Revisiting GMAT or Move On To GRE

Question

Hello all!

It has been about good handful of months since I quit my GMAT Prep. I started studying in May of last year and by mid October switched to GRE last minute. During the GMAT studying, I studied between 20-40 hours a week on Target Test Prep, GMAT Club, GMAT Ninja, and the official books. By the time I switched to GRE I was burnt out with test prep and couldn't bring myself to study anymore and ended up pushing my MBA applications another year. I'm thinking about studying for R1 applications but I do feel a little discouraged when I think about it. Do I try GMAT again or do GRE instead? Ideal score I want is to be competitive for Top 10 schools. Below find a table with my scores:

Date 
 Mock Test # 
 Total Score 
 Percentile 
 Quant Score  
 Quant Percentile 
 Verbal Score 
 Verbal Percentile 
 Data Insights Score 
 Data Insights Percentile 
 
  5/21/25 
 1 
 535 
 44% 
 69 
 12% 
 85 
 96% 
 76 
 58% 
 
  7/17/25 
 1 (Retake) 
 585 
 65% 
 77 
 46% 
 79 
 51% 
 81 
 90% 
 
  8/21/25 
 2 
 625 
 83% 
 79 
 59% 
 83 
 86% 
 81 
 90% 
 
  9/4/2025 
 3 
 615 
 80% 
 80 
 66% 
 83 
 86% 
 78 
 73% 
 
  9/11/2025 
 OFFICIAL #1 
 595 
 67% 
 79 
 57% 
 83 
 83% 
 77 
 62% 
 
  9/25/25 
 4 
 615 
 80% 
 79 
 59% 
 84 
 91% 
 79 
 79%

One extra note is, I ended up taking the GRE in November and my score was:
Verbal: 157
Quant: 157
Analytical Writing: 4.5

Edskore · Answer

Your scores tell a pretty clear story. From 535 to 615 in a few months on GMAT, with Quant tracking consistently upward — that's real improvement, not noise. The GRE score (V157/Q157) is decent but honestly not competitive at M7 level. Top 10 schools — especially the M7 — have raised their expectations on quant scores specifically, and 157 Quant on GRE is around the 71st percentile. That's below where you want to be.

The thing is, you stopped GMAT prep in a consolidation phase, not a plateau. Your last mock was 615 and going up. That's different from someone who ground through 18 months and hit a ceiling.

Honest take: if this is R1 season, you've got roughly 4-5 months before deadlines. That's enough time for a real GMAT run. I'd spend the first 4-6 weeks specifically rebuilding Quant (especially Problem Solving and Data Insights — those two sections separate the 650 range from the 700+ range) without timing pressure. Then start timed sets.

GRE is absolutely accepted everywhere now. But if you can get a GMAT Focus score above 655-665 with a strong Quant section, the score optics at M7 schools are slightly better given how long they've been calibrated to GMAT. If a second GMAT run genuinely breaks you, GRE is fine. But I don't think you're anywhere near that point.

The burnout was real, but it sounds like you needed a break, not a permanent exit. The foundation you built in 2025 is still there.

AryakiSekera · Answer

I personally think it is important to weigh your options basis your strengths. If quant and logic are it, stick to GMAT. If it is verbal, stick to GRE. Gmat is definitely more difficult in terms of being able to crack it, but the good thing is that as you go through the cr questions over and over again, everyday logics/comments/news everything automatically starts getting filtered into conclusions, assumptions, implications. It had given me the ability to separate facts from logic. Although GMAT is like a strict teacher, it will punish harshly for silly mistakes. It is going to take 2 3 attempts.

Since you already have a knowledge base as portrayed by your scores, you just have to target practice your   error log  . Take like 10 mocks, thoroughly analyse them, recall in exam what was happening in your head during what question. Success in this exam will only come after repetitive failure

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi MP02170,

Verbal is clearly a strength for you. If you are generally comfortable with the kind of vocab that's tested on the GRE (especially the hard questions), GRE verbal shouldn't be a problem for you. If you're not, you may need to use a  vocab list . GRE quant is generally easier, so that's a positive as well. And given the "discouraged" bit, not having to work on DI could be a really good thing.

Although it seems like I'm recommending that you switch to the GRE, it's not that straightforward. Many applicants will need really, really high GRE scores to stand out (aiming for 330+ is not uncommon), so you should keep that in mind.

MartyMurray · Answer

Switching to the GRE sometimes works out and sometimes doesn't. A  Marty Murray Coaching GMAT student  who ended up switching back to the GMAT to get the score he needed comes to mind.

