GRE Prep Guide

The Graduate Record Examination, GRE for short, is a standardized test that assesses the test-taker’s reasoning and analytical skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. The exam is not subject-specific, nor does it require advanced knowledge in one specific college course. The test offers universities a broad estimate of how qualified a student is to conduct the rigorous problem solving and critical thinking required in graduate school.

The GRE is required for admission to most graduate school programs, excluding law school and medical school. The scores are assessed in conjunction with the rest of a student’s graduate school application, including their college GPA, teacher recommendations, and job history. Excelling on the GRE significantly increases a student’s chances of being accepted into graduate school, which in turn has a long-lasting impact on their career growth.

A graduate school degree increases the average degree holder’s salary by $17,000 per year over employees with a bachelor’s degree. Professionals holding graduate degrees also enjoy greater job prospects than those with undergraduate degrees. The unemployment rate for master’s degree-holders, at 2.4%, is .4% lower than bachelor’s degree-holders. Unemployment rates for those with professional degrees and doctoral degrees is even lower, at 1.5% and 1.7%, respectively.

You should take the GRE approximately one year before you intend to start graduate school. This allows for enough time to retake the exam if necessary. Your test results are valid for up to five years, so don’t plan too far in advance. That said, if you are applying to a graduate school with rolling admission, you’ll want to have your GRE done early to maximize your chances of being accepted.

You can take the GRE at any one of the 1,000 test-taking locations operating in 160 countries around the world. Typically, exams are available on college campuses or independent test centers. To find a GRE test-taking location near you, click here.

To register for the GRE, visit ETS.org and create a My GRE Account. You will then be able to register for either a computer-delivered or paper-delivered exam. You must pick a test-taking location and test-taking date as well.

You are eligible to retake the GRE exam once every 21 days, though you can only register for the exam five times within a 12-month period. You should retake the test only if you need to replace an inadequate score; if you do, spend some additional time preparing for sections you struggled with on your first try.

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

The GRE is separated into three parts: the verbal reasoning section, the analytical writing section, and the quantitative reasoning section. The test can either be taken on paper or on a computer.

The paper-delivered exam spans three hours and 30 minutes, and contains six sections. The test begins with two sections of analytical writing, each lasting 30 minutes. After a 10-minute break, the GRE proceeds with either two 35-minute sections of verbal reasoning, or two 40-minute sections of quantitative reasoning. The verbal and quantitative reasoning sections are not administered in any order.

The computer-delivered GRE consists of six sections, spanning three hours and 45 minutes. A 10-minute break occurs after the third section. The test begins with one section of analytical writing, which consists of two 30-minute long tasks. Then, in any order, test-takers proceed with two 30-minute verbal reasoning sections, and two 35-minute quantitative reasoning sections.

Test-takers may then be required to take an unscored section, a research section, or both. Students taking the GRE on the computer will complete some adaptive testing sections. For both the verbal and the quantitative assessments, the first of the two sections will not be adaptive, while the second section will. The adaptive section will respond to your progress on the previous questions, and either offer subsequently easier or more difficult questions based on your results.

The quantitative reasoning section of the GRE is an assessment of the test-taker’s basic mathematical skills, their grasp of simple mathematical concepts, and their ability to apply those skills and theoretical models to real-world problems.

The quantitative reasoning section consists of four types of questions: quantitative comparison questions, multiple-choice questions with one answer, multiple-choice questions with one or more answers, and numeric entry questions. The quantitative reasoning section addresses arithmetic, with topics including prime numbers, percentages, and absolute value. The section also includes algebra, along with graphs of functions, quadratic equations, and word problems that must be translated to mathematical equations.

The test includes geometry, with subjects like the Pythagorean theorem, three-dimensional figures, and parallel and perpendicular lines. The test also includes data analysis questions, ranging from basic descriptive statistics to scatterplots. Each of the two quantitative reasoning sections contain 20 questions.

Many test-takers begin the quantitative reasoning section of the GRE exam thinking that they need to relearn calculus, or recall their high school geometry proofs. Fortunately for many students, the quantitative section only focuses on high school algebra and below. Students may also get caught up trying to complete the calculations for each quantitative comparison. However, each question needs only an estimation before the practiced test-taker should be able to eliminate all incorrect answers.

