GMAT/GRE Optional: Should You Still Take the Test?

Updated 2026/10/16

After the pandemic began, in-person GMAT/GRE test centers around the world closed one after another. More and more schools changed their requirements, adopted test-optional policies and made GMAT/GRE scores optional. That raised a widely discussed question: “If it’s optional, should I still take the GMAT/GRE?”

Many test prep schools and admissions agencies will tell you that you absolutely must take it. A prep school makes no money if you don’t take the test. As for agencies, if you happen to get a good score, it strengthens your profile and your chances of admission, which makes their job easier and gives them something to show the client. Of course they’ll push you to work hard for a good score.

I’m neither an agency nor a prep school, so in this post I’ve gathered the objective information and added my own opinion. I hope it helps if you’re unsure whether to take the GMAT/GRE.

How much do GMAT/GRE scores matter for grad school? Think like the school

Before I get to my view on optional GMAT/GRE scores, we need to understand where the test fits in the application process and look at it from the admissions officer’s side.

The GMAT/GRE is one of the few “objective” measures in graduate admissions, but it isn’t the only one. In “Low GPA? How a Low GPA Affects Your Application and How to Make Up for It (With Success Stories)” (in Chinese), I wrote about the importance of GPA as another objective measure.

Schools usually weigh these factors when deciding on admission:

• Objective measures: GPA, standardized tests like the GMAT/GRE, and language tests like IELTS/TOEFL. All of these can be quantified and compared objectively.
• Subjective measures: CV (university, coursework, internships, jobs, extracurriculars, volunteering), SOP (goals for studying abroad, career plans, research plans and so on), interviews, recommendation letters (a third party’s description of the applicant), DE&I essay

As one of the few objective measures, GMAT/GRE scores give admissions officers a common standard. A school receives thousands of applications from students with very different backgrounds: different majors and experiences, and even different lengths of work experience, industries, functions and locations. How do you assess every applicant on a relatively uniform standard? A standardized test score like the GMAT/GRE provides one. From the GMAT/GRE, a school can see a student’s academic foundation and how seriously they were willing to prepare for grad school.

It’s also worth noting that applicants to most specialized fields, such as aerospace engineering, CS, electrical engineering and journalism, have more similar backgrounds than applicants to business programs like the MBA. They tend to share similar academic backgrounds and work or internship experience. In that case, a good GMAT/GRE score can help an applicant stand out from the pool.

If you’re interested in the idea of applicant pools, see 👉🏻 this article on two often-overlooked factors in applying abroad

Take the GMAT/GRE or not? Common opinions

Here are views commonly shared online. Depending on their situation, target field, prep time and language skills, people make one of two choices when the GMAT/GRE is optional:

View 1 (I’ll take it): I still want the GMAT/GRE to make my application more competitive

• The GMAT/GRE is an important threshold. Scores let admissions officers screen applicants, see their learning ability at a glance and cut down their review workload.
• Take it first! If you do well, submit it. If not, leave it off.
• I find GMAT Verbal really useful! While practicing, I could feel my English reading and logical thinking getting better.
• Take it! Preparing for the GRE helps with the TOEFL, and a high score also helps your application.

View 2 (I’ll skip it): Optional is the trend, and the GMAT/GRE doesn’t matter anymore

• Joyce, whom I interviewed before, shared her view on optional GMAT/GRE (read Joyce’s post on applying directly to a PhD on her own): preparing takes a lot of time, and your score may not end up being top tier. If everyone’s scores are about the same, they don’t differentiate much, so you’re better off polishing your CV and SOP. Also check what share of your dream schools require the GMAT/GRE. If very few do, don’t take it.
• There’s no time to prepare, the GMAT/GRE is too hard and I’m afraid I won’t reach the average, so I’d rather save the time for my other documents.
• If you’re not studying full time, it’s really hard to manage the GMAT/GRE and a language test together. Since it’s optional, I won’t take it.
• I think schools care more about GPA than the GMAT/GRE. The GMAT/GRE is a single test, while GPA reflects your academic performance over a long period.

Does skipping GMAT/GRE scores make grad school admission easier?

