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Convert Your GRE or GMAT Score for MBA Admissions

GRE-GMAT Score Conversion Tool with Full Score Range

A common question we get asked in MBA admissions is how to convert a GRE score to a GMAT score, or vice versa (GMAT to GRE). ETS – the organization that makes the GRE and SAT – supplies a handy GMAT conversion calculator, but it’s somewhat cumbersome to use because only one score can be entered at a time.

For some reason, no one has created a GRE to GMAT conversion chart that allows you to see the entire score range in one bird’s-eye view – until now!

Table of Contents

GRE to GMAT Conversion Chart

GRE-V
130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170
GRE-Q 130 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 210 210 220 230 230 240 250 250 260 260 270 280 280 290 300 300 310 320 320 330 330 340 350 350 360 370 370 380 390
 GRE-V                                         
GRE-Q170169168167166165164163162161160159158157156155154153152151150149148147146145144143142141140139138137136135134133132131130GRE-Q
170800800800790780780770770760750750740730730720710710700700690680680670660660650640640630630620610610600590590580570570560560170
169800790790780770770760760750740740730720720710700700690680680670670660650650640630630620610610600600590580580570560560550540169
168790780780770760760750740740730730720710710700690690680670670660660650640640630620620610600600590580580570570560550550540530168
167780770770760750750740730730720710710700700690680680670660660650640640630630620610610600590590580570570560560550540540530520167
166770760760750740740730720720710700700690680680670670660650650640630630620610610600600590580580570560560550540540530530520510166
165760750740740730730720710710700690690680670670660660650640640630620620610600600590580580570570560550550540530530520510510500165
164750740730730720710710700700690680680670660660650640640630630620610610600590590580570570560560550540540530520520510500500490164
163740730720720710700700690680680670670660650650640630630620610610600600590580580570560560550540540530530520510510500490490480163
162730720710710700690690680670670660660650640640630620620610600600590580580570570560550550540530530520510510500500490480480470162
161710710700700690680680670660660650640640630630620610610600590590580570570560560550540540530520520510500500490480480470470460161
160700700690690680670670660650650640630630620610610600600590580580570560560550540540530530520510510500490490480470470460460450160
159690690680670670660660650640640630620620610600600590590580570570560550550540530530520510510500500490480480470460460450440440159
158680680670660660650640640630630620610610600590590580570570560560550540540530520520510500500490490480470470460450450440430430158
157670670660650650640630630620610610600600590580580570560560550540540530530520510510500490490480470470460460450440440430420420157
156660660650640640630620620610600600590590580570570560550550540530530520510510500500490480480470460460450440440430430420410410156
155650640640630630620610610600590590580570570560560550540540530520520510500500490490480470470460450450440430430420410410400400155
154640630630620610610600600590580580570560560550540540530530520510510500490490480470470460460450440440430420420410400400390390154
153630620620610600600590590580570570560550550540530530520510510500500490480480470460460450440440430430420410410400390390380370153
152620610610600590590580570570560560550540540530520520510500500490490480470470460450450440430430420410410400400390380380370360152
151610600600590580580570560560550540540530530520510510500490490480470470460460450440440430420420410400400390390380370370360350151
150600590590580570570560550550540530530520510510500500490480480470460460450440440430430420410410400390390380370370360360350340150
149590580570570560560550540540530520520510500500490490480470470460450450440430430420410410400400390380380370360360350340340330149
148580570560560550540540530530520510510500490490480470470460460450440440430420420410400400390390380370370360350350340330330320148
147570560550550540530530520520510500500490480480470460460450440440430430420410410400390390380370370360360350340340330320320310147
146560550540540530520520510500500490490480470470460450450440430430420420410400400390380380370360360350340340330330320310310300146
145540540530530520510510500490490480470470460460450440440430420420410400400390390380370370360350350340330330320320310300300290145
144530530520520510500500490480480470460460450440440430430420410410400390390380370370360360350340340330320320310300300290290280144
143520520510500500490490480470470460450450440430430420420410400400390380380370360360350340340330330320310310300290290280270270143
142510510500490490480470470460460450440440430420420410400400390390380370370360350350340330330320320310300300290280280270260260142
141500500490480480470460460450440440430430420410410400390390380370370360360350340340330320320310300300290290280270270260250250141
140490490480470470460450450440430430420420410400400390380380370360360350340340330330320310310300290290280270270260260250240240140
139480470470460460450440440430420420410400400390390380370370360350350340330330320320310300300290280280270260260250240240230230139
138470460460450440440430430420410410400390390380370370360360350340340330320320310300300290290280270270260250250240230230220220138
137460450450440430430420420410400400390380380370360360350340340330330320310310300290290280270270260260250240240230220220210200137
136450440440430420420410400400390390380370370360350350340330330320320310300300290280280270260260250240240230230220210210200200136
135440430430420410410400390390380370370360360350340340330320320310300300290290280270270260250250240230230220220210200200200200135
134430420420410400400390380380370360360350340340330330320310310300290290280270270260260250240240230220220210200200200200200200134
133420410400400390390380370370360350350340330330320320310300300290280280270260260250240240230230220210210200200200200200200200133
132410400390390380370370360360350340340330320320310300300290290280270270260250250240230230220220210200200200200200200200200200132
131400390380380370360360350350340330330320310310300290290280270270260260250240240230220220210200200200200200200200200200200200131
130390380370370360350350340330330320320310300300290280280270260260250250240230230220210210200200200200200200200200200200200200130

Can you trust GMAT conversion charts?