In any case, your target score is within reach on either test. So, what's key here is that you prepare effectively regardless of which test you choose so that you get your score this time.

Accordingly, be sure to fill any lingering knowledge gaps, practice untimed until you're achieving high accuracy, and be thorough in every aspect of your prep. In preparing for standardized tests, determination to get things right tends to be a key success factor.

One approach you could use to get your score is the streaks method, outlined in the following post.

How to Ace the GMAT Using the Streaks Method

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi MP02170,

Your data answers this question pretty clearly. Stick with the GMAT.

Here's why. Look at what happened on the GMAT versus the GRE across your score history:

Your GMAT Verbal was consistently excellent.  You scored between 83 and 85 on Verbal across every single mock and your official exam. That put you at the 83rd–96th percentile. That's a genuine competitive advantage. Most people preparing for the GMAT would love to have Verbal locked in like that.

Now look at the GRE. You scored a 157 Verbal, which is roughly the 74th percentile. That's solid, but it's a significant drop from where you were on the GMAT. The GRE Verbal section tests differently (more vocabulary-heavy, less logic-heavy), and your natural strengths clearly align better with the GMAT's Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension format.
 
Your Quant tells a similar story.  On the GMAT, you went from Q69 (12th percentile) on your first mock all the way up to Q80 (66th percentile) by Mock 3. That's real, meaningful improvement over about four months. On the GRE, you scored 157 Quant (~62nd percentile), which is essentially the same level you'd already reached on the GMAT. The GRE didn't give you any quant advantage.

So the GRE didn't help you on Verbal  or  Quant. It actually neutralized your biggest strength.
 
The path to 700+ on the GMAT is concrete and achievable for you.  Your Verbal is already where it needs to be. Your DI showed it can hit the 90th percentile when it's on (Mocks 1R and 2), though it was inconsistent. The real lever is Quant. Getting from Q80 to the Q84–85 range would likely push your total score into the 685–715 range, depending on DI consistency.

A few things I'd think about for Round 2:
 
  Your official GMAT (595) underperformed your mocks by about 20–30 points.  That gap usually points to test-day execution (pacing, anxiety, or strategy selection under pressure) rather than content gaps. Your mock trajectory was solid, so the knowledge was there. Spending time on the GMAT strategy and test-day management side of things (section order, timing discipline, when to bail on a tough question) could close that gap significantly.
 
  The multi-resource approach may have worked against you.  Studying 20–40 hours a week across four different platforms is a lot of volume, but volume without depth can plateau you. For your next run, I'd recommend picking one primary resource and going deep, completing it fully rather than sampling from several.
 
  Burnout is a real factor, and it makes sense given the intensity.  Switching to GRE prep while already exhausted was always going to produce underwhelming results. This time, give yourself a realistic timeline (3–4 months), keep your weekly hours more sustainable (15–20 rather than 40), and build in rest days. You're not starting from zero. You have a strong foundation, especially in Verbal.
 
  DI inconsistency is worth investigating.  Your DI percentile swung from 58% to 90% across mocks. That kind of variance usually means there are specific DI question types (Graphics Interpretation, Multi-Source Reasoning, Two-Part Analysis) where you're strong and others where you're guessing. Identifying which types are dragging you down and drilling those specifically could stabilize DI in the 80+ range.

Bottom line: the GMAT plays to your strengths in a way the GRE simply doesn't. A 157/157 GRE is not going to be competitive for Top 10 programs, and you'd need to improve both sections substantially to get there. On the GMAT, you only need to move one section (Quant) meaningfully, and you already demonstrated you can improve it. The Verbal foundation you've built is genuinely strong, and it would be a shame to abandon that advantage.

Take some time to recharge, set a realistic study schedule, and go back to the GMAT with a focused plan. You're closer than your scores might make you feel right now.

Borrat · Answer

What was your strategy for improving quant ? an increase to 50 % is very high between the 2 mocks

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Revisiting GMAT or Move On To GRE

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My Rewards

Date	Mock Test #	Total Score	Percentile	Quant Score	Quant Percentile	Verbal Score	Verbal Percentile	Data Insights Score	Data Insights Percentile
5/21/25	1	535	44%	69	12%	85	96%	76	58%
7/17/25	1 (Retake)	585	65%	77	46%	79	51%	81	90%
8/21/25	2	625	83%	79	59%	83	86%	81	90%
9/4/2025	3	615	80%	80	66%	83	86%	78	73%
9/11/2025	OFFICIAL #1	595	67%	79	57%	83	83%	77	62%
9/25/25	4	615	80%	79	59%	84	91%	79	79%