GMAT vs GRE: Differences Between GMAT & GRE - Which is Easier?

GMAT vs GRE, both are entrance tests that MBA aspirants choose to crack in order to get admission to the top Business Schools across the world. Aspirants are advised to know the differences between the two exams, how the business schools prefer these entrance exams for MBA admissions.

Table of Contents

• GMAT vs GRE: Comparison
• Which Test is Considered More Valuable for an MBA Degree?
• GMAT or GRE: Which Exam is Easier?
• Do Business Schools Prefer the GMAT or the GRE?

GMAT vs GRE: Comparison

In this section, we have provided you with the differences between both exams. We will look into the various aspects of both the exams in detail and by what sections they differ. This section will provide you with a clear cut detail on both the tests and help you in choosing the best of two. We have provided short differences/similarities in the tabular format followed by in-detail explanations of the same.

GMAT vs GRE: Comparison

Sections	GMAT	GRE
Structure Format	The GMAT test is of 3 hours and 30 minutes duration.	The GRE test is of 3 hours and 45 minutes duration.
	This test has 4 sections	This test has 6 sections including a not scored research section.
	The number of essays in this test is 1.	The number of essays in this test is 2.
Scoring Criteria	Composite score.	Here Verbal and Quantitative sections will each have a score range from 130 to 170.
	Ranges from 200 to 800 in ten-point increments	These score ranges are in one-point increments.
Verbal Section	This test has one verbal section.	This test has 2 verbal sections.
	There are a total of 41 questions in this section of the test.	There are a total of 40 questions in this section of the test.
	The main topics in this section are Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction.	The main topics in this section of the test are Reading Comprehension, Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence.
Quantitative Section	There will be a total of 49 questions in this section of the test.	There will be a total of 40 questions in this section of the test.
	The main topics in this section of the test are Data sufficiency and problem-solving which comes under Quantitative Reasoning.	The main topics in this section of the test are Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Data Analysis.
	Multi-source reasoning, graphics interpretation, two-part analysis which comes under Integrated Reasoning	-
Analytical Writing Section	There will be 1 essay in this section of the test.	There are 2 essays in this section of the test.
	The length of this section is 30 minutes.	The length of this section is 30 minutes for each of the two essays.
	The topic of this section is the Analysis of the Argument.	The main topics of this section are Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument.

GMAT Test: Structure Format

Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) is a test taken by candidates who wish to enroll for their MBA degree. The GMAT test is used only for admissions to management-related programs such as MBA.

• The test is of 3 hours and 30 minutes duration.
• There are 4 sections in this test. They are the Analytical Writing section, Integrated Reasoning section, Quantitative section and verbal section.
  • The Analytical Writing Section consists of 1 essay which is 30 minutes in duration.
  • The Quantitative section consists of 37 questions
  • The Verbal section has 41 questions.
  • The Integrated Reasoning section consists of 12 questions.

GRE Test: Structure Format

Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a test taken by candidates for admission to any undergraduate program other than MBA. Unlike the GMAT test which is only used for admissions to management courses, this test is used for any graduate programs.

• The test is of 3 hours and 45 minutes duration.
• There are 3 major sections in this test.
• The Analytical Writing section, Quantitative Reasoning, and Verbal Reasoning.
  • The analytical section consists of 2 essays which are 30 minutes in duration each. There will be a 20 marks section which will be a research section and will not be included as part of your score.
  • The Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Reasoning sections will have 20 questions each and a total of 80 multiple choice questions in this section.

GMAT Verbal Section 

GMAT Verbal Section tests the candidates' ability to understand the written material that is given to them and also to rectify and correct errors if any in the material provided.

• It comprises three topics. They are Reading Comprehension, Critical Reading, and Sentence Correction.
• Reading Comprehension consists of passages where the candidates need to read the given passage and answer the questions that fall below it.
• Critical Reading consists of short passages and candidates need to answer the questions that fall below it, the same as that of Reading Comprehension.
• Next comes the Sentence Correction. These types of questions will have a sentence. The sentence will have all of it or a part of it underlined. Then there will be five ways of wording the underlined portion shown below the sentence. You have to choose the correct option. These types of questions basically test the grammar skills of the candidates.

GRE Verbal Section

The verbal section of the GRE test assesses the candidates' skills in identifying the main points from the text in the material provided and also to get aware of the meanings of the words and complete the passages.

• This test comprises three types of questions. They are Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, and Sentence Equivalence.
• Reading Comprehension will be the same as that of the GMAT Test. There will be a passage provided and candidates are needed to answer the questions that follow below it.
• In-text completion, there will be short passages with one or more than one blank. There will be a list of words you can choose to fill in the blank. The main task of candidates here is to identify the most suitable word to fill in the blank.
• The sentence equivalence part deals with a single sentence with one blank. There will be six choices given and you have to choose the two best options to fit in the given sentence.

GMAT Scoring 

There will be different scoring ranges for different sections of the GMAT test. The relevant score that you will receive in your GMAT test is known as the composite score. It ranges from around 200 to 800.

