GRE vs other tests

GRE vs GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT: which test do you need?

The right admission test is not a matter of preference, it is set by where you are applying. Business, law, medicine, and general graduate study each lean on different tests, and the GRE overlaps with more of them than any other. Here is how the GRE stacks up against each one, and how to choose.

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The quick map

Which test, by program.

Business school (MBA): GRE or GMAT, most programs accept either
Law school (JD): LSAT, or the GRE at schools that accept it
Medical school (MD/DO): MCAT, required
Most MS, PhD, health programs: GRE, or test-optional

Policies change and many programs are test-optional, so confirm yours on the requirements directory or our is the GRE required guide.

All four, side by side

GRE vs GMAT vs LSAT vs MCAT, at a glance.

Test	Length	Sections	Scoring	Best for
GRE	About 1 hour 58 minutes	Analytical Writing, Verbal, Quant	Verbal 130 to 170, Quant 130 to 170, Writing 0 to 6	Most MS and PhD programs, most MBA programs, and law schools that accept it
GMAT	About 2 hours 15 minutes	Quantitative, Verbal, Data Insights	Total 205 to 805 (each section 60 to 90)	MBA and business master's programs
LSAT	About 2 hours 15 minutes of scored testing, plus an unscored writing task	Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension (plus an unscored section)	120 to 180	Law school (JD), the dominant test even where the GRE is accepted
MCAT	About 7 hours 30 minutes in total (around 6 hours 15 minutes testing)	Bio/Biochem, Chem/Physics, Psych/Soc/Bio, and CARS	472 to 528 total	Medical school (MD and DO programs)

Structure and scoring from the official ETS, GMAC, LSAC, and AAMC test pages. Lengths and formats change between cycles, so confirm the current details before you register. Last checked June 2026.

Decide in four steps

A quick decision tree for picking your test.

1
Applying to medical school (MD or DO)? Take the MCAT. It is required at nearly all programs and the GRE does not substitute for it.
2
Applying to law school (JD)? The LSAT is the safest, most widely accepted choice. Over 100 US law schools also accept the GRE, so the GRE can work if your target schools take it.
3
Applying to an MBA or business master's? Most programs accept either the GRE or the GMAT, so choose by your strengths: vocabulary and a calculator (GRE) or calculator-free quant and data reasoning (GMAT).
4
Applying to most other MS, PhD, or health programs, or still deciding? The GRE keeps the most doors open with a single score, and many programs are test-optional.

Your target programs always have the final word. Confirm each on the requirements directory or our is the GRE required guide.

Compare the GRE

Head to head with each test.

GRE vs GMAT

For business school. Most MBA programs accept both, so it comes down to your strengths: vocabulary and a calculator (GRE) or calculator-free quant and data reasoning (GMAT).

GRE vs LSAT

For law school. Over 100 US law schools now accept the GRE, but the LSAT is still the dominant, safest law test, and it has no math.

GRE vs MCAT

For health and medicine. The MCAT is required for medical school; the GRE covers most other health and graduate programs. The program dictates the test.

Questions

Choosing a test, answered.

Still unsure if you even need a test? Many programs have dropped the requirement. See is the GRE required.

It depends on the program. Business school takes the GRE or GMAT, law school takes the LSAT (or the GRE where accepted), medical school requires the MCAT, and most other graduate and health programs take the GRE or are test-optional. Start from your target programs and work back to the test.

The GRE is the most widely accepted graduate admission test: most master's and doctoral programs, most MBA programs, and a growing number of law schools take it. It is not used for medical school, which requires the MCAT. Always confirm each program's policy.

Often yes. A single GRE score can work for graduate programs, most MBA programs, and law schools that accept it, which makes it the safest hedge if you are applying across fields or still deciding. Medical school is the exception.

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