The GRE comes in two different formats; a General Test, and subject-specific tests.
GRE General Test
It is roughly a 4-hour long test split between three sections: Analytical Writing (AWA), Verbal Reasoning (VR) and Quantitative Reasoning (QR). Both the verbal and quant sections have a scoring ranging between 130 to 170, and the Writing section is graded on a scale from 0.0 to 6.0, in 0.5-point increments.
Here’s what each section measures:
- Verbal Reasoning — Measures your ability to analyze and draw conclusions from discourse, reason from incomplete data, understand multiple levels of meaning, such as literal, figurative and author’s intent, summarize text, distinguish major from minor points, understand the meanings of words, sentences and entire texts, and understand relationships among words and among concepts.
- Quantitative Reasoning — Measures your ability to understand, interpret and analyze quantitative information, solve problems using mathematical models, and apply the basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis.
- Analytical Writing — Measures your critical thinking and analytical writing skills, including the ability to articulate and support complex ideas with relevant reasons and examples, and examine claims and accompanying evidence. There is an emphasis on analytical writing skills.
GRE General Test Structure (Computer Based)
Measure | Questions | Allotted Time |
Analytical Writing (One section with two separately timed tasks) | One “Analyze an Issue” task and one “Analyze an Argument” task | 30 minutes per task |
Verbal Reasoning (Two sections) | 20 questions per section | 30 minutes per task |
Quantitative Reasoning (Two sections) | 20 questions per section | 35 minutes per section |
Unscored | Varies | Varies |
Research | Varies | Varies |
The Unscored and Research sections don’t count towards your score. They’re included for testing to put in future exams and research purposes respectively.
GRE Subject Tests
The GRE Subject Tests measure your knowledge of a particular field of study.The Subject Tests can help you stand out from other applicants by emphasizing your knowledge and skill level in a specific area.
Each test takes about 2 hours and 50 minutes to complete.
You can choose to take a Subject Test if you have an undergraduate major or extensive background in one of these six disciplines:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Literature in English
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Psychology
Note: You can only take the GRE Subject Tests on Paper. Each test has a unique syllabus. You can check it out on this webpage