• This score takes into account the scores from the Verbal and Quantitative sections. There will also be scores section-wise.
• Both the verbal and quantitative sections have scores ranging from 0 to 60 in one-point increments.
• The analytical writing section has a score range of 0 to 6 in half-point increments and for the integrated reasoning section, the score range is 1 to 8 in one-point increments.
• In the GMAT test, there is adaptive testing. This testing is used to get more concise or accurate scores with varying difficulty levels for different questions.
• In simple words, if you answer a question correctly, then the next question will be of a difficult level and if you answer a particular question incorrectly, then the next question will be of an easy level. 

GRE Scoring 

Here in this test, the sections are not combined into a single composite score. The three sections will have separate scores.

• The score range for the analytical section will be 0 to 6 in half-point increments.
• Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative sections will have the same score range. It will be in the range of 130 to 170 in one-point increments.
• This test uses section-level adaptive scoring. This means that the score you get for both Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning will affect the level of difficulty of the next section for each of the subjects. 

GMAT Analytical Writing Section

This section will contain one essay question that will be 30 minutes in duration.

• The candidates will be given an argument and based on the given argument you must evaluate the strengths and weaknesses given in the essay.
• There is no option for personal opinions but the candidates must discuss the opinion given, what are its drawbacks and how can the drawbacks be improved. 

GRE Analytical Writing Section

There will be 2 essays in this section of the test. The two essays will be to analyze an argument and analyze a task. The duration provided for this section will be 30 minutes for each essay. 

• Analyzing an Argument essay will be the same as that of the essay in the Analytical Writing section of the GMAT test.
• In Analyze a task part, there will be an argument provided. Candidates are needed to address their own personal views and justify them with suitable evidence. 

GMAT Quantitative Section

The quantitative section of the GMAT test basically tests the mathematical skills of the candidates. In this section, there are 2 types of questions. They are Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency.

• In problem-solving-related questions, the candidates are needed to evaluate the given data, solve the equations, and do other math-related tasks.
• In the Data Sufficiency part, there will be a question followed up by two statements.
• Candidates are needed to choose the best statement that is necessary to answer the given question and in case both the statements are best they can choose both of them.
• In the Integrated Reasoning section, there will be four types of questions.
  • They are Graphics interpretation, two-part analysis table analysis, and multi-source reasoning. The aim of this section is to test the candidates' ability to analyze and interpret the given data.
  • There will be multiple parts to some of the problems. Each part of the question must be answered by the candidates in order to get the marks.

GRE Quantitative Section  

In this section, there will be two types of questions.

• Most of the questions in this section will be Multiple Choice Questions but there will be numeric type questions too.
• Numeric-type questions mean that you have to write the correct answer in the space provided and there will be no options provided in the paper.
  • There will be 4 types of questions in this section: Algebra, Arithmetic, Data Analysis, and Geometry. 

Which Test is Considered More Valuable for an MBA Degree?

Most Business schools take into consideration both the tests for admission to MBA. But there are some Business schools that prefer the GMAT test more. The reasons for that are:

1. The schools feel that the questions in the Quantitative and Reasoning section of the GMAT test are more related to the learnings that you will get from the Business schools for the MBA course. They believe that this test helps candidates to be in a more comfortable mode and helps them grasp easier for their higher education.
2. Next is that while showing the GMAT test scores to the business schools, they believe that the candidates have the ability and potential to perform well in their academics and have remarkable careers.
3. Despite all these, almost all the schools accept both test scores but submitting the GMAT test score makes the schools believe that you are more dedicated and serious about the career.

GMAT or GRE: Which Exam is Easier?

The test is considered to be easy or difficult based on the sections of each test. We will guide you in figuring out which test among the two is easier for you. An analysis of sections of both the tests are provided below:

Analytical Section: GMAT or GRE

The verbal sections of both tests are almost similar but there is a small difference between the two. The GRE test has a more challenging verbal section compared to the other test. GRE has a more advanced vocabulary and reading comprehension as compared to GMAT. This test also checks for more grammar in candidates than in the other test.

Quantitative Section: GMAT or GRE

The quantitative sections of the GMAT test are considered to be more difficult than the other test. GMAT tests in particular have more advanced quantitative sections than those that required an advanced thinking level. The format of the questions in the GMAT test is also not regular and keeps on changing.

Analytical Writing Section: GMAT or GRE

The writing sections of both tests hold the same difficulty level. For both tests, the candidates must do an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of an argument and write an essay accordingly. But when compared to the time limit, the GRE test Analytical Writing section has 60 minutes duration as compared to the GMAT test which is 30 minutes duration. But this once again doesn't make much difference as the total time for both the tests are the same.

Do Business Schools Prefer the GMAT or the GRE?

Candidates applying to business schools submit either GRE or GMAT scores. Many business schools accept GMAT and GRE scores. However, candidates are advised to check the particular business schools' needs and apply accordingly. 

• Besides, in a survey conducted in 2015, it was found that more schools accept GMAT scores compared to GRE. 
• Further, GMAT covers the Quantitative and Integrated Reasoning sections and tests skills and knowledge more directly related to what candidates need to know to do well in business schools, such as more multi-part reasoning and data interpretation.
• Next, business schools consider that if a candidate has a valid GMAT score, they are more ambitious and clear about the course they wish to pursue. 
• Nonetheless, some of the country's most prestigious business schools, such as Harvard Business School, Yale School of Management, and Stanford Graduate School of Business, have made it a point to state that they view the two exams equally.