The GRE Is Quietly Catching Up at Top MBA Programs
If you're deciding between the GMAT® and the GRE, you've probably visited the admissions pages of your target schools. And you've probably seen the same line on every one of them.
"We've no preference between the GMAT® and GRE."
That's the official position at Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Wharton, Chicago Booth, and nearly every other top MBA program. It's been the standard language for years.
If you're trying to make a smart decision about which test to take, that sentence isn't much help on its own. "No preference" tells you what the school doesn't care about. It doesn't tell you what your classmates actually chose.
But when you look at what their incoming classes submitted, the data fills in the picture.
The GMAT® is still the most commonly submitted test at top MBA programs. That hasn't changed. What's changing is how quickly the GRE is closing the gap.
What the Class of 2027 data shows
Let's look at the numbers from three M7 schools. The "M7" refers to the seven most prestigious MBA programs: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Columbia, and MIT Sloan.
Harvard Business School
HBS reports that 62% of the Class of 2027 submitted GMAT® scores. That breaks down to 34% GMAT® Focus Edition and 28% GMAT® Classic Edition. Meanwhile, 44% submitted GRE scores.
Those numbers add up to more than 100% because some students submitted both tests. The gap between GMAT® and GRE submission rates at HBS is 18 points.
A few years ago, that gap was much wider.
Stanford GSB
Stanford reports that 58% of the Class of 2027 submitted GMAT® scores. 44% submitted GRE scores. Again, some students submitted both.
The gap at Stanford is 14 points.
Chicago Booth
Booth doesn't publish the GMAT® submission percentage on their official class profile page. But Poets&Quants reported that 42% of Booth's Class of 2027 admitted students applied with GRE scores. That's up from 38% the prior year.
In 2023, only 18% of Booth applicants submitted the GRE. In two years, that number more than doubled.
Wharton
Wharton's official class profile page reports average scores — 735 for the GMAT® Classic Edition, 676 for the GMAT® Focus Edition, and 163/162 for GRE Quant/Verbal. But it doesn't break down what percentage of the class submitted each test.
We can't verify an exact split from the official source. So we're not going to report one.
What we can say is that Wharton's admissions page uses the same "no preference" language as the others.
The trend behind the numbers
At HBS, the GRE submission rate has climbed from roughly 25-30% before 2023 to 34% for the Class of 2025 to 44% for the Class of 2027. That's a 10-point jump in two years. And potentially a 15-20 point jump over four years.
At Stanford, the GRE is now at 44% — within striking distance of the GMAT®'s 58%.
At Booth, the GRE went from 18% to 42% in two years.
The "no preference" language on admissions pages isn't new. What's new is that the numbers are starting to back it up. If these trajectories continue, the GRE could reach parity at some top schools within a few application cycles.
Why this is happening
We can see the trend. The reasons behind it are less certain. But there are a few factors that probably contribute.
The GRE is shorter than it used to be
The GRE was shortened from nearly four hours to just under two hours in 2023. That made it more comparable to the GMAT® Focus Edition in terms of test-day experience. A shorter test removes one of the practical barriers that may have pushed applicants toward the GMAT® in the past.
More applicants are submitting both scores
Because some students submit both GMAT® and GRE scores, the GRE percentage can rise without the GMAT® percentage falling by the same amount. The "both" category appears to be growing. That suggests applicants are hedging their bets rather than committing to one test.
The test-optional movement normalized choice
The pandemic era accelerated test-optional policies in MBA admissions. Many schools have since pulled back from full test-optional policies. But the message stuck. Applicants have choices. More prospective students are now evaluating which test plays to their strengths rather than defaulting to the GMAT®.
Consulting and finance recruiters still prefer the GMAT®
This is the counterforce. Some major MBA recruiters — particularly in consulting and finance — still ask for GMAT® scores during the job search. That creates a practical incentive to take the GMAT® even if the school doesn't require it.
This is probably the main reason the GMAT® still leads. But even this is starting to shift as more firms become test-agnostic in their own hiring processes.
What this means for you
The data tells you what's happening. It doesn't tell you what to do. So here's a simple way to use it.
Step 1: Take a short diagnostic for each test
Before committing to either test, try a short practice set for both the GMAT® and the GRE. You can find free diagnostic questions on the official sites for both exams. This isn't about getting a high score on day one. It's about seeing which format feels more natural to you.
Some people click with the GMAT®'s adaptive format and critical reasoning questions. Some people click with the GRE's vocabulary and section-level structure. You won't know which one you're until you try both.
Step 2: Factor in your recruiting goals
If you're targeting consulting or investment banking after your MBA, the GMAT® still has a practical edge. Some recruiters in those industries ask for GMAT® scores during the job search process. This is changing, but it hasn't changed yet.
If you're targeting tech, entrepreneurship, nonprofit work, or most other post-MBA paths, this factor matters less. The GRE is widely accepted and increasingly common.
Step 3: Pick the test that fits and commit
Once you've a sense of which test plays to your strengths and whether recruiting is a factor, make a decision and go all in. Splitting your prep across both tests is usually slower and less effective than committing to one.
The data we just looked at says one thing clearly: either test can get you into a top program. The choice isn't about which test is "better." It's about which test is better for you.
FAQ
Do top MBA programs prefer the GMAT® over the GRE?
In their published language, top MBA programs almost always say they've no preference between the GMAT® and GRE. The data shows that the GMAT® is still more commonly submitted, but the GRE is closing the gap at several M7 schools.
What percentage of HBS students submit the GRE?
44%. That's the HBS Class of 2027 figure, up from 34% for the Class of 2025. Before 2023, the GRE submission rate at HBS was generally between 25% and 30%. The trend has been climbing steadily.
Is the GRE easier than the GMAT®?
Neither test is universally easier. The GRE requires more vocabulary knowledge and has more geometry. The GMAT® Focus Edition has no vocabulary or sentence correction questions and minimal geometry. But its adaptive format and critical reasoning questions present different challenges. The right choice depends on your individual strengths.
Should I take both the GMAT® and the GRE?
Some applicants do submit both scores, and the data shows this is becoming more common. But taking both tests means double the preparation time. For most applicants, it makes more sense to pick the test that fits your strengths and focus your energy there. You can read our full decision framework in our guide to choosing between the GMAT®, GRE, and Executive Assessment.
Will the GRE eventually overtake the GMAT® at top MBA programs?
It could happen at some top schools within a few application cycles. At HBS and Stanford, the gap is already in the low-to-mid teens. If the current rate of change continues, the GRE could match the GMAT® submission rate at those schools in the near future. But trends can plateau. And the GMAT® still has structural advantages — particularly in recruiting.
Want to learn even more?
We've a full guide that walks through the decision between the GMAT® Focus Edition, the GRE, and the Executive Assessment based on your strengths, timeline, and goals.
Read our full guide to choosing between the GMAT®, GRE, and Executive Assessment
If you're also thinking about whether a strong score is still worth pursuing in the era of test-optional policies, we wrote about that too:
The MBA GMAT® Waiver Trend: What a Strong Score Still Gets You
And if you want to understand what score you actually need for your target programs:
You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube for more strategy discussions about the GMAT®, GRE, and MBA admissions.