The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test is a standardized test used by many graduate, business and law schools around the world as part of their admissions process. It measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills developed over time.
GRE General Test Structure
The current GRE General Test includes three main areas: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning. The total testing time is approximately 1 hour and 58 minutes.
The Analytical Writing section comes first and includes one “Analyze an Issue” task lasting 30 minutes.
The Verbal Reasoning section is divided into two parts with a total of 27 questions. The first section contains 12 questions and lasts 18 minutes, while the second contains 15 questions and lasts 23 minutes.
The Quantitative Reasoning section is also divided into two parts with a total of 27 questions. The first section contains 12 questions and lasts 21 minutes, while the second contains 15 questions and lasts 26 minutes.
Verbal Reasoning
The Verbal Reasoning section measures a candidate’s ability to understand written material, analyse arguments, draw conclusions, identify important information and understand relationships between words and concepts.
Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative Reasoning section measures the ability to understand and analyse quantitative information, solve problems using mathematical models and apply concepts from arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis.
Analytical Writing
The Analytical Writing section measures the ability to express complex ideas clearly, support arguments with relevant reasons and examples, organise ideas effectively and use standard written English.
GRE Scoring
The GRE General Test does not use a single total score.
Verbal Reasoning is scored from 130 to 170, Quantitative Reasoning is scored from 130 to 170, and Analytical Writing is scored from 0 to 6 in half-point increments.
Official GRE scores are generally available approximately 8–10 days after the test date and remain reportable for five years.
Test Format
The GRE General Test uses a section-level adaptive format for Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning. Performance in the first section helps determine the difficulty level of the second section.
Within a section, candidates can move forward and backward, review questions, change answers and mark questions to return to later if time remains.
GRE Subject Tests
GRE Subject Tests are separate from the GRE General Test and are designed to measure knowledge in specific academic fields. Their content, structure and scoring systems are different from those of the GRE General Test.