mcelroytutoring wrote:
True, but one significant difference between the At-Home GRE and the GMAT Online is that the GRE allows you to skip questions and go back, and the GMAT does not, which can add to test anxiety if you're stuck on a particular question that doesn't make sense.
Another consideration is that the GMAT Online is currently a one-shot deal only (no retakes allowed), whereas the At-Home GRE allows retakes every 21 days (up to 5 exams per year, with no lifetime limit).
I think most of us can agree that allowing retakes is a good thing when it comes to tackling test-day nerves and anxiety: if your first (or second or third, or fourth!) attempt at the At-Home GRE doesn't go well, then you can schedule another attempt after 21 days, and send only your best score to schools using
GRE ScoreSelect, but again, retakes are not yet an option with the GMAT Online.
Both exams have their own set of anxiety-inducing aspects. Seeing a whole list of questions at one go and knowing that there is only a small amount of time for the entire set that needs to completed accurately to get a higher difficulty second section are newer challenges compared to those on the GMAT. You can skip some questions on the GMAT and still score very well, especially if the skipped questions were harder or experimental. You are also able to focus on only one question at a time and not get distracted as is possible on the GRE.
If the GMAT online test goes badly, you know you will be able to take an in-person test very soon. There is no waiting period. The GRE will make you wait for three weeks irrespective of whether you took the at-home or the in-person version of the test. For many applicants, that waiting period can be detrimental both for scoring well and for getting scores in time.
Allowing retakes is essential for these sorts of tests. If anxiety aspects harm test scores, then tests cannot be accurately guaged for their content, since anxiety are separate aspects from the content.
IMO, GRE and GMAT test some similar and some different skills. Comparisons of these tests are tricky.