How is GMAT different from GRE? I have given my GRE 3 years back. What all do I need to do to be prepared for GMAT?
Apart from the fact that GMAT is used to get into a B-school and GRE for technical fields like computers, electronic, physics, chemistry, psychology etc, there are many differences between the two in terms of the pattern of the examination. Even if you have appeared for GRE 3 years back, you will have to work a lot for preparing for GMAT.
Analysis of quant section
One of the areas where you will need to work a lot is in quant section. GRE’s level of quant does not match with GMAT. In GRE, quant section only has problem solving questions. If you are good with your formulae and can apply them, quant should not be a problem in GRE. This is totally different in GMAT. The level of questions is difficult. Also, you will have to prepare for another type of questions called Data Sufficiency. This requires a sound base of the math concepts else these questions will eat up a lot of time. For DS, the Manhattan Math and the Official Guide can be useful. With 65 formulae and tricks to remember those, even the book from edusoftech.com can be of great help.
Verdict: Quant of GMAT is tougher than that of GRE.
In a nutshell: GRE (75 minutes) GMAT (45 minutes)
Math Section | Problem Solving | Problem Solving |
| Quantitative Comparison | Data Sufficiency |
Analysis of verbal section
The main difference is that in GRE, lot of importance is given to vocabulary which is not the case with GMAT. Thus, remembering thousands of words will not ensure your success in GMAT verbal. For GMAT, you need to work more on your basic understanding of the English language. RCs here are traditionally tougher. Also, another type of question called Critical Reasoning is included in GMAT. This requires extreme analytical skills. The Kaplan 800 is good for CR section.
Another new section which was absent in GRE is the sentence correction. This tests your soundness in the English grammar. The Manhattan book is good for SC as it explains each and every aspect of the grammar with illustration.
Verdict: Focus is more on the English literature than the vocab.
In a nutshell: GRE (75 minutes) GMAT (30 minutes)
Verbal section Sentence completion Sentence correction
RC RCs
Antonyms / Synonyms CR
Analogies