The verbal reasoning section tests your ability to synthesize information from written paragraphs, understand verbal relationships between words, and identify each component of a sentence and how they interact with each other.

The questions on the verbal reasoning section can be broken down into three categories: reading comprehension, text completion, and sentence equivalence. About 50% of the verbal reasoning questions are reading comprehension, in which you must review a passage of writing and answer questions demonstrating your understanding of the information. These questions typically test your ability to comprehend and summarize a larger piece of text, craft concluding arguments based on that text, understand the perspective of the author, and extrapolate the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s argument.

The other half consists of text completion and sentence equivalence questions. In text completion, you read an incomplete sentence, group of sentences, or paragraph, and must complete the missing word or words with an answer from the supplied multiple choice options. Sentence equivalence questions consist of a single sentence with one blank. Test-takers must select two answers amongst six options. The test contains 25 questions in each of the two sections, for a total of 50 questions. Each section is allotted 35 minutes.

One of the most common mistakes students make while completing the verbal reasoning section is trying to answer the question based off the answers provided, rather than based off the text of the question. The testmakers often provide tricky traps in the form of answers that logically seem correct, but actually do not match the question due to grammatical or contextual nuances. Another mistake test-takers make in the reading comprehension section of the exam is maintaining a passive approach to reading, rather than underlining important words, or actively questioning and interacting with the text provided.

The analytic writing section of the GRE assesses your ability to think critically and to accurately articulate an argument. To succeed in the analytic writing section, you should be able to build, explain, and properly support a complex argument. This section is important for the GRE because it tests your logical reasoning, independent thinking, and ability to respond to another person’s analytical arguments. The analytical writing tasks are scored based on the overall strength of the argument and the critical thinking behind its supporting evidence. Test-takers are also graded based on the strength and variety of their vocabulary, the elegance of sentence structure, etc.

The test contains two questions, referred to as “tasks”. Each task spans 30 minutes, during which time a test-taker has to “analyze an issue.” The test-taker is given a written “issue claim” which states a broad opinion on a specific topic. The test-taker must craft a written response. For example, they could either take a position agreeing or disagreeing with the statement, and offer reasons and evidence to support their opinion. They could also write a response specifically focused on the extent to which they agree or disagree with the statement, focusing on either examples that support their perspective, or on a few of the most important arguments in the piece.

The second task is the “analyze an argument” task. At this point, the test-taker must respond to a short paragraph in which an author makes a specific case for a certain course of action through the implementation of facts and logic. The test-taker must respond by outlining the evidence necessary to support or refute the argument, assessing the evidence employed in the argument, assessing the reasonability of the argument, or identifying counterarguments.

The biggest mistake test-takers make in the analytical writing section is not fully understanding the grading system for the issue and argument tasks. GRE prep can help you grasp which type of responses testmakers are looking for and how your writing will be assessed. Another common mistake students make is focusing too much on using advanced or complicated words. You should instead focus on clearly stating your opinion and carefully explaining the reasoning behind it.

The GRE is scored differently for each section:

For the computer-administered exam, scores are based off of the amount of questions you answered correctly, as well as the assessed difficulty of the questions you were given. On the paper exam, your score is based only off of the number of questions you answered correctly. If you take the computer-delivered exam, you can view results for the verbal and quantitative reasoning sections directly after completing the test. Approximately two weeks later, you will receive your analytical writing score. For the paper-delivered test, your scores will be made available approximately six weeks later, online and in a mailed report. Your mailed report also comes with a percentile ranking for each section, which indicates how your score compares to the entire pool of test-takers.

Each test-taker is given the opportunity to send four free score reports to their designated universities or fellowship programs, either online or via an admission stub. After viewing your GRE scores, you can either choose to send your most recent score, or any previous test score from the past five years, to four universities for free. Schools will not see how many times you took the GRE unless you send them multiple tests. You cannot choose to send individual section scores combined from different tests. (i.e. if you ace the quantitative reasoning section in May, and knock the verbal reasoning section out of the park in June, you would need to send a full score from each month.) That said, universities will typically consider your highest score, so it can be advantageous to send multiple scores.

