One of the many ways business schools assess the “readiness” of an applicant is through standardised test scores. The rest – GPA, recommendations, essays, and even interviews – either rely on evaluations from different sources and systems, or, subjective estimations. These test scores are the only exams that see no colour, race, or region. They are there to answer one simple and crucial question – Is the candidate ready to understand instructions and have basic problem solving skills?
Now that the basic meet and greet with the exams is out of the way, you may want to know which of these tests can take you to the end zone? Are they cut out of the same cloth or do they serve different needs? For instance, can GRE take me to the end zone if I am looking for an Executive MBA admission? Can EA (Executive Assessment) help me get into Harvard? Can a GMAT bring me a PhD admission offer?
The answer is mostly no.
We will go through some details and basic format comparisons between the three test types. We will then follow it up with how they compare in utility.
GMAT
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), conducted by GMAC, is a computer adaptive test used by graduate programs like MBA and other business degrees around the world. It tests higher order reasoning, problem solving, and decision making skills. It is widely accepted as the choice of test score in over 7,700 b-schools across the globe.
GRE
Also a graduate level exam, the Graduate Record Examination, served by ETS, is the top choice for most Master’s, PhD and even business programs, including MBA. The graduate level readiness exam assesses verbal, quantitative and analytical skills of individuals. It is widely accepted in not only US universities but even other universities internationally, especially in fields like Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Executive Assessment
The Executive Assessment (EA) aka mini-GMAT is also conducted by GMAC and is designed for experienced professionals who want to return to the pursuit of education part-time or online in MBA or other business related Master’s. Also for testing the readiness of examinees, it is nevertheless considered less time intensive than its counterparts GMAT/GRE. Mostly because experienced professionals have other avenues to prove their decision-making or problem solving skills.
With that short intro, let us get into the formats and suitability for various categories of applicants.
Comparison of GMAT vs GRE vs EA
| GMAT | GRE (revised since 2023) | EA | |
| Target | Aimed at MBA/business school admissions | Aimed at a wide range of graduate and post graduate programs | Aimed at mid-career MBA/EMBA |
| Test Time |
2 hours 15 minutes 10 mins optional break |
1 hour 58 minutes | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Exam Sections |
Quantitative Reasoning (45 mins) Verbal Reasoning (45 mins) Data Insights (45 mins) |
Analytical Writing (30 mins) Verbal Reasoning (41 mins) Quantitative Reasoning (47 mins) |
Integrated Reasoning (30 mins) Verbal reasoning (30 mins) Quantitative Reasoning (30 mins) |
| Question Types |
|
|
|
| Score | 205-805 (10 point increments) |
130-170 per section in Quant and Verbal 0-6 for Analytical Writing (GRE Score) |
100-200 |
| Cost |
In USA & India US$275 at test center & $300 online |
US$220 (US$231.30 in China) | US$ 350 |
| Score Validity | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years |
Applicant profiles GMAT vs GRE vs EA
| GMAT | GRE | EA | |
| Typical Examinee Age |
22 to 32 years Median 26 – 28 years |
Master’s 22-26 years PhD 23-30 years MBA 25-30 years |
30-45 years |
| Work Experience | 4-5 years highly recommended | 0-3 years. Typically not required | 10-15 years. 8 years is usually the minimum |
| Education Background | Various. Mostly Engineering, Business. | Recent graduates in STEM, Social Sciences, Humanities, etc. | Undergraduate as well as graduate degrees in various fields. Work experience is more important than education background. |
| Industry Background | Consulting, Technology, Finance | Not significant | Diverse |
| Average/median Scores in 2025 |
Wharton GMAT Legacy: 735 GMAT Focus: 676 |
Wharton GRE Quant: 163 GRE Verbal: 162 |
Wharton Executive MBA EA score: 156 |
So which one will you choose for MBA?
The demarkation between EA and the rest of the two is glaringly obvious. If you are a career veteran looking to boost it further into a cushier position, EA could be your way out. You will have to show your overall mettle through mostly your work experience and contribution thereof. You could still go for a GMAT score for your EMBA if you wanted and really at that point, it will mostly depend on what the individual schools are seeking. However, GRE is not typically the answer for EMBA admissions.
As for regular MBA, certainly EA is not a popular option. The GMAT is the traditional champion with the GRE sneaking up to be a competitor. Most of the top schools now accept both the GMAT and GRE with the GRE share seeing a rise in the recent years.
Having said that, the GRE is the better option for students who don’t feel quantitative and analytical testing are their strongest suit. Plus GRE prep time is also more relaxed. If the degrees on your radar include MBA as well as other MS degrees in business, feel free to explore the GRE.
For more information, check out our various resources and testimonials from past applicants on what exam helped their cause. Here are some.
- GMAT – Beginner’s Guide
- More on GMAT archive here
- What is a good EA score?
- GMAT vs GRE: Which is better?
Drop us a line at info[at]mbacrystalball[dot]com for professional help in preparing and applying to MBA and related programs.
Image: Ben Mullins (Unsplash)
