GRE to GMAT Score Conversion: What You Need to Know

November 1, 2025

If you're beginning the process of applying to business schools, you may be wondering whether you should take the GRE or the GMAT. To better understand this dilemma, it's important to look at the difference between the two tests. The GRE is more widely taken and is used for graduate school admission. The GMAT, on the other hand, is the traditional b-school entrance exam. So why are you able to choose between them? 

Some business schools began accepting the GRE two decades ago. Other schools began to follow suit and it spread over time, with the goal of reaching a more diverse applicant pool, until most b-schools now accept both the GRE and the GMAT without bias. The GRE is slightly cheaper and more widely administered, potentially reaching students who might think that MBA programs are out of their league. 

Finding out which test is right for you is important, with particular consideration for how it aligns with your admission goals and schools of choice. Converting your scores can be helpful in determining this, especially if you've already taken a practice exam for both and want to determine how your scores align. 

We discuss conversion tables in the article that you can use to convert your scores. The tables have a little bit of a margin for error, so they're not always 100% accurate, but they'll give you a good idea of about how you'd do on the other test. Take a practice test for the score you want to convert if you haven't already done so, and then you can start using the tables. 

Determining your converted score helps you weigh which schools it makes sense for you to apply to based on the scores its students usually achieve. It also helps you figure out what course of study you'll need to take for the exam and how much you want to improve your performance. That's why converting your score is an important early step along the way to business school or other advanced study. 

GRE Scores for PhD Programs

It's also common for students who are pursuing a PhD after having already gone to business school to be interested in knowing what their GMAT score would equal as a GRE score. Getting an advanced degree in another field will likely mean having to take the GRE, so it's valuable to know how the GMAT you got would convert to the GRE. 

Most PhD programs, particularly at top schools, will need to receive a GRE score to consider you for admission. However, the ones listed below don't. Sharing this information isn't meant to steer you towards these schools, but to show you the few exceptions to the normal GRE requirement. 

• Walden University
• Purdue University Global
• Chicago School of Professional Psychology
• California Southern University
• Northcentral University
• Lynn University
• Colorado Technical University
• Westcliff University
• Liberty University

These schools' small number and lower profile shows that the GRE is a central part of applying to a PhD program. The conversion charts can help aspiring PhD students who have a GMAT score get a handle on what their GRE score would be. 

GRE to GMAT Conversion Chart

GRE creator and administrator ETS used to have a table on its website for converting GRE scores to GMAT scores. It has since removed the tool, which additionally only had conversions to scores for the GMAT's previous 10^th edition. We've put together our own chart to help you convert your scores that's aligned with the current GMAT Focus edition. It was created by using ETS' original conversion table and GMAT creator GMAC's concordance chart for converting 10^th edition scores to the Focus edition. 

It can be very useful to convert your GRE score, particularly to see how it compares to the median GMAT score of individual schools and programs. At the same time, if can provide helpful information if you've been preparing for the GMAT, but are interested in also applying to GRE-only graduate schools.

Verbal & Quant Conversion

You could also do your score conversions by section instead of the overall total. This is simpler to do, and can help you discover which question types in each section you need to focus on more in your studies. The following table shows the conversion from GRE Verbal to GMAT Verbal, and like the previous chart, was created from ETS' earlier charts and GMAC's table for converting 10^th edition to Focus edition GMAT scores. Note: There's a range given for the GMAT Verbal because that's the best that can be done when converting scores for these sections. 

The following table similarly converts Quantitative scores. There are also score ranges given for the projected scores, which can hopefully also help guide your course of study.

Percentile Conversions

It's also valuable to know what your projected score percentile would be after conversion. Percentiles help you judge what kind of competition you face in gaining admission to schools by looking at their kind of scores their current students earned. Remember that these also may have some margin of error, but they help you get a general idea of how you stack up against students vying for admission to your target schools. The following tables contain information from MBA.com and ETS.org. 

Verbal Reasoning Percentile Comparison

Quantitative Reasoning Percentile Comparison

It's important to be aware that for percentile conversions, the GMAT is more likely to detect differences in test-taking ability near the top and bottom of the scoring scale. Meanwhile, the GRE finds variations more with test takers at the middle level. More students are able to achieve perfect scores on the GRE than on the GMAT. (But that doesn't mean you shouldn't study!)

GRE Conversion to GMAT: The Takeaway

You are the only one who can decide whether the GRE or GMAT is the right exam for your business school applications. While the GMAT is the traditional test for MBA programs, nearly all of the schools now accept the GRE. Additionally, if you're applying to graduate schools as well as business schools, why study simultaneously for two different tests when they all accept the GRE? Meanwhile, if you're a business school graduate who plans to apply to a PhD program, you will need to take the GRE since most of them require it. 

In both situations, knowing how GRE and GMAT scores match up when they are converted is very useful, and conversion charts like these can help you figure out this valuable information. If you have practice exam scores for either test, or real scores from having previously taken one of them, you can see where you stand in relation to the other test, and how that stacks up against other students. 

Use our conversion tools to help you decide whether to take the GRE or the GMAT. Then begin a rigorous study plan tailored to the exam you've chosen. This is the key to helping you perform at your best and achieve the high score you deserve.