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GRE
Graduate Record Examinations
📚 Graduate Admissions Examination Computer-delivered, at an authorized test centre or from home via ETS's at-home proctoring option. ⏱ Valid: Scores remain reportable for five years after the test date. Since 1936 ⚡ Moderate to high, with the section-adaptive format meaning the second Verbal or Quantitative section only gets meaningfully harder — and higher-scoring — if the first one went well, which changes how test-takers should…
🕐 Last updated: September 6, 2026
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Quick Summary

The GRE's core advantage is range: the same roughly 2-hour, section-adaptive test is accepted for general graduate programs, PhDs, and — increasingly — MBA programs, where 92% of business schools now take it alongside the GMAT despite GMAT still edging it out in raw application volume at the most selective schools. Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning each run 130-170 and combine into the 260-340 score most programs actually evaluate, while Analytical Writing is scored separately from 0-6 and doesn't factor into that total at all. Its five-year validity window is longer than most competing tests, useful for anyone testing early and applying later, and ScoreSelect lets a candidate send only the specific test date they want a given program to see. Since the September 2023 redesign trimmed the exam from nearly four hours to under two, the GRE has positioned itself as the flexible, lower-time-cost option for anyone whose graduate ambitions don't sit neatly inside one single field.

📋 Exam Overview
🎯
Score Range
260 to 340 combined (130-170 each for Verbal and Quantitative), 0 to 6 for Analytical Writing
💳
Fee
$249
📅
Valid For
Scores remain reportable for five years after the test date. That's longer than most competing tests, which matters for someone who takes the GRE early — during undergrad, say — and doesn't apply to graduate programs until years later; the five-year window means that early attempt doesn't automatically go to waste.
🖥
Mode
Computer-delivered, at an authorized test centre or from home via ETS's at-home proctoring option. Since the September 2023 redesign, the test runs section-level adaptive rather than question-level: performance on the first Verbal or Quantitative section determines the difficulty of the second one in that same area.
🗓
Frequency
Available continuously throughout the year at most computer-based test centres.
🏛
Conducted By
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
⚡
Difficulty
Moderate to high, with the section-adaptive format meaning the second Verbal or Quantitative section only gets meaningfully harder — and higher-scoring — if the first one went well, which changes how test-takers should think about pacing compared to a fixed-difficulty exam.
🌍 Accepted By
Accepted by 20,000+ graduate, business, and law programs worldwide (ETS); on the business side specifically, roughly 1,300 business schools take it compared to over 2,400 for the GMAT, though 92% of MBA programs now accept both.
One test accepted by nearly every kind of graduate program — general master's degrees, PhDs, and a growing share of MBA programs alike
👤 Who Should Take This Exam?
The GRE fits anyone applying to a general graduate program — master's or PhD — in virtually any field, since unlike the GMAT it was never built around business school specifically. It's also a legitimate MBA option now: GMAC's own data shows 92% of business schools accept it alongside the GMAT, and schools including Harvard, Stanford, and Chicago Booth have said publicly they treat the two as equal, with GRE submissions running around 37-44% of incoming classes at some of them. Someone applying to multiple programs across different departments — say, a joint public policy and data science track — benefits most from the GRE's one-size-fits-many acceptance, rather than needing separate tests for separate applications. Anyone certain they're going into finance or consulting specifically, where GMAT still signals commitment more clearly to some recruiters, may still be better served taking the GMAT instead.
🎓 Education Level
Graduate, Postgraduate, and Professional
🌍 Accepted In
Accepted worldwide for graduate admissions with particularly heavy use for U.S. Canadian and increasingly business-school programs elsewhere.
📝 Exam Structure & Format
Question Types
Verbal Reasoning uses text completion, sentence equivalence, and reading comprehension; Quantitative Reasoning uses multiple-choice, quantitative comparison, and numeric-entry questions; Analytical Writing is a single essay task.
Language / Medium
English
Total Duration
About 1 hour 58 minutes total.
Total Questions
Roughly 40 Verbal questions and 40 Quantitative questions split across two sections each, plus one Analytical Writing essay.
Sections
Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning
⚙️ More format details (timing, marking, equipment)See all ▾
Time Per Section
Analytical Writing about 30 minutes; each Verbal and Quantitative section runs roughly 20-27 minutes.
Negative Marking
No
Calculator Allowed
Yes, but limited to Quantitative Reasoning — a built-in on-screen model appears only during that section.
Scratch Paper
Provided at the test centre; at-home candidates get a small handheld whiteboard instead of paper.
