I'd be interested to get an opinion on the board about the viability of taking the GRE instead of the GMAT for somebody who is applying to dual degree MBA/JD programs.

I'm particularly interested in said programs at NYU, Georgetown, and Penn.

I've already taken the LSAT and have scored competitively for these programs (172).

Now I am looking at the MBA side of the admissions, and it seems that these schools will take either the GRE or the GMAT. From looking at the tests, I think I could do much better on the GRE than the GMAT, with minimal preparation. This would be ideal for me.

My question is would taking the GRE instead of the GMAT be a handicap for admission to these programs?

I usually advise most applicants to take the GMAT over the GRE, since it's more widely used for directly comparing candidates (how many MBA programs list statistics for average GRE scores?) You really want to make it easy for the admissions people.

That said, if you've had, through your work or your education, substantial exposure to quantitative tools, and you've done well with them, I suppose the GRE would be fine.

Keep in mind that some schools actually require the GMAT for MBA/JD candidates (I think Northwestern/Kellogg is one, for instance).