The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a standardized test that serves as a common admissions requirement for most graduate schools in the United States. Nearly all graduate programs in the United States require prospective students to provide GRE results as a vital component of the admissions process.
The GRE is designed as a standardized assessment intended to gauge the capabilities of all graduates in tasks of a general academic nature, irrespective of their specific field of specialization. Its purpose is to assess the extent to which undergraduate education has cultivated an individual’s abilities in verbal and quantitative skills, particularly in abstract reasoning.
Educational Testing Service (ETS) is responsible for creating and administering this exam, which evaluates skills in verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking—skills that have been honed over an extended period and aren’t tied to any particular academic discipline. The GRE General Test is delivered as a computer-based examination, typically proctored at Prometric testing centers.
The computer-based GRE General Test encompasses six sections. It commences with the analytical writing section, which includes separate timed tasks for issues and arguments. The following five sections encompass two verbal reasoning sections, two quantitative reasoning sections, and either an experimental or research section. These sections can appear in any sequence, with the experimental section being indistinguishable from the scored sections.
The entire testing process has a duration of approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes. One-minute breaks are provided after each section, along with a 10-minute break following the third section.
GRE SUBJECT TESTS
Aside from the General Test, the GRE offers seven specialized Subject Tests, which assess knowledge in specific academic fields. These subject areas include Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Literature in English, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology. Each of these subject-specific exams spans a duration of 170 minutes, allowing candidates to showcase their expertise in their chosen field of study.