Breaks Allowed
Yes, one scheduled break during the test.
Home Edition
Yes, through ETS's at-home testing option with remote proctoring.
Digital vs Paper
A paper-based GRE still exists in a small number of regions without reliable computer-testing infrastructure, but it's linear rather than adaptive and considerably rarer than the computer-delivered version most candidates take. Content and difficulty are otherwise equivalent — the real difference is that the paper version can't adjust section difficulty in response to performance the way the digital exam does.
📑 Section Details
Analytical Writing always runs first: one essay, analyzing a given issue, since the separate 'Analyze an Argument' task was dropped in the 2023 redesign. After that, two Verbal Reasoning sections and two Quantitative Reasoning sections follow in either order — the second section within each pair adjusts in difficulty based on how the candidate did on the first, which is what makes the test section-adaptive rather than a fixed, linear exam.
🎯 Scoring System
Score Range
260 to 340 combined (130-170 each for Verbal and Quantitative), 0 to 6 for Analytical Writing
Good / Passing Score
GRE has no pass/fail line at all — every scaled score is a real result, and 'competitive' is defined entirely by whichever program's applicant pool it's measured against.
How Scoring Works
Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning are each scored from 130 to 170 in 1-point increments, and those two add up to the combined 260-340 score most programs actually look at. Analytical Writing is scored separately from 0 to 6 in half-point increments by a combination of human raters and an automated scoring engine, and it doesn't factor into the 260-340 total at all — a detail some applicants overlook when comparing their 'GRE score' against a program's stated minimum.
🏆 Minimum Scores for Top Universities
Top-ranked PhD programs and competitive master's programs commonly want a combined 320 or higher, with particular schools weighting Quant or Verbal more heavily depending on the field — a computer science program cares far more about a 165+ Quant score than a matching Verbal number, and the reverse holds for humanities programs. For MBA applicants using the GRE instead of the GMAT, elite programs like Harvard or Stanford GSB don't publish a hard GRE cutoff, but admitted-class averages tend to sit in the low-to-mid 320s combined.
📊 Section / sub-scoresSee all ▾
Writing
0 to 6 in half-point increments, from a single Analyze an Issue essay, scored by a mix of human raters and ETS's e-rater automated scoring engine.
Reading
Assessed within Verbal Reasoning's reading comprehension questions rather than reported as a standalone score.
Vocabulary
Assessed within Verbal Reasoning's text completion and sentence equivalence questions rather than reported as a standalone score.
Analytical
Reported directly as the Analytical Writing score, 0 to 6.
Quantitative
130 to 170, reported as its own section score.
Verbal
130 to 170, reported as its own section score.
All Sub-Scores
Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning are reported separately (each 130-170), along with a distinct Analytical Writing score (0-6) that isn't combined into the other two.
💳 Registration & Fees
Fee (USD)
$249
Fee (INR)
26,542 (inclusive of GST), current as of the August 2026 fee update.
Other
The China-specific fee is $231.30 rather than the standard $249. A missed rescheduling or test-centre change costs $50, and additional score reports beyond the four included free run $30 each.
📝 Register Now →
📋 Policies (rescheduling, cancellation, verification, waivers)See all ▾
⏰ Register in Advance
Test dates are available essentially continuously through the year at computer-based centres, so registration can happen with fairly short notice compared to fixed-date exams.
🔄 Rescheduling Policy
Changing a test date or centre costs $50 and can be done through a candidate's ETS account up until shortly before the appointment.
❌ Cancellation Policy
Cancelling online at least 4 days before the test returns half the fee; not showing up, or cancelling later than that, forfeits the entire amount.
↩ Reinstatement Policy
A cancelled score isn't gone forever — paying a fee within a set window after cancellation brings it back.
🎁 Fee Waiver Criteria
ETS offers fee reductions for candidates demonstrating financial need, typically coordinated through a university's financial aid office rather than a fully public self-service application.
📅 Exam Dates & Schedule
📆 Available Months
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
🔁 Frequency
Available continuously throughout the year at most computer-based test centres.
📊 Results Declared
Unofficial Verbal and Quantitative scores appear on-screen immediately after the test; official scores, including the essay, arrive within 8-10 days.
🔄 Retake Policy
The GRE can be retaken once every 21 days, up to five times within any rolling 12-month period.
⏰ Register By
Test dates are available essentially continuously through the year at computer-based centres, so registration can happen with fairly short notice compared to fixed-date exams.
