Last updated on: February 27, 2026
Yuvika Rathi
College Student
COVID-19 closed testing centers in March 2020. Business schools panicked. Within weeks, top programs announced test waivers as "temporary accommodations." The promise was simple: we'll evaluate you holistically until testing normalizes.
Five years later, testing centers are open. Online testing is seamless. Yet test-optional policies persist at scale. As of February 2026, 16 of the top 25 MBA programs offer GMAT or GRE waivers including NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, UVA Darden, and Cornell Johnson. Over 2000 US colleges remain test-optional for graduate admissions. Only 5 percent of Common App member colleges strictly require test scores.
The question isn't whether test-optional exists anymore. It's whether test-optional means what you think it means.
Six of the seven prestigious M7 MBA programs strictly require all applicants to submit GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment scores with zero exceptions: Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Wharton, Chicago Booth, MIT Sloan, and Kellogg. Only Columbia Business School among the M7 offers limited test waivers.
Yale School of Management and Duke Fuqua similarly maintain mandatory testing requirements. If you're targeting any of these nine programs, the test-optional debate is irrelevant. You must take the exam. Period.
The lowest GMAT score for Harvard Business School admitted students was 540 for the class of 2026 — but that's an extreme outlier within a broader range where the median hovers around 730. Stanford GSB and Wharton operate in similar scoring bands. At these institutions, a competitive GMAT or GRE score isn't optional. It's the table stakes for consideration.
Michigan Ross, ranked among the top 10 MBA programs globally, technically offers test waivers. But here's the fine print: applicants who don't submit test scores must provide a statement of academic readiness explaining how they'll succeed without demonstrating quantitative aptitude through standardized testing.
NYU Stern requires that standardized test waiver requests be submitted by April 1, 2026 — weeks before most application deadlines. The waiver requires submission of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts showing cumulative GPA, evidence of quantitative coursework, professional certifications like CPA or CFA, and often a supplemental essay explaining academic readiness.
Johns Hopkins Carey Business School states explicitly: meeting minimum eligibility criteria for a waiver does not guarantee the waiver will be granted, and receiving a waiver does not guarantee admission. Translation: waivers are discretionary, not automatic.
Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business reported that 41 percent of admitted students in 2026 submitted either GMAT or GRE scores despite waivers being available. Texas Tech Rawls College reported 20 percent submission rates. Just seven ranked MBA programs had 10 percent or more students submitting test scores voluntarily.
Why would students take a grueling 3-4 hour exam when they could skip it? Because test scores remain a powerful differentiator. Admissions committees reviewing 60 applications daily rely on quantifiable metrics. A 730 GMAT immediately signals intellectual horsepower. A waiver application with strong essays and solid GPA signals competence — but not quantified competence.
An applicant for a top full-time MBA should usually aim to submit their application with a test score even if a waiver is possible. This is because admission to these programs is extremely competitive, and a strong test score is an advantage you can't afford to pass up. A high GMAT score can also help offset other weaknesses in your application, such as a below-average GPA.
Boston College Carroll School states that if your cumulative GPA is below 3.0 or you have completed limited quantitative courses, the admissions committee may request that you submit standardized test scores even if you qualified for a waiver initially. Ohio State Fisher College maintains identical policies.
This creates a strategic trap. Students with weak undergrad GPAs often pursue test waivers thinking they'll avoid additional scrutiny. Instead, admissions committees flag weak GPA applicants without test scores as high-risk admits. The absence of test scores in this scenario doesn't help — it amplifies existing weaknesses.
If you're a CPA with 8 years in audit at PwC, a quantitative GPA above 3.7, and MBA goals centered on finance leadership roles, the test waiver works. Your professional credentials signal quantitative competence more powerfully than a GMAT score ever could.
If you're a CFA charterholder with 6 years in equity research, similar logic applies. Admissions committees at schools like Darden or Stern will grant waivers without hesitation because your professional track record provides stronger evidence of analytical capability than any standardized test.
If you hold a PhD in Economics from a top-30 university, an MS in Computer Science from a reputable institution, or an MD from an accredited medical school, test waivers make strategic sense. You've already proven academic rigor at the highest levels. A GMAT becomes redundant documentation.
