Last Updated: November 05, 2023
GRE (Graduate Record Examination)
The Graduate Record Examination is a test used to compare an applicant's skills in verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking which are critical for success at the graduate level. GRE (General Test) is widely accepted worldwide (160+ countries) and in thousands of graduate and business schools/Universities.
Numerous modifications have been made to the GRE general and subject tests as of September 22, 2023. Since the COVID pandemic, there are also GRE at-home tests available. The test scores will be available for 5 years all after the test date and can be used by the student to send additional reports whenever necessary for a nominal fee.
About the GRE Test
- GRE General Test consists of three sections- Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing.
- The section on Verbal and Quantitative reasoning has two subsections, while the section on analytical writing has just one.
- Some graduate programs may require a GRE subject score.
- There are GRE Subject Tests which measure the student’s excellence in a particular subject. The subjects offered by the GRE are Biology, Literature in English, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology.
- After completing the exam, students can send their scores to four universities even before availing of the Scoreselect option.
Why is the GRE Test needed?
Candidates planning to pursue a graduate degree (Master's or Ph.D.) might need to take the GRE, especially if they are planning to study in the US. GRE is now accepted by most colleges for MBA programs and some Law programs are also accepting GRE scores in lieu of LSAT scores. For some colleges/programs it's an optional test but all the same, it is highly recommended for international students.
Achieving a decent GRE score is not mandatory for applying to colleges most of the time. However, having the score report increases the chances of getting admission all the same since it shows the dedication of the student and also acts as an extra marker through which they can assess the abilities of the student in question.
Cost of Taking GRE Test
The following is the price of the GRE and other services:
Services | Fee (in U.S.$) |
Registration | Mainland China-$231.30 All other countries-$220 |
Rescheduling | Mainland China-$53.90 All other countries-$50 |
Test Date Changes | $50 |
Additional Score Report | $35 per recipient |
Question-Answers Review-Verbal and Quantitative Section | $50 (New York State Residents only) |
Score Review for Analytical Writing Section | $60 |
Score Reinstatement | $50 |
FORMS OF PAYMENT
Modes of online payments include:
- Credit/Debit Card (American Express, Diners Club International, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, RuPay Global, UnionPay or VISA)
- PayPal
- Authorized Vouchers
Candidates can call the following numbers to finish the process if they are unable to make payments online:
- U.S., Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Canadian Residents, call toll-free number-1866-473-4373 or 1-609-771-7670.
- Residents of all other countries, call appropriate Regional Customer Support.
GRE Test Structure
The GRE General Test can take up to 3 hours and forty 45 minutes in total. The directions at the beginning of each section specify the total number of questions in the section and the time allowed for the section. There are three main sections: two sub-sections each for the verbal and quantitative sections. No optional breaks are offered.
Section | Number of Questions | Time Allotted |
Analytical Writing | One 'Analyze an Issue' task* | 30 minutes |
Quantitative Reasoning | Section 1-12 questions Section 2-15 questions | Section 1-18 minutes Section 2- 23 minutes |
Verbal Reasoning | Section 1-12 questions Section 2-15 questions | Section 1-21 minutes Section 2-26 minutes |
- The Analytical section is always the first section and the other sections (verbal and quant.) can be in any order.
- For the Issue task, two essay topics are presented and the candidates can choose any one. d, and it is always at the end of the test.
