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GRE score conversion to GMAT

Watch this video first, if you’re new to GMAT. And please ‘like’ it, if you find it helpful.

GMAT Exam – Beginner’s Guide

The number of MBA applicants approaching us with GRE exam scores is small, but increasing. We wrote another topic on this earlier where we covered the history, programs that accept GRE scores and the cost differential (read it here –> GRE vs GMAT).

In this post, we cover an important aspect that we only touched upon in the earlier post. How to convert GRE score to GMAT? Is there a conversion chart of calculation formula to make life easy for applicants?

Fortunately there is a GRE to GMAT score conversion chart and an underlying calculation formula as well. We describe both and highlight the limitations as well, so you can choose whatever you prefer.
 

GRE to GMAT Score Conversion Chart

GRE  GRE Verbal Score
Quant Score 130  132 134 136 138 140 142 144 146 148 150
130 200 200 200 200 200 200 210 220 230 250 260
132 200 200 200 200 200 220 230 240 250 270 280
134 200 200 200 210 220 240 250 260 270 290 300
136 200 210 220 230 240 260 270 280 300 310 320
138 220 230 240 250 270 280 290 300 320 330 340
140 240 250 260 270 290 300 310 330 340 350 360
142 260 270 280 300 310 320 330 350 360 370 390
144 280 290 300 320 330 340 360 370 380 390 410
146 300 310 330 340 350 360 380 390 400 420 430
148 320 330 350 360 370 390 400 410 420 440 450
150 340 360 370 380 390 410 420 430 440 460 470
152 360 380 390 400 410 430 440 450 470 480 490
154 390 400 410 420 440 450 460 470 490 500 510
156 410 420 430 440 460 470 480 500 510 520 530
158 430 440 450 470 480 490 500 520 530 540 560
160 450 460 470 490 500 510 530 540 550 560 580
162 470 480 500 510 520 530 550 560 570 580 600
164 490 500 520 530 540 560 570 580 590 610 620
166 510 530 540 550 560 580 590 600 610 630 640
168 530 550 560 570 580 600 610 620 640 650 660
170 560 570 580 590 610 620 630 640 660 670 680
GRE GRE Verbal Score
Quant Score  152 154 156 158 160 162 164 166 168 170
130 270 280 300 310 320 330 350 360 370 390
132 290 300 320 330 340 360 370 380 390 410
134 310 330 340 350 360 380 390 400 420 430
136 330 350 360 370 390 400 410 420 440 450
138 360 370 380 390 410 420 430 440 460 470
140 380 390 400 420 430 440 450 470 480 490
142 400 410 420 440 450 460 470 490 500 510
144 420 430 440 460 470 480 500 510 520 530
146 440 450 470 480 490 500 520 530 540 560
148 460 470 490 500 510 530 540 550 560 580
150 480 500 510 520 530 550 560 570 590 600
152 500 520 530 540 560 570 580 590 610 620
154 530 540 550 560 580 590 600 610 630 640
156 550 560 570 590 600 610 620 640 650 660
158 570 580 590 610 620 630 640 660 670 680
160 590 600 610 630 640 650 670 680 690 700
162 610 620 640 650 660 670 690 700 710 730
164 630 640 660 670 680 700 710 720 730 750
166 650 670 680 690 700 720 730 740 760 770
168 670 690 700 710 730 740 750 760 780 790
170 700 710 720 730 750 760 770 780 800 800

 

GRE to GMAT score Calculation Formula

If you are keen to understand the rationale behind the chart, here’s the GRE to GMAT score calculation formula.
 
GMAT Total score =
– 2080.75 + (6.38 * GRE Verbal Reasoning score) + (10.62 * GRE Quantitative Reasoning score)
 
This is a linear regression equation that considers the GRE Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores as the independent / predictor parameters, while the GMAT score is the dependent / predicted parameter.

If you are statistically inclined and wondering about the accuracy of this forumula, the correlation between the independent and dependent variables in this equation is .916, which is pretty good.

However it is not 100% accurate as there are approximations and adjustments involved. There are limitations that you need to be aware of.

You’ll realise that this formula doesn’t generate the exact values that you see in the chart. In fact, you’d get GMAT scores below 200 and above 800 as well. The results of the GRE to GMAT calculation formula have been rounded off to the reflect the 10 point increments and bring it within the 200-800 score range.

Also, the sample pool of scores used is considerably small (472 examinees) compared to the actual pool of GRE and GMAT test takers. This sample pool had a highest GMAT score of 780 (i.e. no perfect 800 scorers were included).

Comparing GRE percentiles to GMAT score percentiles

This is another option if you want to get an idea of where you fall within the general pool of test takers. Here’s more on GRE score percentiles.

But this has limitations too. The pool of GRE test takers isn’t the same as GMAT pool.

Before the story of GRE getting into what was traditionally the GMAT turf is recent. A bigger chunk of GRE score recipients still target non-MBA programs and have significantly different profiles (age, skills, qualifications, aspirations, aptitude for competitive exams). Not to mention the fact that the formats and syllabus of the two exams have significant differences.

So it wouldn’t be appropriate to assume that a GRE 90 percentile score is the exact equivalent of a GMAT 90 percentile score.

Bschools that accept both, GRE scores and GMAT scores, are aware of these differences. Apart from using the charts suggested by the ETS team, they might have their own mappings and adjustments, for all we know.

References:
https://www.ets.org/gre/institutions/about/mba/comparison_tool
https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/background_and_technical_information.pdf

Update:

  • ETS has been updating their data. It’s highly likely that the tables in this post do not reflect the latest ETS data. Do refer to the latest official conversion tool to find out where you stand.
  • As GRE continues to eat into GMAT’s territory and increase its market share in the MBA world, ETS’ rival GMAC has said that this GRE-to-GMAT conversion chart and the approach itself is over-simplistic, inaccurate and unreliable.

We leave it to you to decide whether to use the conversion chart or ignore it.

Read these related articles:
Business schools accepting GRE scores
Average GRE scores for the top universities in USA
Average GRE scores for MIT
Average GRE scores for Harvard
Masters degree without GRE | MS in USA
Switching from MBA to MS and GMAT to GRE for a successful UC Berkeley admit with scholarship
Michigan Ross MBA with scholarship after GMAT to GRE switch


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Sameer Kamat
About Sameer Kamat
Founder of MBA Crystal Ball. Author of Beyond The MBA Hype & Business Doctors. Here's more about me. Follow me on: Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

7 thoughts on “GRE score conversion to GMAT”

  1. Good work Sameer Bhai! Also thanks for the quick guidance at the MBA Tour at Land’s end! By the way, I landed on this page while searching around on, well, search engines! KUTGW!

    Reply
  2. Hi sameer I m an engineering student at the moment and I wish to do MBA… But I have prepared for GRE so what I should do to get the admission in business college

    Reply
  3. Any data if B-schools prefer Gmat scores for scholarship consideration? Because, most of the B-schools report average GMAT of the batch – hence an incentive for them to prefer higher Gmat.

    Reply

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