GRE
Standard admission test for master's, PhD and increasingly MBA and law programmes in the US, Canada, Europe and Singapore. Scores are valid for five years.
Eligibility
ETS sets no educational or age criteria — anyone may register. In practice it is taken by final-year undergraduates and graduates applying for postgraduate study abroad. In India a valid passport is the only accepted identity document at the centre. You may attempt it once every 21 days, up to five times in a rolling 12-month period.
Age limit: None
Exam pattern
Computer-based, section-level adaptive test lasting about 1 hour 58 minutes (the shortened format introduced in September 2023). It has one Analytical Writing task ('Analyse an Issue', 30 minutes), two Verbal Reasoning sections (27 questions, 41 minutes total) and two Quantitative Reasoning sections (27 questions, 47 minutes total). Your performance on the first Verbal/Quant section decides the difficulty of the second. There is no negative marking and no experimental section; an on-screen calculator is provided for Quant. Scoring is 130-170 per section (total 260-340) plus 0-6 for the essay, and ScoreSelect lets you choose which attempt to send.
Syllabus at a glance
Verbal Reasoning covers reading comprehension, text completion and sentence equivalence, testing vocabulary in context. Quantitative Reasoning covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data interpretation at roughly Class 10 level but with tricky quantitative-comparison framing. Analytical Writing asks for one argued essay on an issue prompt.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Open year-round via your ETS account (book 4-6 weeks ahead for peak Sept-Dec slots) | confirmed |
| Test dates | Year-round, at centres and GRE at Home | confirmed |
| Revised fee of US$249 in effect | Since 1 Aug 2026 | confirmed |
| Score release | 8-10 days after each 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
- 5 lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems — Manhattan Prep
- Official GRE Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions — ETS
- Word Power Made Easy — Norman Lewis (vocabulary foundation)
How toppers play it
- The second Verbal and Quant sections adapt to your first-section performance — accuracy early in the test raises your scoring ceiling, so do not rush section one.
- There is no negative marking and you can mark, skip and return within a section: never leave a question blank, and bank easy questions first.
- Learn vocabulary in context (text completion and sentence equivalence), not as isolated word lists — GregMat's approach plus Magoosh flashcards covers most tested words.
- Use the on-screen calculator sparingly in Quant; quantitative-comparison questions are usually faster with estimation and logic.
- Plan retakes around the 21-day gap and use ScoreSelect so universities only see your best attempt.