No. As I said above, once GMAT/GRE scores become optional, admissions officers lose one factor for screening students, which means schools will expect more from your academic background. More of the evaluation shifts to subjective factors, so the bar rises for your GPA, experience, essays, recommendation letters and other materials.

It also means that if a school is test-optional and you choose not to submit a score, you need to show in your other materials the “foundation in language and math” a GMAT/GRE score would have shown. A high GPA, or even project and research experience, becomes an important asset in your application as you try to stand out against applicants who did submit high GMAT/GRE scores.

GMAT/GRE total score vs. section scores

Once you understand GMAT/GRE scores as an objective measure in the admissions process, note that schools usually don’t evaluate your score “only” by the overall total. Sometimes they care more about how your section scores in Verbal, Quantitative and even Writing relate to the program you’re applying to.

For example, most science, engineering, finance and business programs care more about your math score, while humanities and social science programs look at writing and verbal. (For example, students in NYU Journalism’s Global & Joint Program Studies all have an average GRE Verbal score above 160, and at least 5.0 in Writing.)

So if you’re applying to science, engineering, finance or business programs, first push for a high Quantitative score, then prepare Verbal to raise your overall score, and prepare Writing last.

Play admissions officer: how GMAT/GRE scores affect the whole application

Say you’re an admissions officer and your school values four abilities, A, B, C and D, while the GMAT/GRE is optional. If you were reviewing applications for an MSBA (Master of Science in Business Analytics), A, B, C and D might be the applicant’s undergraduate quantitative coursework and grades, work and internship experience, programming skills and hands-on experience.

Two applications are left on your desk, and you have to pick one. The first applicant is outstanding in A, B, C and D. The second is average in A, B, C and D but has a very high GMAT/GRE score. Who do you choose?

Probably the first applicant, right?

Of course, this makes two assumptions. First, that excelling in A, B, C and D and getting a GMAT/GRE score compete with each other for your time (a trade-off most people really do face). Second, that the two applicants differ quite a lot in A, B, C and D.

My conclusion on optional GMAT/GRE scores

Personally, I don’t think the GMAT/GRE has a high ROI (return on investment). It usually takes three to six months to prepare (longer if you work full time), a good score isn’t guaranteed, and an average score may not help your application at all.

So why not spend those six months strengthening A, B, C and D? You could use the prep time to find a relevant internship, join a research project, do a project or side business, enter a competition or hackathon, or find a recommender and ask them to write you a strong letter (for help with recommendation letters, see 👉🏻 this guide to recommendation letters). Experience that strengthens A, B, C and D goes into your resume and essays, and it can even help in your job search later.

I said I don’t think the GMAT/GRE has a high ROI, but whether to submit a GMAT/GRE score depends on your situation. Your timing, background, experience and target schools are different from anyone else’s, so your decision should be too. Some people win scholarships with a high GMAT/GRE score, and then the ROI is extremely high.

Before you decide whether to take the GMAT/GRE, you need to understand the following points so you know where you stand and can make the decision with the best return:

1. Your preparation: Before deciding whether to take the GMAT/GRE, figure out how much time you have to prepare, and whether that time would earn a better return on other parts of your application.
2. Time and resources: If you think preparing for the test would hurt other parts of your application, or you can’t commit fully to preparing, you can consider skipping it. For example, maybe your application package is still missing something important: a relevant internship, or a research project to show your passion and research ability. If thorough school research and coffee chats with current students tell you that experience is essential, then when the GMAT/GRE is optional you can focus on building internship or research experience first.
3. Your target programs’ median scores: If your final score is well below the median at the schools you’re applying to, consider not submitting it. Submitting a GMAT/GRE score is only likely to help if you have a chance of getting near or above the median.

To repeat: make the decision that fits your own situation.

Below I go through the factors in full so you can assess your situation before deciding, and make the choice with the best return that you won’t regret later.

