Graduate Record Examinations

GRE test stands for Graduate Record Examinations. There are two types of GRE tests: GRE General Test and GRE Subject test

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GRE general test: The GRE General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study. The GRE General Test is required by many graduate and professional schools in the U.S and is an important criterion for admission to their graduate programmes. Applicants must submit their GRE scores together with certain other records/requirements as part of the process of admission to graduate schools. The GRE is administered by Educational Testing Services (ETS). ETS is responsible for conducting the GRE test under the guidance of the college education board of the U.S. GRE is a multiple-choice Computer Adaptive test and it is a mandatory for students seeking Masters Degree or PhD degrees in the USA for most of the Universities.

Test pattern

• Verbal section

The skills measured include the test taker’s ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it analyze relationships among component parts of sentences recognize relationships between words and concepts.
30 questions in 30 mins
Score range: 200 – 800 Analogies, Antonyms, Sentence Completion, Reading Comprehension


Quantitative Section


The skills measured include the test taker’s ability to understand basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis reason quantitatively to solve problems in a quantitative setting
28 questions in 45 mins
Score range: 200 – 800
Quantitative Comparison, Discrete Math, Data Interpretation
Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) The skills measured include the test taker’s ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively examine claims and accompanying evidence. Ability to support ideas with relevant reasons and examples, sustain a well-focused coherent discussion and control the elements of standard written English
2 essays
Analysis of an Issue (45 mins.)
Analysis of an Argument (30 mins.)
Total score range for the test: 400 – 1600 (Verbal + Quantitative); 0 – 6 (AWA)
The GRE® scores are technically valid for five years However, most of the top universities do not consider scores more than two years old.