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Big Changes to GRE Scores

April 26, 2012 :: Admissionado Team

Looks like the folks behind the GRE are really ramping up their efforts to de-throne the GMAT as the go-to standardized test for b-school admissions.  The GRE has taken a backseat to the GMAT for… well, forever in the world of b-school admissions, and while some MBA programs have begun to accept GRE scores, the GMAT still reigns supreme.

But with new changes announced on Tuesday by the Educational Testing service (the company that created the GRE), that may finally change…

What’s the big news?

Those taking the GRE will no longer have to submit all their scores to schools, and will now have the option to select only the best score.

Yup, that’s…huge.

It’s great news for anyone who’s ever frozen up on test day, or didn’t perform quiiiite as well as they expected. They no longer need to share those ‘oh no, that’s not an indicator of my abilities!’ scores; instead, they can just sit for the GRE again and, when they get the score they’re proud of, submit it to all their target schools.

Why the change? In an article for Inside Higher Ed, David Payne, VP and COO over at ETS said that they wanted “to give test takers more confidence on test day and encourage more people to pursue graduate or business school.”

And removing a bit of the pressure to perform perfectly every time could do just that, making b-school admissions a bit less dauting and a bit more attainable for more people.

So what does this mean for you?

At the end of the day, what matters most is what those business schools admissions committees think. (After all, that’s the end goal here, isn’t it? To get into the best MBA program you can?) Which test do they prefer applicants take? What do they think of the GRE? And would they prefer to get a full report on all your scores, or is one enough?

That’s definitely something you’ll want to find out before you take ETS up on their offer and sit (once, twice, 12 times…) for the GRE.

As with everything else, do your research and then figure out the best approach for YOUR needs.