Decided to pursue your post-graduation abroad? Good for you! You may even have set your sights on a few colleges, eh? Even better! And now that you’re ready to take the first step and begin your preparation, you’re stumped: Should you take the GMAT or the GRE? This post is meant to resolve all your questions about these two exams and help you choose the test that works best for you.
GRE
The Graduate Record Exam or GRE is a standardised computer/paper-based test that is taken by individuals who are interested in pursuing postgraduate study at universities all across the world. The 1 hour 58 minute exam has 3 sections — Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning — that evaluate your skills in critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and reading & writing. The Verbal Reasoning section expects you to answer 27 questions in 41 minutes and the Quantitative Reasoning section requires you to answer 27 questions within 47 minutes, while the Analytical Writing section requires you to write your analysis on one issue within 30 minutes. The GRE is scored on a scale of 260-340, in 1-point increments. The GRE costs USD 271.
GMAT
The Graduate Management Aptitude Test or GMAT, is a computer-adaptive standardised test that is taken by individuals to apply to business schools all over the world. It lasts for 2 hours 15 minutes and comprises 3 sections: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights. You can choose the order in which these sections appear on the test.
Quantitative Reasoning requires you to answer 21 questions in 45 minutes and Verbal Reasoning expects you to answer 23 questions in 45 minutes. The Data Insights section has 20 questions which need to be answered within 45 minutes as well. The GMAT is scored on a scale of 205-805, in 10-point increments. The GMAT costs USD 275.
Design Note: The points of similarity and differences should be two parallel columns on the webpage.
Acceptance by B-schools
Earlier, there were no doubts about this issue. If you wanted to apply to B-schools, you took the GMAT. End of story. But things changed in 2006 when Stanford started accepting GRE scores, reportedly, to encourage diversity among applicants. Other B-schools soon followed.
According to the ETS, GRE scores are now accepted by thousands of MBA programs around the world and this number is growing each day. Check out a comprehensive list of B-schools that accept GRE scores.
Notable Indian B-schools that accept GRE scores are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Raipur, ISB and IMT Ghaziabad. Always check the website of the school that you are interested in for eligibility requirements.
Validity of scores
Both GMAT and GRE scores are valid for 5 years after the test date.
Multiple test dates
Both exams are held on multiple dates throughout the year and allow you to reschedule on demand.
Test content
Quantitative sections of both exams are based on high-school-level concepts in algebra, arithmetic, geometry and data interpretation. However, the difficulty level and variation of GMAT’s quant is slightly higher than that of the GRE.
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GMAT vs. GRE: Points of Difference
Adaptability
The GMAT is question-adaptive for each section. If you answer one question correctly, the next one will be of a slightly greater difficulty level. GRE, on the other hand, is section-adaptive. There are two subsections within a section, say verbal; if you attempt the first subsection correctly, the next subsection is going to be of a higher difficulty level.
Review of questions
In the GMAT, you can mark questions and return to them later. You also have the option to change up to 3 answers per section. In the GRE, you can return to questions and change answers with no restrictions.
Analytical Writing
The new GMAT has no AWA section. The GRE has one 30-minute “Analyse an Issue” task.
Vocabulary
GRE is vocabulary intensive. More often than not, an average Indian test-taker will find words that they are unfamiliar with during the exam. Hence, developing a GRE-specific vocabulary during the training period is crucial.
GMAT primarily tests your critical reasoning and comprehension skills through passages and sentence correction questions. It doesn’t care as much for your vocabulary.
Quant with a calculator
The GRE allows you to attempt quant with an on-screen calculator. The GMAT does not allow a calculator in the Quant section, but you may use the on-screen calculator in the Data Insights section.
Data Sufficiency
The GMAT’s DS questions are unique and have no similar equivalents in the GRE.
Data Insights
The GMAT’s Data Insights section (with 20 questions) is unique to it. It expects you to synthesise, combine, and manipulate information presented in the form of charts, graphs, and tables, to arrive at the right answer.
Which one is right for you?
Your choice of test obviously depends on your skills and abilities, your target program and your future plans. A quick look at this template will help you ascertain whether you’re a GMAT or a GRE person*!
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