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If it were easy to answer the question “Do you have to take the GRE for grad school?”, this article would be one word long. The answer would be either “yes” or “no.” And since this article is not one word long, you already know that the answer is neither yes nor no!
The answer is not cut and dried, since many variables affect the answer. This article will examine those variables and the conditions that may dictate the GRE requirement for grad school admissions. We’ll first look at traditional master’s and PhD program requirements, and then we’ll look closely at the acceptance of the GRE by business schools and law schools.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- What Is the GRE?
- GRE Basics
- Three Important Features of the GRE
- Why Do Schools Require the GRE?
- Is the GRE Losing Its Impact?
- The GRE Is Widening Its Acceptance by Business Schools and Law Schools
- The GRE Provides An Alternate Avenue to Business School or Law School Admission
- How Many Law and Business Schools Accept the GRE?
- Key Takeaways
- What’s Next?
Let’s first learn some facts about the GRE.
What Is the GRE?
The Educational Testing Service (ETS) designs and administers the Graduate Record Examination. It is a standardized test that measures an individual’s ability to analyze and evaluate written material, think critically, and solve problems. Admissions committees can use it to predict a test-taker’s ability to handle the rigors of a graduate program. Many graduate master’s and PhD programs require the GRE for admission. In addition, many MBA programs and law schools accept the GRE.
Let’s now look at some basic features of the GRE.
GRE Basics
The GRE is a digital exam with three sections: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. Let’s consider each section.
Analytical Writing
The GRE Analytical Writing essay task presents you with one prompt. You have 30 minutes to write your response. Express your opinion about the issue, following specific task instructions. You will use a basic word processor, which has no spell-check or grammar-check capability, to write your essay. ETS has published a list of all essay prompts, which you can use to become more familiar with the types of topics you’ll be expected to write about.
KEY FACT:
You must complete your Analytical Writing task in 30 minutes.
Verbal Reasoning
The Verbal Reasoning section contains two modules. The first Verbal module has 12 questions, and you have 18 minutes to finish. The second Verbal also has 15 questions, and you have 23 minutes to finish.
Roughly half of the Verbal section questions (about 14 questions) consist of Reading Comprehension passages. The remaining questions test you on vocabulary in context and are of two types:
- Text Completion (TC) questions, which have 1, 2, or 3 blanks to fill in
- Sentence Equivalence (SE) questions, which require you to choose two answer choices that make the sentence mean the same thing.
KEY FACT:
The GRE Verbal section tests you on reading comprehension and vocabulary.
Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative Reasoning section also has two modules. The first GRE math module has 12 questions, and you have 21 minutes to finish. The second module has 15 questions, and you have 26 minutes to finish. You will have online access to a basic calculator during the GRE Quantitative Reasoning portion of the test.
GRE Quant questions include topics from algebra, geometry, arithmetic, and statistics. Quant questions are of several types:
- Traditional multiple-choice questions with 5 answer choices
- Select-all-that-apply multiple-choice questions
- Numeric Entry (fill-in-the-blank) questions
- Quantitative Comparison questions, for which you compare two quantities and determine the relationship between them
KEY FACT:
The GRE math section tests you on traditional math topics by way of four question types.
Now that we are familiar with the sections of the GRE, let’s discuss some important features of the exam.
Three Important Features of the GRE
Let’s look at three features of the GRE that you need to know about before test day.
- Section Adaptivity: Both the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections of the GRE are section-adaptive. This means that your performance in the first module of each section determines the difficulty level of the questions in the second module of each section. If you do well in the first module, you’ll encounter more difficult (and score-enhancing) questions in the second module. Conversely, if you don’t perform as well in module 1, then you’ll be presented with easier questions in module 2, and you won’t be able to score as well.
- Mark-and-Review: During the GRE, if you encounter a question that gives you trouble, you may skip it, mark it for review, and return to it later, as long as you have time remaining in the module. At any time, you may bring up a special review screen to go back to any question in the module. You may not, however, return to questions in an earlier module.
- Change Answers: You may change the answer to any question you previously answered, as long as you have time remaining in the module. You may not change answers to questions in modules you’ve already completed.
