Overview

Graduate Record Examination

The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is a standardized test that is widely used for graduate school admissions in the United States and other countries. It is owned, published, and developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a non-profit organization. The GRE assesses the academic readiness of applicants for graduate-level studies and comprises the GRE General Test and the GRE Subject Tests.

GRE General Test

The GRE General Test is a comprehensive, approximately four-hour assessment that evaluates a candidate’s skills in three key areas: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. The test measures the ability to analyze and evaluate written material, solve quantitative problems, and articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively.

The test is typically taken by applicants to graduate programs and serves as a predictor of academic performance in graduate-level coursework. It is also accepted by many business schools for MBA program admissions.

Each section of the GRE General Test is scored as follows:

• Verbal Reasoning: 130–170 points

• Quantitative Reasoning: 130–170 points

• Analytical Writing: 0–6 points

The test is divided into six sections, structured as follows:

• Analytical Writing: Two tasks, 30 minutes each

• Verbal Reasoning (Two Sections): 20 questions per section, 30 minutes per section

• Quantitative Reasoning (Two Sections): 20 questions per section, 35 minutes per section

• Unscored/Research Section: Varies in content and duration

GRE Subject Tests

The GRE Subject Tests are one-hour, multiple-choice assessments that focus on specific disciplines such as Biology, Chemistry, Literature in English, Mathematics, and Physics. These tests assess a candidate’s knowledge and skills in a specific subject area, providing an opportunity for applicants to demonstrate subject matter expertise to potential graduate schools.

Graduate programs may require or recommend Subject Tests for admissions, particularly for specialized or competitive programs. Scores from these tests, along with academic records and other relevant application materials, provide a comprehensive view of an applicant’s preparedness for advanced study in a particular field.