Master in Management, an optional information session comes before the application, an interview in English (online or in Madrid), and the decision. The application fee is €180. The class of 2028 has eight rounds, from October 2, 2026, to June 4, 2027. Note: the program page asks applicants without an EU passport to apply before May 1.

The Executive MBA has five stages: application, documents, interview, test, and committee review. Barcelona lists nine deadlines, from November 2, 2026, to July 23, 2027, followed by a tenth round for which applicants should contact admissions. Madrid and Munich have their own schedules; São Paulo dates remain to be confirmed on the page.