KEY FACT:
The GRE is section-adaptive, which means that your performance on the first module of a section affects the difficulty level of the questions in the second module.
Next, let’s examine the reasons that many graduate schools require GRE scores.
Why Do Schools Require the GRE?
The GRE has historically been the exam preferred by top master’s and PhD programs in the United States. Many schools require a GRE score as part of an applicant’s admissions package, which generally includes your CV or resume, official transcripts, your personal statement, multiple letters of recommendation, summary of work experience, your GRE score report, and any documentation of professional licenses or portfolios you wish to submit.
However, the percentage of graduate programs that require the GRE of its applicants has dropped significantly in recent years. For example, in 2018, more than 80% of STEM PhD programs at top US universities required the GRE, but by 2022, that percentage had dropped to only about 3%. Similarly, the American Psychological Association reported that despite an increase in the number of applicants, the percentage of doctoral programs in Psychology requiring the GRE decreased from 45% to 14% from 2020 to 2022. Similar results were reported for master’s programs.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated the decrease in the GRE requirement. Test centers closed, and schools waived the GRE requirement for most applicants. Graduate programs relied on other aspects of the application packages of students. They found that, despite the absence of the GRE score, they were able to select quality students for their programs. As a result, many schools went test-optional in subsequent years.
KEY FACT:
The percentage of graduate programs requiring the GRE for admission has decreased in recent years.
Those recent trends have many grad school hopefuls wondering whether the GRE is losing its impact. Let’s discuss.
Is the GRE Losing Its Impact?
It is a fact that the number of students taking the GRE has declined in recent years, from a peak of over 700,000 in 2011 to about 319,000 in 2023. As mentioned earlier, many graduate programs have chosen to continue their post-pandemic policy of making the exam an optional part of an applicant’s package. In fact, some programs have specifically stated that they will not accept GRE scores at all.
Why is this? Let’s look at some of the issues and concerns.
Predictive Value
For many years, the GRE was believed to be predictive of an applicant’s success in their graduate program. Overall, there is general agreement that there is a positive correlation between GRE scores and graduate achievement. However, the strength of that correlation varies, from very low to moderate. But even the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers the GRE, asserts only that “GRE general test scores tend to show moderate correlations with first-year [GPA] averages.” They also recommend that the GRE not be the sole determiner in deciding whether a student should be admitted to a particular program.
Bias
Historically, women and members of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups have scored lower on the GRE than white males and Asian males. This results in an increase in the probability that the underrepresented groups will have lower admission rates than their white/Asian male counterparts. Many institutions have concerns that there may be bias, albeit unintended, on the GRE. Thus, these schools have decided that there are alternatives to the GRE to help them make unbiased admissions decisions.
Limited Scope
Like all standardized tests, the GRE tests only a limited number of concepts. Its focus is primarily on math, vocabulary, and reading. This has allowed its detractors to state that it is narrow in scope because it doesn’t allow much room for creativity or innovative problem-solving. Thus, graduate programs that find these attributes desirable in candidates may find that reliance on the GRE could be counterproductive.
KEY FACT:
Many graduate programs cite the GRE as not being predictive of graduate achievement, being biased against underrepresented groups, and having limited scope.
While many programs in traditional areas of study have moved away from the GRE, the exam has become more popular with two specific types of graduate programs. Let’s discuss.
The GRE Is Widening Its Acceptance by Business Schools and Law Schools
For many years, only graduate programs, generally master’s and PhD programs, accepted the GRE. However, in recent years, business schools and law schools have accepted the GRE instead of the GMAT or the LSAT. In 2006, Stanford was the first business school to accept GRE scores instead of GMAT scores. In 2016, the University of Arizona was the first ABA-accredited law school to accept the GRE instead of the LSAT.
So, let’s look at the appeal of the GRE to these programs.
Diverse Applicant Pool
Probably the biggest appeal of the GRE to business and law schools is the fact that students from diverse backgrounds are more apt to take the GRE. The GRE is less a “niche” test than either the GMAT or the LSAT, each of which is intended for students interested specifically in business or law, respectively. A student may be initially unsure of their career path. Taking the GRE allows for flexibility in the programs to which they can apply. Thus, underrepresented students or students with undergraduate degrees in disciplines other than business or pre-law may be more likely to apply to business or law school if they can submit their GRE scores as substitutes for LSAT or GMAT scores.
