Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Managementサイトより”Should You Take the GMAT or the GRE for Business School”と題した記事をご紹介いたします。
https://business.vanderbilt.edu/news/2018/07/12/take-gmat-gre-business-school/
2020年の留学に向けた準備も始まっておりますが、Affinity英語学院では本格的なテスト対策を開始する際には以下の組み合わせオプションを共に受験生の方々と考えております（一部のMBAプログラムではIELTSやGREスコアの提出を認めていないプログラムもあります）。
・TOEFL &GMAT
・IELTS & GMAT
・TOEFL& GRE
・IELTS ‘&GRE
MBA受験界においては長年に渡り、TOEFL & GMATの組み合わせを主流とする考えが定着していましたが、今ではIELTSやGREスコアの提出を許可するビジネススクールが増えました。よって、ここAffinity英語学院ではIELTSやGREスコアを使って出願するアプリカントの方々も増えており、志望校合格を果たしているケースも決して少なくはありません。
本日のポイントは、自分のバックグラウンド等に合ったテストを選ぶことから、出願準備をスタートすることを念頭に考えていきましょう！
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“Should You Take the GMAT or the GRE for Business School?”
Years ago, there was only one answer to what exam you should take when applying to business school: the Graduate Management Admissions Test, commonly known as the GMAT. Over the past few years, the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE, has become accepted at more business schools as well.
Preferences for the GMAT vs. the GRE vary from school to school, and even program to program. After all, MBA, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Marketing, and Master of Accountancy are looking for slightly different applicants, so it stands to reason that they have slight different guidelines for test scores as well.
No matter what business schools or program you’re applying to, here’s what to keep in mind as you choose a test and prepare to take it.
You don’t have to take both tests.
The GMAT is pretty much accepted universally at all business schools. However, admissions committees have come to realize that applicants may also be applying to other non-business graduate schools that require the GRE and do not accept the GMAT. For this reason, more than 1,200 business schools now accept the GRE to help applicants avoid taking both tests.
“If you have a GRE score because you’re applying to other graduate programs, we don’t want you to have to take both the GRE and the GMAT,” said Consuela Knox, Director of Admissions Operations & Diversity Recruiting.
Your GRE score will probably be converted.
Educational Testing Service (ETS), the company behind the GRE, offers a conversion tool to translate GRE scores into equivalent GMAT scores. This conversion allows admissions committees to accurately compare scores from applicants who took different tests using the same scale. If you’re submitting a GRE score, know that there’s a good chance it will be converted during the admissions committee process.
Not every business program prefers the GMAT.
More quantitative programs, such as MBA and Master of Science in Finance (MSF), usually do prefer the more quant-heavy GMAT exam. However, other programs, such as Master of Marketing, actually like the way the GRE emphasizes verbal reasoning and creativity. Others, such as Master of Accountancy, don’t necessarily have a preference between the two exams.
“There’s more quantitative work on the GMAT, so given that the MSF program involves more quantitative courses, that makes a difference,” said Cherrie Wilkerson, Assistant Dean for Young Professional Programs. “(However,) for the Master of Marketing, they favor the GRE because it’s more qualitative and verbal-based and it makes more sense for students who are choosing the marketing function…a quant score doesn’t measure (creativity).”
All the sections are important.
High scores on one section don’t compensate for low scores in another. Some programs — such as MBA or Master of Science in Finance — will place more emphasis on the quantitative scores, while other programs like Master of Marketing will look more closely at your writing and reasoning sections. However, a really high score in one section will not offset a really low score in another, no matter what program you’re applying to — and admissions committees for business schools normally don’t superscore (which involves taking the highest scores from multiple tests), so keep that in mind.
It’s about whether or not you will succeed in the program.
In many cases, admissions committees are looking for reasons to admit applicants — but they won’t be helping the school or the student if they admit candidates with low tests scores who will struggle with the academic load, or (even worse) fail out. “Ultimately, you have to be able to handle the academics in the program…we’re looking at all the parameters we have to make sure you will be successful in the program, whether that’s GRE, GMAT, GPA, etc.,” Knox said.
“You want a student to be successful when they get here. If they’re not over 50 percentile, they’re going to struggle, and we’re taking their money and their time…that’s where we are at the end of the day: Can we help this student in their career? If they can’t do the quant work in most of our programs here, they’re just not going to be successful,” Wilkerson explained.
Remember that the test is just one part of your application.
Admissions committees for every business school program evaluate candidates holistically, so if you didn’t get your ideal score, remember that you still have your essays, rec letters, and the interview ahead of you. As long as you’re within the school’s middle 80% range of test scores, you still have a good shot at getting in. “The test score is one component among many,” Wilkerson emphasizes.