The Graduate Record Exam or GRE is a standardised exam for students seeking admission to graduate and business graduate schools across the globe. The GRE scores are acknowledged in various English-speaking countries and especially in the USA. More than a hundred thousand students take this examination every year from about 160 countries across the globe. If you are aiming at a specialised courses such as MBA, MS, MEM, or a doctoral degree, then this is the exam you must prepare for.
Conducted by the Educational Trust Service (ETS), GRE comes with a revised general test and seven GRE subject tests that assess your familiarity with the field of study you intend to apply for.
The level of exam: This exam is conducted at an international level across 1000 centres around the world.
GRE eligibility: The eligibility criteria to appear for this exam is flexible. There is no particular qualification or age bar required for this exam. What you need to keep in mind is the admission standards put down by the institution you are applying for.
GRE pattern: It has a modern format as you can take it on a computer. However, there are certain GRE test centres where you may have to write a paper-based test in the absence of computers. This exam usually takes 3 hours and 40 minutes to complete. The test incorporates six sections with a short 10-minutes break after the third section.
GRE Syllabus: The exam follows two formats. The syllabus varies from one test to another.
- The GRE General Test Format: This format measures your standard of verbal reasoning, critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing.
- GRE Subject Test Format: The subject test focuses on your expertise in your preferred field of study.
GRE Dates: This test is available all year round at Prometric exam centres. As it is a computer-based test, it is easy to retake it more than once if required. This test can be taken once in every 21 days. Again, your trials must last up to 5 times in a period of 12 months. The same policy applies even if you cancel the score achieved in the previous exams. In order to find a suitable date, you must first create a GRE account and register for an available date.
GRE Scores: The GRE official scores are mailed to you within 10-15 days from the date of the test. Your scores are reported in the following way:
Sections |
Score Scale |
Point of increment |
Verbal Reasoning |
130-170 |
1 point increment |
Quantitative Reasoning |
130-170 |
1 point increment |
Analytical Writing |
0-6 |
½ point increment |
GRE sample papers: The sample papers offered are available in the three main sections of the test, namely quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and verbal reasoning.
Your GRE scores are valid for 5 years since the year of the test. Again, you can always request for a re-score within 3 months from your date of the test. The GRE scores are accepted by thousands of business and graduate schools across the world.