GRE General Test syllabus

The GRE is adaptive by section, not by question. Your performance on the first Verbal section decides which second Verbal section you are given, and the same holds for Quantitative. Within any section you can skip a question, mark it, come back to it and change your answer, which is not true of a question adaptive test.

That one fact changes how the test should be sat. The first section of each measure is the one that sets your ceiling, and inside it there is no penalty for leaving the hardest question until last.

The second thing to settle is length. The test was shortened in September 2023 and now runs about 1 hour 58 minutes with 54 scored questions and a single essay. A great deal of preparation material still describes the old 3 hour 45 minute test with two essays. Browse the available GRE General practice papers.

Syllabus by section

GRE General Test at a glance

Exam pattern

Five sections, in this order

Analytical Writing always comes first. Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning may then appear in either order.

There is no break in the current test, and no unscored or research section. The five sections above account for the full 118 minutes.

The raw score is the number of questions answered correctly, so a wrong answer costs nothing beyond the mark it fails to earn. Leaving a question blank is never better than guessing.

How section level adaptivity works

Each measure has two operational sections. The computer chooses the second based on how you performed on the first. Within a section, every question contributes equally to the score regardless of its difficulty.

The raw score is then converted by equating, which accounts for differences in difficulty between test editions and for the difficulty introduced by the adaptation. A given scaled score reflects the same level of performance whichever second section you were given.

The practical consequence is that the first section of each measure matters more than the second, and that within a section the order you answer in is entirely yours. Skip, mark and return are all available while time remains.

How the pattern has changed

The shortening of September 2023 is the only change to the test itself in recent years, and it was substantial.

The Analyze an Argument essay was removed and the Analyze an Issue task was kept at 30 minutes. Official scores now appear 8 to 10 days after the test date.

Nothing has changed since. The score scales, the increments, the five year reportability period and the retake rules are all as they were, and no 2025 or 2026 revision has been announced.

Analytical Writing

• One task, Analyze an Issue, in 30 minutes

• You evaluate an opinion on an issue and develop an argument of your own, with reasons and examples

• Scored 0 to 6 in half point increments on a holistic scale

• A single score is reported for the measure

• If no questions are answered for a measure, No Score is reported for it

The Analyze an Argument task was removed in the 2023 shortening, so practice material containing two essays is out of date. The full Analytical Writing breakdown covers the task and the scale.

Verbal Reasoning

• Reading Comprehension: about half the questions on the test are based on passages, with one to six questions per passage. Formats include select one answer, select one or more answers, plus select in passage

• Text Completion: short passages of one to five sentences with one to three blanks

• Sentence Equivalence: a single sentence with one blank and six options, from which you select two

• Twenty seven scored questions across two sections of 12 and 15

ETS does not publish how the 27 questions split between the three types, beyond saying about half are passage based. The full Verbal Reasoning breakdown covers all three.

Quantitative Reasoning

• Content areas: arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis

• Quantitative Comparison questions

• Multiple choice, select one answer choice

• Multiple choice, select one or more answer choices

• Numeric Entry questions

• Data Interpretation sets, grouping several questions around one table, graph or other display

• A basic on-screen calculator is provided

Trigonometry, calculus and other higher mathematics are excluded, and constructing proofs is not tested. The full Quantitative Reasoning breakdown covers the content areas and question types.

What is not in the syllabus

• No Analyze an Argument essay. It was removed in September 2023

• No unscored or research section in the current structure

• No break

• No negative marking

• No trigonometry, calculus or higher mathematics in Quantitative Reasoning

• No proofs

• No composite total score. Verbal and Quantitative are reported separately

• No stated age or education requirement

How to spend the time

Treat the first section of each measure as the one that sets your range. The second section is chosen on the strength of the first, so the difference between a steady first Verbal section and a rushed one is larger than the question count suggests.

Use skip and return deliberately. Within a section you can move freely while time remains, so the right order is easiest first, hardest last. On a question adaptive test that would be impossible, which is why strategies borrowed from the GMAT misfire here.

Answer everything. The raw score is the count of correct answers, so a blank and a wrong answer score the same and only one of them can turn out right.

Write the single essay to time. Thirty minutes for one Analyze an Issue task is tighter than it sounds when it is the first thing you do and the rest of the test follows without a break. Browse the available GRE General practice papers.

Common mistakes

• Preparing from material describing the 3 hour 45 minute test with two essays

• Treating the GRE as question adaptive and refusing to skip, when section level adaptivity makes skipping free

• Leaving questions blank in a test with no penalty for a wrong answer

• Practising the Analyze an Argument essay, which is no longer set

• Expecting a break that the current test does not have

• Preparing calculus or trigonometry for a measure that excludes both

• Ignoring the on-screen calculator in practice and then meeting it for the first time on test day

• Assuming a single composite score, when Verbal and Quantitative are reported separately

GRE against the GMAT and the CAT

For an Indian candidate the three differ most in validity and in what they open. The GMAT syllabus and the CAT syllabus cover the other two in full.

The GRE is the broadest of the three because it covers master’s, MS and doctoral admissions as well as management programmes, where the GMAT is management specific and the CAT is for Indian management programmes. The CAT is also the only one of the three with negative marking and a one year validity.

GRE scores are accepted in India, though programme by programme rather than institution wide. Check the admissions page of the specific programme and intake, and note that at least one major Indian acceptor requires the test centre version rather than the at home test.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the GRE General Test now?

About 1 hour 58 minutes, across five sections, with no break. The test was shortened in September 2023 from about 3 hours 45 minutes.

How many questions are on the GRE?

Fifty four scored questions, 27 in Verbal Reasoning and 27 in Quantitative Reasoning, plus one Analytical Writing task.

Is the GRE adaptive?

By section rather than by question. Your performance on the first section of a measure decides which second section you are given, and within any section all questions count equally.

Can I skip questions and come back?

Yes, within a section while time remains. You can also mark questions for review and change answers.

Is there negative marking on the GRE?

No. The raw score is the number of questions answered correctly, so a wrong answer costs nothing beyond the mark it does not earn.

How many essays are there?

One, the Analyze an Issue task, in 30 minutes. The Analyze an Argument task was removed in September 2023.

Is there still an unscored section?

The current structure lists no unscored or research section, and the five published sections account for the full 118 minutes.

What are the score scales?

Verbal Reasoning 130 to 170 and Quantitative Reasoning 130 to 170, both in one point increments, and Analytical Writing 0 to 6 in half point increments.

How long are GRE scores valid?

They are reportable for five years from the test date.

How often can I take the GRE?

Once every 21 days, and a maximum of five times in any rolling 12 month period. The limits apply even if earlier scores were cancelled.

Is a calculator provided?

Yes, a basic on-screen calculator, for the Quantitative Reasoning sections.

When do scores arrive?

Unofficial Verbal and Quantitative scores appear immediately after the test. Official scores appear in the ETS account 8 to 10 days after the test date.