GMAT Vs GRE for MBA. Which One to Opt?

GMAT® (Graduate Management Entrance Test) is the leading test for entry to premier business schools across the globe. The test is designed distinctly for assessment of skills pertinent to graduate management programs. GRE® (Graduate Records Examination) is another test widely recognized and used for admission to graduate programs in different disciplines. Both the tests are internationally acclaimed and widely used by institutes, but which test to choose if you are applying for a management program?

There is no simple binary response to this question. However, one can draw upon a series of factors which will facilitate candidates to take the call when it comes to applying for a leading business school. The parameters involved in comparing these two popular test include students’ preference, pattern of the test, number of institutes accepting GMAT® scores, etc. Here is a more detailed insight into all the factors.

Preference of Students

The global trends reflect clear favorability to GMAT® in comparison to GRE® for admission to Graduate Management Programs worldwide.

• Almost 9 out of 10 new MBA enrolments are based on GMAT® scores.

• There has been a 44% increase among professionals indicating a preference for GMAT® since 2014 for admission to graduate management programs.

• GRE® is a generalized test and is as such not designed to test “higher-order skills appropriate for graduate management education”.

• Nearly 200,000 students take GMAT® every year exclusively for applying to management programs whereas only 6% out 500,000 GRE® examinees take the test exclusively for applying to top b-schools.

This favorability can be primarily attributed to the fact GMAT® is a test designed by premier business schools for other business schools. In other words, appearing for Graduate management aptitude test is a clear indication of one’s preparation to face off the rigors and challenges presented by graduate business education.

Pattern of Test

The test duration for GMAT® and GRE® is not very different. However, GMAC very specifically focuses on testing the core skills required to excel in business programs.

GRE® comprises three sections of 30 minutes each, namely Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning. There is an additional Verbal or Quantitative Reasoning section which is usually unscored.

The structure for GMAT® is fairly similar yet the overall test is far more targeted and geared towards assessing readiness for graduate management programs:

1. Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) - 30 minute section to evaluate candidate’s ability to analyze arguments in written form.

2. Integrated Reasoning (IR) - another 30 minute section to figure out requisite skills to analyze and extract data available in different formats across diverse sources. Based on GMAC’s Research, use of IR skills frequently in the job can make a difference of up to $19K in salaries.

3. Quantitative Reasoning - a 75 minutes section for assessing the essential skills required for data sufficiency and problem solving.

4. Verbal Reasoning - another long section focusing on the essential skills required in reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction skills.

Note: There is no equivalent or parallel section for Integrated Reasoning (IR) in GRE® ®.

Score Range

GMAT® definitely has more flexible options in comparison to GRE® in terms of furnishing candidates and institutes with score range. GMAT® provides both individual and overall scores.

• Range for Total score - 200-800 points in 10-point increments

• Range for Quant section - 0-60, in 1-point increments

• Range for Verbal section - 0-60, in 1-point increments

• Range for Analytical Writing Assessment - 0-6, in half-point increments

• Range for Integrated Assessment - 1-8, in 1-point increments

GRE® on the other hand only provides two score ranges and there is no overall score range.

• Range for Verbal and Qualitative - 130-170 in 1-point increments

• Range for Analytical Writing - 0-6 in half-point increments

Now, the overall scores enable b-schools and institutes to measure candidates’ ability and readiness based on a singular score. Institutes accepting GRE® scores have to usually convert and scale sectional scores to equivalent GMAT® scores and this process is highly prone to error.

GMAT® Total Score is also an industry benchmark which is used for ranking. ETS also uses Total Score for comparison.

No. of Institutes Accepting Test Scores

Most students prefer appearing for an entrance test whose scores are widely accepted by top-notch institutes across the globe.

• GMAT® scores are accepted `by more than 100 premier business schools in the country.

• Students can apply exclusively to more than 200 MBA and PGDM programs besides filling application for graduate management programs abroad.

• Management aspirants don’t need to appear for multiple tests for acceptance into domestic and international institutes.

• GMAT® is also recognized by AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education) for admission to PGDM and PGCM programs offered by State Governments except for the Minority Institutions in the country.

• GRE®, on the other hand, doesn’t offer this advantage in the context of business schools in India.

College Finder and Other Tools

Students usually prefer testing services that offer more services and tools then just preparation and study material. GRE® is more of a conventional test service that focuses on test preparation and the actual test itself.

GMAT® is part of a more full-fledged admission service. GMAC provides several services such as School Finder and Directory of Events that allows students to explore and get more details on b-schools and connect with them for admissions and enquiries. All the tools are available at mba.com, the official site of GMAT ®.

In this comparison between the most popular management entrance test, GMAT® seems to clearly edge past GRE® on most fronts. This is partly due to the very nature of the test which focuses on the assessment of skills and concepts that are essential to performing well in business programs.

Moreover, GMAT® goes beyond conventional testing services in providing support and tools for connecting with leading business schools via School Finder and other services. All these factors have contributed to GMAT® becoming the leading choice for admission to popular business schools in the globe over GRE® and position itself as the industry benchmark.