GRE vs. GMAT: Which Test Should You Take?

• Applying only to business school? Either test usually works. Pick the one you score better on, unless a program says it prefers one.
• Applying to business school and other graduate programs? The GRE covers both, so you only prep for one test.
• Strong reader with a big vocabulary? The GRE rewards that more.
• Strong at logic and data, weak at vocabulary and geometry? The GMAT may suit you better. It has no vocabulary-in-context questions and no geometry.

The only way to know for sure is to take a free official practice test of each and compare where you stand against your target programs.

Fees change and vary by country. The standard GRE fee is US$249 as of August 1, 2026; check ETS's GRE fees page for your country and mba.com for current GMAT fees.

Verbal

GRE Verbal leans on vocabulary in context: Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence make up a big part of each section, alongside reading passages and short argument questions. GMAT Verbal has no vocabulary questions. It's Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning, which means evaluating arguments, finding assumptions, and strengthening or weakening conclusions. If you'd rather dissect an argument than learn words like “obdurate,” that's a point for the GMAT.

Quant

GRE Quant covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis, gives you a calculator, and uses Quantitative Comparison questions that reward number sense. GMAT Quantitative Reasoning covers arithmetic and algebra word problems with no geometry and no calculator, and it tends to demand fast, clean mental math.

Data

The GMAT's Data Insights section is its signature: Data Sufficiency, multi-source reasoning, table analysis, graphics interpretation and two-part analysis, with a calculator. The GRE handles data inside Quant, through data-interpretation sets and statistics questions.

Writing

The GRE still has one 30-minute essay. The GMAT has none.

Both tests report scores that schools use the same way: as one data point next to your GPA, experience and essays. What differs is how you get there.

• Score scales: the GRE gives two separate 130–170 scores plus a 0–6 writing score, so schools can look at your Quant and Verbal independently. The GMAT gives a single 205–805 total built from three section scores of 60–90.
• Choosing what schools see: the GRE's ScoreSelect lets you send the scores from the test dates you pick. Check mba.com for the GMAT's current score-sending rules.
• Prep time: it depends less on which test you pick than on which content is new to you. Vocabulary and geometry take time to build for the GRE; Data Sufficiency and the other Data Insights formats take time to learn for the GMAT.

• You're applying to a mix of programs, such as an MBA plus a master's in public policy or a dual degree. One test covers everything.
• You're a strong reader with good vocabulary, or you're willing to build it.
• You're comfortable with geometry and like having a calculator.
• You want to change answers freely within a section instead of being capped at three edits.

• You're applying only to business school and want the test built specifically for it.
• You're strong at logical reasoning and data interpretation but weaker on vocabulary.
• You'd rather skip geometry and essay writing entirely.
• A program you care about states a preference for the GMAT. Read each program's testing policy.

1. Take ETS's free timed GRE practice test from its POWERPREP page, or our full-length GRE practice test.
2. Take a free official GMAT practice exam from mba.com, or our GMAT practice test.
3. Compare each result with your target programs' published class profiles, not with each other. The two scales don't convert neatly.
4. Check every program's testing policy for a stated preference.
5. Pick one test and commit. Splitting prep between both is the slowest way to a good score on either.

Going GRE? Start with our GRE guide. Going GMAT? Start with our GMAT guide.