Test Security Q&A with Marvin Olmedo, Director of Supply Chain & Operations at GMAC

When it comes to test security, did you know that there is an entire team at GMAC that leverages the latest technology and continuously adapts the techniques they use to ensure the exam is administered securely and fairly? There is a lot more involved in Test Security than you might think!

Since it’s Cyber Security Awareness Month, we sat down with the leader of the GMAT Test Security Team, Marvin Olmedo, Director of Supply Chan & Operations, to find out more about GMAC’s approach to test security and the measures employed to prevent cheating, ensure the validity of the assessments, and maintain the integrity of test scores.

Before we get into test security, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role at GMAC?

Of course. As the Director of Supply Chain & Operations at GMAC, I am responsible for test security, channel management, supply chain, and digital asset management. I’ve had a long career in supply chain management, and prior to joining GMAC in 2019, I’ve been fortunate to work with supply chain and operations teams around the world, leading reengineering and operational optimization initiatives for various services and industries.

What steps has GMAC taken to evolve its test security practices? 

Test security at GMAC is an ever-evolving, ever-changing endeavor – it never sits still, and we are constantly evaluating and updating the practices we use to deter, detect, and take action against bad actors.   Delivering tests in a responsible manner is critical to GMAC’s mission – and that means actively undertaking measures to help ensure test takers have a fair and equal opportunity when taking one of our assessments – that they aren’t engaging in behavior that could give them an unfair advantage over other candidates. We take this responsibility very seriously.

Our practices fall under four categories:

• Prevention
• Detection
• Enforcement
• Communication.

They include measures such as live proctoring, video monitoring, qualitative and quantitative analysis, post-exam forensic analysis, whistle-blower/tips programs, cooperation with law enforcement agencies, and more.

And, this is really important especially for candidates to understand as we make updates and improvements, we will not hesitate to look back at past exams and take action if appropriate. I want to pause here for a moment to ensure we emphasize this – and to say to candidates who may be tempted to try to circumvent our security measures – don’t do it. Cheating on an assessment has serious real-world consequences. Safeguard your future, and don’t engage in behavior that might put it at risk.

Can you talk a bit about the consequences of cheating? What actions do you take when you determine someone has acted inappropriately?

There are serious real-world consequences for cheating or any attempt to circumvent security measures. Consequences that go beyond scores being cancelled. Business schools who received scores are also informed in any situations involving evidence of cheating and using unfair means to earn a score, and test takers are often prohibited from taking GMAC exams in the future. In some cases, candidates may face legal consequences for engaging in illegal or fraudulent behavior.

Nobody at GMAC enjoys reading heartfelt appeal letters from candidates who get caught, apologizing for their misdeeds and lamenting over the loss of what could have been a very bright future, filled with opportunities. And it’s important to note – it doesn’t matter whether a candidate recently applied, has already been accepted, has received a scholarship, is currently in a program or has already graduated – if our Test Security Team makes a determination that a score is not valid, we always share that information with business schools.

Unfortunately, there are individuals and “services” out there that claim to “help” test takers get high scores through cheating. GMAC care about all test takers, and we want to encourage individuals interested in pursuing a graduate degree in business to not engage with or fall victim to these scams. The truth is they only operate to help themselves, often by extorting candidates out of their money and putting candidates’ futures at risk.

What does it mean when a candidate receives an email that says their exam is "undergoing a review"?

I'll start with the good news – reviews are a normal part of our process at GMAC and most often, reviews don’t take more than a handful of days. Although as a result of unusual circumstances, they do on occasion take up to 20 days.

We know that candidates are often anticipating the release of their official scores and some candidates may have upcoming admissions deadlines, so we proactively communicate with candidates via email if their exam is selected for review, including sharing information with them about the timing of the review being complete and their scores being released. The email we send isn’t meant to be alarming, or to indicate that anything is amiss – and without it, candidates would lack insight into why their official scores weren’t yet available, which can increase anxiety and customer support inquiries.

With regards to what triggers a review, I'm actually not able to share details with you. The process, be it organized or random – or a bit of both - that GMAC leverages is confidential to help maintain test security, and our processes also frequently change. Our Test Security Team often updates their technology and tactics, to help ensure what we’re doing is effective.

What advice do you have for candidates preparing to take a test?

The vast majority of test takers never bump into a test security issue – they follow the rules and have a smooth and uneventful exam preparation and testing experience. However, there are some individuals who attempt to promote gaining an unfair advantage. When you’re preparing to take a test, if you encounter anything along the lines of the list below – it may be a clear indication that someone or some group is acting in bad faith, and you should likely not engage:

• Anyone who tells you that you are “guaranteed” to get a high score.
• Anyone claiming to have the latest exam or actual exam content.
• Any site or training that only provides exam questions and answers and has no educational content.
• Anyone who offers to register you for the exam or asks you for your account username and password.
• Any individual, site or group who offers to take the exam for you.
• Any individual, site, group or chat room (including social media) that encourages sharing exam content.
• Any exam prep site that includes content with typos and/or poor grammar.

It’s helpful to remember that exam content – including the problems, questions and answers – are GMAC’s intellectual property, which is protected by copyright laws. Use of unauthorized exam content violates testing policies, test taker agreements, and is illegal. If you’re unsure about whether training materials are authorized, contact GMAC prior to using them. If you become aware of a site, group or individual that appears to be distributing unauthorized materials, please let us know.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I’d like to share that GMAC views test security not only as an integral and important part of delivering our assessments, but also as a partnership with schools and with candidates – where both have an important role to play in helping ensure the secure and fair delivery of exams.

We encourage anyone with questions, security concerns, or suspicions of cheating to reach out to us at testsecurity@gmac.com.

Thank you so much, Marvin, for your time and candor!

You’re welcome and thank you for these great questions. I am always happy to discuss what we are doing at GMAC to ensure our exams are valid, reliable, and fair for all test takers around the world.

Best of luck test takers reading this!

Visit mba.com’s Test Security page to learn more.