GMAT sees off GRE in the battle of the entry tests

Just 16 per cent of MBA applicants opt to take the GRE entry test, with the majority of would-be students sticking to the GMAT, according to a recent survey from Kaplan Test Prep, which helps prepare students to sit the two tests.

The main reason for the continued dominance of GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test), according to Kaplan, is that students believed that some of their target schools do not accept the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), which is designed as an entry test for all graduate programmes, not just business school. Sixty per cent of those that did not consider the GRE said this was the primary reason for sticking to the GMAT.

However, this may not be the case, according to Lee Weiss, director of graduate programmes at Kaplan Test Prep. “Many of them (MBA applicants) would be surprised to know that most, if not all of the business schools they plan on applying to accept the GRE, in addition to the GMAT. However, it’s still a smart business school admissions strategy to take the GMAT if you are only applying to business school, and not considering applying to graduate school too.”

A separate Kaplan survey of business school admissions officers showed that applicants who take GMAT have a slight admissions advantage over applicants who take GRE, adds Mr Weiss. Of the 84 per cent of respondents to the survey who said they never considered taking the GRE, 19 per cent said they felt it would give them an advantage.

www.kaplan.com