At Reason Test Prep, we enjoy helping ambitious people clear the testing hurdle for admission into elite MBA programs. Now that business schools accept the GRE alongside the GMAT, applicants often wonder: Which exam should I take?
We find that many of our clients come to us initially wanting to focus exclusively on the GMAT; perhaps because that’s what their friends did or because the GMAT has been the business school exam for decades. As GMAT experts, we’re always happy to coach them there. But we’re also GRE experts, and in the past few admission cycles we’ve seen something most applicants, and even some admissions consultants, seem to miss.
Why the GRE May Offer a Strategic Advantage over the GMAT
At most top schools, students admitted with the GRE often have scores that would convert to lower GMAT equivalents, as compared to their accepted peers who got in with the GMAT.
Here’s what that looks like at some of the best MBA programs in the world. One caveat to note: the below conversions are done with a slightly dated tool that ETS provides, which gives a rough approximation for how the GRE converts to a score on the classic GMAT. Nevertheless, even if you round the conversions up a little bit, the gap is still significant. And perhaps a better judge of the gap is our own experience: trust us, it is definitely easier to get a 163/163 on the GRE than it is to get a 730 or 740 on the GMAT (685 on the current version of the test)!
GMAT vs GRE Scores of Students Accepted at the Top MBA Programs
| B-School | Published GMAT Median | Published GRE Median | Approximate Conversion | Gap |
| Harvard | 740 | 163V / 163Q | = 690 | = 50 points |
| Stanford | 732 | 163V / 164Q | = 700 | = 32 points |
| Wharton | 732 | 163V / 162Q | = 680 | = 52 points |
| Booth | 729 | 161V / 163Q | = 680 | = 49 points |
| Kellogg | 733 | 162V / 163Q | = 680 | = 53 points |
(Data pulled from Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Wharton, Booth, and Kellogg)
Why the Gap Between GMAT and GRE Scores at MBA Programs Exists
This trend has held steady for recent years, and, barring unusually significant shifts, signs suggest that it should hold for at least a few more cycles. This suggests that applicants may be at an advantage by taking the GRE. When we bring this up with clients, many are understandably baffled; why would this score gap even exist at such elite programs? Well, we do have some theories.
The GMAT has been the standard for decades, so applicants from traditional MBA pipelines (consulting, IB, PE, etc.) naturally lean toward it. Everyone in their networks, especially older alumni, got in with the GMAT, while the GRE still feels untested. As a result, this competitive group piles into the GMAT pool, driving up score medians as they hyper-optimize for the exam. By contrast, less traditional applicants might be more open to the GRE, seeing it as a fresh option with less direct competition. That could help explain why GRE medians, even at top schools, often come in lower than their GMAT equivalents.
But this assumes that the admissions committees view the scores separately (a GMAT pool and a GRE pool) when we know that conversions do exist. So, you may ask, why wouldn’t the business schools just translate every GRE into a GMAT equivalent and evaluate everyone on the same scale? Wouldn’t that erase the gap?
To answer that, it helps to ask why test scores even need to be so high at top schools in the first place. Adcoms often say they want to see high scores as proof that an applicant can handle the academic rigor of the MBA. That’s partly true. But let’s be honest, someone who scores just above average on these exams could still likely manage the coursework at most top programs. The need for significantly more extra points over the “can-handle-the-work” threshold isn’t really about survival in the classroom. Rather, it’s about competition, and this competition takes on two forms.
The first form of competition is that test scores give adcoms a quick way to stack applicants against each other. The second is that MBA programs are also ranked annually against each other, and these rankings shape how schools are perceived by applicants, employers, professors, and alumni. And because test score medians factor significantly into those formulas, every decision to admit a candidate comes with the added question of will this applicant’s score help or hurt our ranking?
How GMAT & GRE Scores Figure Into MBA Rankings
In the methodology used by the U.S. News & World Report to rank MBA programs, GRE and GMAT are tracked separately. This means each test is compared only against itself: essentially, it’s your percentile within your pool of test takers, GMAT or GRE, that matters. And because the GRE is newer and (so far) less relentlessly optimized by hyper-competitive applicants, its medians often run a bit lower, even across the most elite business schools. So as long as a program’s reported GRE results look comparable to those of their peers, a slightly softer GRE won’t hurt, and that can result in the gap that we’re seeing.
Should You Opt for the GRE Instead of the GMAT?
So now that we know why this score gap might exist, let’s discuss whether you should try to take advantage of it. If you’re already well into your GMAT studies, is it too much to switch? The good news is that most of the tested content on the GRE and GMAT overlaps. In our experience, it’s much easier to pivot from the GMAT to the GRE than the other way around, even if you’ll need to brush up on a bit of geometry for Quant, build some vocabulary for Verbal, and write a 30-minute essay for the Writing section (we guide students through all of this!). It may sound like a lot, but both exams are primarily about reasoning, not rote memorization. And many of our students are surprised to find they need far less geometry knowledge than they expected. In terms of perceived difficulty, GRE Quant is far less brutal than GMAT Quant, while most people find the GRE Verbal to be just slightly harder.
There are also a few niche considerations. For some specific career paths (such as finance and consulting) employers could ask for a GMAT score as part of the hiring process. This definitely doesn’t apply to most people (and you can always prep for the GMAT later if needed!), but it’s worth mentioning.
Another minor consideration is that if you’re applying to Harvard, it is actually slightly more efficient to take the GRE. Since the GMAT dropped its Writing section, HBS requires GMAT submitters to take a separate writing test if they are invited to interview. GRE applicants, who already have an essay score, are exempt.
Final Thoughts
The most critical deciding factor comes down to how you feel about each exam. Switching from the GMAT to the GRE is fairly common, and we find that most of our students far prefer GRE Quant to GMAT Quant. Preferences regarding the Verbal section can vary, and students tend to find the Writing part very straightforward, especially with the framework and tips we provide for that section. Overall, we have found that, especially since the release of the “new” GMAT in 2024, people just tend to prefer the GRE. However, everyone is unique, and it could actually be the case that you prefer the GMAT experience. In that case, it would probably make more sense to stick with that (although we’re always happy to give personalized advice that takes into account what we believe would be most advantageous to you!). If you are agnostic, however, the GRE, with its slightly lower target threshold vis-a-vis the GMAT, offers a potential “arbitrage” opportunity that may give you a strategic advantage!