✅ Eligibility & Access
🎂 Age Limit
None
🎓 Education Required
Generally taken by candidates who have completed, or are close to completing, an undergraduate degree, though ETS sets no formal prerequisite.
🛂 Citizenship
No
More on accommodations, ID, and special versionsSee all ▾
🪪 ID Required
A government-issued photo ID is required and must match the name on file at registration exactly.
♿ Accessibility
Extended time, additional breaks, and other accommodations available through ETS's disability services process, approved in advance of test day.
🔀 Special Versions
GRE Subject Tests exist separately in Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology for candidates applying to highly specialized programs in those fields, in addition to the General Test.
📐 Subject Variants
GRE General Test and GRE Subject Tests (Mathematics, Physics, Psychology).
🤝 Disability Accommodations
Available through ETS's Services for Test Takers with Disabilities office, requiring documentation submitted well ahead of the test date.
🗓 Exam Day Guide
✅ What to Bring
Just the government-issued photo ID used at registration — at-home candidates additionally need their testing setup fully configured beforehand.
🚫 Prohibited Items
Phones, smartwatches, personal calculators, notes, and food or drink inside the testing room itself.
📋 Exam Day Rules
No personal items beyond ID are allowed in the testing room — phones, notes, and even water bottles typically have to be stored outside, with the one scheduled break the only chance to access them. At-home candidates face equivalent restrictions through webcam monitoring: a clear desk, no other people in the room, and a room scan before the test starts.
After the exam: score reporting and deliverySee all ▾
⏱ Score Reporting
8-10 days for the official score report.
📤 Score Sending
ScoreSelect lets a candidate choose exactly which test date's scores to send to each program, with up to four free reports included in the base registration fee and additional reports available for $30 each.
🎓 Score Recipients
Graduate schools, business schools, and law schools that accept it as an alternative to the LSAT, plus occasional use by employers and fellowship programs.
📚 Preparation Guide
📅 Recommended Prep Time
2-3 months for most candidates.
🗓 Avg Prep Months
3 months
Because the test is section-adaptive, understanding how performance on the first Verbal or Quantitative section affects the second matters as much as content review — a strong first section unlocks a harder, more heavily-weighted second one. ETS's own POWERPREP software simulates that adaptive structure directly, which makes it more representative of the real test-day experience than static third-party question banks.
💡 Top Tips & Tricks
On Quantitative Reasoning, mental math and estimation save real time on early questions, freeing more of the clock for harder problems later in the section. Because the second Verbal and Quantitative sections adapt based on the first, treating early questions with full focus — rather than saving energy for later — actually matters more on this test than on a fixed-difficulty exam.
Full study plan, resources, and common mistakesSee all ▾
📅 Study Plan
Two to three months tends to work: early time on vocabulary and core math concepts, a middle stretch drilling whatever question types practice reveals as weak, and a final run of full-length timed tests to get comfortable with the section-adaptive pacing.
📖 Recommended Books
ETS's own Official Guide to the GRE General Test remains the most reliable single resource since it's written by the organization that designs the actual exam; Manhattan Prep's strategy guides are a common third-party supplement for deeper content review.
🏫 Popular Prep Courses
Manhattan Prep, Magoosh, and Princeton Review all run dedicated GRE courses alongside ETS's own official practice materials.
📱 Popular Prep Apps
Magoosh's GRE app and ETS's own official practice tools are the most commonly used options.
✅ Official Practice Tests
ETS's POWERPREP Online and POWERPREP PLUS Online, which simulate the real adaptive test format. — POWERPREP Online's basic tests are free; POWERPREP PLUS Online tests are sold separately.
🆓 Free Online Resources
ETS's POWERPREP Online software, which replicates the real adaptive format, plus a range of free sample questions on the official GRE website.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
Over-preparing Quantitative at the expense of Verbal is common among candidates from math-heavy backgrounds, even though Verbal counts equally toward the combined score most programs actually evaluate. Treating Analytical Writing as low-priority is another frequent gap, since it's graded and reported as its own distinct number that some programs do review closely, particularly for research-heavy or writing-intensive fields.
💡 EduAtlasHub Exclusive Insights
🔍 Insider Tips
The Quantitative and Verbal sections let you skip around within a section and revisit flagged questions before time runs out — use that freedom to bank your easy points first. On a test where an unanswered question and a wrong one cost the same, guessing costs nothing extra.
