GRE, GMAT, or LSAT? Choosing the Right Exam for PG Studies Abroad

Global Ed
January 9, 2026


Standing at the starting line of your PG Study Abroad journey feels exhilarating, right? You’ve picked the country, dreamed of the campus, and now one monumental task remains: choosing the right standardized test. GRE, GMAT, or LSAT?

Relax. All these grad admission tests are perfect. You just need to pick the perfect one that matches your academic goals, strengths, and target universities.

That’s what this guide is for! Let’s check out all you need to know about the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), and LSAT (Law School Admission Test).


GRE (Graduate Record Examination): Fast Facts About the GRE, Exam Format, And How to Prepare for the GRE


Validity:

5 Years

Fee:

$220

If the GRE were a person, it would be that cool friend who gets along with everyone. It’s accepted across tons of programs and disciplines. Now, let’s have a look at some fast facts about the GRE:

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) Exam Format Standards

The GRE General Test (by ETS) is an adaptive computer test, which means that the level of difficulty changes based on the performance level. Have a look at the overall exam structure:

Section Questions Time Limit
Analytical Writing One ‘analyze an issue’ task 30 minutes
Verbal Reasoning 2 sections (12 + 15 questions) 41 minutes (18 +23 minutes)
Quantitative Reasoning 2 sections (12 + 15 questions) 47 minutes (21 +26 minutes)
Total Test Time 1 Hour 58 Minutes

Pretty manageable, right? Under two hours and done.

Programs Accepting GRE

  • STEM
  • Social Sciences
  • Humanities
  • Business Schools
  • Public Policy And International Affairs

Basically, if your career interests are still figuring themselves out (no shame), GRE is perfect.

Why Choose GRE (Graduate Record Examination) Test?

Preparing for the GRE can give you a measurable advantage over students focusing solely on the GMAT or LSAT:

Flexibility Across Disciplines

Still confused between MS and MBA? No problem, GRE keeps your options open. You can use the same test score for all applications.

Score Retake Freedom

ETS’s ScoreSelect lets you pick which scores to send to colleges, unlike the GMAT or LSAT. You can control your profile narrative and submit only your best performance.

Calculator Allowed

The GRE Quantitative section is very straightforward. And the best part is that all GRE Quant questions can be solved with the on-screen calculator. This gives test-takers who have trouble with mental math a lot of confidence.

Global Resources for Scheduling and Test Prep

You can take the GRE Test Prep course at more than 1,000 test centers in more than 160 countries all year round. There are also a lot of ETS official prep materials, PowerPrep software, and third-party GRE Test Prep courses.

GMAT for Abroad Colleges: Exam Fees, Requirements, and How to Prepare for the GMAT


Validity: 5 years

Fee:

About $275 (subject to regional variations)

The GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is the world’s most trusted entrance exam for MBA and business-related postgraduate programs abroad. It checks whether your brain can survive the analytical chaos of business life.

GMAT Test Prep Format And Timing

Just like the GRE, the GMAT was also made much shorter with a new exam format:

Section Questions Time Score Question Type
Quantitative Reasoning 21 45 minutes 60–90 Problem solving
Verbal Reasoning 23 45 minutes 60–90 Critical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension
Data Insights 20 45 minutes 60–90 Data Sufficiency, Multi-Source Reasoning, Table Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, Two-Part Analysis
Total Test Time 64 2 hours 15 minutes 205–805

Yes, they removed the writing section, and honestly, business students everywhere rejoiced.

Did You Know?

In 1953, representatives from nine prestigious business schools, including Harvard, Columbia, Northwestern, University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), University of Chicago (Booth), University of Michigan (Ross), Rutgers, Seton Hall, and Washington University in St. Louis met with the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to create the first standardized business school admissions test. The original test was called the “Admission Test for Graduate Study in Business” (ATGSB). It was renamed to GMAT in 2025.

Colleges Accepting GMAT

The GMAT is the gold standard for management education abroad. According to official stats, more than 7,700 programs at 2,400 universities and organizations in 110 countries use the GMAT exam as part of the selection criteria. Check out the top colleges accepting GMAT scores for admission:

  • Harvard Business School
  • Stanford Graduate School of Business
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • London Business School
  • UC Berkeley

Why Choose the GMAT Exam?

