GMAT Vs. GRE for MBA Apps?

I know this question probably has been asked before but is there any difference in B-School admissions between taking the GMAT and the GRE?

Is GRE looked down by Admissions Committees vs. the GMAT? Is there any advantage to taking one over the other?

I ask as math is not my strong suit by far, and some have recommended the GRE to me instead since most MBA programs accept it in place of the GMAT.

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Hi Londonium,

Most admissions officers that I have spoken to are test agnostic. They simply don't care. Many say "Take the one that you will do best at." A few programs, like INSEAD, are clear that they prefer the GMAT. I haven't talked to any that prefer the GRE.

Some employers will prefer to see a GMAT.

if your target programs are among the agnostic ones and you do not intend to go into IB or MC, which frequently does want to see a GMAT, then my personal advice is take the test where you will do best.

Best, Linda

Linda Abraham President, Accepted | Contact Me | Admissions Consulting
 

The MBA Programs have to report their GMAT Class Average to USNews&WorldReport.

Having a very high GMAT score:

  1. Not only allows for a an M7 school to gain points and advance in the magazines' rankings;

  2. By admitting a candidate with a very high GMAT, they can have the luxury of admitting another student with a subpar GMAT, but who demonstrated other excellent qualities in the app (the high GMAT admit can compensate for interesting low GMAT admits)

If you're not the standardized testing type, just bear in mind that GRE Class Averages is usually lower (when converted to its GMAT equivalent: GRE averages GMAT averages, for the same program). So taking the GRE would be the better option.

 

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