An increasing number of MBA programs (including some outside the U.S.) accept both GMAT and GRE scores. So if you're applying for admission only to these programs, you can choose between the two exams or you can take both exams and then decide which set of scores to submit: GMAT or GRE (or both). This page explores decision factors that can help you develop your best strategy.
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GMAT vs. GRE — Test Availability, Testing Fees, and Your Career Goals
Your decision as to which exam (GMAT or GRE) to take might very well turn on a particular school's admission policy, on testing availability and fees, or on your long-term objectives. Here's what you need to consider:
- As of 2009, about 140 B-schools accept scores for both exams. So find out if the schools that interest you accept GRE scores. If they don't, then you'll probably need to take the GMAT.
- Although the GMAT and GRE are both widely available throughout the world, the GRE is offered in more cities and in more countries than the GMAT. So for each of the two exams, find out if there is at least one testing center located conveniently enough for you.
- The GRE registration fee is currently $100 lower than the GMAT registration fee (although both fees are subject to change from year to year).
- If you have diverse academic interests or career goals, consider taking the GRE instead of (or in addition to) the GMAT in any event. That way, you'll have a GRE score report ready to submit to your M.A. or Ph.D. programs of choice should you ever decide to pursue an advanced academic degree.
Of course, if both the GMAT and GRE are available to you and if you have enough time to prepare for both exams, your best strategy is probably to take them both.
NOTE: At the testing service's GRE Web site (www.gre.org) you'll find a list of MBA programs officially accepting GRE scores, as well as a GRE-to-GMAT score conversion chart. However, some B-schools may not publicize that they accept GRE scores, so be sure to contact the schools directly to inquire about their current GRE policy.
Comparing General Features of the GMAT and GRE
The GMAT and GRE are remarkably similar in their overall format and structure:
- Both exams measure the same general cognitive skills: verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing.
- The two exams employ similar question formats for measuring the above-listed skills.
- Neither exam is inherently more difficult than the other (GRE scores convert reliably to GMAT scores).
- Testing procedures are virtually the same for both exams.
- Both exams are computer-adaptive (the exams adapt to your ability level as you go) and employ essentially the same testing interface.
- Total timed testing length is about the same for either exam (as long as 3 hrs. 30 min. for the GMAT; as long as 3 hrs. 15 min. for the GRE).
In short, if you're trying to decide which exam — GMAT or GRE — better plays to your personal test-taking strengths, comparing their general features provides little guidance. However, comparing specific question types can prove more helpful. Not to overstate the differences between the two exams, there are a few meaningful ones when it comes to details (see below).
Comparing the GRE and GMAT Verbal Sections
If you compare a 75-minute GMAT Verbal section with a 30-minute GRE Verbal section, you'll immediately notice that on both exams the Reading Comprehension format accounts for about a third of all the questions. What's more, GRE and GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are virtually indistinguishable (although the length of the passages on which the questions are based varies more widely on the GRE than on the GMAT).
But if you drill further down into the Verbal sections of the two exams, you'll discover some notable differences:
- Vocabulary is emphasized far more on the GRE Verbal section(s) than on than the GMAT Verbal section. (GRE Analogy, Antonym, and Sentence Completion questions are all designed largely to measure your vocabulary.)
- Rather than focusing on vocabulary, the GMAT Verbal section includes questions that focus on critical reasoning (through the use of the Critical Reasoning format) and on identifying and correcting problems in grammar, sentence structure, and idiom (through the use of the Sentence Correction format).
The bottom line: If vocabulary is your strong suit, you'll probably attain a higher Verbal score on the GRE than on the GMAT. On the other hand, if your vocabulary is average but your critical-reasoning skills are stronger (perhaps because you majored or minored in Philosophy), expect to earn a higher Verbal score on the GMAT than on the GRE.
Comparing the GRE and GMAT Quantitative Sections
If you compare a 75-minute GMAT Quantitative section with a 45-minute GRE Quantitative section, you'll see that on both exams the conventional Problem Solving format accounts for at least half of the questions. (GRE and GMAT Problem Solving questions are virtually indistinguishable.) And there are additional similarities as well:
- Both exams present a similar mix of questions involving arithmetic, number theory, algebra, and geometry.
- On both exams, the areas of math covered are the same areas covered in basic high-school coursework — but not beyond.
- Both exams include at least a few data-interpretation questions, which involve graphical data presented in tables, charts, and graphs. (These questions are usually in the Problem Solving format.)
- In addition to using the Problem Solving format, the GMAT and GRE use other formats for questions emphasizing math concepts and quantitative reasoning, as opposed to problem solving.
Despite their striking similarities, there are some notable differences between the GMAT Quantitative section and the GRE Quantitative section:
- Unique to the GMAT is the use of its Data Sufficiency format (this format is used for just under half of all GMAT Quantitative questions).
- Unlike the GMAT, the GRE employs the Quantitative Comparison format (this format is used for half of all GRE Quantitative questions).
- On the GRE only, one Problem Solving question might require use of the keyboard to enter a number response (the numeric-entry was incorporated into the scored GRE Quantitative section in 2008).
Here's the upshot: The GMAT and GRE Quantitative sections are a lot alike, and you'll probably earn comparable scores on them. That said, you should practice some GMAT Data Sufficiency questions as well as some GRE Quantitative Comparison questions, and then compare your performances. Doing so might help sway you toward one or the other exam.
Comparing the GRE and GMAT Analytical Writing Sections
The two exams are perhaps most alike when it comes to their Analytical Writing components. For both the GMAT and GRE:
- The Analytical Writing component consists of one Issue Analysis writing task and one Argument Analysis writing task.
- Testing procedures, general instructions, and word-processing features are the same.
- The testing system randomly selects Issue and Argument topics from a large pool.
- The two Analytical Writing tasks come first — before all other exam sections.
- The Analytical Writing evaluation criteria are the same.
- The Analytical Writing scaled scoring systems are the same.
Note the following differences, however, between the GMAT and GRE Issue Analysis tasks:
- The time limit for composing a GRE Issue essay is 45 minutes — as opposed to only 30 minutes for the GMAT Issue essay. (The time limit for the Argument writing task is 30 minutes for either exam.)
- The GRE test will present two Issue topics to you, and you'll choose whichever one you prefer for your Issue writing task. However, the GMAT test will present one and only one Issue topic.
- The range of Issue topics in the GRE pool is broader than the range in the GMAT pool. GMAT Issue topics focus mainly on business and management, whereas GRE Issue topics embrace a wide spectrum of topics that are of general academic interest to college and university students.
Of the three differences noted above, the third is probably the most significant. A hard-core business major who reads the Wall Street Journal from cover to cover every day should have little problem brainstorming ideas for any topic in the GMAT Issue pool. But that same person might be hard-pressed for ideas when it comes to a GRE Issue essay, depending on the topic. To determine whether you're more comfortable with the GMAT Issue task or the GRE Issue task, review the list of official GMAT Issue topics as well as the list of official GRE Issue topics.
NOTE: You can download the GMAT Issue and Argument topics via my GMAT Analytical Writing Web site, and you can download the GRE Issue and Argument topics via my GRE Analytical Writing Web site. [Links open in new browser windows.]
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