PRINCETON, N.J.
An increasing number of graduate business schools are accepting the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test for admission, in addition to the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), according to the Educational Testing Service.
Stanford Graduate School of Business began accepting GRE scores in June 2006, ETS says, and in recent months, the GRE Program has approved applications to receive GRE test scores from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management and University of Michigan Ross School of Business, among others.
ETS argues that accepting the GRE will enhance efforts to diversify graduate business programs, drawing more people of color, women and applicants from a variety of countries, who have not taken the GMAT. More than 600,000 people in about 230 countries took the GRE General Test in 2007, according to ETS.
ETS officials say that the test measures the same skills as the GMAT and that those applicants who have taken it will find it easier to apply to business school instead of or in addition to other disciplines, as will those who have double majors or want to change careers. The GRE General Test also costs less than the GMAT, $140, compared to $250, and is more widely available around the world, ETS says.
“Accepting GRE scores makes good business sense,” says David Payne, ETS associate vice president. “Both GRE and GMAT tests will improve the size, diversity and quality of the applicant pool and student body. Clearly, these are the kinds of tangible benefits that business schools value and what the global business community increasingly demands to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”
“Some people are surprised to learn that the GRE test measures the same basic cognitive skills as the GMAT test,” Payne adds. “In fact, ETS actually developed the GMAT test some years ago, so we are keenly aware that it does not measure business skills. Like the GRE test, it measures knowledge and skills that admissions officials must evaluate when considering applicants for graduate programs.”