Most Accepted Business School Test

GMAT is the only grad admissions test designed specifically for MBA programs. Schools like the University of Chicago Booth (73% GMAT), Wharton (71% GMAT), and Harvard (74% GMAT) show that GMAT continues to be the most preferred choice for MBA admission.

Demonstrates Higher Academic Skills

Admissions consultants confirm GMAT questions go one gear further in complexity compared to the GRE. You can’t skip questions in the test, and the advanced quantitative challenges show that you’ve better analytical skills.

Improves Job Prospects

Even after admission, top international consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG look at GMAT scores. Yes, your exam score can influence your pay cheque trajectory.

Adaptable for Non-Business Backgrounds

The GMAT Focus Edition puts more focus on reasoning than on math. So, students from humanities, law, or science backgrounds can compete on the same level.

Law School Admission Test (LSAT): Fast Facts About the LSAT, Programs, and LSAT Test Prep Format


Validity: 5 years

Fee:

$248

The LSAT (Law School Admission Test), designed by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), is one of the most common entrance exams for abroad studies after 12th for those seeking admission at top international law universities. It checks whether you can think like a lawyer, even before you become one.

Fun Fact

The LSAT (Law School Admission Test) was created in 1948 after Columbia Law School’s admissions director, Frank Bowles, complained that existing tests weren’t good enough. Initially, NYU Law was skeptical, but they agreed to try it out. And guess what? The idea spread fast! Soon, top law schools across the U.S. began adopting the LSAT.

LSAT Exam Format And Structure

Being an exam for legal professions, the LSAT is focused more on reasoning skills. It is administered in two parts: the multiple-choice portion and the separately-administered writing sample.

Section Questions Time Limit
Logical Reasoning 24-26 questions 35 minutes
Reading Comprehension 26-28 questions from four passages ( each about 450 words in length) 35 minutes
Experimental (unscored) 35 minutes
LSAT Argumentative Writing (unscored) 1 essay 50 minutes

Programs Accepting LSAT

If your dream includes a courtroom, a black robe, and saying “Objection!” with dramatic confidence, LSAT is your choice:

  • The LSAT is the only admission test accepted by all ABA-approved law schools, including the most prestigious institutions like Yale, Harvard, and Stanford Law School
  • Most major Canadian law schools, including the University of Toronto, need applicants to submit an LSAT score
  • LLM programs in select universities use LSAT to assess reasoning skills

Why Choose LSAT?

Most Accepted Test For Law Schools

The LSAT is recognized as the only standardized test required by all U.S. law schools and many other countries.

Proof of Analytical Precision

The LSAT is different from the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) and GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) in the aspect that it assesses specifically your ability to think logically and argue, which is the most important skill for success in law school.

Flexible Way

After the pandemic, the LSAT’s online remote testing format makes it easier for international students to take the test from home. This saves them money on travel and scheduling problems.

Extensive Study Resources

The LSAT’s online proctoring and extensive official LSAC prep materials (free sample tests, real-time timing software) are available year-round at centres and online. This lets you make your own study schedule.

Fun Fact

What GMAT calls ‘Critical Reasoning,’ appears as ‘Logical Reasoning’. The questions are so similar that GMAT students often use LSAT material to practice more.

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) VS GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) VS LSAT (Law School Admission Test): Which One To Choose?


Check out a side-by-side comparison of all  common entrance exams for abroad studies after 12th to help you make the right call:

Factors GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) LSAT (Law School Admission Test)
Main Purpose A lot of fields, including STEM, business, Humanities, Social Science, etc. Business-related master’s programs Law programs
Governing Organization ETS (Educational Testing Service) GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council) LSAC (Law School Admission Council)
Duration 1 hour 58 minutes 2 hours and 15 minutes 3 hours and 10 minutes
Sections Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical Writing Quant, Verbal, Data Insights Logical Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Writing
Fee $220 About $275 $248
Flexibility Highly flexible. Accepted by many universities and programs Best for business/management only Only for legal studies

How to Prepare for the GMAT, GRE, And LSAT: Proven Tips And Methodologies


Check out how to how to prepare for the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and other such prestigious grad admission tests:

Slow Down to Score Up

Most test-takers make the same tragic mistake: they rush through the first few questions as if someone’s chasing them.

