Business Schools Returned to Oral Exams
Institutions have reverted to traditional assessment methods to curb the influence of artificial intelligence.
Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Distance Learning
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European business schools have reintroduced oral defenses and pen-and-paper assessments to ensure students are actually learning. These changes follow a report highlighting how generative AI allows students to easily produce competent case study responses.
Why it matters
Traditional written evaluations have become obsolete as AI technology can now effortlessly generate high-quality academic work. Schools are shifting toward methods that require students to demonstrate knowledge in real-time to maintain academic integrity.
European schools now require students to spend at least 1 hour in oral defenses to prove their command of course material. These assessments supplement pen-and-paper tests designed to verify foundational knowledge.
The players
Graduate Management Admission Council
This global non-profit organization represents leading graduate business schools and provides research on management education trends.
Insead
This graduate business school maintains campuses in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and is known for its rigorous international curriculum.
HEC Paris
Located in France, this business school is a prominent institution focused on executive education and management research.
Harvard University
This Ivy League university is the original developer of the traditional case study method used by business schools globally.
The details
Institutions like HEC Paris have implemented a dual system of machine-on and machine-off assessments, while Insead has created AI-powered interactive cases. These moves attempt to bypass the ease with which students previously used software to complete traditional Harvard-style case studies.
Timeline
September 23, 2026: The Graduate Management Admission Council published its report on new assessment trends.
Culture Shift
This pivot away from digital-only work represents a broader move toward restoring traditional assessment standards in higher education. It mirrors an industry-wide effort to counter the reliance on AI tools that have rendered legacy academic evaluations less effective.
Students should prepare for a higher emphasis on in-person performance and handwritten work in their daily curriculum. These changes will likely increase the time required for exam preparation and mandate a shift back to traditional study habits for mastery.
The takeaway
The return to oral defenses suggests that human-centric evaluation is regaining value in the age of automation. Students should prioritize developing deep, verifiable expertise as institutions increasingly look to verify learning through direct interaction.
Further reading
For more on evolving academic standards, explore the Distance Learning section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Times Higher Education (THE).
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Should universities return to oral and handwritten exams to ensure students truly understand their coursework?