When I recommend taking the GMAT/GRE

1. To make up for a low GPA: As I wrote in “Low GPA? How a Low GPA Affects Your Application and How to Make Up for It (With Success Stories)” (in Chinese), a good GMAT/GRE score can partly offset a low GPA by showing you have a solid foundation in math and language.
2. Your overall profile is weak, and you have the time and energy to push for a good score: Try taking the GMAT/GRE. The strongest applicants have already won over the admissions officers in every area. Applicants with weaker profiles still need to work harder to prove themselves, and a good standardized test score gives you a better chance to stand out and backs up your academic foundation, determination and persistence.
3. Your overall profile is already strong, and you want a higher score on top of it: A test score that’s “good enough” (at or near the average) can only help your application. If your package is already complete, with solid academics, work experience, recommendation letters and even research and leadership experience, and you have the time, you can go for a high score to raise your chances further.
4. You have no choice because most of your target schools require it: If most of the schools you’re applying to require the GMAT/GRE, start preparing. Giving up on many dream schools just because you don’t want to take the test isn’t worth it.
5. An objective measure: For schools, subjective factors like the CV, SOP, interview and recommendation letters can’t reflect an applicant very accurately (these experiences are hard to verify). The GMAT/GRE has its flaws, but it’s still a decent measure.
6. Better odds of a scholarship (this varies by school and program): Some schools award merit-based scholarships based on GPA, GMAT/GRE and the interview or essays, so a high GMAT/GRE score helps with both admission and scholarships.

When you can consider not taking the GMAT/GRE

1. Most of your target programs don’t require it: If most of the programs on your list don’t need or require the GMAT/GRE, you can consider not registering for it. Of course, if one or two “dream schools” on your list require a score, you can weigh, based on your time and situation, whether it’s worth trying so you at least have a shot at them.
2. Without the GMAT/GRE, admissions officers will assess your quantitative and English skills through your other materials: First evaluate your whole application package. If your academics, work experience, recommendation letters and even research and leadership experience are all there and solid, you can, as I said above, either take the GMAT/GRE to push your score and raise your chances further, or skip the test, which probably won’t hurt your application much.
3. Holistic review: Many schools state clearly that they use a holistic review, so for admissions officers a test score is never “everything,” just a useful data point. The GMAT/GRE is only one way to show a school your quantitative and English skills. Without a score, admissions officers will evaluate your application as a whole and look for evidence of those skills in your resume, coursework and transcripts, research experience, recommendation letters and so on.
4. You have things with a higher return to do! You’d rather save the prep time for higher-priority tasks.

My summary on optional GMAT/GRE: plan your time sensibly and find what has a higher ROI

As I keep saying, everyone’s situation is different, so there’s no fixed rule for whether to take an optional GMAT/GRE.

The main idea I want you to take from this post is: “Plan your time sensibly!” Put your resources into what has the higher ROI, and you’ll have a stronger application package in a short application season.

The next question is what “has the higher ROI” for you. You can use the analysis above to sort out your priorities. For example, for an applicant with a low GPA, a high GMAT/GRE score as a fix may be the top priority. For an applicant whose package is mostly complete, whose grades are high enough and whose schools mostly don’t require the GMAT/GRE, spending that time on another internship, a research project, a competition, or even on getting the essays and recommendation letters right probably pays off better than spending a lot of time on test prep.

Any material that helps you stand out is useful. You might build a well-rounded package (grades, work experience, extracurriculars, volunteering, research and so on). Or you might get a high GMAT/GRE score to tell the school that you’re willing to study and put in a lot of time and effort to get in, and that you have the baseline knowledge the GMAT/GRE certifies. Either approach can strengthen your application.

What schools say about GMAT/GRE requirements, and how to read it

Finally, let’s look at the latest GMAT/GRE requirements at a few popular US schools and see what they actually say.

“We really don’t need GMAT/GRE scores, and we won’t even give you a code to send them”

In its admissions FAQ, MIT’s Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Department states clearly that applicants of any nationality do not need to submit GRE scores. “We do not use the GRE test scores during the admission process, regardless of citizenship, unless you are applying to the LGO Program, which does require the GRE.”

MIT means it when it says no: it doesn’t even provide a school code for sending GRE scores. Even without GRE scores, competition is still fierce, arguably fiercer. Applicants to MIT EECS have to work harder in other areas (competitions, GPA, research, internships and so on) to stand out.