Differences Between the Old and New Test Structures
As of September 22, 2023, the GRE general and subject tests have undergone numerous changes. The following are the variations between the old and new test structures:
Basis | Old Test Structure | New Test Structure |
Number of Sections | 3 Sections | 3 Sections |
Number of Sub-Sections | Analytical Writing-2 Quantitative Reasoning-2 Sections Verbal Reasoning-2 Sections | Analytical Writing-1 Section Quantitative Section-2 Sections Verbal Section-2 Sections |
Total Number of Questions | 80 Questions, 2 Tasks | 54 Questions, 1 Task |
Number of Questions per Section | Analytical Writing-2 Tasks Quantitative Reasoning-Section 1-20 Questions, Section 2- 20 Questions Verbal Reasoning-Section 1-20 Questions, Section 2- 20 Questions | Analytical Writing-1 Task Quantitative Reasoning-Section 1-12 Questions, Section 2-15 Questions Verbal Reasoning-Section 1- 12 Questions, Section 2-15 Questions |
Total Time Allotted | 3 Hours 45 minutes | 1 Hour 58 minutes |
Time Limit per Section | Analytical Writing- 30 minutes/Task Quantitative Reasoning- 30 minutes/Section Verbal Reasoning- 35 minutes/Section | Analytical Writing- 30 minutes/Task Quantitative Reasoning- Section 1-18 minutes, Section 2-23 minutes Verbal Reasoning- Section 1- 21 minutes, Section 2- 26 minutes |
Optional Breaks | The test has 10 minutes off after the third section and 1 minute off for the remaining sections | No such breaks |
Official Score Reports
Eight to ten days following the test date, candidates' ETS accounts will have access to their official GRE General Test results. When the scores are available, they will receive an email from ETS. Additionally, on test day, the candidate will designate the recipients of their scores, and ETS will send an official Institution Score Report to them. The content of the score report is as follows:
- Name, phone number, and email address
- Birthdate
- Gender
- Planned Graduate Major
- Date(s) of Examination
- The GRE test score(s) and the corresponding percentile ranks
- The cumulative record of scores reported within the last five years
Official score reports sent to the institutions candidates designate include:
- Contact details (name, address, phone number, email) for candidates
- Dates of birth
- Gender
- Intended graduate major, field of study
- GRE test dates, scores, and scores candidates choose to report using the ScoreSelect option, along with the corresponding percentile ranks.
GRE Scoring - How is GRE scored?
The score for the GRE General Test includes:
Section | Scores Reported |
Verbal Reasoning | 130 - 170 |
Quantitative Reasoning | 130 - 170 |
Analytical Writing | 0 - 6 |
- Immediately following the test, candidates will be able to view their unofficial Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning section scores. Unofficial test results cannot be printed by test centers.
- Official GRE General test score reports will be sent to the designated recipients within 10 to 15 days of the test's administration, and candidates can access them through their ETS account.
- Additionally, students have the option to Score Select, which allows them to choose which test results to submit to the colleges of their choice.
- GRE scores are valid for five years.
- Candidates can take the GRE revised General Test (computer-based) only once every 21 days, and no more than five times within any continuous rolling 12-month period. This applies even if they have canceled their scores on a test taken previously. Candidates who choose to only take the paper-based GRE revised General Test may take it as often as it is offered.
Comparing New Score to the Old Score
There are a few warnings from ETS regarding the use of these GRE score conversion charts. There are some cases where multiple different scores on the old GRE concord to the same score on the new GRE because the old GRE had 61 different possible score points (200-800, 10-point increments) while the current GRE only has 41 possible score points (130-170, 1 point increments).
This GRE Score Scale will help students compare old and new scores by themselves.
Which Programs Accept GRE Scores?
GRE is widely accepted for graduate programs (for many majors). For professional degree courses, it is popular in Engineering, Science, Stats, Mathematics etc. The GRE General Test is now accepted by more than 500 business schools worldwide including top schools like Harvard, MIT, Wharton, and INSEAD for their MBA programs. In the last few years, the number of business schools accepting the GRE General Test for MBA admissions has quadrupled. Law Schools also accept the GRE Score report.
To view the list of accredited colleges and fellowship providers across various nations, CLICK HERE.
Some Facts about GRE Test
- Candidates who have taken the GRE multiple times can send their scores from any test date either their current score or a score from the previous exam. There will be no mention of other scores in the score report.
- A basic calculator (non-scientific) is available for the GRE Quantitative section. This calculator will be available on the screen during the computer-based test.
- Maximum Score for the Verbal and Quantitative sections are 170 each.
- Analytical writing score will be reported on a 0-6 score scale, in half-point increments.
- GRE is required by universities in North America (the USA and Canada).
- Most Universities require a General GRE for admission to MS, MCA, Msc. and M Tech. Many Business schools now accept GRE scores for admission to the MBA program.
- For all Engineering Students GRE Quantitative is most important for best results GRE Quantitative must be well above 165 and the GRE Verbal above 155.
- For Law Schools, the average GRE score is 165 in the Quantitative Section and 167 in the Verbal Section.
- MBA aspirants should get an average score of 162 in the Verbal Section and 165 in the Quantitative Section to get admission to a good Business School.
- There is no penalty for wrong answers.
- One can review, move forward, edit/change answers, etc. within a section.