The new MBA Rankings are out. The Financial Times, US News, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes and The Economist have published the best schools for MBA programs this year and, by this, shape our perception of schools' reputation.

Different ranks at different MBA Rankings

When you compare these rankings, however, you find different schools at top-positions. Moreover, if you check the rankings for a specific school you may find it at different positions depending on the ranking you analyze. How shall you interpret these heterogeneous results then?

Understand the ranking methodology

The answer is simple: Understand the methodology of each ranking to learn what a specific rank means. Particularly, learn where the data comes from and how data from different sources such as graduates, schools, or recruiters are weighted.

• Our article "MBA Rankings: Comparison of methodologies" analyzes the methodologies of the five most important MBA Rankings from Financial Times, US News, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes and The Economist.