Applying to deferred programs this march. I currently attend a top 20 undergrad and have a 3.9+ GPA. I also interned last summer at a BB and will be going back FT there next year. Do you think taking the GRE instead of the GMAT would hurt my chances at a top 5 B-School? I'm really torn as I don't want to put the effort into the GMAT only to be able to score higher on the GRE instead...
Thanks!!
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Business Schools don't mind which test you take. Business schools are also more lenient "score wise" when it comes to the GRE i.e. I believe that its easier to get into a good school with an average GRE score than an average GMAT score.
If you are good at English and have a good vocabulary, whilst being okay at math then I would recommend the GRE, as the math on the GRE is easier and you have an on screen calculator. I did the GRE and I preferred it to the GMAT. There are also no data sufficiency questions within the math section of the GRE.
Do you have any backup rationale / data to support that they are more lenient for the GRE? Also deciding between the two so I’m genuinely curious
Hi.
Here are a few articles who interview faculty from HBS and Stanford Business School, which illustrate this.
https://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-degree/4254/meet-the-team-harv….
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/class-profile#:~:te….
https://www.facebook.com/HarvardBusinessSchool/posts/10157177762353172
https://www.vinciaprep.com/en/blog/do-mba-programs-prefer-gmat-or-gre
Anecdotally, I applied to a well known business school for an MiM programme with a GRE score and got accepted, which sort of pushes me to believe that business schools really don't mind which test you take. I think if a business school stipulates "they don't care which test you take" and this is evidently displayed by the fact that they do indeed accept candidates who take either test, you can take their word for it.
However, here is an article that also gives a good analysis of whether you should take the GMAT or GRE. It also states that candidates at HBS who do the GMAT tend to fair better in the admissions process but that overall you should take the test that suits you best. I think that people tend to focus too much on the GMAT or GRE and ignore other aspects of their application.
https://ellinlolis.com/blog/gmat-vs-gre-which-should-you-take/#:~:text=….
Hope this helps a bit :)
Generally both are accepted and, as the commenter mentioned above, maths is easier in the GRE whilst language is more challenging. One thing to note is that some courses at some schools may prefer one over the other e.g. LSE's MFin states they "strongly" prefer GMAT.
Take the GMAT if you plan on going to business school. It matters more for rankings and so it matters more to schools.
For recruiting, is GMAT still more accepted than GRE or is it more equal in recent years?
For recruiting the GMAT is the standard. Firms don't really know how to evaluate the GRE yet.
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