The GRE Highlights Skill Sets Different From the GMAT or LSAT
Applicants with strong GRE scores show admissions committees that they possess strong skill sets outside those normally assessed by the GMAT or the LSAT. Both business and law schools have discovered that graduating “cookie-cutter” MBAs and lawyers does not serve the best interests of society as a whole. It limits graduates’ ability to serve the needs of diverse individuals and groups. Accepting GRE scores allows for the easier admission of non-traditional applicants to business and law schools. This increases the variability in academic and life experience backgrounds of a particular business or law school class.
KEY FACT:
Accepting GRE scores from applicants allows business and law schools to see a more diverse applicant pool.
The GRE Provides An Alternate Avenue to Business School or Law School Admission
Not all talented candidates can do well on the GMAT or the LSAT. The GRE gives any student a viable alternative for being competitive for admission to business school or law school. There are major differences among the three tests, so it may be that a student can score better on the GRE than either the GMAT or the LSAT. Thus, the GRE gives students an alternate path to admission to programs that may have been previously closed to them.
What Is Tested on the LSAT and GMAT?
The LSAT primarily tests logical reasoning skills (2 sections) and reading comprehension abilities (1 section). It does not test quantitative reasoning (i.e., math) per se, even though a few percentage questions might be encountered in either of the two logical reasoning (Arguments) sections. Many students prefer the GRE’s math/vocabulary/reading comprehension triad to the more esoteric topics tested on the LSAT.
The GMAT, widely accepted by business schools, tests math, reading comprehension/critical reasoning, and data analysis skills. These three sections’ scores contribute equally to the total GMAT score. Many test takers feel that the GRE’s math/vocabulary/reading comprehension triad matches their abilities better than the GMAT.
KEY FACT:
The LSAT tests logical reasoning and reading comprehension. The GMAT tests math, critical reading, and data analysis.
How Many Law and Business Schools Accept the GRE?
If you are considering either law school or business school, you probably have the option of taking the GRE instead of either the LSAT or the GMAT. As of 2024, fully 17 of the top 20 law schools accept GRE scores, and well over half of the 197 ABA-accredited law schools accept the GRE.
The news is even better for those seeking an MBA. About 90% of business schools in the US and Europe now accept GRE scores for MBA applicants. However, the majority of applicants still submit GMAT scores. Even though business schools state that either exam is acceptable, many still appear to have a preference for the GMAT. Even so, with the increase in the number of applicants submitting GRE scores, committees are becoming more familiar with the GRE and are more confident in making “apples to oranges” comparisons between the GMAT and the GRE.
KEY FACT:
The number of business and law schools accepting GRE scores in lieu of GMAT scores is increasing.
Key Takeaways
We started this article by saying that there is no clear-cut “yes” or “no” answer to this question. And we end this article with the same response.
We have seen that the GRE requirement for master’s and PhD programs has dramatically decreased, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. There appears to be no reversal in this trend. Most graduate programs are using other parts of applicants’ submission packages to make their admission selections. Many graduate programs have gone “test-optional,” or they have simply stated that they will not accept GRE scores at all from their candidates. Thus, the bottom line is that it is somewhat likely that you will not need to take the GRE for graduate school.
To offset this decline in grad school GRE requirements, there has been an increase in the number of business and law schools that allow students to submit GRE scores instead of GMAT or LSAT scores, respectively. Well over half of law schools and 90% of business schools now accept the GRE. So, if you are applying for either of these specialized graduate programs, you have a good likelihood of being able to take the GRE and submit your scores as part of your application package.
What’s Next?
If you are applying to business school and are unsure of which test would be right for you, read this article to compare the GMAT and the GRE.
If you want to take the GRE instead of the LSAT, read about how well you need to do on the GRE for law school.
When do you take the GRE for grad school? Good question! Take a look at our article about planning your GRE study schedule to get some excellent advice about when to take the GRE and how to plan for it.
