GRE 2025: Exam Dates, Registration, Syllabus, Score, and Sample Papers

GRE is designed to evaluate candidates to study the MS program in top universities worldwide. GRE exam score is required for pursuing postgraduate degrees in the USA, Canada, and other English-speaking countries. Candidates can get their GRE registration from the comfort of their homes as an alternative to taking the exam at a test center. Some of the Indian top institutes now accept GRE scores for master programs. GRE syllabus consists of three sections; Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. The verbal and quant sections range from 130 to 170 each. GRE test timing from the beginning of September 22, 2023, is about 1 hour and 58 minutes. Top universities require a GRE’s score of 150 to 160 for verbal and quantitative sections. GRE fees for 2025 in India is INR 22,000 and GRE online test fee is also INR 22,000 INR. Top business schools worldwide now accept GRE exam scores for MBA programs in addition to GMAT scores. General GRE test dates are available throughout the year.

 

Table of Contents GRE Highlights GRE Registration  GRE Eligibility GRE Exam Pattern  GRE Subject Test GRE Score GRE Cutoff  GRE Preparation Books GRE Preparation Tips GRE Sample Papers FAQs

The GRE Verbal Reasoning section evaluates a candidate's ability to analyze and interpret written material, as well as apply the acquired data effectively. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Question Types

• Reading Comprehension:

  Focuses on understanding and analyzing passages.

• Text Completion:

  Tests the ability to select the most appropriate words to complete sentences meaningfully.

• Sentence Equivalence:

  Assesses the ability to conclude how a sentence should be completed with limited information.

Key Topics in the Syllabus

• Verb Tense
• Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
• Pronoun Agreement
• Subject-Verb Agreement

Exam Details

• Number of Questions: 27
• Time Allotted: 41 minutes

Candidates often find this section challenging due to its tricky question types and nuanced language usage.

Specific Features of the Section

• GRE Text Completion:

  Requires the selection of words that maintain coherence and logic in passages.

• GRE Sentence Equivalence:

  Tests the ability to deduce how a sentence can have two similar but distinct completions based on limited information.

• GRE Reading Comprehension:

  Involves analyzing long passages and answering related questions to test critical reading skills.

Preparation Recommendations

• Practice Papers:

  Regularly attempt GRE Verbal Reasoning practice tests to strengthen understanding.

• Mindful Strategies:

  Utilize tricks and techniques to approach complex sentence equivalence and text completion questions.

• Focus Areas:

  Concentrate on weak areas like idiomatic expressions or agreement rules through targeted practice.

• Sample Papers:

  Solve sample questions to improve analytical thinking and comprehension skills.

Also Check: GRE Verbal Syllabus

GRE Quantitative Reasoning

With a little practice, GRE Quantitative Reasoning can significantly impact a candidate's score. Here's a breakdown of its components:

Topics Covered

• Quantitative Comparison:

  Focuses on evaluating relationships between two quantities.

• Problem-Solving:

  Involves numerical reasoning and mathematical problem-solving.

• Data Interpretation:

  Questions are presented in tables, graphs, or other data formats for analysis.

Key Exam Details

• Number of Questions: 27
• Time Allotted: 47 minutes

GRE Quantitative Reasoning contains questions modeled on real-life scenarios or pure mathematical contexts. These questions often require candidates to interpret and analyze data displays.

Excluded Topics

• Geometry: No longer assessed in the quant section.
• GRE Data analysis: Now considered a separate section.

Comparison with PowerPrep Practice Tests

• The first part of the GRE quant section is tougher than PowerPrep's initial section.
• The final part of PowerPrep's quant section is more challenging than the corresponding part in the actual test.
• Test-takers report the experimental quant section is the most difficult.

Key Arithmetic Concepts

• Divisibility, factorization, and prime numbers
• Remainders, odd/even integers
• Arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
• Exponents and radicals

Practice Recommendations

To excel in this section, candidates are encouraged to practice extensively using GRE Quantitative Reasoning practice papers to familiarize themselves with the question patterns and improve time management.

GRE Subject Test

Apart from the General test, GRE has another test; GRE subject tests. This test is designed to check the knowledge of the candidates in their preferred subjects. 6 subjects are included in GRE subject test - Physics, Mathematics, and Psychology. Aspirants take GRE subject tests to make their applications outstanding by showing deep knowledge about a specific subject. ETS provides GRE practice books for each subject as study material. GRE subject tests are available only in the paper-based format of GRE and these tests are available thrice a year – in September, October, and April. Scores are measured on a scale of 200-990 with 10-point increments. GRE test timing from the beginning of September 22, 2023, is about 1 hour and 58 minutes. Most candidates who aim to pursue higher studies at the postgraduate level take GRE Subject Test.

Percentage of Candidates Pursuing GRE at Post Graduate Level

In this above-mentioned picture, it is observed mostly people from life sciences backgrounds appear for this subject test comparatively higher. Students prefer to study science subjects from abroad due to the huge scholarships available for specific subjects. 

GRE Score

GRE Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning are scored on GRE score range of 130-170 with 1 point increment. The average GRE score for Analytical Reasoning is measured on a scale of 0-6 with a half-point increment. If any question remains unattempted, no Score (NS) will be stated. As per the data collected from ETS between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2023, the mean scores for GRE General Test are as follows:

Sections	Mean
Verbal Reasoning	150.29
Quantitative Reasoning	156.39
Analytical Writing	3.49

In GRE Subject Test, all three subject tests are scored on a scale of 200-290 with 10-point increments. Biology and Psychology have a subscore range of 20-99 score scale with 1 point increment. As per the data collected from ETS between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2023, GRE mean scores for the Subject Test are as follows

Subjects	Mean
Mathematics	676
Physics	719
Psychology	617

GRE Scaled Score Percentiles for General Test

The below-mentioned table below explains the score v/s percentile scale for GRE Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning as follows

Similarly for GRE Analytical Writing, the score percentile is measured in the following table

GRE Score Report

The official GRE General test results will be available 8-10 days following your exam date in your ETS account. Unofficial GRE scores can be visible right after completing the test but they are not a part of the score report. Candidates can check their GRE Score Report which contains the following information:

• Contact details like phone, name, email ID
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Preferred graduate major
• GRE Exam dates
• GRE test score and the percentile score
• Authorized score recipients

GRE Score Sending

After receiving the score, applicants will get the Scoreselect option to send test scores GRE to the graduate schools where they want to pursue any course. This Scoreselect option is available in both General and Subject Tests. After getting a good score on GRE exam test, it is completely dependent on the candidate whether to send it to the university or not. After the test day, you need to pay a fee to send your scores and you can choose from the following options:

• Most Recent: Send your scores from your most recent test.
• All: Send your scores from all test administrations in the last five years.
• Any: Send your scores from one or as many test administrations as you like from the last five years.