GRE vs. GMAT: which test should you take? That is the question. You know you want to go to business school, and now you need to decide whether you should take the GRE or the GMAT.
Who Accepts the GRE vs. GMAT?
Because the GMAT is commonly known as THE exam to take to apply to business school, you might be surprised to know that many MBA programs accept the GRE for admission into their MBA program. A list of schools that takes the GRE for acceptance into their MBA program can be found here. There are many excellent programs on the list that includes, but is by no means limited to, Georgetown University, Cornell University, and Vanderbilt University. If, after reading this post, you decide that the best choice for you is the GRE, there is a good probability that the school you’d like to attend is on the list.
On the other hand, if you are applying to an MBA program that requires a graduate exam, the GMAT is most assuredly accepted. No list of schools required. However, if you love a good list, you can find one here. Globally, more than 6,000 MBA or other graduate business programs accept the GMAT.
Who Takes the GRE vs. GMAT?
Knowing about the kind of people that take the GRE vs. GMAT may be helpful to you when deciding between the GRE and GMAT. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just say that the GRE is super easy, so that’s the test you should take? If that were the case, your decision would be easy, and we would not be writing this post.
From June 2013 – July 2014 over 570,000 people took the GRE. Of these, 45% were men, 50% were women, and 5% chose not to provide gender information. The vast majority (87%) were 30 years old or younger. Most students did not list an intended major, but of those who did, 5% listed Business as their major field. We’ll do the math, so you can save some time for studying. That’s almost 30,000 GRE test takers that say they plan to major in business in graduate school. All of this information (and much more) can be found here.
In 2015 over 247,000 people took the GMAT exam. Of these, 56% were men, and 44% were women, and the mean age was 25.7. Nearly two-thirds of scores sent were sent to MBA programs, and over 30% were sent to Non-MBA Master’s programs. More information on GMAT test-takers can be found here.
What Type of Student Should Take the GRE vs. GMAT?
There are a couple of things to consider when determining whether you should take the GRE vs. GMAT. First and foremost – do you know for sure that you want to attend business school? If you think that there’s a chance that you may want to attend another type of graduate program, the GRE may be a better choice for you than the GMAT. This ensures that your test can be used for any school in which you apply.
As you will come to find out as we discuss each exam in more detail, in general, if your quantitative skills are strong, but your verbal skills are weak, you’ll want to take the GMAT vs. the GRE. If your verbal skills are strong, but your quantitative skills are weak, you’ll want to take the GRE vs. the GMAT. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and we’ll discuss those below.
Of course, if you have lots of time on your hands to study for and take college entrance exams, you could hedge your bets and take both! That way, you can submit whichever test score is best to the programs of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions About the GRE and GMAT:
How much does the GRE vs. GMAT cost?
– The GRE currently costs $205, while the GMAT costs at little more at $250
How often is the GRE vs. GMAT administered?
– Both tests are offered year-round, making it easy to work them into your schedule.
How is the GRE vs. GMAT administered?
– In general, both the GRE and GMAT are administered as a computer-adaptive test. The GRE is section-adaptive, which means that each section is harder or easier than the previous section, based on how well you did in that section. The GMAT is adaptive within each section. Questions change in difficulty based on how well you’ve answered other questions within the section.
What are the Differences in Content Between the GRE and GMAT?
The GRE contains six sections. Quantitative Reasoning (two sections), Verbal Reasoning (two sections), Analytical Writing, Research, and Unscored. The Analytical Writing section always comes first, while the other sections can come in any order. The Research and Unscored sections may be included. What you need to know about these two sections is that neither will count toward your score.
The GMAT exam is made up of four sections. Like the GRE, GMAT contains an Analytical Writing Assessment section, a Verbal section, and a Quantitative section. We’ll compare and contrast the sections shortly. The GMAT also has an Integrated Reasoning section, which tests Multi-Source Reasoning, Graphics Interpretation, Two-Part Analysis, and Table Analysis. Unlike the GRE, all sections are always in the same order. The Analytical Writing Assessment section is first, followed by Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal.
Test Section |
GRE Question Type |
GRE Length |
GMAT Question Type |
GMAT Length |
| Analytical Writing | Analyze an Issue, Analyze an Argument | 60 minutes (30 minutes per question type) | Analysis of Argument | 30 minutes |
| Integrated Reasoning | N/A | N/A | Multi-Source Reasoning, Graphics Interpretation, Two-Part Analysis, Table Analysis | 30 minutes |
| Quantitative | Quantitative Comparison, Multiple Choice – Select One Answer, Multiple Choice – Select One or More, Numeric Entry | 2 sections – 30 minutes each | Data Sufficiency, Problem Solving | 75 minutes |
| Verbal | Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence | 2 sections – 35 minutes each | Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction | 75 minutes |
| Unscored | Varies | Varies | N/A | N/A |
| Research | Varies | Varies | N/A | N/A |
The total GRE is 3 hours and 45 minutes long, with one optional 10-minute break. The GMAT is 3 hours and 30 minutes long with two optional 10-minute breaks.
