There is an increasing number of the students taking the GRE test for MBA program admission into top Business schools. GRE has become welcomed with open arms in top-notch schools as it is more versatile and the schools want to grow in the diversity of their applicants. In this article, we would provide you with the overview of GRE together with the average scores to propel you forward.
GRE would be a good choice for you if you are still wondering whether to pursue an MBA or a dual-degree program as it is both accepted in two ways.
Here is some basic information about the test you should know:
- Test fee: $205
- Test validity: 5 years
- Test design:
Computer adaptive by section exam.
Paper version only offered in areas of the world where computer-delivered testing is not available.
GRE stands for the Graduate Record Examinations General Test which is the admissions test of choice for most non-MBA graduate programs.
GRE allows students to check their previous answers.
- Test structure:
An analytical writing section
Two Verbal Reasoning sections
Two Quantitative Reasoning sections.
An experimental section that can be either math or verbal.
- Test time:
3.75 hours in Computer.
3.5 hours in Paper.
- Scoring systems: Verbal and Quantitative scores from 130 to 170 in 1-point increments.
GRE Score Percentiles
If you are a GRE examiner, knowing the GRE score percentiles is a must. It would show your performance on the GRE compared to all other test-takers.
A 99th GRE percentile score, for example, means you scored better than 99% of test-takers, and you’re in the top 1%! A 50th GRE percentile score means you scored right in the middle—an average score. The table below presenting the most current score percentiles helps you to figure out the reasons why your GRE percentile matters.
The higher the GRE percentile, the better your score is compared to other test-takers.
GRE Score Percentiles
|
Score |
Verbal Percentile |
Quant Percentile |
|
170 |
99 |
97 |
|
169 |
99 |
96 |
|
168 |
98 |
94 |
|
167 |
98 |
92 |
|
166 |
97 |
91 |
|
165 |
96 |
89 |
|
164 |
94 |
87 |
|
163 |
93 |
84 |
|
162 |
91 |
81 |
|
161 |
88 |
78 |
|
160 |
86 |
76 |
|
159 |
83 |
73 |
|
158 |
80 |
69 |
|
157 |
76 |
66 |
|
156 |
73 |
62 |
|
155 |
69 |
59 |
|
154 |
65 |
55 |
|
153 |
61 |
51 |
|
152 |
56 |
47 |
|
151 |
52 |
43 |
|
150 |
48 |
38 |
|
149 |
43 |
35 |
|
148 |
39 |
30 |
|
147 |
35 |
27 |
|
146 |
31 |
24 |
|
145 |
27 |
20 |
|
144 |
24 |
17 |
|
143 |
20 |
14 |
|
142 |
17 |
12 |
|
141 |
15 |
10 |
|
140 |
12 |
8 |
|
139 |
9 |
6 |
|
138 |
8 |
4 |
|
137 |
6 |
3 |
|
136 |
4 |
2 |
|
135 |
3 |
2 |
|
134 |
2 |
1 |
|
133 |
2 |
1 |
|
132 |
1 |
– |
|
131 |
1 |
– |
|
130 |
– |
– |
*Source: ETS GRE
2. Average Gre scores of top business schools
On average, successful applicants to top-10 MBA programs have both GRE scores in the high 150s to mid 160s, whereas it is in the mid-to-high 150s on both sections for the top-50 schools. However, it is suggested that your GRE needs to be at least 10% higher to make your application more competitive. For example, the average GRE at Harvard is 163 in Quant and 163 in Verbal which means you have to try your best to show a higher GRE than the average – around 329. You need to be at least 10% higher than average on every single criterion.
Average GRE scores among top 20 US business schools in 2019
|
School & P&Q Rank |
2019 GRE Average Quant Score |
2019 GRE Average Verbal Score |
2019 Total |
2019 Writing Score |
|
Stanford |
165 |
165 |
330 |
4.9 |
|
Yale SOM |
164 |
165 |
329 |
4.9 |
|
Harvard |
163 |
163 |
326 |
NA |
|
Anderson |
163 |
163 |
326 |
4.7 |
|
Wharton |
161 |
161 |
322 |
4.7 |
|
MIT |
162 |
162 |
324 |
4.7 |
|
Dartmouth |
161 |
163 |
324 |
NA |
|
Hass |
161 |
162 |
323 |
4.7 |
|
Tepper |
164 |
159 |
323 |
4.0 |
|
Stern |
160 |
162 |
322 |
4.6 |
|
Dardem |
160 |
161 |
321 |
5.0 |
|
Marriott |
NA |
NA |
321 |
NA |
|
Johnson |
160 |
160 |
320 |
4.4 |
|
Marshall |
159 |
161 |
320 |
4.5 |
|
Ross |
159 |
160 |
319 |
4.4 |
|
Fuqua |
159 |
160 |
319 |
4.5 |
|
Forster |
159 |
160 |
319 |
4.4 |
|
McCombs |
159 |
159 |
318 |
4.4 |
|
Scheller |
159 |
158 |
317 |
NA |
|
Carlson |
156 |
161 |
317 |
4.7 |
*Source: Poets&Quants
Based on this data, an overall GRE score of 310 to 315 is a good GRE score for MBA applicants, while a score of 325 is excellent for admissions to top 20 US b-schools.
3. Should I take the GRE over GMAT?
If you haven’t decided which tests to take for your MBA admission, our recommendation would be GMAT as it tests skills more directly related to business school coursework. However, to help you know the reason inside out, let’s make a comparison between them.
GMAT AND GRE COMPARISON
GMAT
- Quant: Harder due to its data sufficiency questions (problem-solving by multiple-choice and data sufficiency questions). And you mustn’t use a calculator
- The verbal emphasizes on grammar (Sentence Correction, Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning)
GRE
- Quant: Less hard (multiple-choice, multiple answers, numeric entry, and quantitative comparisons). And you can use a calculator
- The verbal emphasizes on vocabulary (Sentence Equivalence,Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, Text Completion)
=> tougher for non-native speakers and those who don’t regularly read complex literature.
Beside the difference in the tests, another reason is that the schools would view GMAT score as commitment to pursuing an MBA as GMAT is designed to test skills for those applying to MBA (that’s why it’s harder in quantitative part) while GRE is also accepted in non-MBA graduate programs. JoAnne Goldberg – a former assistant director of admissions at the Stanford University business school said that “The GMAT is the test that shows that they’re serious about going to business school”. Last reason why you should take GMAT instead of GRE is that many business schools are more used to the GMAT. If a business school receives GRE scores from an applicant, they may not get as much information from those scores because they aren’t as familiar with the exam, and/or they may have to convert the scores to the GMAT scale in order to interpret them.
If you already took the GRE test, you shouldn’t worry as it is not officially stated that schools have preference between two exams and this article below would help you to convert your GRE to GMAT score:
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