GMAT Still Preferred Over GRE

Harvard, Wharton, Darden, and Stern have all begun to allow applicants to submit GRE scores instead of GMAT scores. Many people have wondered if other business schools will soon do the same.

If a recent Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey of admissions officers at 260 top MBA programs in the U.S. is any indication, the answer is a huge NO. According to the survey, 76% of business schools are GMAT-only and of the 76% that are GMAT-only, only 4.3% are considering offering the GRE as a test option.

Other interesting survey results:

• Forty-four percent of admissions officers listed a low GMAT score as the biggest "application killer."
• Nearly 30 percent of business schools are accepting more applicants fresh from college.
• Applications are up at 2/3 of business schools compared to last year.

The Bottom Line:

Study for the GMAT. Business schools still use the test to assess the qualifications of applicants. If your score is low, it will be difficult to compete with the increasing number of people who are applying to top programs.