Wondering which exam will increase your chances of getting into a master’s programme at a prestigious business school or university? Whether you plan to study for an MSc or MBA, both the GMAT and GRE exam scores are valid. However, the question that arises is which exam should you choose? This article will cover all the differences between GRE and GMAT and help you choose an exam that suits your needs.
Before we begin to dive into which is better, the GMAT or GRE, let us try and understand each of the exams exclusively. Moreover, while there are two types of GRE tests, the subject-based and general test, for the purpose of our comparison with the GMAT, we will only explore the GRE general test.
The GRE Exam – General Test
The Graduate Record Examination or GRE is a globally organized standard test conducted by ETS. The GRE general test is an essential requirement accepted by most universities and business schools for their MSc, MBA and PhD programmes. A section-adaptive test with multiple-choice questions, the GRE is scored on a scale of 260-340. Furthermore, it is divided into three sections and lasts for a duration of 3 hours and 45 minutes. The registration can be done on the official website of ETS and the cost for registering in India is $213.
The three sections of the computer-delivered GRE general test are as follows:
- Analytical Writing Assessment – The GRE AWA section is 60 minutes long and is further divided into two sections of 30 minutes each. The two sections of the GRE are -analyse-an-argument and analyse-an-issue. Each of the sections requires you to either analyse an argument that is being presented or analyse a situation that is provided. The GRE AWA section is scored on a scale of 2-6 with a half-point increment.
- Quantitative Reasoning – The quantitative reasoning section of the GRE general test is divided into two sections with 40 questions in total. You will have to answer all the questions within a total duration of 70 minutes. The quantitative reasoning section is scored within a range of 130-170 with a one-point increment.
- Verbal Reasoning – The GRE verbal reasoning section is also divided into two parts with each section 30 minutes long. With 40 questions, the verbal reasoning section is scored within a range of 130-170 with a single-point increment.
The GMAT Exam
The Graduate Management Admission Test or GMAT is conducted by GMAC globally and is an essential part of the admission requirements to most postgraduate programmes in business and management studies. The GMAT is accepted by over 2300 business schools and nearly 7000 master’s programmes. This exam is widely regarded because it is designed specifically to gauge a student’s critical thinking, logical reasoning, analytical writing and problem-solving skills which are essential to business management.
Divided into four sections, the GMAT is nearly 3 hours and 7 minutes long and is a computer-adaptive test with multiple-choice questions. Furthermore, the GMAT is scored on a scale of 200-800 with each section being scored individually. The exam can be registered through the official website and a fee of $250 is to be paid.
The four sections of the GMAT are as follows:
- Analytical Writing Assessment – The GMAT AWA section is 30 minutes long and is scored on a scale of 0-6 with a half-point increment. In this section, you are required to critique the argument of the author.
- Integrated Reasoning – The IR section of the GMAT requires you to analyse data given in various visual formats. You are given four types of questions — two-part analysis, multi-source reasoning, graphical interpretation and table analysis. You will have to answer a total of 12 MCQs and are scored on a scale of 1-8 with a single-point increment.
- Quantitative Reasoning – The quantitative reasoning section of the GMAT is used to gauge your math skills. There are two types of questions on which you are tested — problem-solving and data sufficiency. You will have to answer 31 questions within a duration of 60 minutes and are scored on a scale of 6-51 with a single-point increment.
- Verbal Reasoning – The verbal reasoning section comprises 36 questions and is also 60 minutes. There are three types of questions — critical reasoning, sentence correction and reading comprehension. You will be scored on a scale of 6-51 with a single-point increment.
Now that we have understood what the GRE and GMAT are and analysed each of its sections, let us understand the difference between GRE and GMAT and conclude with whether you should opt for GRE or GMAT for your Masters.
An Overview of the Key Difference Between GRE and GMAT Exams
| Category | GRE | GMAT |
| Difficulty | Section-adaptive | Question-adaptive |
| Sections | 3 | 4 |
| Purpose | Gauge knowledge expertise | Gauge critical reasoning skills |
| Time Duration | 3 hours and 45 minutes | 3 hours and 7 minutes |
| Scope | Master and PhD programmes pertaining to science, arts and business management | MSc in business and MBA programmes |
| Acceptability | Global but limited in India | Accepted globally and including India |
| Fee | $213 | $250 |
| Score Validity | 5 years | 5 years |
From the above table, you will be able to understand the key differences between the GRE and GMAT exam. Based on this analysis, we recommend that, if you are certain about entering into a master’s programme in the field of business and management, then it is safe to opt for the GMAT. Else, if you are not certain about your area of interest, you may opt for the GRE as it gives you the flexibility to apply for more than one type of programme. Hence, whether to choose GMAT or GREdepends mainly on your area of interest and your higher education goals.
Now that we have explained in detail the structure of both the GMAT and GRE exams, analysed the difference between them and recommended which exam to choose based on your needs, you are better positioned to opt for the exam that suits your goals.
