There has been an ongoing tussle between the Graduate Record Examination and Graduate Management Admission Test since a bygone age. Recently, the GRE exam acquired a humongous amount of huge market share in 2019. So much, that it could actually displace the GMAT exam. In fact, even during the uprise of the pandemic, and most of the top-ranking universities implementing ‘test-optional’ measures, GRE maintained its ascend.

The advent of online testing in both GRE and GMAT has had diversified impacts which was a drop-off in terms of the former test. In the case of GRE, there has been a palpable increase in the average scores. Conceivably, Stanford Business School of Business has topped the GRE average score ladder. It is preceded by Yale, Harvard, and Kellogg. Amazingly, there has been an enormous leap in the percentage of candidates who have submitted their GRE scores from 2019 to 2020.

Immense Rise in GRE Score Submission

Even during the disruption caused by the pandemic, most of the schools witnessed double-digit increases like Pittsburgh from 34% to 58%, and the highest achiever - Olin School of Business of Washington University from 49% to 71%. There are a few more names on the list who have a high percentage of GRE score submission - Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business (+18 to 53%) and Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business (+18 to 39%, highest in the top 10).

Massive Decline in GRE Score Submission by MBA Applicants

The year 2020 was not only about positivity but also quite renowned business schools experiencing a downfall in GRE score submissions. Starting with Carnegie Mellon which fell by 8 points to 11%, UNC Flager went from 48% to 22%. The lowest of all is experienced by UC Irvine (Merage) from 22% to 7%.

According to Danielle Richie, the senior associate director of MBA admissions and student recruitment at Kenan Flager - “We introduced the test waiver policy in spring 2021 which allowed full-time MBA applicants the opportunity to submit their application, if approved for a test waiver, without test scores.’’ “The MBA admissions and student recruitment team will continue offering test waivers to applicants.” “GRE and GMAT test centers were closed part of the year before introducing the online and at-home version. Overall, the number of test takers decreased globally, as shown by ETS and GMAC data.”

Top 50 Business Schools with their Average GRE Scores

Top 50 Business Schools with their GRE Score Submissions

The below list shows the rise in the number of GRE score submissions by candidates.

The GRE score submission has seen a rise in the past year. The tables given above speak about the GRE score submission percentage as well the average scores.