Managerial Skills Assessment Test (MSAT)

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WHAT IS THE MSAT?
The MSAT is a parallel form of the GMIB Short Form that was designed for business school students. The MSAT may be used by universities as part of their educational curriculum for undergraduate or M.B.A. students. When universities use the MSAT, Management & Personnel Systems, Inc. supplies Instructor Guides, PowerPoint slides to guide classroom discussions, and the book, Applied Management Knowledge: The Abyss Between Theory & Practice. The goal is to help students learn how to apply accepted management principles and concepts to the commonly-occurring management situations that all managers encounter. Test data on real-world managers and students reveal a substantial gap between understanding theoretical principles and concepts and "knowing when and how" to apply them. The MSAT testing and educational program challenges the notion that people management skills are limited by personality traits and/or emotional intelligence. Rather, the evidence suggests that the Applied Management Knowledge (AMK) of students can be improved through effective educational methods. For additional information on AMK, see MPS Reports/Papers to download, Applied Management Knowledge: Theoretical Framework and Results for Managers and Students.

MSAT USED FOR?
As an instructional aid, universities may engage with Management & Personnel Systems, Inc. to implement the MSAT for:

>>>>• Undergraduate students
>>>>• MBA students
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TEST FORMAT
The MSAT consists of eight realistic managerial problems consisting of memos and letters. Students must provide a written analysis of the management issues involved in each, and explain the actions they would take. They must also write memos and letters if that is what they would do on the job. Test time is 1 hour and 45 minutes. The MSAT is only available online.

MSAT NATIONAL DATA BASE
MSAT scores are part of the national data base for the GMIB Short Form. Student scores are compared to real-world managers (or management candidates) in the data base. This approach reveals to students just where they stand in their own development as a manager.

SCORING AND REPORTING OF RESULTS
The MSAT has explicit scoring criteria for each problem. For universities that engage with MPS, eight student raters must be selected, and each rater is provided training in how to score one MSAT problem. Strict confidentiality provisions apply, and the training must take place on university computers that are secure. MPS enters all student scores into its national data base, then supplies results via email in pdf format. The results show how well the students scored relative to the national norms for real-world managers.

MSAT PERSONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT REPORTS
MSAT Personal Career Development (feedback) Reports are supplied for each student tested. MSAT Personal Career Development Reports describe and evaluate the student's performance within the factors measured by the MSAT. In addition, they: (1) identify developmental areas that should be targeted for improvement; and (2) establish specific learning objectives.

SOME MSAT ISSUES
>>>>• Leadership: Employee motivation and morale, team building
>>>>• Decision Making: When to make a decision; when to postpone
>>>>• Performance: Dealing with various performance problems
>>>>• Organization: Methods of work organization/efficiency