Everything you know about GRE
Administered and conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a test taken by students who wish to pursue a master’s or PhD program in the US. It is amongst the toughest exams in the world.
April 29, 2022
THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF GRES.
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If you are planning to appear for a GRE test in order to pursue your study abroad dreams but are confused about whether you require GRE scores for your application then the following information may clear things up for you.
- Students planning to pursue MS courses, MBA courses, professional degree programs or aiming for a prgram that includes thesis work are required to dubmit their GRE scores.
- There is also a wide demand for GRE scores in lieu of the GMAT exams by business schools.
- Many law schools are alos accepting GRE scores in the USA in alternative to LSATs.
The right time to undertake the GRE exam
- Candidates should note that the GRE exams which can be taken through an online computer test and the ones undertaken at home are available thorugh the entire year.
- More specifically, the right time to appear for the GRE exam is after preparing it for 60-90 days prior to their university application deadlines.
GRE Exam Dates 2022
From 31st October 2020, GRE Exam dates are available seven days a week. For GRE General Tests 2022, tests are available round the clock, seven days a week, with appointments as recent as 24 hours after you register. It is advised to book a slot for the exam at least 3 months before your university application deadline.
Eligibility Criteria
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Components |
Details |
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GRE Eligibility |
No specific eligibility criteria have been mentioned for this exam. |
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Nationality |
Since this exam is a standardised test for pursuing masters in various countries, there is no restriction on nationality. |
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Age Limit |
Applicants should be 18 years or above. |
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Academic Qualifications |
Graduate Degree |
Exam Pattern
As discussed, GRE is conducted both in online and offline modes. While verbal reasoning deals with reading comprehension and vocabulary, quantitative reasoning assesses basic high school level maths. In the analytical writing section, your essay writing skills are tested. Though the number of sections remains the same, the pattern in both cases differs slightly. Here is the GRE exam pattern of both paper-based and online tests.
GRE Exam Pattern & Score Range
Computer-Based
A total duration of 3 hours 45 minutes is allotted for this test and a 10-minute break is also given after completing the 3rd section. Apart from the sections mentioned above, there are two more parts to the online GRE exam:
- Unidentified Unscored Section – It comes after the analytical part. The primary objective of this section is to test you for future general tests. Thus, the score is not added to your final marks.
- Identified Research Section – This score obtained is not added to the final score and the questions are only added for ETS research purpose.
Paper-Based
With the same three sections, this exam concludes in 3 hours 30 minutes. This test starts with the analytical section but unlike the GRE General Test, you can attempt the reasoning and verbal section in the order of your preference.
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Sections |
Syllabus |
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Analytical Writing |
The primary objective of this section is to test how effectively a student can summarise complex ideas in an easy yet concise way. |
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Verbal Reasoning |
The topics under this section include: Idioms, vocabulary, parallelism, critical reasoning, reading comprehension, nouns, pronouns and adjectives, text completion, verbs and tenses, subject-verb agreement and pronoun agreement |
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Quantitative Reasoning |
In this section, the questions asked are generally from topics like geometry, algebra, and data analysis. To understand this topic, you can read our blog on the GRE quant syllabus. |
How to Calculate GRE Scores?
Understanding the process of GRE score evaluation is essential in order to assess your errors. The section-wise score range and increments have been given a rundown in the table below.
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Sections |
Score Scale |
Increments |
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Analytical Writing |
0-6 |
Half-Point |
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Quantitative Reasoning |
130-170 |
1-Point |
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Verbal Reasoning |
130-170 |
1-Point |
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GRE Subject Test |
200-990 |
10-Points |
