The tests, letters, and statements of personal goals and accomplishments
If you’ve decided that this is the route you want to take towards your life journey, congratulations! There are a few steps to the application process (business PhD programs):
- GRE/GMAT
- Transcript – undergrad and graduate
- Recommendation letters
- Personal statement
- TOEFL – for international students
- Application form/Application Fee
- Specific Department Admission
Applying to a PhD Program: GRE/GMAT
GRE means Graduate Record Examinations, and GMAT means Graduate Management Admission Test. They are both standardized tests requirement for most graduate schools in the United States. You will need to have taken the GMAT/GRE; and also need a competitive score to obtain admission in most programs.
Some schools have a specific score that students must meet/exceed, other do not. Does it matter whether you take a GRE or GMAT? Some programs will specify which one they prefer. Hence, you should search the program’s website to find the specifics.
The program at UNT (where I earned my PhD program) was open to either of the tests. In most programs, there is a 5 year test age requirement, meaning that your test scores must be within 5 years.
The tests are administered by independent organizations that will send your scores directly to the PhD program that you specified when you registered for the test. You can study for the test at your own pace, or find a tutor or prep program to help you.
There are also several test preps like GRE Prep – Live Online PDP or GMAT Live Online PDP that you can purchase to help you prepare for the exam(s). See https://www.ets.org/gre/ (GRE) and https://www.gmac.com/about-us (GMAT).
Generally, a high score is desired in all parts of the tests. However, the admission decision is usually not based on just the GMAT/GRE score. It is usually a combination of all the requirements listed above.
Checkout PhD Transcript requirement information