GMAT or GRE: Which One Should You Take?

May 16, 2025

Traditionally, the GMAT was the sole exam business schools around the world accepted for admissions. But students have more options now for entrance into MBA programs and can choose to take the GRE instead, which may or may not suit their strengths and weaknesses better. Most top programs, including schools like Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, MIT, and Columbia, now permit GRE test scores instead of GMAT results.

So what are the differences between the two exams? Are they basically the same test or are there major distinctions that would lead a student to seriously consider one over the other? After all, there are significant differences between the SAT and ACT in undergraduate admissions, as well as between the TOEFL and IELTS. Is it possible the GMAT and GRE are essentially the same and you can decide which one to prep for with the flip of a coin? 

Take a look at a breakdown of some of the major similarities and differences between the exams and how they affect your choice of which one to take.

Purpose and Format

Below are some basic differences between the GMAT and GRE: 

As previously stated, the GMAT has always been known as the test for business schools, while the GRE was more closely associated with graduate programs. However, the GRE has now become common for business schools to also accept. Both are offered only on computer and are adaptive, meaning questions get harder or easier depending on your performance. The GMAT is adaptive by question, while the GRE is section-adaptive. 

The GMAT is 2 hours and 15 minutes long and the GRE takes 1 hour and 58 minutes. The GMAT consists of three 45-minute sections: Quantitative Reasoning; Verbal Reasoning; and Data Insights. The GRE has a 30-minute Analytical Writing section with one essay, along with two Verbal Reasoning sections, the first 18 minutes long and the second 23 minutes, and two Quantitative Reasoning sections that are 21 minutes and 26 minutes long. 

The GMAT's total score ranges from 205 to 805 in 10-point increments. The GRE quantitative and verbal sections are scored from 130 to 170 in 1-point increments, and the analytical writing section from 0 to 6 in half-point increments. The scores for both tests are good for five years.

Purpose and Format

As previously stated, the GMAT is known as the test to take for business schools, whereas the GRE has been more closely associated with graduate programs; however, the GRE is becoming more common for business schools. Both are offered on computers and question or section-adaptive, meaning the questions get harder or easier, depending on your performance.

In terms of duration, the GMAT is 3.5 hours on a computer, whereas the GRE is 3.75. If taken on paper, however, the GRE ties with the GMAT at 3.5. The GRE consists of one 60-minute analytical writing section with two essays, while the analytical writing section on the GMAT runs at about 30 minutes with only one essay. On the GRE, there are two 30-minute verbal reasoning sections and two 35-minute quantitative reasoning sections, along with a 30-35 minute experimental section that could be either math or verbal.

The GMAT, on the other hand, consists of a 30 minute integrated reasoning section, a 75 minute quantitative section and a 75 minute verbal section. In regards to scores with the GMAT, they range from 200 to 800 in ten-point increments, whereas the GRE ranges from 130 to 170 in one-point increments. Both scores are good for five years.

Cost

The cost of both exams is comparable, with the GMAT being slightly more expensive at $275 ($300 if taken online) than the GRE at $220.

Math and Verbal

If you have better quantitative abilities, the GMAT is probably better suited for you, since its math questions tend to be more challenging. Programs that value math skills will probably look at the GMAT more favorably than the GRE, as it reveals those capabilities in greater depth. If you dislike geometry, the GMAT is also more for you, as the GRE features more of it than its counterpart. 

If you aren't a native English speaker or lack an extensive vocabulary, the GMAT might also be best for you, since the GRE features more obscure words. The GRE is known to test tough and demanding vocabulary, so if a b-school puts an emphasis on that, that's probably the exam you'll want to take.

Availability

Generally speaking, there are more GRE test centers than GMAT test centers because more than twice as many people take the GRE. If you don't live in a metropolitan area, it might be challenging to find a GMAT location and test date that works with your admissions timeline and schedule.

What Schools Say

What are business schools saying about the rise in acceptance of both tests? When Harvard announced back in 2009 that it would accept either exam, Deidre Leopold, Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at the time, said, "We believe that both the GMAT and GRE meet our expectations of what a standardized test can tell us about a candidate's ability to thrive in our MBA Program." Rod Garcia, then-Director of MBA Admissions at the MIT Sloan School of Management was similarly even-handed as he was quoted in Bloomberg saying, "Good people always manage to shine whether they take the GMAT or GRE." 

Positive and encouraging statements confirming there's no bias for either exam are plentiful from other business schools as well, and the overarching goal to reach a more diverse applicant pool is outwardly stated by many recruitment officers. However, Rice University Business School Executive Director of Recruiting and Admissions Coni Zingarelli had a comment in 2025 that MBA applicants may want to also consider, noting, “Since the GMAT was designed specifically for business school, it aligns more closely with the skills necessary for success in an MBA program. That said, we encourage applicants to choose the test they are most comfortable with.”

What About Companies?

Patrick Perrella, Director of MBA Career Development at the University of Notre Dame's Medoza Business School, was quoted in 2015 as saying, "We see a large number of consulting companies, some investment banks, and a couple of corporations all looking at both GMAT and MBA GPAs." He went on to clarify, "These companies are looking for a sustained record of academic excellence." 

As GRE/GMAT acceptance had made its way through b-schools, it may be a little slower to do the same at companies, which have traditionally sought stellar GMAT-scoring graduates. However, with the need for a diversified workplace providing the impetus to make the GRE just as viable as the GMAT, perhaps companies will weigh GRE scores in the same light as they have its counterpart for years to come.