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GRE to GMAT score conversion and vice versa

A growing number of students are taking the GRE for gaining admissions to B-schools. Its broader reach and extensive testing network are of great advantage to any aspirant. Converting the GRE score to GMAT score assists the B-school aspirants to know where they stand when compared to GMAT aspirants.

Similarly, students who have previously attended a B-school program, convert their GMAT score to GRE score, to pursue a Ph.D. program. Taking a GMAT exam is suitable when seeking admissions to any good B-school. However, when it comes to pursuing graduate and advanced courses such as a Ph.D., GRE is the best option.

Schools nowadays accept either the GRE or GMAT scores in an effort to reach a more diverse applicant pool. Furthermore, schools objectively compare all the applicants by converting GRE to GMAT scores or vice versa. Converting the score can be highly useful, especially when ascertaining where the score lands in comparison to a program or school's median score, thereby aligning the student's admission goals with the schools of their choice.

How does the score conversion work?

GRE and GMAT score reporting

GRE and GMAT are both standardized tests for admissions to graduate programs in the US and other countries. The GMAT has been the preferred option of B-schools for assessing candidates for admission into graduate management programs, while Ph.D. or master’s degree programs require GRE scores. However, to widen the applicant pool and build class diversity, many of the top schools now accept both GMAT and GRE scores.

Programs that allow both the GRE and GMAT scores are likely to have different standards for each test. However, these standards are not particularly based on the GRE conversion matrix primarily because schools have an understanding of how the scoring system works and have the option of evaluating admitted students on their subsequent performance in the B-school.

If a school has been accepting both GRE and GMAT scores for a long time, it is more likely to have concrete standards for both tests, whereas schools that have more recently started accepting both the scores will be using GRE to GMAT conversion matrix to assess the applicant's performance.

However, there are a few essential differences between the tests regarding the format and score reporting.

Format of GRE and GMAT

GRE primarily has 3 Sections, having a test time of 3 Hours 45 minutes
Quantitative ability (130-170)
Verbal ability (130-170)
Analytical writing (0-6 in 0.5-point increments)

GMAT has 4 Sections with a test time of 3 Hours 7 Minutes
Integrated reasoning (1-8)
Quantitative reasoning (6-51)
Verbal reasoning (6-51)
Analytical writing assessment (0-6 in 0.5-point increments)

Comparing Raw and Scaled scores

For GRE, the Quant and Verbal section scores are reported separately and range from 130-170. These scores are then added to calculate the cumulative GRE score.

For GMAT, the section scores are similarly calculated and scaled for the cumulative scores. The Verbal and Quant scores can range from 6-51, and the cumulative score ranges from 200-800.

The score reporting is similar in the case of analytical writing. GMAT, however, has an additional section called Integrated Reasoning, which is reported on a 1-8 score scale.

ETS, the educational testing and assessment organization that conducts the GRE, has developed a useful comparison tool for converting GRE scores to GMAT equivalent scores. This tool allows users to predict the total GMAT score, using GRE Verbal and Quantitative reasoning scores.

Percentile Conversions

Similarly to determining the projected score, it is important to know the projected percentile post-conversion. The percentiles are important as it helps factor in the competition from other applicants. The conversion gives the applicants a perspective on where they stand against their competition when seeking admissions.

GRE to GMAT Score Conversion Limitations

For applicants who have taken the GRE and are considering taking the GMAT or vice versa, figuring out exactly how they will perform on one test can be a bit difficult. What acts as a dampener to conversion is the fact that not every one of us has the same skill set. For instance, a particular test taker may be strong in grammar but not possess a robust vocabulary. This gap will be a drawback on the GMAT. Similarly, one might have scored 90% on the GRE quant, but the quant section in the GMAT poses a bigger challenge in terms of difficulty and competition and the same student might not end up with a 90% on the GMAT quant section.

Schools are familiar with this skewness and some schools are well equipped to deal with this imbalance in the form of a GRE quant to GMAT quant converter. However, there is a possibility that most business schools don’t convert the scores between the two tests. In general, both the GRE and GMAT verbal sections are given equal weightage as the difference in difficulty is more of a subjective thing.

GRE & GMAT: Both Viable

There are multiple exams that one can take when seeking admissions. While schools have traditionally preferred GMAT scores for B-schools and GRE for graduate and Ph.D. programs, most are accepting both without a bias. A list of top schools that accept both GRE and GMAT are:

Takeaway

While there are many different factors to consider when converting GMAT score to GRE score, or vice versa, using the conversion matrix and the percentile ranking will give the applicant an idea of how they would perform in both the exams.

Thankfully, there are conversion tables the applicants can utilize to find out the GRE to GMAT and GMAT to the GRE conversion score. Although none of the tools is 100% accurate, by utilizing these, the applicant can at least see how they fare. Finally, knowing a projected GRE score helps the students decide the school and the course of study - the number of hours for GRE or GMAT prep, the number of practice exams and the date they plan to sit for the exam. Thus, converting the scores is an important and essential step in the student's advanced academic trajectory.


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