All About GRE

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is conducted by Educational Testing Services (ETS). The exam is a pre-requisite for admissions to various graduate schools in US and other European countries. The exam tests a students skills in Reasoning- Logical and Analytical and Quantitative Aptitude.

The test is both computer based and pen- paper based test. One can choose the mode of test while registering. The score of the test is valid for 5 years. However, one can take the test again after 21 days from the day of the exam. Candidates have to choose the date slot and the center of examination while registering.  Candidates who want to take the test again have to nullify their previous score before registering for the test again. The application fee of GRE is 195$ (US).

The duration of the test is 3 hours 45 mins. The test consists of three sections namely- Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative reasoning and Analytical writing. These sections are further sub divided into two sections. The verbal Reasoning section has two sections with 20 questions each. The total time duration for this section is 60 minutes, where time duration for each section is 30 minutes. The same pattern is followed by the Analytical Writing section and the Quantitative Reasoning section.

The verbal Ability section has three types of questions- Reading Comprehension, Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence. This section tests a candidate’s knowledge of English language and grammar. Also, it tests a candidate’s ability to understand and analyze the text. The Quantitative Reasoning section contains four types of questions- Quantitative Comparison Questions, Multiple-choice Questions — Select One Answer Choice, Multiple-choice Questions — Select One or More Answer Choices, and Numeric Entry Questions. This section tests a students understanding of the elementary mathematical concepts. The Analytical Writing section has two kinds of questions- Analyze an Issue and analyze an argument. Both these questions are separately timed analytical writing tasks. These tasks measure a students ability to understand and analyze critical situations and ideas.

There is a separate GRE subject Test which evaluates knowledge of specific fields. The specific fields are Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Literature in English, Mathematics, Physics and Psychology. The GRE subject test consists of 170 questions.

The GRE test is available at around 700 test centers in more than 160 countries. Some of the prestigious colleges that accept score of GRE for admissions are- Stanford University, Yale University, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London etc.