If you're applying to MBA or other business programs, you likely have a choice: GRE or GMAT. Both are widely accepted now — the vast majority of business schools, including most top programs, accept either. So the question isn't “which does my program prefer” (often neither, explicitly) — it's which test actually fits your situation better.
Optionality. If there's any chance you apply to non-business graduate programs — a joint degree, a Master's in a different field, or you're simply not 100% committed to the MBA path yet — the GRE keeps that door open. A GMAT score is essentially business-school-only.
Format familiarity. If you're more comfortable with the Verbal style tested on GRE (vocabulary-in-context, reading comprehension) versus GMAT's heavier emphasis on grammar rules (Sentence Correction) and data-driven critical reasoning, that's worth weighing. Similarly, GRE Quant covers geometry and basic arithmetic more directly, while GMAT Quant leans more on algebra and logical/data-based reasoning.
No essay-heavy writing section under the same time pressure in the way GMAT's Analytical Writing Assessment is structured (note: format details for both tests are updated periodically by their respective test-makers, so always confirm current specifics directly).
Some programs still weight it more favorably for admissions or for specific concentrations (especially finance-heavy or quant-heavy MBA tracks), even if both are technically “accepted.” If you're targeting a small number of specific programs, it's worth checking whether their admissions committees have an informal preference — sometimes visible in the GMAT/GRE score distributions they publish for admitted classes.
Data Insights and integrated reasoning on the GMAT are designed to mirror business-analytics skills directly, which some applicants find more intuitive if they're coming from a quantitative or business background and want the test itself to feel relevant to the work.
If you're genuinely undecided between an MBA and other graduate paths, GRE is the lower-regret choice — it doesn't close any doors. If you're committed to business school specifically and have a small list of target programs, a quick check of those programs' published score distributions can tell you whether either test has a meaningful edge.