What is GRE?

The GRE General Test is one of the world’s largest assessment programs for graduate admissions and the exam is conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Over half-a-million individuals from over 160 countries take the GRE General Test every year, in 1,000 test centres set up across the globe by the ETS. GRE scores of candidates are accepted by thousands of graduate programs around the world, for Masters and Doctorate degrees.

More than 1200 business schools around the world accept the GRE scores. According to The Financial Times, U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek top-ranked MBA programmes along with a handful of US law schools acknowledge and accept GRE scores as a criterion for the selection of applicants.

Why take the GRE Exam?

Apart from being one of the most commonly accepted exams by universities for getting accepted into graduate programs, students who intend on pursuing a Masters, MBA, or Ph.D. are also required to appear for the GRE General Test. Also, students appear for the GRE exam to secure a merit-based scholarship for grad school as the GRE Test is accepted by thousands of graduate schools across the world.

GRE General Test

Candidates are evaluated on their analytical writing,quantiative ability,and verbal reasoning skills

GRE Subject Test

Candidates are evaluated on their grasp of particular subjects like:Mathematics,Literature(English),Physics and Psychology,Biology,Chemistry,and Biochemistry(Cell and Molecular Biology)

*The GRE General Test is offered year-round as a computer-delivered test in most locations around the world.The Paper-delivered GER General Test is offered upt to twice a year in regions of the world where computer-delivered testing is not available for the candidates.

The pattern

No.of Sections Duration No.of Sections Duration

Analytical Writing

2 sections-2 tasks

60 minutes

1 section-two tasks

60 minutes

Verbal Reasoning

2 sections-50 questions

70 minutes

2 section-40 questions

60 minutes

Quantitative Reasoning

2 sections-50 questions

80 minutes

2 section-40 questions

70 minutes

Unscored

NA

NA

Varies

Varies

Research

NA

NA

Varies

Varies

GRE BASICS

Eligibility Criteria

Students should have an undergraduate degree before applying for admission without which the scores would be void.

Specifics Details

GRE Eligibility

As such, there are no set eligibility criteria for GRE

Nationality

GRE is a global level examination which is available for students from all across the world. There are no restrictions regarding nationality.

Age Limit

Candidates who are willing to apply for the GRE test should be 18 years old. 

Number of Attempts

Candidates can take the GRE test once every 21 days up to 5 times in a year. This is in case you missed the actual test date. This applies even if you cancelled your scores on a test taken previously. 

Academic Qualification

The minimum educational qualification for GRE is an undergraduate degree from a recognized university. 

General Facts

Date and Frequency

The test can be taken once every 21 days, up to five times within any continuous enrolment for a period of 12 months.

Centre and Admit Card

The GRE test is conducted in over 1000 tests centres across the world. Applicants can select a test centre based on their convenience. 

Result

The GRE test results are usually made available within 10 -15 calendar days. Test takers can get their GRE results online or from the test centre where they appeared for the test. An email notification would be sent to candidates when their test results are out by the ETS, the conducting body of GRE

Score Reporting

GRE test candidates are allowed to send their scores to four graduate schools. Candidates would have to select the four institutions to which they would like to apply for at the time of registration through the Score Select option.

Score Validity

5 Years

I.GENERAL TEST

Analytical writing
Questions
2
Duration
60 minutes
Score
0-6

Analytical writing has two sections-Analyse an issues task and analyse an argument task.The time given to complete these sections vareies

Verbal Reasoning
Questions
40
Duration
60 minutes
Score
130-170

Verbal reasoning has two sections.Each section has 20 questions and candidates are given 30 minutes on each section.

Quantitative Reasoning
Questions
40
Duration
70 minutes
Score
130-170

Quantitative reasoning has two sections.Each section has 20 questions and candidates are given 35 minutes on each section.

II.SUBJECT TEST

Chemistry
Questions
130
Duration
170 minutes
Score
200-990

The content of the test is organizes into four major areas-analytical chemistry,inorganic chemistry,organic chemistry and physical chemistry.

Biology
Questions
188
Duration
170 minutes
Score
200-990

The content of the test is organizes into three major areas-cellular and molecular biology organisaml biology,organism biology,and ecology and evalution.

Psychology
Questions
205
Duration
170 minutes
Score
200-990

The test cover six areas-biological cognitive,social,development,clinical,measurement psychology.

How to Prepare for GRE Online?

GRE conducted by Educational Testing Service (ETS) evaluates candidates on the basis of their Analytical Writing, Reasoning and Quantitative aptitude. One must know the entire GRE exam pattern and GRE syllabus before starting their preparation. A popular question, likely to arise in the minds of aspirants is – What would be the apt mode for GRE preparations? To save time and effort of going to coaching classes, online platforms are gaining popularity in modern times for test preparations. Let us explore how to prepare for GRE online, through this blog!

GRE Exam Pattern 

The GRE is a common test for admission into graduate school. It is possible to score a 320+ in GRE. This entirely depends on the candidate and he time they spend each day to prepare and revise important topics. Hence it’s vital to stick to the exam pattern. The GRE pattern as mentioned earlier is split into:

  • Analytical Writing 

  • Quantitative Reasoning

  • Verbal reasoning

Tips and Tricks for GRE Online Preparation

Here are some of the fundamental principles that the candidate should strictly adhere to, while they go about their preparation for GRE online:

  • Enrol yourself to online e-learning courses which are easily accessible

  • Complete practice tests daily and keep track of your progress accurately

  • Take a mock exam and based on the results, analyse where improvement would be beneficial

  • Use brief study materials to supplement the lectures

  • The help of instructors can be utilised to help you comprehend even the most complex problems in easy-to-understand ways

  • Watch sample videos helping you inculcate a better understanding of important concepts of the quant section

  • Download e-books to practice on the verbal and quant section of the GREs 

  • Have the habit of picking up the newspaper and reading it every single day to help improve your prowess over the English language

FAQs

As per the guidelines set by the ETS, candidates are not permitted to take the GRE online from the comfort of home. Hence they are expected to take the test on a computer in a testing centre assigned at the time of their registration. The digital exam and the paper-delivered test take over three hours to complete.

Obtaining a score of 320 is decent. Students score this much after a lot toiling for days and adhering to a strict schedule which involves a lot of hard work and practice. The admission to any university does not solely depend on your GRE score but also on your overall profile and performance. Leverage Edu can help you in getting a 320+ as well as in building an excellent profile. 

The scores obtained for GRE is valid for a time span of 5 years from the date of the test taken by the candidate. In the duration of a year, a candidate can take the test only 5 times split by a gap of at least 16 days.

There is no age bar for taking the GREs. You can take the exam when you want and a passport is required in order to take the exam. There are no specific eligibility criteria while taking the GRE test to pursue a master’s degree.

Since there are no negative markings, it is advised that the candidate answer every question. When you are taking the computer-delivered GRE General Test; you can skip questions which are difficult to answer.