GRE Verbal Reasoning vs. GMAT Verbal
Let’s start with a discussion of the GRE Verbal vs. GMAT Verbal. The GRE Verbal is not inherently easier or harder than the GMAT Verbal. It comes down to what you feel most comfortable with. GRE Verbal emphasizes vocabulary while GMAT Verbal emphasizes vocabulary. We’ll go through a sample question from each exam to give you an idea.
GRE Text Completion example, with possible answer choices in brackets:
Question: Evangeline had a shrunken-head key-chain on her backpack. Its [alluring, cloying, or uncouth] appearance [galvanized, perturbed, piqued] her classmates so greatly that they [coordinated, eschewed, rived] her.
Answer: The answer to this question is cloying, perturbed, and eschewed.
If something is cloying, it disgusts people, and that is what a shrunken-head key-chain can do. Because they were disgusted, her classmates were also perturbed, which can mean agitated or uneasy. Due to their negative feelings, they eschewed, or shunned, Evangeline. The shrunken-head key-chain was the focus of the sentence, and what Evangeline’s classmates’ feelings and actions were based on. Each word has a negative connotation, making the sentence flow well.
Next we’ll try a GMAT Sentence Correction example.
Determine which choice best completes the sentence, replacing the underlined part.
Question: Although there are many studies that show the dangers of high salt intake, it doesn’t seem to stop people from consuming a lot of salt.
A. it doesn’t seem
B. they doesn’t seem
C. it don’t seem
D. they don’t seem
E. it doesn’t appear
Answer: The correct choice is D. They don’t seem is the grammatically correct way to complete the sentence, as they describes the plural word studies.
These examples are a good indication of what types of questions you might see on the GRE vs. GMAT. The GRE question heavily focused on vocabulary, and how it might fit into the sentence, while the GMAT focused on grammar. You can find more GRE and GMAT-style practice questions here.
GRE Quantitative Reasoning vs. GMAT Quantitative.
We discussed the differences between GRE and GMAT Verbal. Now let’s talk about the differences between the Quantitative sections on the two tests. While it’s all subjective, we can indeed say that the GRE’s Quantitative Reasoning section is easier than GMAT’s quantitative section – for most people. Let’s take a look at some questions to help us understand why.
We’ll start with a GRE Arithmetic Question.
Question: Compare Quantity A and Quantity B, using additional information centered above the two quantities if such information is given, and select one of the following four answer choices:
A. Quantity A is greater
B. Quantity B is greater
C. The two quantities are equal
D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given
Answer: A symbol that appears more than once in a question has the same meaning throughout the question.
Quantity A: (-3)2
Quantity B: -32
The answer is A. Quantity A is greater because the negative sign in Quantity B is included after the calculation is done, which makes the answer -9, rather than 9 in Quantity A.
Now let’s try a GMAT Arithmetic Question.
Question: What is the smallest integer value of h that would give 0.5-h a value greater than 1?
A. -2
B. -1
C. 0
D. 1
E. 2
Answer: A positive exponent would be less than 1 in this scenario, which narrowed the choices down to A or B. Choice D equals 2, and Choice E equals 4, which makes D the correct choice.
As you can see, the GMAT sample math question was more difficult. Also, even if you flew through those examples on your calculator, the GMAT does not allow calculators. What? Yes, that’s correct. No calculators on the GMAT. You’re with us now on the GRE Quantitative Reasoning being less difficult than the GMAT, right?
How Does Scoring Differ Between the GRE and GMAT?
The highest possible score on the GRE is 346, and the lowest possible score is 260. The range on both the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning segments is 130-170, and the range on the Analytical Writing section is 0-6. Percentiles are updated each year, and the most recent 90th percentile score is around 332. The average GRE score for those planning to major in a graduate business program was 306.6.
The possible range of GMAT scores is 200-800. Verbal and Quantitative sections have score ranges of 0-60, Analytical Writing Assessment ranges from 0-6, graded in half point intervals, and Integrative Reasoning ranges from 0-8. The average score on the GMAT is around 547, and scoring above 700 puts you in the 90th percentile.
Final Thoughts on the GRE vs. GMAT
Here’s the deal. We can’t tell you which test is easier, or better, or which test is best for you. Only you know that. What we can do is tell you that the GRE focuses more heavily on Verbal skills than the GMAT, and the GMAT Quantitative is considered harder than the GRE Quantitative Reasoning.
If you are stellar at verbal skills, and not so great at math, we’d recommend choosing the GRE. If your math skills are amazing, but your vocabulary leaves something to be desired, the GMAT is probably for you. If you think you might want to go to either business school or get a Master’s degree in Psychology, the GRE is a good choice, because it could potentially be used for both programs.
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