About 206,000 people take the GRE every year. A large portion of them take it because they think they have to, without fully understanding where the requirement still holds, where it's been dropped, and where it was never relevant in the first place.
Before you register, spend 10 minutes getting clear on whether you actually need this test. The answer depends entirely on where you're applying.
MBA Programs: Yes, All of Them Still Require It
Every M7 MBA program accepts the GRE as a substitute for the GMAT. That includes Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Sloan, and Columbia. "Accepts" is the right word, not "requires" either specifically. All seven programs treat GRE and GMAT as equivalent.
This is worth sitting with for a second. A decade ago, most MBA programs were GMAT-only. The shift happened gradually, accelerated around 2016-2018, and is now complete at the top of the market. You are not disadvantaged for submitting a GRE score instead of a GMAT score. The admissions committees review them the same way.
The test-optional question is separate. As of 2026, about 16 of the top 25 programs offer waivers for candidates who meet certain criteria, typically centered on professional experience or academic record. But test waivers apply to both tests equally. If you're applying without a waiver, you need one of the two.
Deferred MBA programs are stricter. Harvard 2+2, Stanford Deferred Enrollment, Wharton Moelis, and their peers almost universally require a standardized test submission. The waiver provisions that apply to experienced candidates don't extend to college seniors. If you're applying from undergrad, plan on taking the test.
STEM Master's Programs: It Depends on the School
This is the messiest category. Requirements vary by department, program, and year.
Some context: during the pandemic, most graduate programs went test-optional or dropped the GRE entirely. Several high-profile engineering schools made that change permanent. MIT's EECS program dropped it. Berkeley's EECS program dropped it. CMU Computer Science moved to "recommended, not required."
Other programs reinstated the requirement or kept it. MIT's Mechanical Engineering program still requires the GRE. The pattern tends to follow the specific department's culture around numerical credentialing, not any school-wide policy.
The practical implication: you cannot assume a GRE score is unnecessary for STEM master's programs. You have to check each program individually. The program's admissions page will list current requirements, and those requirements change. If you're applying to five or more programs, build a spreadsheet. Don't rely on memory or what a friend applied to two years ago.
PhD programs follow a similar pattern, except the variance is even wider. Some programs have used GRE scores to filter the initial application pool, others treat them as one data point among many, and some have moved fully test-optional with no plans to revert.
Law School: Growing Acceptance, But LSAT Is Still Standard
Over 116 law schools now accept the GRE as an alternative to the LSAT. That number has grown significantly over the past five years and includes schools across the full ranking spectrum.
What hasn't changed is the weight. Most law schools that accept both tests still see the majority of their applicants submitting LSAT scores. The median admitted student at most law schools took the LSAT. If you're applying to law school and have not taken either test, the default choice remains the LSAT. The GRE is worth considering if you're applying to both law school and another graduate program and want a single test to cover both applications.
If you've already taken the GRE for another purpose and scored well, check whether your target law schools accept it before paying to take the LSAT. For some applicants, this genuinely simplifies things.
Medical School: GRE Is Not Accepted
No MD-granting medical school accepts the GRE. The MCAT is required, and there is no path around it. This is not a trend in flux, this is the uniform position of medical school admissions across the U.S.
If you're applying to MD programs, stop reading about the GRE and focus on MCAT prep. The only exception worth noting is that some dual-degree programs (MD/PhD, MD/MBA, MD/MPH) may require both the MCAT and a separate test for the secondary degree. In those cases, the secondary program might require the GRE. But the MD component always requires the MCAT.
The Test-Optional Trend: What It Actually Means
Test-optional has become a phrase that does a lot of work in graduate admissions conversations, and it's worth being precise about what it does and doesn't mean.
At the MBA level, test-optional usually means waivers are available under specific conditions. It rarely means scores are genuinely irrelevant. Schools that offer waivers still publish median GRE and GMAT scores for admitted students because those scores still describe most admitted applicants. If you submit a score, it will be evaluated.
At the STEM level, test-optional more often means the program has genuinely de-emphasized the test and evaluates applicants on research experience, recommendations, and academic record. But "de-emphasized" is not the same as "ignored."
The underlying dynamic: schools that went test-optional during the pandemic collected data on how waiver applicants performed as students. Several found no significant difference in outcomes between students who submitted scores and those who didn't. Others found the opposite. Those findings are slowly shaping which programs revert and which stay flexible.
Where the trend is heading: expect continued bifurcation. Elite programs with huge applicant pools will likely maintain test requirements because scores help manage volume. Programs in less competitive fields with smaller pools will trend test-optional because they need to maximize the size of their applicant funnel.
The Practical Decision Framework
Three questions determine whether you need the GRE:
Are you applying to MBA programs without a waiver? If yes, take either the GRE or GMAT. There is no way around this.
Are you applying to STEM master's programs? Check each program individually. Do not generalize from one program to another, even within the same university.
Are you applying to law school? Check which schools on your list accept GRE. If most do, and your verbal reasoning is strong, the GRE might be more efficient than taking a new test.
If you're not sure where to start, take a diagnostic before committing to anything. A two-hour practice test will tell you what your baseline score looks like and whether significant prep time is required. There's no point spending six months on test prep for a program that doesn't need the score.
Take the diagnostic here to get your baseline score before deciding how much prep time to invest.
One More Thing on Waivers
Waivers are not a backdoor. They're a specific accommodation for specific profiles, and admissions committees know when applicants are using them strategically to hide a weak test score versus genuinely not needing one.
If you have a 3.9 GPA from a quantitatively rigorous program and five years of data science work, a test waiver makes sense. If you have a 3.2 GPA and your quantitative record is mixed, a waiver application is a harder sell, and a strong GRE score could help you.
The test exists partly because it gives admissions committees standardized, comparable information across applicants from different schools, countries, and majors. When that information is absent, adcoms rely more heavily on what remains. Sometimes that helps you, sometimes it doesn't. Know your profile before deciding whether to apply with or without a score.