For Business School applications, how should I choose between taking the GRE or the GMAT?

Answer 1

The comment by the other poster is very good and informative. I have just one thing to add though that may help you in your decision(s):

It should also be noted that if you are planning on getting your MBA, many employers, especially prestigious employers offering high-paying and coveted career opportunities/positions will often request that you disclose your GMAT score, specifically when you are searching for jobs during and/or after your MBA program. While many GMAT or Finance/Business-related Masters programs may not value one over the other for admissions, employers who want to know your score(s) value the GMAT more than the GRE, sometimes not even paying any attention whatsoever to the GRE.

Also, I have heard several times (but have no actual proof of this), that for some highly coveted positions such as those in Private Equity, Investment Banking, Hedge Funds, etc, sometimes they will actually require you to report a GMAT score to them, even if you were someone who attended an elite MBA program and happened to never take the GMAT due to receiving a waiver for submitting a GMAT/GRE score.

So just something to keep in mind. Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Please note that the advice here only applies to the new, SHORTER versions of both tests which have replaced the older versions of the GRE and GMAT that so many are familiar with (and for which most advice is still based).

These new, shorter exams are both effective as of late 2023, and there are important changes to be aware of. For relevant advice on these two exams, DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYONE WHO HAS NEITHER TAKEN NOR EVALUATED THEM AS OF LATE 2023 OR LATER.

What follows is a point-by-point comparison of how the two exams test the same subjects, with a verdict offered on which one is "easier" or "harder" on each point. There is also an overall verdict near the end.

1. MATH
2. BOTH: Same range of topics.
3. GRE: Does not seem to overemphasize any particular branch of Math, which means (1)You need to know ALL of them, BUT (2)In a pinch, you don’t need to go crazy mastering the very hardest topics to get a respectable score. Section-adaptive format means you can skip around and save hard Qs for later.
4. GMAT: Despite what the test-makers said about "dropping" the Geometry, there is simply very, very little emphasis on Geometry nowadays. In a pinch, you can afford to omit a study of Geometry from your prep time. Compared to the GRE, there is more of an emphasis on “harder” topics, such as probability, combinatorics, etc. Question-adaptive format means (a) Greater range of difficulty (b) Cannot skip around the questions as much (though you are allowed to return to a few questions now, which was not something the GMAT previously allowed).
5. VERDICT: The GRE is the EASIER Math test by a fair amount (though it is still VERY challenging).
6. READING COMPREHENSION
7. BOTH: Same range of question types
8. GRE: Same range of subject matter on passages as GMAT, MINUS the business passages. Includes 2 question formats in addition to the Multiple Choice: Select-a-Sentence plus the somewhat tricky Choose Multiple Boxes items. Passages are not as neatly structured as are those on the GMAT. This makes some of the more conventional advice for handling Reading Comprehension tasks – such as mapping the passages – harder to apply (though it can still be done).
9. GMAT: Same range of subject matter on passages as GRE, PLUS the business passages. The only question format is Multiple Choice. Passages are BEAUTIFULLY structured compared to those on the GRE. This makes it very easy to pick up on clear structural schemes and effectively “map” the passages for greater understanding and control over the content.
10. VERDICT: The GMAT is the EASIER Reading test (though it is still VERY challenging).
11. LOGICAL REASONING
12. BOTH: Strengthen/Weaken questions, Necessary Assumption Questions, and Paradox Questions are popular on both.
13. GRE: Fewer Questions than on the GMAT. Smaller variety of question types as well. For whatever reason, these questions are simply subsumed under “Reading Comprehension” in the official ETS GRE guides.
14. GMAT: More Questions than on the GRE. Generally, there is also a greater variety. Referred to as Critical Reasoning in the official GMAC guides. Because of the question-adaptive format, the range of difficulty expands to make the upper-level questions staggeringly hard.
15. VERDICT: The GRE is the EASIER test in this regard.
16. GRAMMAR
17. BOTH: N/A
18. GRE: None.
19. GMAT: Used to test in the form of Sentence Correction questions, but these have been dropped completely as of late 2023. Don’t waste your time.
20. VERDICT: N/A
21. VOCABULARY:
22. BOTH: Require the ability to read Reading Comp passages that contain erudite, high-toned academic language.
23. GRE: Also directly tests an extensive list of vocabulary words in the form of Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions. These questions also require a bit of strategy and Verbal Reasoning to do well.
24. GMAT: No need to study vocabulary word lists.
25. VERDICT: The GMAT places less burden on you in this regard.
26. WRITING
27. BOTH: N/A
28. GRE: Dropped one of the 2 essay tasks. Now there is only one essay to write. You will need to develop a strategy to produce a quality response under the time limits and practice it.
29. GMAT: Dropped the only essay task. NO essay to write now.
30. VERDICT: The GMAT places less burden on you in this regard.
31. DATA INTERPRETATION
32. BOTH: Pie-charts, bar graphs, line graphs, tables, etc. Small questions sets are linked to the same infographic (or set of infographics) and students are asked to use the data to compute percentages, ratios, probabilities, averages, medians, modes, ranges, etc.
33. GRE: Pretty much sticks to the above. A very limited number of these appear on the Quant Sections.
34. GMAT: A whole section dedicated to these. Much greater variety in both chart/graph types AND what you can be asked about them. The famous GMAT Data Sufficiency questions have been moved to this section, which integrates both Quant AND Verbal reasoning.
35. VERDICT: The GRE is definitely the EASIER test in this regard.
36. OVERALL
37. BOTH: Require STRONG Quantitative AND Verbal Reasoning Skills
38. GRE: Also requires a strong vocabulary and strong writing skills. Passages are tougher to parse.
39. GMAT: Has Harder questions at the upper level of both sections due to question-adaptive format, but overall places far less burden on students in terms of Verbal tasks due to absence of grammar, vocabulary, and writing as well as a single question format and far more scannable passages.
40. VERDICT: Go with the GRE if you’re more of a Verbal person and less of a Quant person. Go with the GMAT if you’re more of a Quant person and less of a Verbal person. Either way, you’re not getting away from your “weaknesses” completely.