GRE vs. GMAT for Post-MBA PE/HF Roles
Hello,
I am deciding between taking the GMAT and the GRE to have back-pocket in case I want to go to b-school down the road. Math is not my strong suit, and so I am confident I'd score better on the GRE. From my understanding, ad-coms are indifferent between the two exams.
However, I've heard that some professional tracks (namely IB and MBB) have a strong preference for GMAT scores. I'd only be interested in pursuing PE/HF roles out of business school (I am joining a PE firm this summer after finishing my analyst stint, so I'd have pre-MBA investing experience).
Does anyone have a sense if having a GRE score would be an issue for recruiting for post-MBA PE or hedge fund roles? If so, is it a slight issue or a deal breaker? Thanks in advance for the help.
If math is not your strong suit then I'd be weary of IB or PE, unless you're looking to be in business development or something like that.
But to answer your question, after you take the exam and get into school nobody will care which one you took. I'm a relatively recent MBA grad (class of 2019) and interviewed for dozens of jobs before I landed out of school, and GMAT/GRE never came up. I can almost guarantee it's a non-issue.
Thanks for the perspective -- that's super helpful.
I'm actually fine with math on the job in IB (and am even considered a "quantitative" analyst in my group). I've just always had a weak foundation in the fundamentals and didn't do well on the quantitative sections of prior standardized tests. Just goes to show how little math is actually used in this business.
The math in IB is high school level. It’s all excel formulas
Just wrote a long post on this. I took both, but did comparatively better on the GRE so went with that score. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if you can score well enough. Adcoms don't really care even though taking the GRE is slightly strange if you're coming from a traditional banking to PE background. People will know you're trying to dodge the math section of the GMAT. With that being said, if you can still score above a 330, that a good enough score to check the box. Banking/MBB will care a little more about GMAT vs GRE, Hedge Funds/PE most likely won't care. Only place I could see them asking is at MFs or at certain small, prestige focused shops. If anyone asks why GRE>GMAT, I'd just say you were/are considering dual-degree programs and didn't want to take multiple tests.
In general, the GRE is becoming more widely accepted as graduate schools try to increase their application volume. I think I read some stat that at B-schools, the % of admitted students has risen from single digits a few years ago to something like 20-25% now. You can even sub out the GRE for the LSAT now which is crazy given how much harder the LSAT is. There is still a little bit of a stigma, but it's not worth putting the additional effort into studying for the GMAT if you think you can do well on the GRE.
I saw that HBS average GRE score was 326 and Wharton I think 324. Do you think the 330 number still stands or has it been coming down recently as they admit a greater portion from GRE. Certainly appreciate the higher the better, but just wondering. Thanks!
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