Typically, you must choose the GRE if:

• You want to apply to graduate schools in various fields
• Your chosen school needs a GRE score as an eligibility criterion
• You are looking for a flexible program

On the other hand, you must opt for GMAT if:

• You restrict your admission preference to business schools typically
• Schools or MBA programs that need GMAT scores for evaluation

According to experts, there are a few specific factors you should consider while choosing between the two types of tests. These include:

• The test focus
• The score value
• Your math skills
• Your language skills
• Your career aspirations
• Availability of test preparation materials and
• Score reporting rules.

Conclusion

In conclusion, considering both the tests overall, the GMAT is suitable for students who have strong analytical and quantitative skills to solve complex problems, with an ability to interpret data, tables, charts, and text.

While strong editors prefer the GMAT for its verbal section, the GRE is preferred by takers who have a strong vocabulary. Furthermore, comparing the GRE and GMAT math sections, the former is much simpler, with a calculator included to solve quantitative problems, unlike GMAT.

However, both these tests have unconventional question types that will require some preparation from your end to solve, such as the quantitative comparison of the GRE and the data sufficiency of the GMAT.

So, now, when you choose a business school, research the business schools you are interested in studying in, find out whether they accept GRE or GMAT scores, and choose one accordingly.

A Footnote:

GMAT Focus is an updated version of GMAT. It is accepted by more than 2400 universities and 7700 business programs except Harvard, which has recently included a new requirement for a separate written assessment. This is mainly because the GMAT Focus test structure typically does not include an essay like the standard GMAT or GRE.

This means there is no way to judge the writing and communication skills of students based on the GMAT Focus scores. Hence, HBS has included the GMAC Business Writing Assessment exam to judge how good they are at it, especially without using AI tools.

Currently, this is a unique requirement of the Harvard Business School. However, there are rumors that other universities might soon follow suit.