⭐ Unique Features
The GRE is the only major graduate-admissions test built to serve virtually any field at once — the same General Test score can go to an English literature PhD program, a public health master's, and (increasingly) an MBA program without needing three separate exams. Its section-adaptive design, where only the second half of Verbal and Quant responds to earlier performance, also sits between a fully fixed-difficulty exam and a fully question-by-question adaptive one like the GMAT.
🎓 How This Score Impacts Your Application
For general graduate programs, the combined Verbal-plus-Quantitative score is usually what admissions committees weigh most directly against a published or informal minimum. For MBA applicants specifically choosing GRE over GMAT, the calculus is different: since GMAT still carries a stronger 'business school commitment' signal for some recruiters even though scores are officially treated equally, the GRE route works best when a candidate is genuinely also considering non-MBA graduate options and wants one test that serves both paths.
More insights: country notes, comparisons, myths, examiner tipsSee all ▾
🌍 Country-Specific Notes
In the U.S. and Canada, the GRE serves general graduate admissions broadly and is increasingly accepted for MBA programs specifically. In some countries, particularly parts of Asia, GRE Subject Tests carry additional weight for STEM-focused graduate programs beyond what the General Test alone signals.
⚖️ Comparison with Alternatives
Against the GMAT, the GRE is broader in what it can be used for but arguably less quantitatively demanding in its Quant section, which stays closer to high-school-level math than GMAT's problem-solving and data-sufficiency questions. Against LSAT for someone considering law school as one option among several graduate paths, the GRE is now accepted at a growing number of law schools too, letting some candidates apply to law, business, and general graduate programs with a single test.
🆕 Recent Changes
The September 2023 redesign cut the test from nearly 4 hours to under 2 by removing the unscored experimental section and the second Analytical Writing task, leaving one essay instead of two.
🧐 Myths vs Facts
Business schools are sometimes assumed to quietly still favor the GMAT despite public statements otherwise — Harvard, Stanford, and Chicago Booth have all gone on record treating GRE and GMAT scores identically, with GRE already making up 37-44% of incoming classes at some of them. There's also a widespread assumption that GRE math demands advanced technique; the content mostly stays at a high-school level, and the real difficulty is speed and reasoning under pressure rather than unfamiliar material.
👨‍🏫 Examiner Tips
Because the on-screen calculator only appears in Quantitative Reasoning, practicing mental estimation for Verbal-adjacent numeric questions (where no calculator exists) avoids a jarring shift in problem-solving approach on test day. In Analytical Writing, directly addressing the specific issue prompt — rather than writing a prepared, generic argument loosely adapted to fit — is what separates strong scores from merely competent ones under ETS's published scoring guide.
📋 Post-Exam Steps
Unofficial Verbal and Quant scores appear immediately at the test centre, with the official report, including the essay score, following in 8-10 days. ScoreSelect lets a candidate then choose exactly which test date to send, meaning a weaker earlier attempt never has to be revealed to a later-choosing program.
🎯 Score Uses Beyond Admission
Some fellowship and scholarship programs use GRE scores as part of their own selection criteria, separate from graduate school admission itself, and a small number of employers in analytically-focused fields have referenced it informally during hiring.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the GRE score valid?+
Scores remain reportable for five years after the test date. That's longer than most competing tests, which matters for someone who takes the GRE early — during undergrad, say — and doesn't apply to graduate programs until years later; the five-year window means that early attempt doesn't automatically go to waste.
How much does the GRE cost?+
The exam fee is $249.
How often can I retake the GRE?+
The GRE can be retaken once every 21 days, up to five times within any rolling 12-month period.
When are GRE results declared?+
Unofficial Verbal and Quantitative scores appear on-screen immediately after the test; official scores, including the essay, arrive within 8-10 days.
Which universities accept the GRE?+
Accepted by 20,000+ graduate, business, and law programs worldwide (ETS); on the business side specifically, roughly 1,300 business schools take it compared to over 2,400 for the GMAT, though 92% of MBA programs now accept both.
Is a calculator allowed in the GRE?+
Yes, but limited to Quantitative Reasoning — a built-in on-screen model appears only during that section.
How should I prepare for the GRE?+
Because the test is section-adaptive, understanding how performance on the first Verbal or Quantitative section affects the second matters as much as content review — a strong first section unlocks a harder, more…
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One test accepted by nearly every kind of graduate program — general master's degrees, PhDs, and a growing share of MBA programs alike
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📊 Quick Facts
Official Site →
Conducted ByEducational Testing Service (ETS)
Year Started1936
CategoryGraduate Admissions Examination
Emailgre-info@ets.org
Phone1-866-473-4373
Last UpdatedSeptember 6, 2026
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