“Submit scores if you can”: schools that encourage or recommend GMAT/GRE scores

Penn Engineering’s GRE policy says, in essence: “If you’re able to take the GRE and have valid scores to report, we encourage you to do so. If you can’t take the GRE, it won’t hurt your application.” So when you don’t submit a GRE score, the school still evaluates your application as a whole.

“The GRE is optional during the 2023-2024 application cycle, and it won’t hurt your application if you choose not to take it. But if you have taken the exam and received valid scores, we encourage you to submit them.”

FAQ

My program accepts both the GRE and the GMAT. Which should I take?

The simple answer is to take whichever test you’re more likely to score well on. The common advice: if you’re very strong in math, have excellent logical reasoning and read quickly, consider the GMAT. If you have a large vocabulary but average math, consider the GRE. GRE Verbal is harder, while Quantitative is easier (roughly Taiwanese high school level), and many Asian test takers easily score 165+ on Quantitative.

If you want to “really” know which test suits you, take the free online GMAT/GRE practice tests first, get a feel for the format and difficulty, and then decide.

How should you set your target score?

Set your GMAT/GRE target based on the programs you’re applying to. A score usually only helps if it’s at or above the school’s average, so research the average score at your target programs before setting your goal.

For average scores, employment rates, acceptance rates and class profiles at US MBA programs, see 👉🏻 this article

Also, as mentioned above, prepare for the GMAT/GRE with a purpose (push one section score first), know the other competitors in your pool, and try to stand out.

How long are GMAT/GRE scores valid? How many times can you take the test?

Both GMAT and GRE scores are valid for 5 years. You can take the GRE once every 21 days, up to five times in any rolling 12-month period, with no lifetime limit. The GMAT is also limited to 5 times a year, but only 8 times in your lifetime!

Do schools only look at Verbal and Quant? Can I ignore the Writing score?

As I mentioned earlier, each program evaluates your total and section scores based on the qualities and skills it values. For some programs, writing isn’t the most important requirement, so as long as your Writing score isn’t too low, it usually won’t be a problem.

Postscript

I also interviewed Shuo Lee, a GRE teacher with 14,000 Instagram followers, about his view on optional GMAT/GRE scores

Here is his reply for your reference:

Just because I teach the GRE, I’m not going to tell you it’s an important test that can make up for a low or middling GPA and urge everyone to take it. We’ve seen far too many people get into good schools with no GRE and otherwise ordinary records.

I’d rather speak simply as an English teacher and ask students to think about what the word “optional” actually means. We usually translate it as “not mandatory,” but a more accurate translation would be “up to you”: the school hands the decision of whether to submit a score to the applicant.

So applicants should dig deeper and ask themselves what they really want. If you want more options, or can’t point to accomplishments worth bragging about, take it. If you want the whole application process to be less stressful, or would rather spend the time on your other materials, don’t. Whatever you choose, applying abroad is a major decision that will shape your life, and I encourage students to do it with as few regrets as possible.

If you take it and don’t get a good score, don’t beat yourself up for spending so long on a test that seems to have a low return. What matters more is the value it added to your English, your logical thinking and your outlook on life. (That’s really what I keep telling students in class. I’ve never thought this test is only about the application itself, otherwise I couldn’t and wouldn’t need to share so much material on Instagram. I want students to learn through it what skills they still need before going abroad.) And if you choose not to take it, don’t regret afterward that you didn’t use the test to show your strengths, or that you didn’t start preparing for your tests earlier.

Overall, my view is a bit like the idea of self-reflection that Jason once shared with me. Optional is an irreversible trend (of course, if a school states that scores are strongly recommended, applicants can stop wondering and just prepare). The policy can look like the school passing the buck by making applicants decide whether to submit. But I think it’s a good moment to listen to what you really want, and to assess how determined you are to go abroad and how much effort you’re willing to put in.

Finally, two reminders. First, if you skip the GRE, the reason must never be “this test is so hard, I don’t want to prepare.” The challenges you’ll face studying abroad are a hundred times more painful than the GRE, and avoiding things now will only hurt you later. Second, when scores are optional, we submit them to have a bit more to impress the professors reading our applications. So if you prepare, go all in. It’s very hard to score high if you’re just hoping to get lucky.

I hope you all hear what your heart is telling you. Good luck!