GRE
Admission to Master of Science (MS), PhD and many Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes abroad, chiefly in the USA, Canada and Europe. Scores are valid for five years.
Eligibility
ETS sets no educational qualification or age bar — anyone may register, though universities expect a Bachelor's degree at the time of admission. In India a valid passport is mandatory as identification. You may take the GRE once every 21 days, up to five times in any rolling 12-month period.
Age limit: None
Exam pattern
Computer-based and section-adaptive, lasting 1 hour 58 minutes since the September 2023 shortening. It has one Analytical Writing task (Analyse an Issue, 30 minutes), two Verbal Reasoning sections (27 questions, 41 minutes) and two Quantitative Reasoning sections (27 questions, 47 minutes). Your performance on the first Verbal/Quant section decides the difficulty — and score ceiling — of the second. There is no negative marking, and an on-screen calculator is provided in Quant. Verbal and Quant are scored 130–170 each (total 260–340) and the essay 0–6; ScoreSelect lets you choose which attempts universities see.
Syllabus at a glance
Verbal Reasoning covers reading comprehension, text completion and sentence equivalence — essentially vocabulary in context and dense academic reading. Quantitative Reasoning covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis at roughly Class 10 level, but with tricky, logic-heavy wording including Quantitative Comparison questions. Analytical Writing requires one well-argued essay on a given issue.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Open year-round — book any available slot via your ETS account | confirmed |
| Test dates | Continuous through 2026 — slots on most days at centres and at home | confirmed |
| Peak-season booking | Book Aug–Nov 2026 slots 4–6 weeks ahead (Fall 2027 application rush) | expected |
| Score release | 8–10 days after your test date | confirmed |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- The Official Guide to the GRE General Test — ETS
- Official GRE Verbal Reasoning & Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions (2 volumes) — ETS
- 5 lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems — Manhattan Prep
- GRE Strategy Guides (set) — Manhattan Prep
- Word Power Made Easy — Norman Lewis (vocabulary foundation)
How toppers play it
- The test is section-adaptive: accuracy on the first Verbal and Quant sections unlocks the harder second sections, which is where 160+ scores live — never coast early.
- There is no negative marking, so answer every question; use the mark-and-review flags to bank easy marks first and return to time-sinks.
- Verbal is won on vocabulary in context — drill text completion and sentence equivalence with high-frequency word lists rather than rote dictionary lists.
- Quant is Class 10 maths wrapped in traps: master Quantitative Comparison logic (test extreme values) instead of grinding lengthy calculations, and lean on the on-screen calculator sparingly.
- Take both POWERPREP tests under strict timing at the same time of day as your real slot, and keep the 21-day retake gap in mind when planning around university deadlines.