The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test

The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test is a multiple-choice admission test for applicants to graduate schools primarily in the USA, UK and Canada. The test is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), under the sponsorship of the Graduate Record Examinations Board. The GRE is a computer-adaptive test (CAT) and therefore attempts to measure the test taker’s true ability by selecting questions based on previous answers. GRE consists of three scored sections:

Test Section	Verbal	Quant	AWA*
Type of questions	Sentence completion Analogies Antonyms Reading comprehension	Problem solving Quant comparisons Graph based questions	Perspectives on an issue Analysis of an argument
Marks	800	800	0-6(Graded) 1+1
No. of Questions	30	28	1+1
Time	30 min	45 min	45 min + 30 min = 75 min

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) – Two essays are to be drafted on the computer. One will be an Analysis of an Issue (45 minutes) and the other an Analysis of an argument (30 minutes). The test taker will need to exhibit ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively, examine claims and accompanying evidence and support ideas with relevant reasons and examples. The essays are marked twice: first by a computer software program and then by a human with the final score being an average of the two marks.

Verbal – One 30-minute, 30-question Verbal section. The test will check whether the test taker is able to Analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it. The test taker also needs to prove his/her expertise in analyzing relationships among component parts of sentences and recognizing relationships between words and concepts.

Math – One 45-minute, 28-question Math section. The test will check whether the test taker has understanding of basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. The test will also check quantitative reasoning abilities of the test taker.

For information on The New GRE, click here.

For GRE historical scoring trends, click here.

For some insights into the GRE, click here.

For the most common mistakes made by GRE test-takers in India, click here.