Chris Han, Head of Test Development and Psychometrics at the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), recently wrote an article “debunking” ETS’s GRE Comparison Tool – and all GRE conversion tables – claiming, “no conversion table or conversion tool can ever make [the scores] equivalent.” So should you even bother with GRE/GMAT conversion charts like the one above?

While Chris Han’s article is definitely worth a read, it’s important to remember that the GMAC has a vested (monetary) interest in the popularity of the GMAT and its significance to business school admissions committees. As the GMAT’s owner and administrator, the GMAC is probably none too keen on the GRE’s rising popularity among applicants and growing acceptance by business programs.

Is there a significant difference in the content of these two standardized tests? Of course! That’s precisely why the GRE could be a better choice for some applicants—particularly those who tend to struggle with standardized tests.

In the end, no conversion tool or chart is perfect. (We certainly wouldn’t claim that they are!) But they’re still pretty dang useful.

Which exam business programs prefer

Lower GRE scores have a less damaging impact on a school’s rankings than a lower total GMAT score.

Schools are self-interested institutions. And one thing that very much interests them is their ranking in various publications. One of the most influential is, of course, U.S. News & World Report. And part of U.S. News’ methodology involves weighting the average GRE and GMAT scores for each business program based on what portion of the admitted class took each test.

Since the majority of applicants take the GMAT rather than the GRE, a school’s average GRE score has less of an effect on its ranking than its average GMAT. One way of interpreting this is that if a school falls in love with you, but you have a low GRE score, you are more likely to get admitted than if you have a low GMAT score. This is simply because your low GRE score will do less damage to their rankings than a low GMAT score. Your low GRE is less of a liability, so admissions officers can view that part of your profile through a more forgiving lens.

Deciding between the GMAT and the GRE

There are some additional reasons why the GRE might be a better option than the GMAT for certain applicants.

 

The gap between the GMAT and GRE at some schools is significant.

To be honest, the gap between these average scores wasn’t news to us. We’ve been seeing this trend for years. What surprised us when we looked at the published data was the size of the gap between average GRE and average GMAT scores. In some cases, the difference was truly astounding. Looking at you, Fuqua and Ross!

SchoolAverage GMATAverage GRE converted to GMAT using ETSDifference
University of Florida 686550136
Vanderbilt676550126
Duke702590112
Rice690580110
Ross711610101
University of Texas70462084
UNC69461084
Indiana65257082
Georgetown69161081
Arizona State67159081
University of Virginia70363073
University of Washington69262072
Berkeley72766067
University of Pennsylvania72266062
USC70765041
NYU72367053
University of Chicago72468044
Cornell69165041
Harvard72769037
Georgia Tech66663036
Carnegie Mellon68066020
Yale72071010

Does this mean you should immediately cancel that GMAT class you registered for and switch over to the GRE? Possibly. 

 

Use your performance on practice tests to decide between the GMAT and the GRE.

Take practice tests for both the GMAT and GRE to see where you stand before committing to a rigorous exam prep schedule.

As with most things in MBA admissions, whether you’re better off taking the GMAT or the GRE depends on a host of factors. Neither test is any “easier” than the other – they both reliably plot testers on a predictable bell curve – so if you struggle with one test, you’re likely to struggle with the other.

Such is life! We cannot escape it without struggle, but that discussion is for another post.

What’s important for you to know is that MBA programs are test agnostic and really don’t prefer one test over the other when it comes to their applicant pool.

Standardized tests are a tool for business schools to gauge your aptitude and your likelihood to do well in graduate business coursework. Many schools, including those at the very top, are likely to be forgiving of a lower score—on the GRE in particular—when you have an otherwise compelling application.

So if your GMAT score is consistently sub-par on practice exams, or you haven’t started prepping yet but predict that it will be, you just might be better off taking the GRE and leveraging the score premium you’re likely to receive for doing so.

Upward trend favors the GRE over the GMAT

If you do decide to go with the GRE, you’re not alone. Even before the pandemic began, MBA programs saw an increase in students submitting GRE scores over the GMAT.

More MBA programs have begun to accept the GRE in order to make up for a loss in applicant volume and to attract more nontraditional and diverse applicants. Accepting the GRE helps attract students with backgrounds in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, rather than a business background.

According to a recent Poets & Quants article, 26 out of the top 52 schools in the 2021 Poets & Quants Business School Rankings saw an increase in GRE submissions. According to the same article, the average percentage of applicants submitting GRE scores to the top 25 schools in 2019 was 13.5%. And what’s surprising is that even with the upward trend in GRE score submissions in the past 5 years, there hasn’t yet been a corresponding rise in average scores.

Another factor that makes the GRE increasingly popular with MBA applicants is the ScoreSelect option, which allows test takers to select the scores they want to report to schools. This option is more reassuring for applicants who tend not to test well and need to retake the test a few times. The official GMAT score report, by contrast, includes all test scores (unless cancelled by the test taker right after the exam session) from the past 5 years.

 

More schools are even dropping the GMAT/GRE requirement entirely.

If you’re in the boat where your practice performance on both tests is lowering your confidence level, there’s still some hope for you to put your best foot forward. More schools are now accepting the Executive Assessment (a much shorter exam usually submitted for Executive MBA applications) for admission to their full-time MBA programs.

Some schools are also offering test waivers to otherwise qualified candidates who can demonstrate (via a separate waiver application in advance of the R1 and R2 application deadlines) their strong potential to succeed in a rigorous MBA program through their professional experience and quantitative training/background.

If you’re planning to apply to business school and have questions about the best way forward, take three minutes to fill out this survey and start your journey with us. 

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Brian Birdwell

Generalism Specialist | GMAT/GRE Guru | Senior Coach

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