

Top schools also require the GMAT or the GRE to help future students be prepared. Since applicants go through the same test experience regardless of their background, it becomes possible to benchmark results in a way that is fair, while allowing schools to apply their understanding of different backgrounds and training in a consistent way. Standardised aptitude tests like the GMAT and GRE provide a platform that nicely complements the rest of the academic items. The score achieved by an undergraduate student can vary wildly depending on factors such as the country she or he comes from, the quality of the awarding institute, the area of study, and so on.įor the purpose of evaluation across a diverse pool of applicants, it is impossible to account fairly for all these variables or to truly understand how one applicant’s academic ability stacks up against someone else from a completely different background. Undergraduate performance, while helpful as an indicator, needs to be combined with a standardised test. If a student simply cannot keep up, it will be a missed opportunity for everyone. This makes sense because such postgraduate programmes tend to be intensive and rigorous. For many schools (business or otherwise), applicants are expected to come equipped with a certain standard of academic proficiency regardless of their previous field of studies. Why do you need the GMAT and/or the GRE?īefore we go any further, it might be helpful to first understand the role that such standardised tests play in postgraduate education. In part one, we will discuss the purpose of the GMAT and GRE for business school admissions purposes, as well as some differences between both tests.
#Gmat or gre series#
The objective of this series of articles is to share our findings in the hope that test takers after us have some idea as to which test may be suitable for their skill sets, or provide the better platform for them to demonstrate competency. We wanted to experience first-hand what our applicants had to go through, and hoped to glean insights on the two tests and what differences (if any) they had. We decided to get to the bottom of this and attempt both tests ourselves, going through the entire actual in-person test taking experience for both the GMAT and the GRE.

One of the most common questions we hear is: “Which test is better?” It has three sections (totaling 40 questions): Integrated Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning.Like any other top business school, INSEAD requires its applicants to the MBA and Master in Management (MIM) degree programmes to attempt either the GMAT or the GRE. This exam offers the convenience of less preparation time and lasts for 90 minutes. It allows us to evaluate your business school readiness and helps you see which areas might need focus to sharpen your skills before your MBA program begins. The EA is similar in structure to the GMAT, and is created by the same company that makes the GMAT. The Executive Assessment (EA) is built for busy executives. It may be worth your time to take a practice or diagnostic exam for each test to see which one you might want to move forward with as it will give you a good sense of timing, content, and structure. Both exams include verbal and quantitative reasoning as well as analytical writing, but there are different nuances in each test. The GRE runs longer than the GMAT (3h 45 m vs. While the GMAT is oriented towards business schools, the GRE is also typically accepted by other graduate programs (including business schools). Both test scores are good for five years. Booth accepts scores from both the GMAT and GRE exams and does not have a preference for a specific exam.
