You Can Apply to Business School with the GRE! GMAT vs. GRE Explained, Plus 10+ Free GRE Prep Platforms!

Readers often message me asking how to prepare for the GRE, or they're frustrated by the wildly varying prices of prep courses and worry that after paying for a class they'll get nothing out of it and never reach the score they want…

This post rounds up really, really useful free GRE resources: the free materials I actually used during my own prep, plus other high-quality resources. Besides helping me score 332 on the GRE, these resources were also very useful to the friends I studied with when I shared them! If you're preparing for the GRE, you can't miss them!

You Can Apply to Business School with the GRE!

First things first! Plenty of readers still think the GMAT is for business school and the GRE is for science and engineering. But in fact, more than 1,300 well-known business schools worldwide now accept the GRE! Beyond science, engineering and the humanities, it's widely accepted for master's, PhD and MBA programs in business, law and more. I applied to MBA programs at US business schools with the GRE myself.

What's more, if you're applying to business school and decide to take the GMAT (Focus Edition), Harvard MBA has already fired the first shot: if you apply with a GMAT (Focus Edition) score, you'll also need to take an additional writing test (details: Harvard HBS MBA application page)

GMAT vs. GRE Explained

4 Advantages of the GRE

1. Wider acceptance: The GRE can be used to apply to more than 20,000 graduate, business and law schools, while the GMAT is limited to business schools.

2. Lower price: The GRE costs up to US$80 less than the GMAT, and if you also need the GMAC Business Writing Assessment (GMAC™ Business Writing Assessment), you can save up to US$110.

3. Test-taker friendly: The GRE Quantitative Reasoning section lets you change your answers, and you can use a calculator.

4. Shorter test: The GRE takes less than 2 hours.

✨ In 2023, the GRE had 4 times as many test takers as the GMAT!

GRE vs. GMAT: A Detailed Comparison

GREGMATSectionsVerbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Analytical WritingVerbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Data Insights Because the GMAT doesn't include writing, some schools may require an additional writing testTest fee See the official site for current feesAbout US$220 (about NT$7,100)About US$250, plus US$30 if you need the GMAC Business Writing Assessment (about NT$8,000 – 9,000)Question orderFlexible order; you can change answers multiple times within each sectionFixed order; you can change up to three answers per sectionWritingIncludes 1 essay that shows your analytical writing skillsNo writing section; if you need to submit a writing score, you must schedule a separate 30-minute writing testDifficultySection-adaptive: the difficulty of the next section depends on how you did on the previous one, and you can freely change answers within each sectionThe difficulty of the next question depends on your answers, but you can't change the order, and answer changes are limitedScore releaseScores are released within 8 daysScores are usually released within 1-3 days, but can take up to 20 business days

10+ "Free" GRE Resources

Official free GRE resources – ETS Powerprep Practice Tests

The first thing I have to mention is the free official online practice tests that many people overlook. Before using other "unofficial" resources, make sure you work through the official ones first. That's the most accurate way to get a feel for the test and understand it in more depth.

For more ETS Official Resources, see:

▶️ ETS Webinars

▶️ ETS Official Sample Questions

A Cheat Sheet of Popular TOEFL & GRE Prep Resources

TOEFL Taiwan has also put together a list of common TOEFL & GRE prep resources: Google Drive URL! I also recommend adding TOEFL Taiwan's official Line account as a friend, since they hand out TOEFL & GRE discount codes from time to time~

Also, a quick event announcement: if you took the TOEFL in 2024, share your experience to enter the TOEFL x United Airlines giveaway for Taipei–US tickets to any destination: https://toefl-united-airlines.com/

GRE basics – Manhattan Review

If you know nothing about the GRE yet, or you're still unsure where to focus, try using Manhattan Review before you start prepping to build a complete picture of the GRE. The site explains each section of the test in detail, so you can better understand the skills you need, figure out your strengths and weaknesses, and plan your prep strategy.

GRE study planning – Goconqr

Once you have a decent understanding of the GRE, preparing systematically around your strengths and weaknesses and setting a study plan can make your GRE prep far more efficient. Goconqr is a very handy tool for both studying and test prep. You can set study goals and a prep outline for free, make the most of your limited energy, and manage your study time better.

GRE practice questions – MajorTests Free Test Questions

One of the most common questions readers message me about is how to drill practice questions efficiently, or where to find a big enough question bank.

MajorTests is a free practice site developed and updated by industry experts. It has lots of GRE questions with explanations for the ones you get wrong, so you don't have to worry about not knowing where you went wrong.

For more Full-length GRE Practice Tests, see:

▶️ Manhattan Prep Free GRE Practice Test

▶️ Princeton Review Free GRE Practice Test

▶️ Kaplan Free GRE Practice Test

▶️ McGraw-Hill Free GRE Practice Test

▶️ TPR (Test Prep Review) Full-Length Practice Test

For more Question Banks, see:

▶️ My GRE Tutor Free Practice Questions

▶️ Veritas Prep Free Book and Questions

Using GRE vocabulary – Magoosh 1,000 Most Important GRE Words

Another common question is how to build GRE vocabulary fast! I recommend Magoosh, a vocabulary site made specifically for GRE prep. It helpfully sorts words into Basic, Intermediate and Advanced levels, so you can work up step by step and grow your vocabulary effectively!

Memorizing GRE vocabulary – Quizlet

Besides Magoosh, Quizlet is another great site for memorizing vocabulary. On Quizlet you can search thousands of study sets (word/phrase flashcards) or build your own, and learn words in a fun, highly interactive way (great for someone like me whose attention drifts while memorizing words)

GRE writing guide – CrunchPrep Free GRE Practice Test

I bet writing is the weak spot on the GRE for a lot of people. If you want to sharpen your writing strategy or technique, check out CrunchPrep, a site partly written with input from test-prep experts that includes 70+ GRE writing resources.

GRE reading practice – Readspeeder

If questions often take you a long time to read, or you often feel you run out of time, don't miss this site. Readspeeder lets you quickly train your English reading skills, such as comprehension and reading focus. It's useful not just for test prep but also as great training for the heavy English reading you'll face when you study abroad.