GRE Exam

What is GRE Exam?

The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a systematized test created and conducted by the Educational Testing Service, commonly known as ETS, that is designed to analyze the overall academic readiness of students for graduate school. Some graduate programs demand that students take not only the general test but also a GRE Subject Test that measures technical knowledge related to a specific discipline like physics, psychology, or mathematics. The test was ingrained in 1936 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Types of GRE Exam

There are 2 types of GRE Academic exam

GRE General Test

The GRE General Test analyses Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Ability, and Analytical Writing Skills of the student. Most universities accept the general test score and most of the students opt for this test. The GRE General Test is conducted all around the year and students can choose the date of the exam at their own convenience

GRE Subject Test

The GRE Subject Test analyses the student’s achievement in a particular subject. This test is conducted for the following subjects – Biochemistry (Cell and Molecular Biology), Biology, Chemistry, Literature (English), Maths, Physics, and Psychology. GRE Subject Test is conducted on a fixed date for everyone like an entrance exam. This test is required for specialized courses.

Eligibility Criteria for GRE?

There is no specific qualification or age limit is required for aspirants to appear for GRE, but, since GRE is an evaluation test for admission to graduate courses, students are expected to have successfully completed their undergraduate program. Students should note that not all programs and universities necessitate candidates to have a GRE score for admission to graduate programs.

GRE TEST TYPES

Mode of GRE test is of 2 types :

1. GRE Paper-Based Exam

The paper-based exam consists of 2 sub-sections of each of the primary categories-

  • Analytical Writing
  • Verbal & Quantitative Reasoning.

The analytical Writing part contains 2 tasks with a duration of 60 mins. Both, Verbal and Quantitative reasoning contains 2 sections and 50 questions with a maximum time duration of 60 and 70 minutes. The sections of Unscored and Research are not involved in the paper-based exam.

2. GRE Computer-Based Exam

In the computer-based GRE paper pattern, each of the GRE sections is further divided into 2 sub-sections with 40 questions in total (Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning).

Analytical Writing has only 1 section that contains 2 tasks with a time duration of 1 hour. Other than these primary sections, there are 2 other variable sections included in the computer-based pattern exam. This section is followed by a 10-minute break after the Quantitative Reasoning part is complete. However, these 2 variable sections are-

  • Unscored Section
  • Research section

These 2 sections are not included in the final GRE Scores.

GRE Exam Pattern and Syllabus

The GRE Question Paper pattern is divided into 3 main sections as mentioned belo

  1. Analytical Writing
  2. Verbal Reasoning, and
  3. Quantitative Reasoning.

The total time given to complete the exam is 3 hours 45 minutes for the computer-based GRE General Test.

GRE Sections Paper-based Computer-based
No. of Sections Duration No. of Sections Duration
Analytical Writing 2 sections- 2 tasks 60 minutes 1 sections- 2 tasks 60 minutes
Verbal Reasoning 2 sections- 50 questions 70 minutes 2 sections- 40 questions 60 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning 2 sections- 50 questions 80 minutes 2 sections- 40 questions 70 minutes
Unscored NA NA Varies Varies
Unscored NA NA Varies Varies

GRE General Test Syllabus
The GRE exam syllabus covering the GRE Writing Syllabus, GRE Verbal Syllabus, and GRE Quantitative syllabus:

1.  GRE Analytical Writing

The syllabus for GRE Analytical Writing consist of 2 separately timed analytical writing tasks of 30 minutes each:

  • Analyze an Issue
  • Analyze an Argument
2. GRE Verbal Reasoning

Topics covered under the GRE verbal syllabus includes

  • Basic Sentence structure: Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives
  • Verb Tense
  • Subject-Verb Agreement
  • Modifiers
  • Parallelism
  • Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions
  • Pronoun Agreement
3.  GRE Quantitative Reasoning

List of topics covered in GRE Quantitative Reasoning Syllabus include

Subject Topic
Statistics Linear equations
Lines and angles Lines and angles
Polygon Sets Theory
Percentage Profit and loss
Profit and loss Triangles
Simple and compound interest Coordinate geometry
Permutation & combination Volume and surface area
Quadratic equations Quadrilateral
Probability Powers and roots
Circles Number properties
Order of operations Pipes, cisterns, work, time

GRE Subject Test Syllabus
GRE syllabus for Subject Test includes the following subjects & Topics:

  • PHYSICS SYLLABUS
  • CHEMISTRY SYLLABUS
  • BIOLOGY SYLLABUS
  • MATH SYLLABUS
  • PSYCHOLOGY SYLLABUS
  • LITERATURE IN ENGLISH SYLLABUS
Section-Wise GRE Score Range:
Section Score Scale
Verbal Reasoning 130 – 170, in 1-point increments
Quantitative Reasoning 130 – 170, in 1-point increments
Analytical Writingg 0 – 6, in half-point increments

GRE Scholarships

University education is an expensive affair, students often need some form of financial aid in order to pursue their studies. Apart from the tuition fees, living costs, traveling, personal expenses, etc constitute an important part of pursuing education abroad. So, a large number of universities, government, and private organizations, financial institutions, etc, offer scholarships for Indian students to cover full or partial expenses. Organizations assess aspirants on the basis of their previous records in terms of academic qualifications, work experience, achievements, etc. In these scholarships, good score in the GRE will put you at a level above the competition.

  • University Level Scholarships
  • Government-Level Scholarships
  • Non-Governmental Scholarships
Scholarship/Fellowships Field of Study Amount/Benefits
Inlaks Scholarship Humanities and Arts Up to US $100,000
Fullbright-Nehru Masters Arts and Culture Management, Economics, Public Administration and Health, Women’s/Gender Studies, etc. Tuition fees, living costs, etc. Note: May not cover all costs in some cases.
Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Master’s level courses Tuition Fees and Living Expenses
Chevening Scholarship Masters program in designated UK universities Monthly Stipend
DAAD Scholarship Bachelors, masters, and post-doctoral programs.Note: The eligibility and field of study can vary based on the scholarship chosen.
J.N. Tata Endowment Scholarship Postgraduate, Doctorate, and Post-Doctorate courses in Engineering and Technology, Political Science, Law. Nautical Science, etc. Travel grant and gift award

Exam Information

Exam Name GRE
GRE full form Graduate Record Examination
Official Website Visit Now
Most popular for MS courses in the USA
Also accepted for MBA courses outside India
Conducted by ETS (Educational Testing Service)
Mode of Exam Computer and Paper – delivered test
GRE Fee US $213
Score Range Verbal Reasoning score range: 130 – 170
Quantitative Reasoning score range: 130 – 170
Analytical Writing score range: 0 – 6

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