DON’T DO THAT.

That’s a pretty terrible idea for adaptive tests like the GRE and GMAT.
Experts suggest to spend about 25 minutes on the first 10 questions of a 45-minute section and then speed up. You can also make ‘checkpoints’ for each part.
If there are 25 questions in a section and you have 45 minutes to answer them, check the clock after question 8 and question 16. If you’re running out of time, you have to quickly decide to guess on the next hard question and move on.

Fun Fact

Never leave questions unattended on GMAT. You’ll have big penalties! So, it’s always better to guess and move on than to run out of time.

Make Strategic Guesses

Every multiple-choice question on these grad admission tests has built-in traps. And that’s where our guessing skills really count.
Instead of trying to find the right answer, figure out which options are wrong:

  • For the Logical Reasoning section in LSAT get rid of options that go outside the scope of the given passage.
  • For quantitative questions, you can check extreme values (like zero, one, or negative numbers) to eliminate highly unreasonable answer choices.

Learn The Test Methodology

Both GRE (Graduate Record Examination) and GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) use adaptive scoring algorithms. It makes your next question harder or easier based on how well you did on the last one. And LSAT (Law School Admission Test) also has different clusters based on level of difficulty: one easy, one medium, and one hard question in every group.

Fun Fact

Harvard and GMAC psychometricians made the GMAT’s algorithm, and no two students ever get the same test pattern!
Your action plan should be to:

  • Refer to only official practice tests
  • Do not waste time on third-party logic
  • Track performance patterns

Create a Mistake Ledger

No doubts. Every test-taker makes mistakes. But what makes one special is when they collect and study them.
A ‘mistake ledger’ is one of the best ways to do that. Create a simple sheet where you can write down:

  • What went wrong?
  • What caused the mistake?
  • How to avoid it the next time?

Read it twice a week; you’ll actually teach your brain to see traps before you fall into them.

Rewire Anxiety with Micro-Simulation

Anxiety is one of the most common issues among all grad admission test-takers. Unfamiliarity is the core reason behind it.
The antidote is simple: make exam day feel normal. You can:

  • Dress as you would on exam day
  • Schedule your full-length practice test on your exact time slot. For instance, if your actual exam slot (GRE, GMAT, or LSAT) is scheduled for 9:00 AM, you must train your body to be mentally sharper at that exact time. This creates a psychological anchor, where your brain will automatically recognize the time and situation (sitting at a desk, timed conditions, specific snack break time) and cue maximum alertness.
  • Use the official test interface

On test day, the environment suddenly feels like déjà vu, rather than pressure!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)


1. Can I use GRE scores for both MBA and MS programs abroad?

Yes! That’s one of the best things about the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). Many universities accept GRE scores for both business and non-business graduate programmes.

2. How long does it take to prepare for grad admission tests like the GRE, GMAT, or LSAT?

On average, 2–3 months of consistent preparation (10–15 hours/week) is enough. But some students who aim for admission in the best universities abroad study for about 4-5 months.

3. Are online or at-home versions available for these exams?

Yes. You can take the GRE and GMAT tests online in a safe way. The LSAT is now fully digital and can be taken at home with remote proctoring.

4. Can I send scores to multiple universities?

Yes. The exact number depends on the type of test you take. On test day, you can send your scores to four institutions for free with the GRE and GMAT and up to five institutions for LSAT. You can send additional score reports to as many programs as you like for a fee.

Conclusion


The truth is that there’s no best exam. There’s only one that fits your goals the best.

If flexibility is your preference, go for the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) as it’s accepted across most universities and programs. GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) remains the trusted choice for global business schools. And if you see yourself building a legal career, the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) is your natural fit.

What matters most is clarity. And that’s where TC Global – The Chopras can help you out.

Our experts will analyze your profile, target universities, and prep style to build a custom study roadmap. Connect with us now to make an informed choice!

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