If you’re not ready to apply to graduate school immediately after you take your GRE test, there’s no need to rush. Your GRE test score will remain valid for five years following the testing year in which you took the exam. (The testing year runs from July 1-June 30.) You are also able to cancel your GRE exam score at the conclusion of the test. You can only cancel your score for the entire test, rather than on a section-by-section basis. You are allowed to renew your canceled test scores within 60 days of your test date by faxing or mailing a Score Reinstatement Form and payment to the ETS.

Studying for the GRE test doesn’t need to be a full-time job. That said, you can’t truly prepare overnight. It requires persistence, hard work, and focusing on your weaknesses. Most GRE prep programs recommend spending eight weeks preparing for your exam. If you want to “cram,” you should typically allow at least two weeks to properly do so. Most study plans recommend approximately two hours per day, six days a week for either three, four, six, or eight weeks. Naturally, you’ll obtain the highest benefit if you prepare for the longest period of time possible.

The best way to prepare for the GRE is to seek out the right GRE materials, many of which can be found for free at your local library. Additionally, the internet has a wealth of online GRE prep aids, ranging from iPhone apps to practice tests. Most of these resources are completely free and, if used with a rigorous schedule, can help you ace the GRE without spending a dime.

The GRE is a four-hour marathon for your brain, and you should prepare accordingly the night before. While pulling an all-nighter cramming may have worked for a biology final in college, it won’t suffice for the GRE. The night before, focus on staying relaxed, well-fed, and getting a good night’s sleep so you’re ready for the mental rigor of the exam.

Test taking can be nerve-racking. All too often, test-takers neglect to take care of themselves, and prepare their minds and bodies for the intensity of standardized testing. Here are a few tips to make sure you go into the test feeling clear-headed and focused.

The testing experience is extremely controlled, and a quiet, focused environment is rigorously enforced. Typically, friends or family are not allowed to wait in the testing center for you to conclude the exam. You will likely be required to supply identification, and possibly fingerprinting or signature comparison for identity verification.

Food and drinks are not allowed in the test-taking area, and your sweaters, hats, and pockets may be subject to a search by the testing administrator upon your entrance. The proctor will assign you your seat upon entering the testing room. You will remain at that desk for the duration of the test (approximately four hours.) The only time you are allowed to leave your seat is during the one 10-minute break, after the second analytical writing section. During that time, you may exit the testing room solely for the purpose of using the restroom. At the end of the exam, you will offered the opportunity to cancel your scores.

A disability should never stop you from succeeding on the GRE test. The Educational Testing Service ensures that all students can succeed on the GRE, and maintains a commitment to providing students of all abilities proper accommodations on exam day.

The most important thing a test-taker with any disability or health-related concerns can do is address those concerns ahead of the test day, by registering any health concern or disability through the ETS Disability Service. Test-takers must have their request for special accommodations approved before registering for the GRE. You should typically allow at least six weeks for your documentation to be processed. Certain accommodations are available, depending on whether the test is administered online or not. These accommodations include extended testing time, a reading assistant, sign language interpreter, or extra breaks, which are used to take medication, eat an extra snack, or make an extra trip to the restroom.

GradSchools.com – At once a fantastic resource for detailed information about everything from combating test-taking anxiety to test-taking strategy, GradSchools.com also offers a fantastic directory of graduate school options.

GRE.graduateshotline.com – This site has tons of hidden-treasure links, like short test question practice, detailed strategies for each section, and day-of advice.

GRE.Economist.com – This subscription-based service offers a free 7-day trial. Users have access to a variety of resources, including a list of common mistakes to avoid, and a strategy section on eliminating answer options.

TestPrepPractice.net – This resource has downloadable practice tests, vocabulary word lists, and more.

TaketheGRE.com – This website creates a customizable GRE test preparation calendar for you based on how much time you have before your test, your preferred study format, and your weakest sections.

GREPrepHelp.com – This website has a free online video course to help you overcome your weakest subjects.

MajorTests.com – With a giant GRE vocabulary list and dozens of tests in every subject area, Major Tests is a one-stop solution to your GRE anxieties.

Accepted.com – This website features game-changing options like a free webinar of “5 Killer GRE Prep Tips,” a break-down of the GRE grading score, and a list of the most common GRE vocabulary words.

Powerscore.com – Powerscore.com offers GRE prep courses, but the website has substantial resources for learning all on your own, including four hours of free video courses, a detailed overview of the test, and more.