Graduate degrees in humanities or social sciences also qualify but require stronger supporting evidence. A Master's in History with a 3.9 GPA strengthens a waiver request. A Master's in Communications with a 3.2 GPA does not.
If you graduated with a BS in Engineering from IIT Bombay with a 9.2 GPA and spent 5 years at Google as a Product Manager, your profile screams analytical competence. Admissions committees don't need a 730 GMAT to verify you can handle quantitative coursework.
Similarly, computer science grads from top institutions with strong GPAs and FAANG work experience qualify easily for waivers at most programs.
If your undergraduate degree is in English Literature, Psychology, or Political Science and your career has been in marketing, communications, or HR roles with minimal quantitative responsibilities, skipping the GMAT is strategic suicide.
Admissions committees will question your ability to handle financial accounting, corporate finance, operations management, and quantitative methods courses. Without a test score proving mathematical capability, your application carries unquantified risk. Committees reject unquantified risk.
If your undergrad GPA is below 3.0, a strong GMAT score is your redemption path. A 720 GMAT with a 2.8 GPA tells a story: "I underperformed in college but I've matured and can now execute at high levels." A test waiver with a 2.8 GPA tells a different story: "I underperformed in college and I'm avoiding additional scrutiny."
The GMAT is explicitly designed to give candidates with weak academic records a second chance to prove capability. Choosing not to take that second chance when you need it most is strategic malpractice.
If you're targeting Ross, Stern, Darden, or Johnson — programs that rank between 10 and 20 nationally and receive 5000 plus applications annually — and you're competing against applicants with 3.8 GPAs and 10 years at McKinsey, your waiver application better be flawless.
Even minor weaknesses in your profile — slightly lower GPA, less prestigious undergrad institution, shorter work experience, less quantitative career path — get magnified in the absence of a test score. A 710 GMAT erases those questions immediately. A waiver leaves them unanswered.
Princeton University either waives the GRE or makes it optional for most graduate programs including Computer Science, Engineering, Biophysics, and Finance. Stony Brook University waived GRE requirements for Data Science, Psychology, and Accounting for Fall and Spring 2026. Boston University no longer requires GRE scores for most programs at its Metropolitan College.
For MS in Computer Science applicants, the calculation differs from MBA. If you have a BS in Computer Science from a top-50 university with a 3.7 plus GPA, multiple internships at tech companies, and strong letters of recommendation from faculty, the GRE adds minimal value. Your undergraduate transcript and coding portfolio provide stronger evidence of graduate-level readiness.
However, if you're applying to Stanford CS, MIT EECS, or CMU Robotics Institute, test scores remain critical differentiators. These programs receive 10000 plus applications for 150-200 spots. A 330 GRE doesn't guarantee admission, but its absence when competing candidates have it puts you at a disadvantage.
For international students, test waivers carry hidden risk. Admissions committees use GRE Verbal scores as proxies for English proficiency beyond TOEFL or IELTS. A GRE Verbal score of 160 plus signals strong English capability. A waiver application from an international student without GRE Verbal creates uncertainty about English fluency even if TOEFL scores meet minimum thresholds.
Take the test if:
Request waiver if:
The gray zone (do both):
Test-optional does not mean test-blind. When 41 percent of admitted students at top programs voluntarily submit scores despite waivers being available, that's market signaling. Those students know something: test scores still matter.
The test-optional movement was born from COVID-era necessity, not pedagogical conviction. As testing normalizes and more data emerges showing standardized tests predict MBA success better than undergraduate GPA alone, the pendulum is swinging back. In 2025, seven selective schools reinstated testing requirements: Penn, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Ohio State, Auburn, Alabama, and Miami. That's 400000 additional applications that now require test scores.
Is taking GMAT or GRE worth it in 2026? For most applicants targeting top 20 MBA programs or competitive MS programs, yes. The exam provides quantified proof of academic readiness that no combination of essays, recommendations, and GPA can fully replicate. It's insurance against unknown weaknesses in your application that you may not even recognize.
Test-optional exists. But test-optional doesn't mean test-irrelevant. It means the committee will evaluate your application without it — and then compare your waiver application to candidates who submitted 730 GMAT scores with similar profiles. If you were the admissions officer, who would you admit?
The answer to that question is the answer to whether the test is worth it.