GRE Tests’ Popularity Rises in MBA Admissions: MBA News

By Tim Dhoul Updated Feb 04, 2015

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GMAT vs. GRE for MBA admissions

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Last week, the GMAT celebrated its 60th birthday as the leading standardized exam for MBA admissions.

It is also a good month for alternative graduate admissions exam, the GRE, which enjoyed its second-best year ever in 2013, with 731,000 tests taken worldwide.

People taking the test as part of the MBA admissions process, announced test creator ETS, were one of the principal drivers of this growth – particularly in India. In total, there was a 36% rise in the number of test takers intending to pursue graduate studies in business.

“Globally, most students now know they can use GRE scores to apply to graduate programs, MBA programs, specialized master's in business programs and more, so taking a GRE test gives them a lot of options around the world,” said ETS vice president of global education, David Payne, in a press release.

GMAT vs. GRE for MBA admissions

In 2013, the number of business schools accepting the GRE for MBA admissions grew by 8% to reach a total of more than 1,000, including many of the top-ranking business schools around the world.

Even so, the GMAT remains the exam of choice for most prospective students as well as MBA admissions officers, and is recognized across 6,000 management programs. But, ETS emphasizes one advantage of the GRE for MBA admissions - its flexibility for those who are considering applying to different types of programs and want to keep their options open.

The GRE also now allows students to sit multiple tests and send schools their best result, a system known as ScoreSelect. For those who want a point of comparison, an online tool which gives a predicted GMAT score-range based on a GRE result is available.

ETS, a nonprofit organization based in the US, launched the GRE in 1949. It also administers the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication).

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Written by

Tim Dhoul

Tim is a writer with a background in consumer journalism and charity communications. He trained as a journalist in the UK and holds degrees in history (BA) and Latin American studies (MA).